Toolkit 3 - Research with clinical and non-typical populations

Question 1

What is a disadvantage of neuroimaging?

Answer 1

EEG, MEG, fMRI only provides correlational evidence, does not teach us about causality

Question 2

How can we use atypical brains?

Answer 2

Use them to study causal links in the cognitive system.
Link physiological differences to differences in behaviour and assume a connection.

Question 3

What is the use of brain lesions?

Answer 3

An insight into causal contribution of brain areas to cognitive function

Question 4

What are brain lesions?

Answer 4

Areas of the brain that show damage

Question 5

What do brain lesions help us understand?

Answer 5

the function of individual brain areas to the cognitive system
connectivity of brain areas with one another

Question 6

What are the causes of brain lesions?

Answer 6

trauma
stroke
surgical lesions

Question 7

What is single dissociation?

Answer 7

the loss or impairment of a brain function can be related to a single physical difference in the brain

Question 8

What is double dissociation?

Answer 8

a situation in which a single dissociation can be demonstrated in one person and the opposite type of single dissociation can be demonstrated for another person

Question 9

What is triple dissociation?

Answer 9

A situation in which a single dissociation of relayed brain processes can be demonstrated in 3 different individuals indicating independence of subprocesses
(extremly rare)

Question 10

What are examples of single dissociations?

Answer 10

Broca - language production related to frontal lobe
Wernicke - language comprehension related to temporal lobe

Question 11

Example of double dissociation

Answer 11

Broca and Wernickes areas form a double dissociation as they are both related to the same cognitive function (language)

Question 12

What is hemispatial neglect?

Answer 12

a neuropsychological condition after damage to one hemisphere of the brain
results in a deficit in attention to one side of the body
affects attention, perception, memory and movement

Question 13

What are the symptoms of hemispatial neglect?

Answer 13

inability to process and perceive stimuli on one side of the body
eg. a patient might fail to eat the foot on the left half of their plate, only shave or apply make up on one side, bump into objects on neglected side

Question 14

What is the lesioning technique?

Answer 14

Removing part of the brain either surgically or by injection of chemical substances that locally break down tissue.

Question 15

What is the lesioning technique used for?

Answer 15

Used to treat neurological dysfunctions in humans
Used to test role of given brain areas in certain cognitive functions in animal studies

Question 16

Describe the case of Phineas Gage.

Answer 16

Iron through his cheek and out his skull.
Showed severe personality changes, became childish and violent, family did not recognise him.
The areas of the brain damaged were responsible for rational decision making, short term memory, motor attention, emotion, social cognition.

Question 17

What is neurodegeneration?

Answer 17

The progressive loss of structure or function of neurons which involve cell death.

Question 18

What are neurodegenerative diseases?

Answer 18

A heterogenous group of disorders that are characterised by the progressive degereneration of the structure and function of the CNS and PNS.
Cannot be cured, but we can delay progression.

Question 19

What is alzheimers?

Answer 19

A disease caused by abnormal buildup of proteins in and around brain cells resulting in loss of neurons and synapses.

• Amyloid forms plaques around brain cells
• Tau forms tangles within brain cells

Alzheimers affects the cerebral cortex and certain subcortial structures resulting in a gross atrophy of the temporal lobe, parietal lobe, and parts of the frontal cortex and cingulate gyrus.

Question 20

Behavioural profile of Alzheimers disease.

Answer 20

Early symptoms - difficulty in remembering recent events (forming new memories)

As it advances - problems with language, disorientation, mood swings, mood swings, loss of motivation, self-neglect, behavioural issues

As it declines - withdraw from family and society, lose bodily functions and ultimatley death

Question 21

What is Parkinson’s disease?

Answer 21

Characterised by death of dopaminergic neurons in the midbrain.

Question 22

What are the symptoms of parkinsons?

Answer 22

tremor, rigidity, slowness of movement, difficulty walking
cognitive and behavioural problems
dementia in advanced stages
problems with sleep

Question 23

What does parkinsons disease give us an insight to?

Answer 23

motor and sensory system interaction
action cognition and action observation
executive function

Question 24

What are atypical development disorders?

Answer 24

a heterogenous group of disorders that affect the development of the nervous system, leading to abnormal brain function which may affect aspects of cognition

Question 25

What do atypical development disorders help us study?

Answer 25

aquisition, interaction and development of cognitive skills
brain plasticity and cognitive compensation strategies

Question 26

What is autism spectrum disorder?

Answer 26

Autism affects information processing in the brain and how nerve cells and their synapses connect and organise
Affects social development, communication, face and emotion recognition, joint attention, sensory abilities are heightened

Question 27

What does autism give us an insight to?

Answer 27

social cognition
emotion perception
abstract and logical thinking
language
network connectivity and function

Question 28

What are the most researched disorders in cognitive psychology?

Answer 28

DLD - Developmental language disorder (formerly known as SLI- Specific Language Impairment)

Autism spectrum disorders

Neurogenetic disorders like down syndrome

Learning disorders like dyslexia

Aphantasia