Neuroscience
In the excellent Blue Stater fictional world of the administration of President Jed Bartlet on NBC’s The West Wing, a brief reference to brain-behavior functions played a minor plotline in this evening’s episode as the former Chief of Staff Leo McGarry reminds the new Chief of Staff C.J. Cregg to get the President to play chess with her at least once a week. This advisement is left as is until the end of the episode, when Leo reveals that this was his subtle way to attempt to discern whether the President’s “executive functions” were showing some degree of impairment. (For those new to the show, the President was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis prior to his first administration but did not reveal it publically until the time before his run for re-election several years ago).
“Executive functions” are a specific set of higher order brain functions that have been the subject of much neuroscientific interest for many years now. There are many good references that an interested person could access to learn about these neuropsychological functions in detail.
Here is a link to the abstract of one such study, published back in 1997:
J Foong, L Rozewicz, G Quaghebeur, CA Davie, LD Kartsounis, AJ Thompson, DH Miller and MA Ron. Executive function in multiple sclerosis: The role of frontal lobe pathology. Brain. 1997; 120(1): 15-26.
- Neuropsychology Abstract Of The Day: Moyamoya
Intellectual ability and executive function in pediatric moyamoya vasculopathy Developmental Medicine and Child Neurology. 2011 Nov 24; Williams TS, Westmacott R, Dlamini N, Granite L, Dirks P, Askalan R, Macgregor D, Moharir M, Deveber G Abstract Aim ...
- Neuropsychology Abstract Of The Day: Cortical Neuroanatomy Of Neuropsychological Deficits
The cortical neuroanatomy of neuropsychological deficits in mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease: A surface-based morphometric analysis Neuropsychologia. 2011 Oct 15; Ahn HJ, Seo SW, Chin J, Suh MK, Lee BH, Kim ST, Im K, Lee JM, Lee JH,...
- Abstract Of The Day: Neuropsychology Assessment & Executive Function
Busch RM, McBride A, Curtiss G, & Vanderploeg RD. The components of executive functioning in traumatic brain injury. Journal of Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology. 2005 Nov; 27(8): 1022-1032. James A. Haley Veterans' Hospital, Tampa, Florida,...
- Abstract Of The Day: Neuropsychology Assessment Of Preschoolers
Isquith PK, Crawford JS, Espy KA, & Gioia GA. Assessment of executive function in preschool-aged children. Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities Research Review. 2005 Sep 13; 11(3): 209-215. Department of Psychiatry, Dartmouth Medical School,...
- Books About The Frontal Lobes
The frontal lobes have been in the news the past few days, with a number of media resports about a research study examining the neuropsychology of sarcasm. Here is a small collection of recent books about the frontal lobes: Fuster, J. (1997). The prefrontal...
Neuroscience
Executive Functions in a Fictional West Wing
In the excellent Blue Stater fictional world of the administration of President Jed Bartlet on NBC’s The West Wing, a brief reference to brain-behavior functions played a minor plotline in this evening’s episode as the former Chief of Staff Leo McGarry reminds the new Chief of Staff C.J. Cregg to get the President to play chess with her at least once a week. This advisement is left as is until the end of the episode, when Leo reveals that this was his subtle way to attempt to discern whether the President’s “executive functions” were showing some degree of impairment. (For those new to the show, the President was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis prior to his first administration but did not reveal it publically until the time before his run for re-election several years ago).
“Executive functions” are a specific set of higher order brain functions that have been the subject of much neuroscientific interest for many years now. There are many good references that an interested person could access to learn about these neuropsychological functions in detail.
Here is a link to the abstract of one such study, published back in 1997:
J Foong, L Rozewicz, G Quaghebeur, CA Davie, LD Kartsounis, AJ Thompson, DH Miller and MA Ron. Executive function in multiple sclerosis: The role of frontal lobe pathology. Brain. 1997; 120(1): 15-26.
- Neuropsychology Abstract Of The Day: Moyamoya
Intellectual ability and executive function in pediatric moyamoya vasculopathy Developmental Medicine and Child Neurology. 2011 Nov 24; Williams TS, Westmacott R, Dlamini N, Granite L, Dirks P, Askalan R, Macgregor D, Moharir M, Deveber G Abstract Aim ...
- Neuropsychology Abstract Of The Day: Cortical Neuroanatomy Of Neuropsychological Deficits
The cortical neuroanatomy of neuropsychological deficits in mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease: A surface-based morphometric analysis Neuropsychologia. 2011 Oct 15; Ahn HJ, Seo SW, Chin J, Suh MK, Lee BH, Kim ST, Im K, Lee JM, Lee JH,...
- Abstract Of The Day: Neuropsychology Assessment & Executive Function
Busch RM, McBride A, Curtiss G, & Vanderploeg RD. The components of executive functioning in traumatic brain injury. Journal of Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology. 2005 Nov; 27(8): 1022-1032. James A. Haley Veterans' Hospital, Tampa, Florida,...
- Abstract Of The Day: Neuropsychology Assessment Of Preschoolers
Isquith PK, Crawford JS, Espy KA, & Gioia GA. Assessment of executive function in preschool-aged children. Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities Research Review. 2005 Sep 13; 11(3): 209-215. Department of Psychiatry, Dartmouth Medical School,...
- Books About The Frontal Lobes
The frontal lobes have been in the news the past few days, with a number of media resports about a research study examining the neuropsychology of sarcasm. Here is a small collection of recent books about the frontal lobes: Fuster, J. (1997). The prefrontal...