Chapter 2: Cognitive Neuroscience

1. Chapter 2: Cognitive Neuroscience

2. Simple, yet so complex; The Neuron Either or operation At rest: Average 100ms between firing Excitation: Much faster Inhibition: A bit slower

3. Neural Speed • 10 volunteers • Hold hands, squeeze when your neighbor does: Timed • Hold shoulders, squeeze when your neighbor does: Timed Written by Nancy Jo Melucci, Santa Monica College

4. Brain Facts • 100 billion neurons • A typical neuron has about 1,000 to 10,000 • synapses (that is, it communicates with 1,000 –10,000 other neurons, muscle cells, glands, etc.). • 100 trillion synapses • Weight 46 - 50 ounces (≈ 3 pounds)

5. 100 Million, Billion, Trillion… What’s the diff? *Shrug*

6. 1,000 pennies

7. 100,000 pennies

8. 1,000,000 pennies

9. 1,000,000,000 pennies

10. 100,000,000,000 Neurons in the brain!

11. 1,000,000,000,000 pennies • Sears Tower • Empire State Building • Washington Monument • Lincoln Memorial

13. 100,000,000,000,000 synapses in the brain! A stack of pennies 98,642,600 Miles long! Long enough to wrap 4,000 times around the earth.

14. Methodology • Postmortem studies • Animal Studies • Electrical Recordings • Static Imaging Techniques • Metabolic Imaging

15. Methodology Postmortem Studies • Identify disorder and then examine after death • Young, Holcomb, Yazdani, Hicks & German (2004) • Found that depression is associated with a greater number of nerve cells in the Thalamus being devoted to emotional regulation • Supported idea that structural abnormality may lead to depression

16. Methodology Animal Studies: In Vivo • Monitor activity of a single neuron

17. Methodology Animal Studies: Single Neuron Monitoring • Gross, Bender & Rocha-Miranda, 1969 • Increased firing in the inferotemporal region in response to more hand-like objects Inferotemporal region

18. Methodology EEG-Human Studies Electroencephalograph Research Example

22. Methodology Positron Emission Tomography (PET) • Radioactive material is injected or inhaled • Participant is then scanned to produce an image of the brain’s activity

23. Methodology Magnetic Resonance Imaging • Strong magnetic field passed through the skull • Uses the detection of radio frequency signals produced by displaced radio waves in a magnetic field • Creates a detailed anatomical image of the brain

24. Methodology Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) • fMRI quick series of images analyzed for differences • Brain areas with more blood flow have been shown to have better visibility on MRI images

25. Where am I? Common sense, though all very will for everyday purposes, is easily confused, even by such simple questions as… When you feel a pain in the leg that has been amputated, where is the pain? If you say it is in your head, would it be in your head if your leg had not been amputated? If you say yes, then what reason have you for ever thinking you have a leg? • (Bertrand Russell)

26. Anatomy of the Brain • Forebrain • Midbrain • Hindbrain

27. Anatomy of the Brain Forebrain • Cerebral cortex • Basal ganglia • Limbic system • Amygdala • Hippocampus • Thalamus • Hypothalamus

28. 0 Anatomy of the Brain  Forebrain Cerebral Cortex • Frontal • Parietal • Temporal • Occipital

29. Anatomy of the Brain  Forebrain  Cerebral Cortex Frontal Lobe • Impulse control, judgment, language, memory, problem solving, sexual behavior, socialization and spontaneity. "It seems possible that with additional experience and a minute study of the pathologic changes seen in the brain, the knife may be the means of restoring to reason many cases now considered incurable" --Emory Lamphear (1895) Walter Freeman

30. Anatomy of the Brain  Forebrain  Cerebral Cortex Parietal Lobe • Somatosensory cortex • Sensory integration • Two point discrimination test

31. Anatomy of the Brain  Forebrain  Cerebral Cortex Temporal Lobe • Auditory & Perceptual processing • Wernicke’s area • Wernicke’s aphasia • Fluent nonsense

32. Anatomy of the Brain  Forebrain  Cerebral Cortex Occipital Lobe • Visual processing • Movement discrimination • Color discrimination • Black-out • Damage can cause visual illusions • Large or small appearance • Odd coloring • Without it there is no concept of color

33. Anatomy of the Brain  Forebrain  Basal Ganglia • Ganglion is a collection of cell bodies outside the central nervous system • Controll voluntary movements • Establish postures • Damages causes unwanted movements, such as involuntary jerking movements of an arm or leg or spasmodic movement of facial muscles.

