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9.13 - The Human Brain Lecture by Nancy Kanwisher

Jul 17, 2024

9.13 - The Human Brain Lecture by Nancy Kanwisher

Introduction

  • Instructor: Nancy Kanwisher
  • Course: 9.13 The Human Brain
  • Agenda for Discussion:
    • Brief initial story for 10 minutes
    • Discuss why, how, and what of studying the human brain
    • Overview of course mechanics and grading

Brief Initial Story (A Personal Anecdote)

  • Story about Bob: A True Account of a Medical Situation:
    • Bob, a close friend, had a health scare while staying at Nancy's house.
    • Situation highlighted the nature of the human mind, brain organization, and recovery after brain damage.
    • Themes such as resilience, privilege, and expertise in Cambridge society explored.

Incident Details

  • Early Morning Incident:
    • Bob was found unconscious on the floor; eventually woke up, but disoriented.
  • Hospital Visit:
    • Multiple tests conducted; no immediate results.
    • Nancy recommended a brain scan due to noticing Bob's past navigational issues.

Past Signs of Cognitive Issues in Bob

  • Navigational Deficits:
    • Difficulty remembering routes and directions.
    • Incident noticed in various situations, but ignored.

Discovery & Surgical Procedure

  • Finding a Tumor:
    • Lime-sized tumor (meningioma) found in Bob’s brain, next to para hippocampal Place area.
    • Initial scan showed a smaller grape-sized tumor indicating slow growth.
    • Successful removal by top neurosurgeon; Bob recovered but lost navigational ability.
  • Contemplation on Specific Brain Functions:
    • Different brain parts can fail while others remain functional.
    • Reflects multiple specialized circuits in brain responsible for distinct tasks.

Themes and Key Insights from the Story

  1. Brain Structure and Function:
    • The brain has specialized areas that control different functions.
    • Brain injuries can affect specific abilities without impacting overall intelligence (e.g., Bob’s IQ vs. navigation).
  2. Brain and Mind Relationship:
    • Organization of the brain reflects mental abilities.
    • Studying the brain offers insights into the mind.
  3. Brain Damage and Recovery:
    • Recovery varies by age and type of brain damage; children’s brains more plastic than adults.
  4. Methodology in Neuroscience:
    • Observing behavior, anatomical and functional brain imaging, studies of capabilities in patients with brain damage.

Studying the Human Brain: Why, How, and What

  • Why Study the Brain:
    1. Know Thyself:
      • Understanding personal identity through the brain.
      • Brain as the seat of consciousness, unlike other organs.
    2. Limits of Human Knowledge:
      • Gaining insights into cognitive abilities and knowledge limits.
    3. Advancing AI:
      • Insights from brain studies help to refine artificial intelligence systems (context of deep neural networks and AI performance).
    4. Greatest Intellectual Quest:
      • Exploring the brain is seen as the most significant intellectual endeavor.
  • How to Study the Brain:
    • Multiple levels from molecules to brain regions.
    • Focus on understanding how the brain gives rise to the mind.
  • What to Study in the Brain:
    • Study areas where brain bases are well understood.

Progress and Advances in Neuroscience

  • Massive advancements in understanding brain function using neuroimaging and other methods since 1990.
  • Knowledge about dozens of brain regions in every individual, an outcome of extensive research.
  • Focus Areas in Cognitive Neuroscience for the Course:
    • Visual Perception (color, shape, motion)
    • Recognition (faces, places, bodies, words)
    • Scene Perception, Navigation
    • Understanding Numbers, Speech, Music, Language, and inter-personal cognition.

Course Mechanics

  • Important Dates & Assignments:
    • Midterm: 25%
    • Final: 25% (cumulative)
    • Reading/Writing Assignments: Approximately two per week
    • Assignments submitted on Stellar
    • Quizzes: About eight, using Google forms; first on February 20th
    • A longer written assignment: Design an experiment, due near end of course.
  • Objectives:
    • Identify big questions in the field.
    • Understand methods in cognitive neuroscience.
    • Gain direct knowledge on specific cognitive domains.

Note on Reading Scientific Papers

  • Approach: Focus on key questions such as objectives, findings, interpretations, experimental design, and relevance.
  • Practice and understanding will develop through course readings and assignments.

Conclusion

  • Encouragement to understand and appreciate the cognitive functions studied in the course.
  • Brain dissection session planned for next meeting with renowned neuroscientist Ann Graybiel.

Full transcript