Courses / Module

The content covers the following topics: (a) Neuroscience: This section of the course will provide a brief introduction to the modern theory of neurons; the cellular components of the nervous system; how neurons work; functional neuroanatomy; principal anatomical divisions; structure of the cortex; specialisation and lateralisation. (b) Evolution and Development: Brains do not exist in isolation, they evolved, and the process of evolution places constraints on their architecture and style of computation. This section of the course will explore two papers dealing with the implications of an evolutionary and developmental perspective on brain function. (c) Vision: The visual capacity in humans accounts for a significant proportion of the cerebral cortex. It has been extensively studied in humans and animals, and is the best understood part of the brain. However, much of the way the visual system operates is counterintuitive from a computational point of view. (d) Cognition: Our understanding of the neural substrates of cognition is considerably less than that of the sensory or motor areas. The two papers in this section of the course will explore a number if theories and models that aim account for the brain''s cognitive capacities. (e) Language: Our language capacity is what distinguishes us from the all other animals. Apes have a limited language, but with nothing of the productivity of their human cousins. This section of the course will explore theories and models that try to account for the difference that makes the difference.