Cognitive Neuroscience Overview

Cognitive Neuroscience Overview

• Cognitive neuroscience investigates the relationship between the brain and cognitive processes, merging cognitive psychology, neuroscience, and neurobiology.
• The nervous system has two main divisions: Central Nervous System (brain and spinal cord), and Peripheral Nervous System (nerves).
• Specialized brain structures support various cognitive functions.

Neural Building Blocks and Communication

• Neurons are the fundamental units of the nervous system, transmitting information electrically and chemically.
• A neuron's structure includes a soma (cell body), dendrites (receiving signals), an axon (transmitting signals), and a synapse (the gap for neurotransmitter release).
• Action potentials are electrical signals that travel along the axon, triggering neurotransmitter release at the synapse, enabling neuron communication.

Brain Structures and Functions

• The cerebral cortex (outer layer of the brain) supports higher-level cognition.
• The occipital lobe processes visual information.
• The temporal lobe plays a role in auditory processing, memory, and language.
• The parietal lobe processes sensory information and spatial awareness.
• The frontal lobe is associated with executive functions.
• The hippocampus is vital for memory formation and storage.
• The amygdala is linked to emotions, particularly fear and aggression.
• Specific areas like Broca's (language production) and Wernicke's (language comprehension) areas are crucial for distinct language functions.

Studying the Brain

• Brain imaging techniques (fMRI, EEG, PET) allow researchers to visualize brain activity during tasks.
• fMRI measures blood flow changes, enabling identification of active brain regions.
• EEG records electrical brain activity for high-temporal resolution.
• PET uses radioactive tracers to track brain activity.
• Single-cell recording measures activity from individual neurons.
• Lesion studies investigate cognitive effects from brain damage.

Brain Function: Localization and Distribution

• Localization of function suggests specific brain regions control specific processes (e.g., language areas).
• Neuropsychological evidence from brain-damaged individuals supports this concept.
• Distributed processing involves multiple brain areas cooperating for complex tasks like vision or memory.

Neural Representation and Perception/Action

• Neural representation describes how information is encoded in the brain.
• Specialized neurons called feature detectors respond to stimulus aspects (e.g., edges, movement).
• Population coding represents complex information with the coordinated activity of many neurons (e.g., face recognition).
• The brain uses separate pathways for visual processing: the ventral stream (what pathway) for object identification and the dorsal stream (where pathway) for object location and action.

Experience's Impact on the Brain

• Experience-dependent plasticity describes the brain's ability to adapt and change based on experience.
• Neural connections adjust based on learning, allowing for adaptation and skill acquisition.

Explore the fascinating field of cognitive neuroscience, which examines how brain functions relate to cognitive processes. This quiz delves into the structure and function of neurons and the nervous system, highlighting key brain structures and their roles in cognition.