9.13 The Human Brain: Introduction

Instructor Introduction

• Professor: Nancy Kamwisher
• Class Time: Starts at 11:05 each session

Agenda

1. Brief Story (~10 mins)
2. Why, How, and What of studying the Brain
3. Course mechanics and grading (details in syllabus)

Story: Bob's Medical Emergency

• Background:
  • Incident happened to a friend (pseudo name: Bob)
  • Bob is a high-functioning individual with an esteemed job
• Medical Incident:
  • Bob collapses while staying at Nancy’s house
  • Initially appears okay; taken to ER
  • Previous subtle signs: getting lost, confusion in navigation
  • Bob had trouble giving directions, recognizing familiar routes
  • Concern from Nancy due to her own research in specific brain functions
• Hospital Visit:
  • Quick visit to ER: no immediate find
  • Suggestion to check Bob's brain
  • Discovery: large lime-sized tumor (meningioma) near para-hippocampal place area
• Examination of Symptoms:
  • Before surgery: Bob showed issues with spatial memory, not object parts arrangement (e.g., bike, lobster)
• Surgery Outcome:
  • Successful; tumor removal
  • Post-surgery: No recovery of navigational skills
  • Dependence on iPhone GPS
• Key Points:
  • Brain specific areas have distinct functions
  • Importance of expert medical intervention
  • Illustrates resilience, privilege, expertise in handling brain issues

Key Themes in the Course

1. Brain's Structure and Organization
   • Different brain parts have distinct functions
2. Specific Brain Functions
   • Brain areas can have specific roles (e.g., navigation, face recognition)
3. Brain and Mind Relationship
   • Mental processes associated with brain regions (
4. Brain Damage and Recovery
   • Children vs. adults' recovery post brain injury
5. Study Methods
   • Behavioral observations
   • Anatomical brain images
   • Functional imaging, fMRI
   • Cognitive tests and experiments

Why Study the Brain?

1. Know Thyself:
   • Understanding our identity and mind operations
2. Human Knowledge Limits:
   • Access the potential and limitations of human cognition
3. Advance AI:
   • Using human cognition insights to improve AI
   • Discuss impact of deep nets in AI development
4. Greatest Intellectual Quest:
   • Exploring the cosmic connections between the brain and mind
   • Human cognition's complex, powerful structure

How to Study the Brain

• Multiple tiers of analysis (molecular, neuronal, circuits, regions, networks)
• Course focus: Understanding how brain functions produce the mind
  • Examining specific mental functions related to perception, cognition, social understanding
• Methods in Cognitive Science
  • Psychophysics, perceptual Illusions, neuropsychology, neurophysiology, imaging techniques like fMRI, EEG, MEG

Course Plan & Topics

• High impact topics with recent progress
• Coverage includes mental functions supported by characterized brain regions
  • Vision: color, shape, motion, faces, scenes, bodies, words
  • Navigation and spatial perception
  • Number understanding and cognition
  • Language processing
  • Social cognition and theory of Mind

Course Mechanics

Assignments and Grading Breakdown

• Midterm & Final: Each 25% of the grade
• Reading and Writing Assignments: Regular short assignments based on recent research papers
• Quizzes: Regular in-class assessments through Google Forms
• Long Writing Assignment: Design an experiment and elaborate on its methods and hypothesis

Lectures and Special Sessions

• Topics: from basic perception to high-level cognition and social functions
• Guest lectures and hands-on sessions such as brain dissection

Reading Scientific Papers

• Focus on understanding the Question, Findings, Interpretation, and Design
• Development of skills to engage with current research papers directly from labs

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Note: This course will blend a lot of cognitive science and brain anatomy to understand the brain's operational pathways.