Final Project for "Understanding the Brain: Neurobiology of Everyday" talking about executive functions from an occupational therapist perspective.

1. TALKING ABOUT COGNITION:
EXECUTIVE FUNCTIONS IN
DAILY LIVING
“Understanding the Brain: Neurobiology of Everyday”
University of Chicago
Final Project for Coursera (MOOC)
By: ALEJANDRA ZUMAETA ORMEÑO

2. TABLE OF CONTENTS:
1. Introduction: What is cognition? And Abstract Functions?
2. What does executive function (EF) mean?
3. “Description of the nervous system’s parts that are active”.
4. Analyzing EF and their application in our routine.
5. “Description of the impaired functions of the nervous system
when there is an affection”.
6. Conclusion: “How this course has allowed me to better analyze
the events and phenomena around me”.
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3. This essay will examine the relevance of Executive Functions (EF) in
our routines and will show the most typical impairments when these
do not achieve their purpose.
1. INTRO
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As Peggy taught us at the beginning of the course one of the four
main functions in the Nervous System are Higher Abstract Functions.
Here we find the term “Cognition” which involves thinking, feeling
emotions, motivation, learning, interaction and cognitive processes per se:
attention, perception, praxis, language, memory and executive function.

4. 2.
EXECUTIVE FUNCTIONS
Executive functions (EFs) are those skills that are involved in the
generation, supervision, regulation, execution and readjustment of
appropriate behaviours to achieve complex objectives, especially those
that require a novel and creative approach.
It is a “CONCEPTUAL UMBRELLA” for high level functions:
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SequencingMorals

5. ABSTRACT FUNCTION
The critical structure to higher abstract
functions is Forebrain, which includes
the cerebral cortex and is the “set of
consciousness”. All perception and
abstract cognitive functions like memory
are contained in the forebrain.
3. NERVOUS SYSTEM
EXECUTIVE FUNCTIONS
EF are located at the Prefrontal Cortex
(PFC), the cerebral cortex which covers
the front part of the Frontal Lobe:
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The PFC is the part of the cerebrum that
lies directly behind the eyes and the
forehead. More than any other part of the
brain, this area dictates our personality,
our goals, and our values.

6. DORSOLATERAL PREFRONTAL CORTEX (DLPC)
The DLPFC is an area specialising in problem solving
and how to direct and maintain attention to a task.
When we are focused on what is happening now,
our working memory is engaged with the DLPFC
and connecting with the hippocampus for the
retrieval and consolidation of long-term explicit
memories
3. NERVOUS SYSTEM
ORBITOFRONTAL CORTEX (OFC)
The OFC, like the DLPFC, is involved in the cognitive
processing of decision making; however, because of its
close connection with the limbic system, it is
particularly associated with our ability to make
decisions based on emotional information.
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VENTROMEDIAL PREFRONTAL CORTEX (vmPFC)
This part of the PFC helps us make decisions based on the bigger picture gathered from connections to the
amygdala, temporal lobe, ventral segmental area, olfactory system, and the thalamus. It is vital for our capacity to
make judgements and for personal and social decision making and the ability to learn from our mistakes.

7. 4. EFs IN LIFE
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There is general agreement that there are three core EFs:
We must not forget that executive functions always co-work with cognitive processes like memory (episodic,
semantic, non declarative and short-term memory), attention (sustained, alternating, divided and selective),
perception, praxis, processing speed or vocabulary knowledge.
COGNITIVE
FLEXIBILITY
=
The ability to think
about something in
more than one way
and to tolerate
changes
WORKING
MEMORY
=
The ability to
perform tasks that
involve storage and
manipulation of
information
INHIBITION
and
SELF-CONTROL
=
The ability to ignore
distractions and
resist temptation
EXAMPLE:
Anyone may use this skill to read
a shopping list , hold on to the
information, and then use it to
buy if the list is finally gone.
EXAMPLE:
A child might use this skill to
keep from blurting out an
answer in class.
EXAMPLE:
A student might use this skill to
answer a math problem in two
ways or to find relationships
between different concepts.

8. 4. EFs IN LIFE
⊡ PLANNING: It involves setting a
goal, determining the best option
to achieve it, and performing a
series of appropriately sequenced
steps to achieve that goal.
⊡ FLUENCY: It is the ability to
generate appropriate responses to
a given stimulus in a given time.
⊡ REASONING: the ability to
understand relationships, identify
essential components, synthesize
and deduce common aspects.
⊡ .
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EFs are skills essential for mental and physical health; success in school and in life; and cognitive, social, and
psychological development. From the three prior main executive functions, higher-order EFs are built, such as:
A person may use planning when performing
the steps to brush their teeth, shower or dress,
without skipping steps and / or altering the
logical order.
A teacher may use fluency when a student ask
him / her a question or vice versa.
With working memory people are able to use
reasoning when they are watching a movie,
reading a book or trying to understand a
theatre play.

9. “Within the prefrontal cortex, the dorsolateral area is the one that later
matures and the one that is first affected by age.
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5.
IMPAIRED STRUCTURES
Dorsolateral
Affection of the cognitive
domain: Difficulties in
planning, monitoring,
flexibility, concept formation,
working memory.
DISORGANIZED OR
DYSEXECUTIVE PATIENT
Ventromedial
Affection of the initiative:
Lack of imagination,
creativity, interest,
spontaneity.
APATHETIC
Orbitofrontal
Alteration of inhibition:
Impulsive and irritable
behaviour, egocentric, lack of
social judgment.
DISINHIBITED PATIENT

10. “Executive dysfunctions have a great impact on a person's daily life activities and on their
relationship with others, since they direct their behavior (self-regulation) and their
cognitive and emotional activity.
Day by day we need to activate executive functions in new situations, when we need to
maintain and retrieve information, initiate or interrupt actions, or when it is necessary to
coordinate actions or supervise them and follow instructions or rules.
In daily life, a dysfunction or failure of executive functions could cause situations such as:
problems using the computer, preparing food, controlling money and / or household
expenses, planning a trip or solving a problem situation in our daily life.
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5.
IMPAIRED DAILY FUNCTIONS

11. Make the decision whether or not to cross a pedestrian crossing, choose clothes according to the
circumstances, stop rinsing the body at the right time, once it no longer has soap, stop combing
when it no longer has pulls in the hair and a million more situations involving Activities of Daily
Living are possible thanks to executive functions.
As an occupational therapist I usually tend to subdivide casual activities into smaller tasks in
order to comprehend how our brain and body works and how can I help people who have
different kind of affections to be more independent in their lifes.
This course has confirmed to me that understanding the functioning of the brain it is essential for
human beings, because absolutely everything that belongs to us, from the tiniest easiest action to
the most difficult abstract function, depends on cerebral connections.
Furthermore, I would like to emphasize that the course would not be the same without Peggy, her
particular way to teach, always trying to explain putting it all with daily examples, is one of the
main reason why I have finished this brilliant MOOC.
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6.CONCLUSIONS

12. Bibliography
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• https://www.thescienceofpsychotherapy.com/prefrontal-
cortex/
• https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4084861/
• https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0887617707
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• http://ocupatea.es/funciones-ejecutivas-vida-diaria/