The human mind is undoubtedly one of the most fascinating products of evolution. It has been studied from many different points of view -- physical, philosophical, computational, psychological, and also biological. Recently, it has become clear that collaboration between these approaches is needed to answer the ultimate question “how does the brain give rise to the mind?” This collaboration has resulted in a new field known as cognitive neuroscience.

Cognitive Neuroscience I is an introduction to this field, studying the physiology and anatomy of the brain, the functional anatomy of cognitive functions, and the experimental toolkit of cognitive neuroscience (ranging from reaction-time tests to functional MRI). The results of recent research into perception, attention, learning and memory, and language, and their neurological underpinnings are also looked at. Throughout the course, special attention is given to dysfunctions of cognitive functioning resulting from brain damage.

 

Format
The course is a topical introduction to the field of cognitive neuroscience. Mandatory textbook readings acquaint the students with the main concepts and insights, later supplemented by class lectures and homework problem sets. Practical work with computer models of MRI data makes students familiar with functional brain anatomy. Groups of four students design a proposal to study the underlying cognitive neuroscience of a phenomenon of their choice. In this proposal, they outline the aim, question, and design of the experiment, on the basis of one or two example studies taken from the literature. These proposals are presented and discussed in class before being submitted in final written form.

In addition, a presentation and a group assignment enable students to deal with the general principles of experimental methodology and some of the experimental techniques used in cognitive neuroscience.

Students give a presentation in pairs, in which they go into additional depth on topics covered in the textbook readings and class lectures. Students incorporate feedback on their presentation into a written summary.

Groups of four students design a proposal to study the underlying cognitive neuroscience of a phenomenon of their choice. In this proposal, they outline the aim, question, and design of the experiment, on the basis of one or two example studies taken from the literature. These proposals are presented and discussed in class before being submitted in final written form.