frontal lobe function and dysfunction in cognitive and affective behavior jeffrey a. carmen, ph.d....

FRONTAL LOBE FUNCTION AND DYSFUNCTION IN

COGNITIVE AND AFFECTIVE BEHAVIOR

Jeffrey A. Carmen, Ph.D.workshop in Keene, NY

11/15/2008

DISORDERS OF RATE AND MAGNITUDE OF RESPONSE RELATED TO FRONTAL

LOBE DYSFUNCTION• ADHD

• MIGRAINE

• ANGER

• ANXIETY

• DEPRESSION• Note: Lack of activity in the prefrontal cortex does not mean that

anything is wrong. It can be normal, but inconvenient.

DSM CATEGORIES

• ADHD – doesn’t pay attention to things considered important by the diagnoser / evaluator. But, the normal attention mode for anxiety under forced restriction of mobility is a scanning mode of attention.

• The above behavior pattern occurs in the presence of reduced activity of the prefrontal cortex.

DSM CATEGORIES

• MIGRAINE – 50,000 years ago this may have been a highly adaptive behavior for detection of severe incoming storms.

• The above behavior pattern occurs in the presence of reduced activity of the prefrontal cortex.

DSM CATEGORIES

• ANGER – people are diagnosed with anger problems when they get too angry too quickly.

• The above behavior pattern occurs in the presence of reduced activity of the prefrontal cortex.

DSM CATEGORIES

• ANXIETY – physical and psychological symptoms of a danger response in a situation in which physical danger is not present.

• The above behavior pattern occurs in the presence of reduced activity of the prefrontal cortex.

DSM CATEGORIES

• DEPRESSION – possibly the one exception to excessive rate and magnitude. It may represent reduced rate and magnitude.

• The above behavior pattern occurs in the presence of reduced activity of the prefrontal cortex. However the reduced activity tends to be lateralized towards the language dominant side of the brain.

DSM CATEGORIES

• AUTISM / ASPERGER’S / PDD – Autistic individuals relate to people as objects. Asperger’s individuals relate to people as people but don’t understand how to manage the social relationship.

• The above behavior pattern occurs in the presence of reduced activity of the prefrontal cortex. However the reduced activity tends to be lateralized towards the non-language dominant side of the brain.

DSM CATEGORIES

• All of the previous common but divergent diagnostic categories have one thing in common. Their presence is accompanied by reduced management activities of the prefrontal cortex.

• Training increases in brain activity with the EZPIR system appears to help manage these categories.

INFRARED IMAGES ASSOCIATED WITH

COGNITIVE / AFFECTIVE DISORDERS

ANXIETY, DEPRESSION AND ASSOCIATED CONDITIONS

• TES

Depression tends to appear as a dark area in the region of the language side of the brain. People who are reverse lateralized for language tend to show a reversed IR image. Anger tends to be on the non-language side of the brain. Anxiety is less predictable, sometimes appearing more central, sometimes appearing more to the left.e

ANGER AND DEPRESSION

A

Anger tends to image as a dark area on the non-language side.

ADHD (and some depression)

Attentional difficulties tend to locate centrally as does sleep deprivation.

ASPERGER’S / AUTISM (with some depression)

This image represents both Asperger’s and Depression in a right language lateralized individual.

SUMMARY

• The lesson to be learned here, is that there is a reciprocal relationship between the symptoms associated with behavioral pathology and the prefrontal cortex. It is like a teeter-totter. When one increases in activity the other is forced to reduce activity.

• A chronic condition of emotional or physical discomfort will shut down the prefrontal region.

• Increasing activity in the prefrontal cortex helps manage most out-of-control brain responses.