Center of Brain and Cognition (CBC)
Barcelona, 27/02/2012Barcelona, 27/02/2012
What is Neuroscience?
• Neuroscience, the study of the nervous system, advances the understanding of human thought, emotion, and behavior. Neuroscientists use tools ranging from computers to special dyes to examine molecules, nerve cells, networks, brain systems, and behavior. From these studies, they learn how the nervous system develops and functions normally and what goes wrong in neurological disorders.
• What is the mind? Why do people feel emotions? What are the underlying causes of neurological and psychiatric disorders? These are among the many mysteries being unraveled by neuroscientists.
http://www.sfn.org/index.aspx?pagename=whatIsNeuroscience
What is Cognitive Neuroscience?
• Cognitive neuroscientists study functions such as perception and memory in animals by using behavioral methods and other neuroscience techniques. In humans, they use non-invasive brain scans -- such as positron emission tomography and magnetic resonance imaging -- to uncover routes of neural processing that occur during language, problem solving and other tasks.
http://www.sfn.org/index.aspx?pagename=whatIsNeuroscience
Center of Brain and Cognition
How does neural activity give rise to human cognition? How is the mind organised and how does its organisation arise from the
biology of the brain?
CBC scientists are working to advance our understanding of how experience influences the emergence of function and structure through computational and experimental investigation. We are also interested in understanding how mechanisms regulating brain development interact with the effects of experience to
produce the structural and functional characteristics of the brain. These lines of research clarify how specific biological mechanisms routinely support the emergence of cognitive functions, leading to insights into why experience is so important for normal brain
development.
Center of Brain and Cognition
Computational Neuroscience
http://ucc.upf.edu http://ucc.upf.edu
Speech Production and Bilingualism
Reasoning and Infant Cognition
Computational Neuroscience
Speech Acquisition and Perception
Multisensory Research Group
Computational Neuroscience
• PI: Dr. Gustavo Deco
To investigate neuronal and cortical mechanisms of
perception and cognition.
To investigate neuronal and cortical mechanisms of
perception and cognition.
http://cns.upf.edu/ http://cns.upf.edu/
Financial support fromFinancial support from
2011 Deco, G; Jirsa, V; McIntosh, A.R. Emerging concepts for the dynamical organization of resting-state activity in the brain. Nature Review Neurosciences. Volume: 12 Pages: 43-56.
2009 Albantakis, L; Deco, G. The encoding of alternatives in multiple-choice decision making. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America - PNAS. Volume: 106 Issue: 25 Pages: 10308-10313.
2011 Deco, G; Jirsa, V; McIntosh, A.R. Emerging concepts for the dynamical organization of resting-state activity in the brain. Nature Review Neurosciences. Volume: 12 Pages: 43-56.
2009 Albantakis, L; Deco, G. The encoding of alternatives in multiple-choice decision making. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America - PNAS. Volume: 106 Issue: 25 Pages: 10308-10313.
• PI: Dr. Salvador Soto
To understand the cognitive and neural processes that are responsible for Multisensorial
Integration
To understand the cognitive and neural processes that are responsible for Multisensorial
Integration
Multisensory environments
http://www.mrg.upf.edu/ http://www.mrg.upf.edu/
Financial support fromFinancial support from
2010 Azañón, E; Longo, MR; Soto-Faraco, S; Haggard, P. The posterior parietal cortex remaps touch into external spaci. Current Biology. Volume 20 Issue 14 Pages1304-1309.
2008 Azañón E, Soto-Faraco S. Changing reference frames during the encoding of tactile events. Current Biology. Volume 18: Pages 1044-1049.
2010 Azañón, E; Longo, MR; Soto-Faraco, S; Haggard, P. The posterior parietal cortex remaps touch into external spaci. Current Biology. Volume 20 Issue 14 Pages1304-1309.
2008 Azañón E, Soto-Faraco S. Changing reference frames during the encoding of tactile events. Current Biology. Volume 18: Pages 1044-1049.
• PI: Dr. Núria Sebastián
To understand how humans (infants and adults) learn and
use languages
To understand how humans (infants and adults) learn and
use languages
Speech Acquisition and Perception
http://www.sap.upf.edu/ http://www.sap.upf.edu/
Coordinator of the CONSOLIDER projectCoordinator of the CONSOLIDER project
Financial support fromFinancial support from
2009 Pons, F; Lewkowicz, DJ; Soto- Faraco, S; Sebastián-Gallés, N. Narrowing of intersensory speech perception in infancy. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America - PNAS. Volume: 106 Issue: 26 Pages: 10598-10602.
2008 Diaz, B; Baus, C; Escera, C; Costa, A; Sebastián-Gallés, N. Brain potentials to native phoneme discrimination reveal the origin of individual differences in learning the sounds of a second language. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America - PNAS. Volume: 105 Issue: 42 Pages: 16083-16088.
