Principles of Cognitive Neuroscience

Question 1

What does cog neuro focus on and aim to understand?

Answer 1

It aims to understand the entire neural realisation of a cognitive function that is often not precisely characterizable at the level of single neurons

Question 2

What two academic disciplines does cog neuro combine/bridge?

Answer 2

neuroscience and psychology

Question 3

Is the focus on clinical cases or healthy humans?

Answer 3

healthy humans

Question 4

For what fields are cog neuro findings relevant?

Answer 4

neurology, psychiatry, neurosurgery

Question 5

What does the somatic marker hypothesis refer to?

Answer 5

the idea that our decision-making is guided by emotional somatic mechanisms in the PFC

Question 6

Holism

Answer 6

• Marie-Jean-Pierre Flourens
• equipotentiality
• most brain regions partially involved in most processes

Question 7

Phrenology

Answer 7

• Franz Joseph Gall
• each function has a dedicated part of the brain
• intellectual faculties are innate, and their development is reflected in skull shape

Question 8

Localization of Function - Paul Broca

Answer 8

studied a patient with a prefrontal lesion who had intact speech understanding but impaired speech production (could only use “tan” syllable)

Question 9

Localization of Function - Gordon Holmes

Answer 9

• visual field maps
• studied WWI soldiers with lesions from gunshot wounds
• research on brain regions involved in vision

Question 10

Localization of Function - Wilder Penfield

Answer 10

• used direct brain stimulation to map the brain
• developed the somatosensory and motor homunculi

Question 11

Non-invasive brain recording techniques

Answer 11

• EEG (electroencephalogram)
• MEG (magnetoencephalography)
• MRI/fMRI ((functional) magnetic resonance imaging)
• PET (positron emission tomography)
• NIRS (near-infrared spectroscopy)

Question 12

Invasive brain recording techniques

Answer 12

• invasive electrophysiology
• single-cell recordings

Question 13

Non-invasive brain stimulation techniques

Answer 13

• TMS (transcranial magnetic stimulation)
• TES (transcranial electrical stimulation)

Question 14

What is strict localization, and why is it imperfect?

Answer 14

• specific brain regions perform specific functions (1:1 mapping)
• imperfect because it doesn’t leave space for the fact that some brain regions play a role in more than one process

Question 15

what does equipotentiality mean?

Answer 15

Idea that Cogntive functions can be realised by all regions of the brain (holism), I.e. idea that there is no functioal localization.