Title: What do the frontal lobes do
1What do the frontal lobes do?
- Paul Fletcher
- Dept of Psychiatry
- Cambridge University
- pcf22_at_cam.ac.uk
2- As organisms evolve, their actions become more
complex and idiosyncratic, their goals more
remote in space and time, and their reasons or
motives for attaining them more arcane, less
transparent, more based on prior experience than
instinctual need. Furthermore, action in general
becomes more deliberate and voluntary. With this
evolutionthe prefrontal cortex grows and so does
its functional role. - Joaquin Fuster, 1997
3- As organisms evolve, their actions become more
complex and idiosyncratic, their goals more
remote in space and time, and their reasons or
motives for attaining them more arcane, less
transparent, more based on prior experience than
instinctual need. Furthermore, action in general
becomes more deliberate and voluntary. With this
evolutionthe prefrontal cortex grows and so does
its functional role. - Joaquin Fuster, 1997
4Lateral
Medial
Orbital
5Attention Volition Planning/strategy Monitoring In
hibition
Insight Volition Error monitoring Somatic
attention
Interference Suppression Mood Reward
processing Risk behaviour Decision-making
6What do the frontal lobes do?
- Why is this a difficult question?
7Frontal lobe tasks
- Wisconsin Card Sorting Test
- Stroop
- Cognitive estimates
- Hayling Sentence Suppression
- Multiple Errands
- Tower of London
- Gambling/Risk
- Dimensional Shifting
- Memory Attention
- Abstract Thought
8RED
9GREEN
10Frontal lobe tasks
- Wisconsin Card Sorting Test
- Stroop
- Cognitive estimates
- Hayling Sentence Suppression
- Multiple Errands
- Tower of London
- Gambling/Risk
- Dimensional Shifting
- Memory Attention
- Abstract Thought
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12Frontal lobe tasks
- Wisconsin Card Sorting Test
- Stroop
- Cognitive estimates
- Hayling Sentence Suppression
- Multiple Errands
- Tower of London
- Gambling/Risk
- Dimensional Shifting
- Memory Attention
- Abstract Thought
13Frontal Lobe Processes
- Memory and Attention
- Volition
- Planning
- Strategy generation and implementation
- Monitoring/Error-checking
- Verification
- Inhibition
- Decision-making
14Frontal Lobe Syndrome
- Apathetic/Avolitional
- Disinhibited
- Judgement deficits
- Irritability
- Stimulus-bound behaviour
15Fundamental problems
- The processes we formulate to explain and
challenge frontal lobe function are open to
criticisms - - Metaphorical
- Pseudo-insight through terminology
- Circularity
- You can tell a lot about someones personality
from what theyre like - Harry Hill
- Procrusteanism Simply inventing new tasks ...
and then nominating them as measures of basic
executive processes - Baddeley 1998.
- Observations changed by nature of
measurement/task - I didnt realise how many ants spontaneously
combust until I started to look at them closely
through a magnifying glass on bright, sunny days
- Harry Hill
- Tasks soluble in multiple ways
16Fundamental problems
- The nature of processes is such that a task does
not consistently engage a process nor does a task
in the clinic translate easily to the real-world
deficits.
17Frontal lobes as executives
- Not necessarily useful
- Non-routine
- Dynamic/adaptive
- Modulates existing functions
- Engender automaticity memory encoding?
18Frontal lobes as executives
- Not necessarily useful
- Non-routine
- Dynamic/adaptive
- Modulates existing functions
- Engender automaticity memory encoding?
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21Fletcher et al, Cerebral Cortex, 2005
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23What Bill said
- Shakespeare
- And thus the native hue of resolution /is
sicklied oer with the pale cast of thought
- Shankly
- When youre through on goal and youre not sure
which side of the keeper to put the ball, just
pop it in the net and we'll discuss your options
afterwards.' - 'The problem with you son, is that your brains
are all in your head.'
24Frontal lobes as executives
- Not necessarily useful
- Non-routine
- Dynamic/adaptive
- Modulates existing functions
- Engender automaticity memory encoding?
25Frontal lobes associated with non-routine
encoding proactive interference
Dolan and Fletcher, Nature, 1997
26Fletcher et al, NeuroImage 2000
27Frontal lobes as executives
- Not necessarily useful
- Non-routine
- Dynamic/adaptive
- Modulates existing functions
- Engender automaticity memory encoding?
28Fletcher et al, NeuroImage 2000
29Fletcher et al Nature Neurosci2001
30Study 1 Fletcher et al Nature Neurosci2001
31Freedman et al, Science, 2001
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33Frontal lobes as executives
- Not necessarily useful
- Non-routine
- Dynamic/adaptive
- Modulates existing functions
- Engender automaticity memory encoding?
34Modulating behaviour
Sakai et al, Nature Neuroscience, 2002
35Fletcher et al, Cerebral Cortex, 2005
36Frontal lobes as executives
- Not necessarily useful
- Non-routine
- Dynamic/adaptive
- Modulates existing functions
- Engender automaticity memory encoding?
37Frontal lobes necessary to memory formation
dual task
Fletcher et al Brain, 1998
38Frontal lobes necessary to memory formation Dm
Effect
Did you see Word 3? Word 7? Word 1? Word 6? Word
2? Word 4? Word 8? Word 5?
Word 1
Word 2
Word 3
Word 4
Word 5
Fletcher et al, Cortex 2003
39Summary
- It is difficult to pronounce upon frontal lobe
function, and hence dysfunction, because we have
yet to elucidate, with confidence and
credibility, the core processes to which they
contribute. - Neuropsychology and, latterly, functional
neuroimaging have identified a number of
principles that may tentatively point us in the
right direction - Non-routine, dynamic, modulatory, memory formation
40- As organisms evolve, their actions become more
complex and idiosyncratic, their goals more
remote in space and time, and their reasons or
motives for attaining them more arcane, less
transparent, more based on prior experience than
instinctual need. Furthermore, action in general
becomes more deliberate and voluntary. With this
evolutionthe prefrontal cortex grows and so does
its functional role. - Joaquin Fuster, 1997