CH2 Flashcards
Cognitive Neuroscience
this term refers to the study of the physiological basis of cognition
cognitive neuroscience
this term refers to the idea that a topic can be studied in a number of different ways, with each approach contributing its own dimension to our understanding
levels of analysis
what are the two types of electrodes that were used?
recording electrode and reference electrode
this term refers to the idea that individual cells transmit signals in the nervous system, and that these cells are not continuous with other cells as proposed by nerve net theory.
neuron doctrine
give an example of ‘levels of analysis’
so in the context of a car you can learn different but also similar things when looking at a car’s performance and what’s happening inside the car just like behavior.
to full understand a phenomenon, it is necessary that is studied at different levels of analysis
what does the nerve net theory propose?
Nerve net theory proposed that signals could be transmitted throughout the
net in all directions
this part of the neuron is the metabolic center of the neuron and contains mechanisms to keep the cell alive
cell body
what were the two techniques that Spanish physiologist Ramon y Cajal used to investigate the nature of the nerve net?
- Golgi stain - thin slice of brain tissue is immersed in silver nitrate
- studied the tissues from the brain of newborn animals due to small density
what is the purpose of axons?
they transmit signals to other neurons
what is the resting potential?
-70mv
what is the purpose of dendrites?
to receive signals from other neuron
what is the experience-dependent plasticity?
a phenomenon in hich the structure of the brain is changed by experience
this principle states that everything a person experiences is based on representations in the person’s nervous system
principle of neural representation
this term refers to what Edgar Adrian used to record electrical signals from a single neuron
small shafts of hollow glass filled with a conductive salt solution that can pick up electrical signals at the electrode tip and conduct these signals back to a recording device.
microelectrodes
what is the charge inside the axon when a nerve impulse is transmitted down it? and what is it called
+40mv and it is called the action potential
what are feature detectors?
neurons that only respond to a specific type of stimulation or stimulus eatures like orientation, movement, and length
what are the two key facts that were discovered when researchers began recording from neurons in areas outside the primary visual area
- Many neurons at higher levels of the visual system fire to complex stimuli like geometrical patterns and faces
- a specific stimulus causes neural firing that is distributed across many areas of the cortex
whose experiment contained the phenomenon called experience-dependent plasticity?
Blakemoore and Cooper’s selective rearing experiments
what is hierarchical processing?
the progression from lower to higher areas of the brain
example: neuron in visual cortex respond to simple stimuli like bars then neurons in the temporal lobe respond to complex geometrical stimuli then another area of the temporal lobe responds to faces
what is the problem of sensory coding?
this refers to the problem of neural representation where the sensory code refers to how neurons represent various characteristics of
the environment.
this term refers to the idea that an object could be represented
by the firing of a specialized neuron that responds only to
that object
specificity coding
what is population coding?
Population coding is the representation of a particular object by the pattern of firing of a large number of neurons
according to this idea, faces are each represented by a different pattern
what is sparse coding?
Sparse coding occurs when a particular object is represented by a pattern of firing of
only a small group of neurons, with the majority of neurons remaining silent
according to this idea, faces would be represented by a few neurons and overlap with each other
what is specificity coding?
the idea that an object could be represented
by the firing of a specialized neuron that responds only to
that object
example: only specific neurons respond to specific faces
neuron 1 - me
neuron 2 - vonn
neuron 3 - mar
How is neural representation for memory different from neural representation for perception?
How is it similar?
difference: the neural firing for perception is associated in the present while for memory it is associated with information about the past
similarity: the basic principles for population and sparse coding are likely to also operate for memory
Describe the research that led Cajal to propose the neuron doctrine.
he was investigating the nature of the nerve net and then discovered that the nerve net as not continuous but was made up of individual units which were neurons were the basic building blocks of the brain
this term refers to one of the basic principles of brain organization that states that specific functions are served by specific areas of the brain
localization of function
this term refers to the idea that the brain operated as an indivisible whole as opposed to specialized areas
cortical equipotentiality
what is Broca’s area?
an area in the frontal lobe that was named such due to published work by Paul Broca about the study of patients who had suffered brain damage due to strokes that disrupted the flow of blood to the brain
this term refers to the slow, labored, and ungrammatical speech caused by damage to Broca’s area
Broca’s aphasia
what is aphasia?
aphasia is a language disorder that affects how you communicate
this term refers to a problem associated with damage in their temporal lobe that would render their speech as fluent and grammatically correct but also tended to be incoherent.
wernicke’s aphasia
what is the similarity and difference between broca’s and wernicke’s aphasia?
