Week 10-12 Flashcards
The reticular activating system is located at the _____ and is associated with _____
- Brainstem
- Arousal
The superior colliculus is associated with _____ and _____
- Eye movements
- Attention shifting
The pulvinar is part of the _____ and is associated with _____
- Thalamus
- Attentional engagement
The anterior cingulate cortex is active during _____
Stroop tasks
What is the executive control area for attentional processing?
The frontal cortex
What are attention’s critical brain areas?
- Reticular activating system
- Superior colliculus
- Pulvinar (thalamus)
- Anterior cingulate cortex
- Parietal cortex
- Frontal cortex
What neurotransmitters are associated with attention?
- Dopamine: alerting when focused
- Norepinephrine: alerting when focused
- Serotonin: alerting when unfocused
What is the evolutionary “older part” of the brain and what makes it different??
- The subcortex
- Processing is more involuntary/reflexive
What is inhibition of return?
If a cue is presented in one location and then another, it takes longer to detect a target presented at the first cue location than elsewhere
What is a potential explanation of inhibition of return?
The brain marks place we’ve already looked for a cue at
The _____ may play a role in inhibition of return
Superior colliculus
Progressive supranuclear palsy affects _____, which causes ______
- The superior colliculus
- early stages: vertical eye movement/attention shifts affected first -> less IOR
What type of deficiency can inhibit IOR?
Thiamine
The thalamus is the gateway between ____ and ____
- the subcortex
- the cortex
A stimulus is contralateral if ______
It appears on the opposite side of its associated brain region
TPJ lesion patients see more disruption from ___ cues, while subcortical damage patients see more disruption from _____ cues
- Direct
- Symbolic
Subcortical mechanisms mediate _____ attention, while cortical mechanisms mediate _____ attention
- stimulus-driven (involuntary)
- goal-driven (voluntary)
The superior parietal lobule is associated with ____
Task switching
What is a rapid serial visual presentation (RSVP) task?
Participants monitor a rapid stream of stimuli until they see a target, after which they perform a task (eg task switch)
What is a typical rapid serial auditory presentation task?
Participants hear a rapid auditory stream of stimuli and told to monitor only the one that sounds like it’s coming from the centre for a target
What are the three attentional networks, and which one do we know the most about?
- Alerting, orienting, executive
- Orienting
Who proposed the first orienting network, and what was it called?
- Maurizio Corbetta
- Frontoparietal orienting network
How does the dorsal orienting network work?
Stimuli go to the contralateral part of the FTF, then signals go to the IPS, then to visual/auditory/somatosensory areas
What is the ventral orienting network, and which hemisphere does it occur in?
- The TPJ gets input from both the VPC and sensory areas, and can interrupt signals of the dorsal network through the IPS
- Right
_____ and _____ are better than _____ and ______ at all attention tasks except for ______
- 10-year olds and young adults
- 5-year-olds and elderly adults
- Visual search with a pop-out target and attention shifting
All age groups experience _____
Inhibition of return
What is the last-in/first-out principle?
- Stimulus-driven (sensory-based) attentional processes are the first to develop and the last to deteriorate
- Goal-driven (cognitive) attentional processes are the last to develop and the first to deteriorate
Executive attentional deficits are associated with _____
- Frontal cortical dysfunction
- Accidents/injuries
Spatial attentional deficits are associated with _______ and are primarily caused by ______
- Parietal cortical dysfunction
- Strokes
Concussions are ____ traumatic brain injuries and make up _____ of brain injuries
- mild
- 85%
What are the early signs of a concussion?
- Headache
- Confusion/disorientation
- amnesia
- nausea/vomiting
- motor problems/incoordination
What part of the axon can get damaged with a concussion?
Microtubules, myelin, ion channels (ion channelopathy)
Concussion can be associated with damage to ______
White matter
What is the best brain imaging method to perform after a person has a concussion?
Diffusion tensor imaging
Other than neurons, what can be damaged from a concussion?
- Glial cells
- Vasculature
- Blood-brain barrier
Brain activity immediately after a concussion is ______ and is ______ after
- Lower than normal
- Higher than normal
When is chronic traumatic encephalopathy?
A progressive neurodegenerative brain disease caused by repetitive head trauma
What might cause ADD?
- Suppressed frontal lobe activity
- Disruption of attentional filtering by thalamus
- Disruption of right hemisphere function
- Underproduction of certain neurotransmitters
What is anopia?
A lack of vision
What is hemianopia?
A lack of vision in one side of the visual field
What is blindsight?
A person is not aware of objects in one side of the visual field
Blindsight is a(n) _____ deficit
Sensory
People with blindsight can tell when an object in their blind field are ____
Moving
The older visual pathway comes from the _____ and goes from the eyes to the _____
- Rods
- Brainstem
People with blindsight have damage to the ____ visual pathway
Newer
Spatial-neglect hemianopia is a(n) _____ deficit
attentional
What is the term for when a person is not aware of one side of their visual field at all?
anosognosia
People with ____ make compensatory head movements, while those with ____ do not
- Blindsight
- Neglect
Neglect is usually caused by ____
Stroke
An ischemic stroke is caused by _____
Plaque breaking off and blood clotting in a narrowed brain artery
Neglect is caused by stroke damage to the ____
Parietal cortex
What is somatoparaphrenia?
Spatial neglect on the left side of their body
What is extinction?
When a person is only aware of one side of their visual field if there is nothing in the other side
Why does neglect occur?
- right hemisphere, which has been lesioned, has dominance over attentional control
- dynamic hemisphere imbalance (dominance goes to left hemisphere)
_____ releives spatial neglect temporarily
Caloric stimulation (ice-cold water in left ear)
___ can influence neglect
TMS on left hemisphere
What is simultagnosia?
A person can recognize a single object but not multiple at the same time
Attentional dyslexia is a result of _____
Stroke damage to the left hemisphere
What is attentional dyslexia?
When a person can read words but not single letters within the word
