9.13 The Human Brain

Introduction

Prof. Nancy Kanwisher will lead the lecture.
The lecture includes a story, mechanics of studying the brain, and course details.

True story about Bob, a friend, with a significant medical issue.
The story highlights themes of the human mind, brain organization, recovery from brain damage, resilience, and expertise.

Bob stayed at Nancy’s house on the way to a conference.
Bob collapsed in the morning and was unresponsive.
EMTs found nothing immediately wrong; suggested a hospital visit.
No immediate clear issues at the ER; timeline of symptoms suggested a brain check.
Bob had trouble with navigation for years, showing signs of potential brain issues.

Bob's brain had a growing 'lime-sized' mass, confirmed to be a non-cancerous meningioma.
Previous smaller scans dating back years indicated slow-growing mass.

Surgery was delicate but successful thanks to expertise and resources.
Bob did not regain navigational skills but relies on GPS for daily navigation.
Specific brain areas are crucial for certain functions; damage can be permanent.

Brains have highly specialized areas that malfunction can severely isolate specific abilities while leaving others intact.
Example: Bob’s localized issue affected navigation but left intelligence and personality unchanged.

Brain Structure and Specialization: Different brain parts are responsible for different functions.
Functional Specificity: Some brain parts perform very specific tasks.
Brain-Mind Link: Understanding brain structure helps understand mental processes.
Recovery Limitations: Adult brain damage often leads to permanent deficits; child brains are more adaptable.
Multiple Study Methods: Behavioral observations, anatomical and functional imaging contribute to understanding the brain.

Know Yourself: Understand our identity as it resides in our brain.
Limits of Human Knowledge: Study thinkers to understand thinking capacity, improving self-knowledge and AI development.
AI Development: AI can learn from brain processes, contributing to technological advancements.
Greatest Intellectual Quest: Exploring the brain is a vast and deep pursuit, essential in understanding human nature.

Various Levels: Study at molecular, neuron, circuit, region, or network levels.
Mind-Brain Relationship: Bridge understanding of cognitive functions to brain activities.
Specialized Machinery: Investigate if distinct mental functions have dedicated brain regions.
Representation and Timing: Study when and how information is represented in the brain.
Combining Methods: Use cognitive science, neuropsychology, functional MRI, neurophysiology, and connectivity measures.

Introduction: Basic neuroanatomy and brain organization with an actual brain dissection demonstration.
High-Level Vision: Motion, color, shape, body, and scene perception.
Navigation: Scene perception, navigation skills, and related brain regions.
Development: Brain wiring, gene specification vs. learning, focusing on navigation and face systems.
Special Topics: Blind brains, number perception, pleasure, pain, reward, language, music, brain-machine interfaces, theory of mind, and brain networks.
Reading and Evaluating Current Research: Focus on interpreting and understanding current scientific papers, their designs, findings, and implications.

Quizzes to check understanding, short written assignments on reading papers, and a longer experiment design assignment.
Emphasis on cognitive science aspects alongside anatomical study.
Aim to understand theories, methods, and current findings in human cognitive neuroscience.