Exploring the Human Brain Course Overview

Aug 20, 2024

Lecture: The Human Brain - Introduction and Story

Instructor Introduction

  • Nancy Camwisher is the professor leading the course titled 9 13 The Human Brain.
  • The course will cover why, how, and what of studying the human brain, and details about mechanics and grading.

Story Introduction

  • A true story about a friend named Bob foreshadowing themes in the course.
  • Highlights serious medical incident, organization of the brain, recovery after brain damage, resilience, privilege, and expertise.
  • Not for notes or testing purposes.

Bob's Medical Incident

  • Bob, a close friend, was staying at Nancy's house before a conference.
  • After hearing a crash, Nancy found Bob unconscious; called 911.
  • Bob recovered consciousness, was woozy but alive. EMTs found nothing wrong.
  • Bob was taken to the hospital ER for further checks.

Observations and Concerns

  • Nancy had been concerned about Bob's inconsistencies with navigation over years.
  • Bob often got lost, couldn't navigate familiar places like his house or hometown.
  • Nancy suppressed concerns about potential early Alzheimer's noticed by navigational deficits observed in Bob.

Discovery at the Hospital

  • After several hours in ER, Nancy suggested checking Bob's brain.
  • A scan revealed a lime-sized mass in Bob’s brain, near a region known for navigation, i.e., para hippocampal Place area.
  • Nancy realized the mass had been growing slowly over years, indicating it wasn't a rapidly growing cancer.

Surgery and Outcome

  • The mass was a meningioma, needing surgical removal but not cancerous.
  • Surgery went well; Bob recovered quickly in physical health but not in navigational ability.
  • Bob continues to navigate with his iPhone GPS as his navigational abilities didn’t recover post-surgery.

Key Themes from the Story

  1. Brain Organization: The brain has a structured organization; different parts do different things.
  2. Specificity: Some brain regions perform highly specific functions.
  3. Mind-Brain Relationship: The organization of the brain reflects the architecture of the mind.
  4. Brain Plasticity: Limited recovery in adults after brain damage; more potential in early life.
  5. Research Methods: Various ways exist to study the brain, from behavioral observation to anatomical and functional imaging.

Course Agenda

  • Explore why studying the brain is crucial.
  • Discuss methods of studying the brain, from molecular to cognitive science levels.
  • Focus on understanding how the brain gives rise to the mind.
  • Methods include psychophysics, neuropsychology, functional MRI, EEG, and others.

Learning Goals

  • Appreciate big questions in the field of cognitive neuroscience.
  • Understand methods and their application in cognitive neuroscience.
  • Gain knowledge in cognitive domains with known brain bases.
  • Develop skills to read and understand current research papers.

Course Topics

  • Visual perception, recognition of faces, places, numbers, language understanding, and more.
  • Consider differences in brain functions between humans and other species.
  • Address questions like the nature of human thought, brain plasticity, and more.

Logistics

  • Grading based on midterm, final, reading/writing assignments, quizzes, and a longer experiment design assignment.
  • No textbook due to the rapidly evolving nature of the field; focus on recent research articles.
  • Assignments due before class discussions to inform and tailor lectures to student understanding.

Conclusion

  • The course aims to delve into understanding the human brain, emphasizing its role in producing the mind and exploring a range of cognitive processes and their brain correlates.