Cognitive Psychology, Fifth Edition, Robert J. Sternberg Chapter 2 Chapter 2: Cognitive...

Cognitive Psychology, Fifth Edition, Robert J. SternbergChapter 2

Chapter 2: Cognitive Neuroscience


Basic Unit of Brain: Neuron


Neurotransmitters


Methods to Study the Brain

• Postmortem studies

• Animal Studies

• Electrical Recordings

• Static Imaging Techniques

• Metabolic Imaging


Postmortem Studies

• Identify disorder and then examine after death– Young, Holcomb, Yazdani, Hicks & German

(2004)• Found depression is associated with a greater

number of nerve cells in the Thalamus being devoted to emotional regulation

• Supported idea that structural abnormality may lead to depression


Animal Studies: In Vivo

• Monitor activity of a single neuron


Animal Study: Single Neuron Monitoring

• Disterhoft & Matthew (2003)– Young versus old rabbits compared in learning of

eyeblink conditioning– Hippocampal pyramidal neurons were monitored– Typically aging animals cannot learn the task– Metrifonate, galanthamine, and CI-1017 injected

into the aging rabbits – This led aged rabbits to learn as quickly as young

controls


EEG-Human Studies

Dehaene-Lambertz, Pena, M., Christophe, & Landrieu (2004)

Examined the language abilities of infants using EEG

Electroencephalograph Research Example


Positron Emission Tomography (PET)

• Radioactive material is injected or inhaled

• Participant is then scanned to produce an image of the brain’s activity


Magnetic Resonance Imaging• Strong magnetic field passed through the skull

• Uses the detection of radio frequency signals produced by displaced radio waves in a magnetic field

• Creates a detailed anatomical image of the brain


Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)

• fMRI imaging takes a series of images of the brain in quick succession and then statistically analyzes the images for differences among them

• Brain areas with more blood flow have been shown to have better visibility on MRI images

• Better visibility is thought to be correlated with brain activation


Anatomy of the Brain


Anatomy of the Brain

• Forebrain– Cerebral cortex– Basal ganglia

• Motor movement

– Limbic system– Thalamus– Hypothalamus


Anatomy of Limbic System

• Amygdala– Involved in anger, &

fear

• Hippocampus– Is important in the

formation of memories

– Korsakoff’s syndrome


Anatomy of Limbic System• Thalamus

– Relay sensory information to the cerebral cortex

• Hypothalamus– Important to metabolic

behaviors, eating, drinking, sexual behaviors, and regulating emotions


Function of Limbic System

• Controls Mood and attitude

• Stores highly charged emotional memories

• Controls appetite and sleep cycles


Midbrain

• Location– The midbrain extends from the pons to the lower

portion of thalamus

• Reticular activating system– Controls respiration, cardiovascular function,

digestion, alertness, and sleep

• Brain Stem– Vital in basic attention, arousal, and

consciousness


Hindbrain

• Medulla Oblongata– Breathing, swallowing

and digestion

• Pons– Relay station

• Cerebellum– Motor co-ordination,

posture, and maintaining balance.


Cerebral Cortex Principles

• Contralaterality– Right side of brain controls left side of body

– Left side of brain controls right side of body

• Corpus Callosum– Neural fibers connecting left and right lobes

– Allows communication between right and left sides of the brain


Cerebral Cortex Principles

• Localization of function– Specific mental processes are correlated

with discrete regions of the brain

• Hemispheric Specialization– Each lobe of the brain has specialized

functions


Evidence for Specialization of Left lobe

• Wernicke’s area– Speaks fluently but nonsensically

– Not coherent, contains lexical and grammatical errors

• Broca’s area– Can understand everything said

– Patient can only respond in monosyllabic words


Split Brain Studies

• Sperry (1960 - 1998)– First to study patients with a split corpus

callosum

– Two lobes function independently

• Gazzaniga (1980’s- current)– Two lobes function complimentarily


Split Brain Methodology

• Corpus callosum severed

• Techniques used test each half-brain


Hemispheric Specialization

• Left Lobe– Language functions (speech, song)

– Logical thought (writing, logic)

• Right Lobe– Spatial-relation functions

– Perception of rhythm, abstract or intuitive thought


Split Brain Demonstration

What would a split brain patient say they saw? What would a split brain patient point to with their left hand?


Lobes of the Cerebral Cortex


Lobes of the Cerebral Cortex•Frontal

– Reasoning & Planning

•Parietal– Touch, Temperature, Pain, & Pressure

•Temporal– Auditory & Perceptual processing

•Occipital– Visual processing


Brain Disorders• Stroke

– Flow of blood to brain is disrupted

– Damage depends on severity and location


Brain Disorders• Brain Tumors

– Benign versus Malignant

– Detected by CAT scan or MRIs


Brain Disorder• Head Injuries

– Closed head versus Open head injuries

– Loss of consciousness is a primary symptom

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