Neural plasticity in infants - relevance to baby swimming Morten Overgaard
Programme What is neuroscience? Totally superficial neuroanatomy Paradoxes of functional localization Mechanisms of neural plasticity Relevance to baby swimming Connections between ideas and mechanisms about baby swimming
Level of description Consciousness Mental functions CNS / Brain Functional systems Modules Columns Neurons Synapses Molecules
Level of description Relations Consciousness Mental functions CNS / The brain Functional systems Parts/ whole Modules Columns Neurons Synapses Molecules
Cognitive neuroscience? Mental states Computational states Neural states
The Neuron
Electrical communication Direction of the electrical impulse
The synapse
Normal neurotransmission
Normal receptor function
The brain Cerebellum Medulla The Pons hind-brain The mid-brain Substantia nigra Forebrain
Cerebral hemisphere Midbrain Diencephalon Pons Medulla Cerebellum
Pons transfers information from cerebral hemispheres to cerebellum and vv Medulla oblongata Vital, autonomic functions
Diencephalon thalamus and hypothalamus. Mid brain motor and sensory control Cerebellum seemingly involved in movements and/or timing
Cerebral hemispheres: Cerebral cortex and three structures Basal ganglia Amygdaloid nucleus Hippocampus
Subcortical areas
The limbic system
Four anatomically distinct lobes Occipital Parietal Frontal Frontal Parietal Occipital Temporal Temporal
Pierre Paul Broca (1824-1880) 8 patients who understood language but could not speak Isolated words, no sentence or grammar Lesions in posterior frontal lobe (Broca s Area) We speak with the left hemisphere ( nous parlons avec l hemisphere gauche )
Carl Wernicke (1848-1905) New type of aphasia no trouble speaking, but no understanding Lesion in posterior temporal lobe.
Language based on several subdomains
Neuroimagery MagnetoEncefaloGrafi (MEG) Pammer et al., 2004. Human Brain Mapping
Regional specialization of the brain: Localization of function
No functional impairments despite massive physical injury
Seemingly a paradox? It seems that it is true that 1) There is functional localization 2) There is functional recovery
Can anything be localized anywhere? True lesion TMS-lesion Blue = sighted; Red = E blind
Localizing and distribution
Levels of analysis
Mechanisms of plasticity
Classical conditioning
Associative learning at a neural level General Model Proposed by Hebb Model depicted in Classical Conditioning terms from LeDoux, 2002 How does cell A remember what it has learned?
Effects on brain area function
Relevance to baby swimming?
General stimulation Closeness to parents Exercise Cognitive stimulation? Happiness and fun
General stimulation Unclear empirical concept
Environment LTP og LTD
Is more better?
Deprivation studies
Early deprivation effect on seretonin and dopamine systems
Exercise?
Exercise protects against brain injury
Hippocampal neurogenesis
Hippocampus and learning
HM
The life and death of cells: Apoptosis
Can we train cognitive functions? The problem of transfer
Hierarchical cognitive functions
Prefrontal cortex
Cognitive training
Training and dopamine systems
Cognitive training and neuronal survival
Fun..?
Basic system for reward Hunger Find food Reward Eat
Successful strategy Outcome
The Ratbots
Human dopamine system
Concluding..
The knowledge argument
Mental states Computational states Neural states
Thank you