User:Llj2/Cognitive neuroscience

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Optogenetics is one mode of studying cognitive neuroscience^[1]. This technique involves the use of a chemical agent or proteins called opsins that reach the brain and binds to neurons; when the agent is exposed to light, it halts neuron function. The absence of the working neurons allows researchers to take note of any differences, therefore determining the neurons' function. However the neurons can also be excited, not just inhibited, or their pathways can be disrupted. This method is applicable for mood disorders, studying neural circuits, or diseases^[1].

Notable Experiments

Throughout the history of cognitive neuroscience, many notable experiments have been conducted. For example, the mental rotation experiment conducted by Kosslyn et al., 1993^[2], indicated that the time it takes to mentally rotate an object via imagination takes the same amount of time as actually rotating it; they found that mentally rotating an object activates parts of the brain involved in motor functioning, which may explain this similarity^[2].

Another experiment is describes the two mechanisms of processing visual attention: bottom-up attention, and top-down attention^[3]. They define bottom-up attention is the brain visually processing salient images first, and then the surrounding information, while top-down attention involves focusing on task-relevant objects first. The researchers found that the ventral stream focuses on visual recognition, the dorsal stream is involved in the spatial information concerning the object.

As experiments in cognitive neuroscience, what these have in common is that the researchers are measuring activities or behaviors that we can see, and then determining the neural basis of the function and what part of the brain is involved.

Mapping the brain

In 1870, German physicians Eduard Hitzig and Gustav Fritsch published their findings of the behavior of animals. Hitzig and Fritsch ran an electric current through the cerebral cortex of a dog, causing different muscles to contract depending on which areas of the brain were electrically stimulated. This led to the proposition that individual functions are localized to specific areas of the brain rather than the cerebrum as a whole, as the aggregate field view suggests. Brodmann was also an important figure in brain mapping; his experiments based on Franz Nissl's tissue staining techniques divided the brain into fifty-two areas.

Commonly the cerebrum is divided into 5 sections: the frontal lobe, occipital lobe, temporal lobes, parietal lobe, and the insula^[4]. The brain is also divided into fissures and sulci^[5]. The lateral sulcus called the Sylvian Fissure separates the frontal and temporal lobes. The insula is described as being deep to this lateral fissure. The longitudinal fissure separates the lobes of the brain length-wise. Lobes are considered to be distinct in their distribution of vessels^[4]. The overall surface consists of sulci and gyri which are necessary to identify for neuroimaging purposes^[5].