Thinking planning and deciding Flashcards
What is the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex?
The brain hub for flexible behavior and regulator of input output pathways. Essential for cognitive control and flexible behavior.
What is the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex connected to?
The reward related, planning related and attention related cortical areas.
What parts of the brain are in the reward related area of the cortex?
The Orbitofrontal cortex and the anterior cingulate cortex.
What parts of the brain are in the planning area of the cortex?
The premotor cortex?
What parts of the brain are in the attention related area of the cortex?
Parietal areas.
What does the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex do?
Actively regulates other circuits. Controls the response of other groups of neurons by increasing or decreasing response to inputs and feedback. Produces different responses in different contexts.
What is the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex important for?
Switching attention, working memory, maintaining abstract rules, and inhibiting inappropriate response.
What flexible behaviour?
As opposed to reflexive behavior it allows us to override habits and find new solutions in unpredictable circumstances. The most flexible, complex, and future-oriented behaviors are computed through the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex.
How does the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex affect working memory?
Helps with the ability to keep information in mind in order to guide behavior.
How does the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex maintain abstract rules?
The DLPFC shows systematic patterns of behavior in accordance with specific rules. Changes in the rules change the specific firing rates of neurons in the DLPFC.
What plays an important role in estimating reward value?
The orbitofrontal cortex.
How do we compare the reward values of two or more different options?
The OFC and vmPFC store reward values for two or more options. These values are then compared. Damage to the vmPFC disrupts this process.
What regulates the amygdala?
The ventromedial prefrontal cortex.
What are the three necessary things for evaluating different options.
- Sensory areas - identification of stimuli and their properties
- Hippocampus, amygdala, and medial temporal lobe - retrieval of past experiences
- Reward related dopamine neurons in the midbrain - Associations between actions and consequences
How does the orbitofrontal cortex functions a cognitive map?
The orbitofrontal cortex maintains a cognitive map of currently relevant behavioral stimuli, their values, and their potential outcomes. It links both the external world and internal states with the possible outcome of choices.