Week 2 - Cognitive Neuroscience Basics Flashcards
What is neuroscience?
study of physiological basis of cognition
What is the ventral cognition principle?
most of our own experience is multidimensional
What are neurons?
cells specialized for receiving and sending information of the nervous system
What is a synapse?
the space between axon of a neuron and the dendrites/cell body of another
How do neurons transmit information
through action potentials
firing rate for low-intensity stimulus
slow firing
firing rate for high-intensity stimulus
fast firing
how can action potentials be measured?
through microelectrodes that pick up electrical signals
- placed on (near) axon
- active for ~1ms
What are neurotransmitters?
chemicals that affect the electrical signal of the receiving neuron
- they cross the synapse and bind with receiving dendrites on other neuron
What happens when an AP reaches the axon end?
the synaptic vesicles open and release NTs
Neural representation principle
everything a person experiences is based on representations in that persons nervous system
What are feature detectors?
neurons that are gonna respond best to specific stimuli
Experience-dependent plasticity
brain structure changes with experiences
What are the 3 ways neurons create mental responses?
- specifity coding
- population coding
- sparse coding
Specifity coding
represent the stimulus by firing specific neurons to respond only to specific stimulus
Population coding
represent the stimulus by firing pattern of large # of neurons
Sparse coding
represent the stimulus by firing pattern of only small neuron groups with the majority of neurons remaining silent
Result of damage to Broca’s area
language production impaired
Location of Broca’s area
frontal lobe
Result of damage to Wernicke’s area
language comprehension impaired
Location of Wernicke’s area
temporal lobe
Double dissociation
identify cognitive functions that operate independently
sense perception of occipital lobe
vision
sense perception of parietal lobe
touch, pain, temperature
sense perception of temporal lobe
hearing, taste, smell
What area (lobe) of the brain is responsible for the coordination of information from all senses?
frontal lobe
Structural connectivity
brain ‘ wiring diagram’ created by axons that connect brain areas
- unique and as individual as fingerprints are
Functional connectivity
how neuron groups function to support cognitive processes
- determined by amount of correlated neural activity in 2 brain areas
How is functional connectivity determined?
determined by the amount of correlated neural activity in 2 brain areas
What does DMN stand for?
Default Mode Network
Default Mode Network
- DMN
- network of structures that are active when not involved in specific tasks
(correlated with resting state activity) - forming the functional network
What effects does meditation have on DMN activity
decreases DMN activity
- more self-detached view points
