PSYC 310 1st Edition Lecture 2Outline of Last Lecture I. The MindII. First Cognitive PsychologistsIII. The Rise of Behaviorism & It’s Push BackIV. Cognitive RevolutionV. ResearchOutline of Current Lecture Cognitive NeuroscienceI. Neurons (the science behind them)II. Neurons (How they Communicate)III. Localization of FunctionCurrent LectureI. Cognitive Neurosciencea. Neurons – Communication cells of brain, cells specialized to receive and transmit information in the nervous system1. Each neuron has a cell body, an axon and dendritesa. Cell Body – contains mechanisms to keep cell aliveb. Axon – tube filled with fluid that transmits electrical signal to other neurons, ends at a dendrite of another neuronc. Dendrites – multiple branches reaching from the cell body, which receives information from other neuronsi. Sensory Receptor Neurons: Specialized to respond to information received from the sensesThese notes represent a detailed interpretation of the professor’s lecture. GradeBuddy is best used as a supplement to your own notes, not as a substitute.II. Neurons (How they Communicate)a. Action Potential:1. Cell Normally negatively charged (polarized)2. Excitatory input in dendrites combines to depolarize the cella. Triggers a chain reaction that lets in positively charged ions(sodium), positively charging the cell3. Positive charge propagates down the axon to the axon terminalb. Synapse – Space between axon terminal of one neuron and dendrite of anotheri. When the action potential reaches the end of the axon, synaptic vesicles open and release chemical neurotransmittersii. Neurotransmitters cross the synapse and bind with the receiving dendrites1. Neurotransmitters: chemicals that affect the electrical signal of the receiving neurona. Effects of Neurotransmitters on the receiving cell create a post-synaptic potential (PSP)i. Excitatory (EPSP) – increases chance neuron will fireii. Inhibitory (IPSP) – decreases chance neuron will fireiii. Same neurotransmitters can serve different functions for different cells2. Measuring Action Potentialsa. Microelectrodes pick up electrical signalb. Recording electrode placed near axonc. Reference electrode outside of tissued. Action Potential lasts for about 1 millisecondi. The size of action potential is consistent1. Not dependent on strength of excitation2. The key measure is rate of fire (Low excitation -> slow firing, High excitation -> fast firing)3. Stimulus intensity/magnitude affects excitation level4. Not all signals received lead to action potential. They must reach the threshold level.III. Localization of Functiona. Specific Functions are served by specific areas of the brainb. Cognitive functioning breaks down in specific ways when areas of the brain are damagedc. Cerebral cortex (3 mm thick layer that covers the brain) contains mechanism responsible for most of our cognitive functionsd. Lobes of the Cerebral Cortexi. Frontal1. Reasoning and planning, Language and thought, Memory and Motor Functioningii. Parietal1. Touch, Temperature, Pain & Pressureiii. Temporal1. Auditory and Perceptual processing, language, hearing, memory, perceiving formsiv. Occipital1. Visual Processingv. Hippocampus1. Forming memoriesvi. Amygdala1. Emotions & emotional memoriesvii. Thalamus1. Processing information from vision, hearing and touch sensese. Perceptioni. Coordination of information received from all senses is done in the frontallobeii. Reflexes do not require frontal lobe direction (Many are handled by the spinal cord alone)iii. Fusiform Face Area (FFA) responds specifically to faces (Temporal Lobe)1. Damage to this area causes Prosopagnosia (inability to recognize faces)iv. Parahippocampal place area (PPA) responds specifically to places (indoor/outdoor scenes) – temporal lobev. Extrastriate body area (EBA) responds specifically to pictures of bodies and parts of bodiesvi. 19th Century – stains revealed nerve network in brain, but looked “continuous.” (Described as “nerve net”)vii. 1870s, Camillo Golgi – Golgi Stain – Stain thin slice with silver nitrate, stains fewer than 1% of cellsviii. Ramon y Cajal – applied this to infant animal brains – less neuron density, allowed for view of individual