Chapter 2: Cognitive Neuroscience Flashcards
Cognition
the mental processes that take place in the brain, including thinking, attention, language, learning, memory and perception
Cognitive Neuroscience
the study of the physiological basis of cognition
Neurons
cells specialized to receive and transmit information
in the nervous system
Nerve Net
The nervous system was thought to be a network of connected fibres that was similar to a highway system; information could flow in all directions along the fibres
Neuron Doctrine
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
Neural Circuits
neurons form connections only to specific neurons that together form groups of interconnected neurons
Action Potential
a change in intracellular electrical potential that travels from the cell body to the axon terminals
All-or-None Response
the neuron will fire an action potential only if the excitatory input received by the neuron exceeds the neurons threshold
Principle of Neural Representation
everything a person experiences is based on representations in the
person’s nervous system
Neural Code
the specific pattern of neural firing that corresponds to a particular piece of information
Feature Detectors
neurons that responded to specific stimulus features such as orientation, movement, and length
Experience-Dependent Plasticity
Phenomenon that states the brain’s ability to change and adapt its structure and function based on individual experiences throughout life
Hierarchical Processing
information is processed in a structured, layered system where simpler, lower-level details are integrated to form more complex, higher-level understanding
sensory code
sensory organs translate physical stimuli from the environment into a pattern of neural activity that the brain can interpret, essentially converting external information into a language the nervous system can understand
Specificity Coding
representation of object by the firing of a specialized neuron that responds only to that object
Distributed Coding
representation of objects by a pattern of firing across a number of neurons
Sparse Coding
representation of object by a pattern of firing of only a small group of neurons, with the majority of neurons remaining silent
Localization of Function
specific areas of the brain are responsible for distinct functions or behaviors, meaning different parts of the brain control different aspects of our thoughts, emotions, and actions
Neuropsychology
the study of the behavior of people with brain damage
Brain Imaging: fMRI
determine which brain areas are active by tracking
metabolic changes using hemoglobin
Electroencephalography (EEG)
EEG is a technique for recording electrical potentials generated by neural activity from electrodes placed on
the scalp
Event-related potentials (ERPs)
EEG recording from the scalp that are directly related to specific events or stimuli, providing a way to study the timing and processing of cognitive functions like perception/memory (stimuli, responses)
Cerebral Cortex
thick layer of neurons that covers the brain; primarily responsible for higher-level cognitive functions like language, perception, memory, reasoning, decision-making, and complex thought processes
Fusiform face area (FFA)
responds specifically to faces (Right Temporal lobe)
Damage to this area causes prosopagnosia (inability to recognize
faces)
Parahippocampal place area (PPA)
responds specifically to
places (indoor/outdoor scenes) (Temporal lobe)
Extrastriate body area (EBA)
responds specifically to
pictures of bodies and parts of bodies (lateral occipitotemporal cortex)
Broca’s Area
a region in the brain that controls speech production
Wernicke’s Area
a region in the brain that controls speech comprehension
Neural Networks
networks of brain areas working together figured by tracing axonal connections between areas
Structural Connectivity
the brain’s “wiring diagram”; the actual, physical connections between neurons and brain areas (structural connection of brain regions)
Functional Connectivity
how different brain regions work together at the same time, even if they aren’t directly connected (fuctional connection between brain areas)
Track-weighted Imaging (TWI)
a technique that uses fiber tracking data to generate images of the brain; provides new ways to study brain structural and Functional connectivity
Dynamics of Cognition
the study of cognitive processes as dynamic systems, meaning it examines how thoughts and mental states continuously change and interact with each other over time; depending on conditions
Default mode network (DMN)
set of brain regions that are active when a person is resting or quietly awake; memory/self-reference (no cognition tasks)
