Fundamentals Of Human Neuropsychology. Kolb.- Executive Function

Front 1

What are executive functions?

Back 1

?

Front 2

Why is prefrontal cortex a good place for executive functions?

Back 2

?

Front 3

Prefrontal Cortex = Frontal cortex - ______

Back 3

Motor areas

Front 4

What does the cognitive portion of frontal lobe do? (3)

Back 4

* help make decisions
* support WM
* plan
NOT movement areas

Front 5

4 Must haves for an executive region

Back 5

* Source of activity that biases other regions
* Maintenance in the face of distractions
* Housing appropriate representations (connected to visual and auditory areas)
* Plasticity

Front 6

What is Plasticity?

Back 6

being flexible in decisions

Front 7

What does the bigger prefrontal cortex imply? How big is it?

Back 7

* Bigger prefrontal cortex relative to the rest of the brain is the difference b/w nonhuman primates and humans
* 1/3 of human cortex is prefrontal

Front 8

Pick's disease

Back 8

* Cognitive deficit
* Behavioral deficit
* frontal release sign

Front 9

Pick's disease age of onset

Back 9

50s - 60s

Front 10

Are of damage in pick's disease

Back 10

Frontal Temporal demensia

Front 11

Pick's disease Cognitive deficit

Back 11

* profound executive dysfunction
* good memory, language, visuospatial skills

Front 12

Pick's disease behavioral deficit

Back 12

* socially inappropriate
* euphoric
* sexual indiscretions
* poor judgement
* Become mute (doesn't want to initiate conversation)

Front 13

Pick's disease : Frontal release signs

Back 13

* Positive Babinski Sign, positive Snouting reflex
* on neurological exam but no sensory or motor deficits

Front 14

Pick's disease treatment

Back 14

* No treatment, must be institutionalized

Front 15

Neuroimaging in pick's disease:

Back 15

Neuroimaging: used to support a diagnosis.
* MRI: can see large areas of frontal atrophy
* PET: less blood flow (almost none) in the frontal lobes
functionally dying

Front 16

Possible symptoms of prefrontal damage:

Back 16

* emotional and social dysfunction
* flat affect. decreased drive
* lack of self-awareness
* separation of action from knowledge

Front 17

Environmental dependency syndrome

Back 17

people rely on the environment to guide behavior as opposed to relying on their goals

Front 18

why do people with prefrontal cortex damage have short-term memory impairment?

Back 18

due to increased distractibility

Front 19

Prefrontal cortex damage effects attention. How does this clinically affect the patient?

Back 19

problem solving, innovating thinking, planning

Front 20

Prefrontal cortex damage causes Inability to initiate, stop, and modify behavior in response to
changing stimuli. What does this relate to?

Back 20

ERN

Front 21

What is ERN?

Back 21

ERN (error related negativity)
prefrontal patient don’t demonstrate ERN (less aware that they were making mistakes, so don't take corrective action and make the same mistakes).

Front 22

What is Stroop effect?

Back 22

* Inability to inhibit responses
* Ex. Stroop effect -> State color of word (green – may said green instead of red)

Front 23

What kind of impairment does lateral PFC damage cause?

Back 23

Cognitive

Front 24

What kind of impairment does OFC cause?

Back 24

Emotional

Front 25

How does Winconsin card sorting task indicate prefrontal cortex damage?

Back 25

* Sorting rule changes
* Some patients will say they know the rule has changed but keep
answering wrong anyways -> separation from action and knowledge
* Impairment in plasticity – not behaving in a flexible way