Cog Sci 1: 1/25 Notes

Recap
 Action potential with voltage-gated Na+ channels and K+ channels
o All-or-nothing phenomenon
o Does not lose any energy when it runs down the length of axon
 Oligodendrocytes create myelin sheath over axons—increases
transmission speed
 Many forms of brain recordings with pros and cons
 Ways of studying brain
o Past: case studies, brain lesioning, phrenology
o Now: neural imaging techniques (safe)
 Exocytosis (anatomy of synapse)
o Dendrites collect IPSPs and EPSPs (inhibitory and excitatory)
MEGs “SQUIDs”
 used to determine function of various parts of brain
 looks at natural magnetic fields in brain
Learning and memorization
 Hebbian Learning:
o When an axon of cell A is near enough to excite cell B and repeatedly takes part
in firing it, some growth occurs so A’s efficiency (as a cell firing B) is increased.
o When 2 neurons fire together they eventually wire together
o Memorization/learning are linked
 Eric Kandel’s laboratory
o Showed involvement of Hebbian learning mechanisms at synapses in marine
Aplysia californica
o Induced learning via classical conditioning
 Used electrical probe on sea slugs—retracted gills
 They retracted gills even when no electricity
Glial cells
 Form the myelin sheath
 Hold the neurons in place, make up 10x amount of the brain as neurons
o Neurons make up 10% of the brain only
 Types
o Oligodendrocytes make up 76% of glial cells
 Provide insulation/myelin to neurons
 Schwann cells are these but outside of CNS
o Astrocytes make up 17%
 Star-shaped cells that provide physical/nutritional support for neurons
o Microglia make up 7%
 Digest parts of dead neurons
 Neurodegenerative diseases mainly from issues with glial
o Focus on microglia
  Einstein had more glial cells and a larger corpus collosum and an enlargement of right
parietal region of brain (numerical and spatial processing)
Pop Psychology myths
 We only use 10% of brian
 We only use one side of brain (left/right brain)
Organization of the brain
 We use contralateral language processing:
o Right hand motor movements  left brain
 Left visual field projected contralaterally to right, viceversa
 Left brain: analytical/language/science math vs. right brain creativity, art/music etc
 Split brain patients
o Looking at a point and seeing word on right field allows for identifying word
o Looking at word on left side of visual field  cant say
 Homunculus brain: face and hands have more sensitive neurons
