LESSON 2: COGNITIVE NEUROSCIENCE FOUNDATIONS- BRAIN STRUCTURES, TECHNIQUES AND RESEARCH

Frontal Lobe

Governs executive functions like planning, decision-making, problem-solving, and motor control.

Parietal lobe

Processes sensory input (touch, spatial awareness, attention).

Occipital Lobe

Responsible for visual processing.

Temporal Lobe

Handles auditory processing, memory, and language comprehension.

Hippocampus

Central to long-term memory formation and retrieval.

Amygdala

Regulates emotions, especially fear, anxiety, and pleasure.

Cerebellum

• Its main job is coordination and balance

• Fine tunes movements, posture, and motor learning– making sure actions are smooth and precise

• Helps with automatic motor skills, like riding a bike, typing, or playing a piano, once learned

Electroencephalogram (EEG)

Records electrical activity in the brain using electrodes on the scalp.

• When to Use -  When studying real-time electrical activity in the brain.

Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI)

Measures blood flow and oxygen levels to show which brain areas are active during tasks.

• When to use -

  • When examining brain structure and anatomy in detail.

  • Ideal for detecting tumors, brain injuries, or developmental abnormalities.

  • Used in neuroscience research to compare brain regions across individuals.

Positron Emission Tomography (PET) Scan

A medical imaging technique that allows doctors to observe metabolic processes and chemical activity in the body

• When to Use -

  • When studying metabolic activity and chemical processes in the brain.

  • Ideal for observing how the brain uses glucose or neurotransmitters.

  • Common in research on mental disorders and drug effects.

Glucose

Neurons rely almost entirely on this (a simple sugar) to generate ATP (adenosine triphosphate), the molecule that powers cellular activity.

Tracer in PET Scans

• A radioactive tracer (often a glucose-like substance called FDG — fluorodeoxyglucose) is injected into the bloodstream, usually through a vein in the arm.

• Because the brain is highly dependent on glucose for energy, the tracer travels through the blood and is absorbed by active brain regions.

• Areas with higher metabolic activity (neurons working harder) take up more tracer, which then shows up as bright colors on the PET image.