2009 Pons, F; Lewkowicz, DJ; Soto- Faraco, S; Sebastián-Gallés, N. Narrowing of intersensory speech perception in infancy. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America - PNAS. Volume: 106 Issue: 26 Pages: 10598-10602.
2008 Diaz, B; Baus, C; Escera, C; Costa, A; Sebastián-Gallés, N. Brain potentials to native phoneme discrimination reveal the origin of individual differences in learning the sounds of a second language. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America - PNAS. Volume: 105 Issue: 42 Pages: 16083-16088.
• PI: Dr. Albert Costa
To study the cognitive and brain processes involved in language
production, paying special attention to bilingualism
To study the cognitive and brain processes involved in language
production, paying special attention to bilingualism
Speech Production and Bilingualism
http://www.spb.upf.edu/ http://www.spb.upf.edu/
Financial support fromFinancial support from
(In press) Costa, A; Calabria, M; Marne, P; Hernández, M; Juncadella, M; Lleó, A; et al. On the parallel deterioration of bilinguals’ two languages: Evidence from Alzheimer’s disease. Neuropsychologia.
(In press) Abutalebi, J; Della Rosa, P. A; Green, D. W; Hernández, M; Scifo, P; Keim, R; Cappa, S. F; & Costa, A. Bilingualism tunes the anterior cingulate cortex for conflict monitoring. Cerebral Cortex.
(In press) Costa, A; Calabria, M; Marne, P; Hernández, M; Juncadella, M; Lleó, A; et al. On the parallel deterioration of bilinguals’ two languages: Evidence from Alzheimer’s disease. Neuropsychologia.
(In press) Abutalebi, J; Della Rosa, P. A; Green, D. W; Hernández, M; Scifo, P; Keim, R; Cappa, S. F; & Costa, A. Bilingualism tunes the anterior cingulate cortex for conflict monitoring. Cerebral Cortex.
• PI: Dr. Luca Bonatti
To understand the representations underlying our abilities to come to
conclusions, form expectations or find what happens next.
To understand the representations underlying our abilities to come to
conclusions, form expectations or find what happens next.
Reasoning and Infant Cognition
http://rico.upf.edu http://rico.upf.edu
Financial support fromFinancial support from
2011 Teglas, E; Vul, E; Girotto, V; Gonzalez, M; Tenenbaum, J.B; Bonatti, L. Pure Reasoning in 12-Month-Old Infants as Probabilistic Inference. Science. Volume: 332 Num: 6033 Pages: 1054-1059.
2012 Reverberi, C., Bonatti, L. L., Frackowiak, R. S., Paulesu, E., Cherubini, P., & Macaluso, E. (2011). Large scale brain activations predict reasoning profiles. Neuroimage, Volume 59 Issue 2 Pages 1752-1764
2011 Teglas, E; Vul, E; Girotto, V; Gonzalez, M; Tenenbaum, J.B; Bonatti, L. Pure Reasoning in 12-Month-Old Infants as Probabilistic Inference. Science. Volume: 332 Num: 6033 Pages: 1054-1059.
2012 Reverberi, C., Bonatti, L. L., Frackowiak, R. S., Paulesu, E., Cherubini, P., & Macaluso, E. (2011). Large scale brain activations predict reasoning profiles. Neuroimage, Volume 59 Issue 2 Pages 1752-1764
Neuroscience Laboratory250 m2 and comprises different soundproof rooms
– seven single cabins,– 10 multipurpose cabins (3 with
electromagnetic isolation)– reception area – storage space/workshop
Among the systems used include:
– A transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) machine that allows us to directly stimulate the brain using magnetic fields
– 2 eye trackers for studies in which we desire to keep track of what the subject is looking at
– 3 EEG/ERP machines to record electrophysiological brain activity– A high resolution vibration machine to record pressure level that allows us to
measure the sensitivity threshold in tactile tests– 7 individual experiment settings, including a PC computer (Intel Core i5), two
screens (one CRT and one TFT), a webcam and a sound card with ASIO support
http://lnucc.upf.eduhttp://lnucc.upf.edu
Neuroscience Laboratory
Activities associated with conducting experiments for research groups who form the CBC
• Configuration and maintenance of research equipment
• Assembly paradigms
• Recording and preparation of stimuli
• Materials management
• Booking for experimental rooms
• Management of experimental subjects
• Training of experimenters in the use of the equipment
http://lnucc.upf.eduhttp://lnucc.upf.edu
Want to learn more?
Contact us @
Center of Brain and Cogntion (CBC) Tànger BuildingC. Tanger, 122-14008018 - Barcelona
Research Services. Communication Campus PromotionTànger BuildingC/Roc Boronat, 13808018 - Barcelona