similarity: inability to match words with their
meanings
difference: the defining characteristic of Wernicke’s aphasia is the absence of normal grammar
where is the visual cortex located?
occipital lobe
what lobe is responsible for perceptions of touch, pressure, and pain?
parietal lobe (somatosensory cortex)
this lobe receives signals from all of the senses and is responsible for coordination of the senses, as well as higher cognitive functions like thinking and problem solving.
frontal lobe
what is prosopagnosia? and where is the damage in?
prosopagnosia is an inability to recognize faces and is damage to the temporal lobe on the lower-right side of the brain
this occurs if damage to one area of the brain causes function A to be absent while function B is present, and damage to another area causes function B to be absent while function A is present.
double dissociation
how does fMRI work?
Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) takes advantage of the fact that neural activity causes the brain to bring in more oxygen, which binds to hemoglobin molecules in the blood. This added oxygen increases the magnetic properties of the hemoglobin, so when a magnetic field is presented to the brain, these more highly oxygenated hemoglobin molecules respond more strongly to the magnetic field and cause an increase in the fMRI signal.
what is the FFA?
the fusiform face area (FFA) is located in the fusiform gyrus on the underside of the temporal lobe that is the same part of the brain that is damaged in cases of prosopagnosia
what activates the parahippocampal place area (PPA)?
what is important for this area is information about spatial layout,
because increased activation occurs when viewing pictures both
of empty rooms and of rooms that are completely furnished
what activates the extrastriate body area (EBA)?
the extrastriate body area (EBA) is activated by pictures of bodies and parts of bodies (but not by faces)
how is Huth et al’s experiment results paradoxical with earlier research about specific areas of the brain responsible for the perception of different types of stimuli?
even though there is a great deal of evidence for localization of function, we need to consider the brain as a whole in order to understand the physiological basis of cognition.
what is a central principle of cognition?
most of our experience is MULTIDIMENSIONAL. That is, even simple experiences involve combinations of different qualities.
Consider, for example, looking at a person’s face.
what are two examples of distributed neural representation?
remembering and producing and understanding language
this term refers to the interconnected areas of the brain that can communicate with each
other
neural networks
what is distributed representation?
distributed
representation is the fact that looking at a face activates many areas of the brain
what are the four principals of the properties of neural networks?
- There are complex structural pathways called networks that form the brain’s information highway.
- Within these structural pathways there are functional pathways that serve different functions.
- These networks operate dynamically, mirroring the dynamic nature of cognition.
- There is a resting state of brain activity, so parts of the brain are active all the time, even when there is no cognitive activity
this term refers to the brain’s “wiring diagram” created by nerve axons that connect different brain areas
structural connectivity
this technique for extensive mapping of the brain is based on detection of how water diffuses along the length of nerve fibers
track-weighted imaging
what is structural connectivity and functional connectivity in simple terms?
structural connectivity - roadmap of the brain
functional connectivity - traffic pattern of the brain
this term indicates the structural description of the network of elements and connections forming the human brain
or more simply, the “wiring diagram” of neurons in the brain
connectome
this term refers to the network of structures that respond when a person is not involved in specific tasks
default mode network
How is functional connectivity measured?
resting-state functional connectivity is used to measure it and it was based on resting-state fMRI
How is structural connectivity measured?
track-weighted imaging
What does it mean to say that the operation of brain networks is dynamic?
it is constantly active and changing
Describe the connection between advances in technology and research on the
physiology of cognition.
better technology means more fruitful research on neurons and stuff
what are the three basic questions that can help understand the physiology of cognition’s dependency on technological advancements
repre question -
How are cognitions represented by neural firing?
org question -
How are cognitions localized in different areas of the brain?
comm question -
How are different areas of the brain connected and how do they communicate?
this Italian anatomist developed a staining technique in which a thin slice of brain tissue was immersed in a solution of silver nitrate
Camillo Golgi
this Spanish physiologist discovered that individual units called neurons were the basic building blocks of the brain
Ramon y Cajal
who was able to record electrical signals from single sensory neurons, an achievement for which he was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1932
Edgar Adrian
this principle states that everything a person experiences is based on representations in the person’s nervous system
principle of neural representation
is a region in the brain that controls speech production and comprehension
Broca’s Area
is a part of the brain that is responsible for understanding written and spoken language
Wernicke’s Area
to indicate the “structural description of the network of elements and connections forming the human brain” or more simply, the “wiring diagram” of neurons in the brain
CONNECTOME
