Lesson 3: Cognitive Neuroscience Basics

Question 1

Study neural Communication by:

Answer 1

1. Directly: Single-cell recording, EEG/ERP
2. Neuropsychology
3. fMRI vs. MRI

Question 2

Single Cell Recording

Answer 2

Insert microelectrode into the axon of the cell to tell you the firing rate
- Try specific stimuli to see what increases/decreases firing
Limitations: Invasive and can’t see complex pathways, looks at individual neurons and not groups, can’t determine what actually makes cell fire
Pros: determines timing after stimulus and where neural firing occurs

Question 3

EEG

Answer 3

Wires take electrical activity and are amplified: general brain state.
(Neither spatial or temporal)

Question 4

ERP

Answer 4

Made from cut up EEG to determine to see neural activity associated with stimulus.
Pros: Explore time course of attentional allocation and not the location

Question 5

Neuropsychology

Answer 5

Determines cognitive function based on damage to the brain
Cons: damage is different for everyone

Question 6

MRI

Answer 6

• H+ atoms line up via the magnet
• allows you to see specific structures within the brain
• Cons: no spatial or temporal informatin

Question 7

fMRI

Answer 7

• Images the function of the brain
• Magnetic properties of hemoglobin (oxygen vs de)
• Allows multiple stimulus types to be presented
• Good spatial (where) information but not temporal
• Indirect measure of neuronal activity

Question 8

Frontal Lobe

Answer 8

Pre-Central Gyrus: Primary Motor Cortex
Language, Higher order executive function

Question 9

Parietal Lobe

Answer 9

Post-Central gyrus: Primary Somatosensory cortex
- Sensiry Homunculus: Shows how body parts are responsive in this area of the brain. based on sensitive of body part.

Question 10

Temporal Lobe

Answer 10

Hearing and Language (Primary Auditory Cortex)
- Tonotopic/Cochleotopic Mapping
- Some cells are maximally activated by 100 Hz in specific parts of the map, while others are activated by 5000 Hz

Question 11

Occipital Lobe

Answer 11

Vision

Question 12

Sulci and Fissures

Answer 12

Sylvian FIssure: Between Frontal+Parietal/Temporal
Longitudinal Fissures: Separates brain hemispheres
Central Sulcus: Between both gyri

Question 13

Phineas Gage

Answer 13

Had pole go through his eye and frontal lobe and although he was fine, went form nice guy, to class A jerk

Question 14

Modularity vs. Distributed Processing

Answer 14

• FFA, WWFA, EBA, PPA, and LO all on the temporal lobe
• Most of our experience is multidimensional (talk, smell, see at same time)
• Specific functions processed by different brain areas along with localization of function