The Human Brain Lecture 1

Introduction

• Professor: Nancy Camwisher
• Course: 9.13 The Human Brain
• **Structure of Lecture: Brief story, why/how/what of brain study, course mechanics
• Main Activities: Storytelling, overview of brain study, course details

Story of Bob

• Purpose: To illustrate brain functionality and sets context for the course themes
• Characters: Nancy (professor), Bob (friend)
• Incident: Bob had a navigation issue and later fainted at Nancy’s house
• Medical Response: EMTs couldn’t identify the problem, led to ER visit
• Professor's Suspicion: Longstanding worries about Bob’s brain due to navigational deficits
• Diagnosis: Found a tumor (meningioma) near brain's navigation area (para hippocampal place area)
• Recovery: Surgery was successful but navigation ability didn’t recover.
• Overall Message: Different brain parts perform specific functions.

Key Themes from Story

• Brain Structure & Function: Different parts of the brain are specialized
• Cognitive Function: Specific mental abilities are localized and can be distinctly affected
• Resilience & Privilege: Access to resources is crucial for medical outcomes
• Scientific Methods: Various approaches like behavioral observations and brain imaging are used to understand brain functions
• Lifelong Learning: Brain recovery is difficult for adults compared to children due to plasticity

Why Study the Brain

• Self-Knowledge: Understanding our identities, actions, and thoughts
• Limits of Knowledge: Insights into human cognition and epistemology
• AI Development: Explore potential to replicate/improve human cognition
• Intellectual Curiosity: The brain as the frontier of knowledge

How to Study the Brain

• Levels of Organization: From molecular level to brain regions and networks
• Neuroanatomy: Basic understanding to assist in more complex dissection and study
• Methods: MRI, neuropsychology, EEG, etc.
• Focus Areas: High-level vision, navigation, development, language, social cognition
• Specialization: Identification of specialized brain machinery for specific tasks

Course Details

• Pre-Requisites: Ideal for students who have taken courses like 900 or 901
• Reading Material: No textbook; readings will include up-to-date research papers
• Grading: Components: Midterm (25%), Final (25%), Reading & Writing Assignments, Quizzes, Longer written assignment
• Assignments: Engage with current papers, design experiments
• Timeline: Topics include neuroanatomy, high-level vision, brain development, language processing, social cognition
• Guest Lectures: Brain dissection, deep nets with Katherine Dobbs

Key Methods to Evaluate Findings:

• Scientific Questions: What is asked and answered in studies?
• Design: How was the study structured?
• Interpretation: Who cares, and what does it imply?
• Data Analysis: Understanding without getting bogged down by technical jargon

Tips for Reading Scientific Papers:

1. Identify the main question and findings
2. Understand the experimental design
3. Focus on the big picture rather than technical specifics
4. Read actively with targeted questions

Themes for Discussion Later in Course

• Brain structure-function relationships
• Cognitive neuroscience methodologies
• Specialized brain regions and their roles
• How brains change over the lifetime
• Interdisciplinary approaches to neuroscience