What was Paul Broca‘s insight when he studied lesioned brains?
„Localized lesions lead to localized cognitive deficits“ —>Localization of functions in the brain
Name two basic cognitive functions and two executive cognitive functions
Basic cognitive functions:
Attention
Sensory processing
Object recognition
Spatial cognition
Language Memory
Executive functions (higher cognitive ~)
Goal-directed behavior
Sequencing and planning
Judgement and decision making
Social learning + norm compliance
Self-monitoring (mirror test)
Theory of mind
Tool use
What exactly is meant by the term „theory of mind“?
Theory of mind (TOM).
The capacity to take other individual‘s perspective, to „read minds“. Some primates, dogs, pigs, goats, some birds.
Describe an experiment to demonstrate self-recognition in an animal
Mirror test: does the individual recognize itself in the mirror (tested with dot on face)? Primates, toothed whales, elephants, some birds.
What general subdivisions does the forebrain of vertebrates have?
The forebrain of mammals is composed of two different areas:
Pallium (coat): Neocortex (bark-like)
Subpallium (basal ganglia): Striatum (striped) and Pallidum (pale)
Who has the higher packing density of neurons in the forebrain – birds or mammals?
Avian forebrain neurons are more densely packed than in mammals
When pallial mass is displayed vs. Pigeons pallial neuron number, birds and primates lie on separate correlation lines: avian cell number is ~5 times higher per weight
The avian brain might be „small“ due to evolutionary pressures on size and weight (flight)
What is the consequence if a mammalian cortex does not have laminae?
Animals have motor problems, but sensory processing, exploration behavior, spatial learning, and memory are largely intact.
The authors conclude that “a layer loss so far only led to the detection of subtle defects in sensory processing by reeler mice. This argues in favor of a view in which cortical layers are not an essential component for basic perception and cognition”.
What is the connection between the two hemispheres called?
corpus callosum
What is the definition of cognition for this lecture?
Cognition comprises the mechanisms by which organisms acquire, process, store and act on information from the environment.
What are the disadvantages of having a brain?
metabolically costly
delayed development
difficult childbirth
no direct survival advantage
H.J. Karten thus proposed the „nuclear to layer“ -hypothesis:
the intermingled situation of vertebrate ancestors became either a densely packed sys - tem of nuclei, or the laminar arrangement of the neocortex
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