34. Anatomy of the Brain  Forebrain Limbic System • Controls Mood and attitude • Stores highly charged emotional memories • Controls appetite and sleep cycles

35. Anatomy of the Brain  Forebrain Limbic System • Amygdala • Involved in anger, & fear • Hippocampus • Is important in the formation of memories • Korsakoff’s syndrome

36. Anatomy of the Brain  Forebrain Limbic System • Thalamus • Relay sensory information to the cerebral cortex • Hypothalamus • Important to metabolic behaviors, eating, drinking, sexual behaviors, and regulating emotions

37. Anatomy of the Brain  Midbrain • Location • The midbrain extends from the pons to the lower portion of thalamus • Reticular activating system • Controls respiration, cardiovascular function, digestion, alertness, and sleep • Brain Stem • Vital in basic attention, arousal, and consciousness

38. Anatomy of the Brain Hindbrain • Medulla Oblongata • Pons • Cerebellum

39. Anatomy of the Brain  Hindbrain Medulla Oblongata • Nerve crossover • Cardiac functioning • Respiration • Digestion • Swallowing

40. Anatomy of the Brain  Hindbrain Pons • Relay station • Bridge in Latin

41. Anatomy of the Brain  Hindbrain Cerebellum • Latin for “little brain” • Coordination • Balance • Muscle tone • Sensory integration in perception • Motor output • Spatial updating

42. Cerebral Cortex Principles • Contralaterality • Corpus Callosum • Localization of Function • Hemispheric Specialization

43. Click, Hum and Recite • Hold the counter in right hand • Press it as fast as you can for 30 seconds • Reset the counter and repeat for the left hand • Repeat with right and left hands while reciting the pledge of allegiance. These two bits of data are your right and left “oral data.” • Repeat with right and left hand while humming a song (Forget about the words). These two bits of data are your left and right “music data.” • The hypothesis in this experiment is that talking will interfere more with right-hand pressing, whereas humming will interfere more with left-hand pressing, due to the hemispheric specializations involved in these tasks. Written by Nancy Jo Melucci, Santa Monica College

44. Cerebral Cortex Principles Contralaterality • Right side of brain controls left side of body • Left side of brain controls right side of body

45. Cerebral Cortex Principles Corpus Callosum • Neural fibers connecting left and right lobes • Allows communication between right and left sides of the brain

46. Cerebral Cortex Principles Localization of function • Specific mental processes are correlated with discrete regions of the brain

47. Body in the Brain

48. Cerebral Cortex Principles Hemispheric Specialization Each lobe of the brain has specialized functions Left side processes: • Speech • Analysis • Time • Sequence It Recognizes: • Letters • Numbers • Words Right side processes: • Creativity • Patterns • Spatial Awareness • Context It Recognizes: • Faces • Places • Objects

49. Activity • Get a blank sheet of lined paper. Every time you read a description or characteristic that applies to you, write down its number on the blank sheet of paper. There is no certain number of characteristics you must choose.

50. I constantly look at a clock or wear a watch • I keep a journal or diary of my thoughts • I believe there is a either right and wrong way to do everything • I find it hard to follow directions precisely • The expression "Life is just a bowl of cherries" makes no sense to me • I frequently change my plans and find that sticking to a schedule is boring • I think it's easier to draw a map than tell someone how to get somewhere • To find a lost item, I try to picture it in my head where I last saw it • I frequently let my emotions guide me • I learn math with ease • I'd read the directions before assembling something • People tell me I am always late getting places • People have told me that I'm psychic • I need to set goals for myself to keep me on track • When somebody asks me a question, I turn my head to the left • If I have a tough decision to make, I write down the pros and the cons • I'd probably make a good detective