Cognitive Neuroscience Fundamentals

Course Information

• Course Title: PSYCH 3513 Introduction to Cognitive Neuroscience
• Instructor: Dr. Brian M. Siefke, Ph.D.

About the Instructor

• Earned a Ph.D. in Cognitive Psychology from Ohio State University (OSU) in August 2017
• Dissertation focused on episodic memory formation and how context changes distinctiveness
• Earned an M.A. in Cognitive Psychology from OSU in 2013
• Earned a B.S. in Psychology and General Science from Bowling Green State University in 2010
• Received honors (cum laude)

Cognitive Neuroscience

• Defined as the intersection of cognition (awareness, perception, reasoning) and neuroscience (the study of the nervous system), creating a comprehensive understanding of the brain.
• Explores how the brain enables mental processes (e.g., perception, thought, and consciousness).
• Examines the organization and interactions of different brain regions.

Effects of Multitasking and Peer Distraction

• Research suggests that multitasking negatively impacts comprehension of lecture content.
• Students who multitask while exposed to lecture material perform significantly worse on comprehension tests than students who do not multitask.
• Similar results have been observed regarding peer distractions of multitasking
• Peer distraction/multitasking negatively impacted comprehension of lectures.

Marr's Levels of Analysis

• A framework for analyzing complex systems, particularly the brain and computer programs.
• Computational Level: focuses on the overall goals and purpose of a behavior or process.
• Algorithmic Level: describes the steps, or the recipe. in algorithms for a process, providing details and mechanisms.
• Implementation Level: concerns the physical components, substrate or underlying structure that makes it work.

Evolutionary Perspective

• Discusses the evolutionary origins and advantages of behaviors
• Investigates aspects of behavior that might enhance survival or reproduction

Timeline of the Brain Development

• Earth formed 4.5 billion years ago
• Biological life appeared 3.8 billion years ago
• Primate brains emerged 34-23 million years ago (Ogliocene Epoch)
• Larger brains evolved in great apes 23-7 million years ago
• Human lineage diverged from primate ancestors 5-7 million years ago
• Human brains developed 100,000 years ago
• Theories of causation and human motivation developed
• Modern scientific methods for brain study became prevalent in the 19th century

Historical Perspectives

• Ancient thinkers such as Aristotle (heart as the seat of the mind), Descartes proposing mind-body dualism.
• Spinoza's dual aspect theory that mind and body are related through aspects
• The influence of phrenology, with its focus on skull bumps as indicators of personality traits.
• Localization of function, including the work of Broca and Wernicke.
• Anti-Localizationism, like that of Pierre Flourens, and how it counteracted localizationist views
• Clinical observations on brain lesions revealing selective impairments (e.g., Phineas Gage, HM)

Modern Neuropsychology

• Experiments, observations, and research by prominent thinkers (Hughlings Jackson, Claude Bernard) explored the interconnectedness of brain regions.
• Led to a less extreme approach about localization, concentrating more on interconnectedness and interactions among brain regions.

Neuron Doctrine and Cytoarchitectonics

• Early 20th-century neuroanatomists (e.g., Golgi, Cajal) played crucial roles.
• The concept of neuronal doctrine gained traction, highlighting the independent and distinct nature of nerve cells.
• Cytoarchitectonics, focusing on neural cell-based morphology, also played a pivotal role.
• Subsequent work helped clarify cell assemblies and learning rules (Hebbian learning) in neural networks

Cognitive Revolution

• The rise of computer science and artificial intelligence inspired new perspectives.
• The idea of the brain functioning akin to a complex computer system emerged.
• Noam Chomsky's work on language challenged behaviorist assumptions.
• George Miller's insights on information processing capacity.

Blood Flow in the Brain

• Early observations (Angelo Mosso) linked brain function with pulsations or blood flow.
• Later, advancements in radiology, allowing researchers to visualize the brain's activity, improved our understanding of blood flow in the brain
• Development of CT, PET, and fMRI as techniques that could measure blood flow.
• fMRI's significance was dependent on the coupling of neuronal activation with cerebral blood flow increase.

Neuroimaging and Neurophrenology

• Neuroimaging's role in modern-day studies of brain function.
• Functional data is obtained from structural or topographical brain maps.

The Enterprise of Cognitive Neuroscience

• Focuses on how learning about the brain elucidates the mind's function, behavior, and potential to predict behavior.
• Broader than localizing brain functions but encompasses other important aspects of the brain-mind relationship
• Beyond "localization," other important aspects including cognitive mechanisms and how they operate within the brain

Summary

• Cognitive neuroscientists confront a complex brain system with numerous neurons and connections.
• Emphasizes understanding neural mechanisms, not just their location
• Both local and distributed roles that the brain plays in functions are considered relevant