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Goals and Methods

Goals and Methods. Broad goal is to understand the brain activity associated with specific cognitive processes such as attention, memory, language and consciousness There are several smaller questions in this. For example: What structures do what jobs?

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Goals and Methods

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  1. Goals and Methods • Broad goal is to understand the brain activity associated with specific cognitive processes such as attention, memory, language and consciousness • There are several smaller questions in this. For example: • What structures do what jobs? • How is information represented in these structures? • How is information passed between these structures? • How is information transformed by these structures? • How are the structures transformed by information!?

  2. The Methods of Cognitive Neuroscience • How many of you have heard the statement that you only use 10% of your brain?

  3. The Methods of Cognitive Neuroscience • How many of you have heard the statement that you only use 10% of your brain? • What do you suppose this means? Would that be a bad thing?

  4. The Methods of Cognitive Neuroscience • Does it refer to 10% of brain tissue or 10% of a more abstract “functional capacity”? • If it refers to 10% of brain tissue, then which 10%!? • Does it mean “at any moment” or “ever in your life”? • If it means “at any moment” (and it were true), would it be a good thing to boost this number to 100%!? • What does “use” mean?

  5. The Methods of Cognitive Neuroscience • Is the 10% “myth” true? • More importantly, how could you go about testing this proposition?

  6. Anatomy • What is the difference between Structural Anatomy and Functional Anatomy? • What roles do each play in our understanding of the brain?

  7. Structural Anatomy • Brain structures are identified in a hierarchical fashion • Hemispheres -> Lobes -> Sulci & Gyri • Sulci and Gyri are all named • but somewhat variable across individuals • But remember – THE CORTEX IS A FLAT SHEET of tissue

  8. Structural Anatomy • Brain structures are identified in a hierarchical fashion • Hemispheres -> Lobes -> Sulci & Gyri • Sulci and Gyri are all named • but somewhat variable across individuals • But remember – THE CORTEX IS A FLAT SHEET of tissue

  9. Structural Anatomy • Brodmann Areas defined by cytoarchitecture • map of variations in cellular morphology • It is probably not coincidence that Broadman areas are also generally functionally distinct – WHY?

  10. Connectivity • Anatomists are also concerned with brain regions and how they are interconnected • Interconnectedness occurs at various levels: • interneurons • cortico-cortical connections • thalamo-cortical and cortico-thalamic • afferent = “to” (e.g. sensory) and efferent = “from” (e.g. motor)

  11. Connectivity • How do anatomists study connectivity? • Retrograde Tracers (e.g. horseradish peroxidase) follow axons back to where they came from • Anterograde Tracers follow axons to where they are going

  12. Connectivity • Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI) • MRI Technique that traces long white matter tracts

  13. Connectivity • “Ascending” and “descending” projections in sensory systems • estimate: for every ascending projection there are ten descending projections

  14. Connectivity • “Ascending” and “descending” projections in sensory systems • estimate: for every ascending projection there are ten descending projections Why would we have descending projections?

  15. Connectivity • It is the inter-connectivity of the brain that (probably) allows it to perform the vastly complex processes of cognition

  16. Structural and Functional Imaging • There are a number of well known techniques to create images of brain anatomy • CAT scan, MRI, X-Ray, • Note however that structural and functional images are not the same thing!

  17. Structural and Functional Imaging • There are a number of well known techniques to create images of brain anatomy • CAT scan, MRI, X-Ray, • Note however that structural and functional images are not the same thing! • Which is more useful? If you could go back in time and give one of these techniques to the earliest neuroscientists, which would it be?

  18. Structural and Functional Imaging • This is a Functional MRI Image !?

  19. Structural and Functional Imaging • This is a structural MRI image (an “anatomical” image)

  20. Structural and Functional Imaging • What you really want is both images co-registered

  21. Structural and Functional Imaging • What you really want is both images co-registered • Why? What’s wrong with the functional image alone?

  22. Structural and Functional Imaging • Functional images tend to be lower resolution and fail to convey spatial information Pixels

  23. Structural and Functional Imaging • Structural images have finer (smaller) pixels Pixels

  24. Structural and Functional Imaging • Why? What’s wrong with the functional image alone? • More subtly: a functional image typically isn’t a picture of the brain at all! It’s a picture of something else • PET, fMRI = oxygenated blood • EEG = electric fields • MEG = magnetic fields

  25. Structural and Functional Imaging • a functional image isn’t a picture of the brain at all! It’s a picture of something else • PET, fMRI = oxygenated blood • EEG = electric fields • MEG = magnetic fields • This has really important consequences: • Consider the 10% myth

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