Introduction to the Human Brain Course - Lecture Notes

Jul 11, 2024

Lecture: Introduction to the Human Brain Course

Instructor: Nancy Kanwisher

Overview of Today's Lecture:

  • Brief story (10 minutes) that introduces course themes
  • Discussion on why, how, and what of studying the human brain
  • Course mechanics and grading details

True Story to Illustrate Themes:

Story’s Elements:

  • Scary medical situation of a friend (“Bob”)
  • The nature and organization of the human brain
  • Recovery/lack of recovery post brain damage
  • Resilience, privilege, and expertise in Cambridge

Story Details:

  • Bob stayed over at Kanwisher’s house before a conference
  • Bob’s sudden collapse and subsequent trip to the ER
  • Early signs of navigational deficits in Bob
  • Discovery of a growing lesion in Bob’s brain (meningioma, not cancer)
  • Successful surgery by a top neurosurgeon
  • Post-surgery: Bob's navigational ability did not recover (useful for GPS navigation, specific brain areas for navigation impacted)

Themes from the Story:

  • Brain Structure: Different brain parts have different functions
  • Specialized Functions: Specific neural circuits for specific tasks (e.g., navigation)
  • Brain Plasticity: Limited plasticity in adults for recovery, greater in children
  • Methods to Study the Brain: Behavioral observations, brain imaging, functional MRI, neuropsychology

Why Study the Brain:

  1. Know Thyself: The brain defines who we are, unlike other organs
  2. Limitations of Knowledge: Understand human mind limitations and epistemology
  3. Advancing AI: Insights from brain research inform AI, and vice versa
  4. Intellectual Pursuit: Greatest intellectual challenge

How to Study the Brain:

  • Levels of Organization: Molecules, neurons, circuits, brain regions, networks
  • Focus on Brain-Mind Relationship: Understanding mental functions and their brain basis

Methods Utilized:

  • Cognitive Science Methods: Psychophysics, perceptual Illusions
  • Neuropsychological Methods: Studying brain damage patients, functional MRI
  • Neurophysiology: Single neuron recordings, EEG, Meg
  • Connectivity Measures: Diffusion tractography

Key Cognitive Functions Covered:

  • Visual Perception: Color, shape, motion
  • Object/Auditory Recognition: Faces, places, words
  • Cognition: Number understanding, language, music perception
  • Special Cases: Blind brains, Theory of Mind
  • Networks and Attention Awareness: Brain networks, consciousness

Topics and Sequence:

  1. Brief Neuroanatomy
  2. High-Level Vision (motion, shape) and Methodologies
  3. Scene Perception and Navigation
  4. Development and Brain Plasticity
  5. Specialized Lectures: Brain-Computer Interface, Deep Nets theories
  6. Cognitive Functions uniquely human: Language, Theory of Mind

Important Course Information:

  • Grading: Midterm (25%), Final (25%), Reading/Writing Assignments, Quizzes, Longer Written Assignment
  • Reading and Paper Response: Expect thorough reading (hours of understanding per paper)
  • Assignments: Due the night before the corresponding class
  • Textbook: None due to rapid field developments

Note: Emphasis on reading and understanding current papers, experiment design, understanding major questions in the field, and teaching with diverse methods.