Executive functions (EF) constitute a large conglomerate of cognitive abilities that, as their name indicates, carry out decisive actions in decision-making and human behavior. They are of a cognitive and socio-emotional nature, they coordinate the input and output information to regulate the behaviors, thoughts, and emotions of a task to be performed. Alexander Luria raises its conceptualization at the beginning of the seventies, being Muriel Lezak the one in charge of its scientific dissemination. In this article, a bibliographic compilation on EFs, their best known theoretical models, their neuropsychological evaluation process, the most common disorders and the most relevant studies in recent years is made.
lóbulo frontal
Construcción teórica neuropsicológica de las funciones ejecutivas. Theoretical neuropsychological construction of executive functions
Palabras clave: Corteza prefrontal,
flexibilidad mental,
Funciones Ejecutivas,
lóbulo frontal,
Memoria de Trabajo,
El Pensamiento Moral Después del Daño Cerebral Adquirido. Moral Thought After Acquired Cerebral Damage.
Introduction. Moral thinking is a mental skill that allows respecting implicit and explicit social norms. One factor that can alter its functioning is acquired brain damage, as is the case of subjects who have suffered a brain injury at the frontal lobe. Aim. To analyze the relationship between the process of moral thinking and brain functioning, through the description of cases that have suffered acquired brain damage, with the purpose of explaining the situation that an individual lives after presenting brain damage and becoming unable to respect social norms. Development. The clinic of patients who have suffered brain damage at the frontal level, such as Phineas Gage, NN and Elliot, is shown, in which it was observed that its state after the traumatic event was characterized by going back to previous stages of thinking moral, unlike a subject who may present brain damage in later structures. Conclusions. We discuss the analysis performed on the role of the frontal lobe in the process of respecting social norms that allow human interaction and how it can be affected by brain damage.
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Futbolistas Talentosos, el Gran Secreto Está en el Cerebro: La Gran Tragedia del Marshal y la Suerte de los Magos con un Sistema Nervioso Indemne. Talented Soccer Players, The Big Secret Is In The Brain: The Great Tragedy Of The Star Player And The Fate Of Magicians With A Preserved Nervous Systems.
In previous work, we have presented case studies from fascinating films for the eye of the neuropsychologist;1,2,3 continuing with this line of research, we describe here for your consideration a critical analysis of the role of brain functions in one of the most fascinating sports, soccer. In this analysis, we will look more closely at the brain damage suffered by the great footballer Salvador Cabañas and the role of the highly complex brain functions that allow the magical players to stand out in this sport. In the next pages, we present the case of Salvador Cabañas, both before and after his cerebral accident, and later we analyze the cerebral functions that are activated in brilliant players like Messi or Ronaldinho. We conclude this article by reflecting on the role of the brain in our normal human activities, and how catastrophic it becomes on a daily basis when our brain tissue is damaged so that as a result of this condition we can lose everything.
