Looking at the Mind through the Lens of Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging: Chances and Challenges
Year: 2005
Type: article
Abstract: Looking at the Mind through the Lens of Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging: Chances and Challenges Steven Small ([email protected]) Department of Neurology and Brain Research Imaging Center, University of Chicago 5841 S. Maryland Ave., MC-2030 - Chicago, IL 60637 USA Katiuscia Sacco ([email protected]) Center for Cognitive Science, University of Turin via Po 14 - 10123 Torino, Italy Methodological Issues and Technical What’s Hidden behind a Brain Map? Summary Advances in non-invasive brain scanning and imaging technologies over the last ten years have opened up promising new methods of work for researchers. Neuroimaging techniques has enabled scientists to look for the first time into the human brain in vivo, to literally watch it while it works. This has revealed exciting insights into the spatial and temporal changes underlying a broad range of brain functions, including perceptual and motor abilities (e.g. Di Salle et al., 2003; Hlustik et al., 2001), normal and abnormal language processes (e.g. Paulesu et al., 2001; Perani, et al., 2003; Small & Nusbaum, 2004) and higher cognitive processes (for a discussion of neuroimaging results of higher level cognition see Cappa & Grafman, Functional magnetic resonance imaging (hereafter fMRI), being the least invasive of brain imaging techniques, has gained an increasing popularity among cognitive scientists and in the last decade it appeared that its use was alone a good reason for assuring publication. At present, once the glamour of the novelty has cooled down, it is time to seriously assess its real contribution in the study of cognitive processes: can fMRI really challenge some of the remaining frontiers in neuroscience? To what extent can we trust what we see? In our view, fMRI can greatly enhance our knowledge about the functioning of the mind-brain system, provided that scientists are aware of its constrains and take into account that each experimental decision, from parameter setting to statistical analysis, has specific consequences and thus has to be considered in the result interpretation. The goal of this symposia is to discuss the advantages and limitations of fMRI at the epistemological, methodological and technical levels. Tricks: Francesco Di Salle, University of Pisa (Italy) Cognitive Neuroscience and Functional Imaging: What can be Learned from Patient Studies Eraldo Paulesu, University of Milan (Italy) What Can fMRI Show us and what Cannot Stefano Cappa, University of Milan (Italy) Beyond Localization: Cortical Circuit Analysis of fMRI Data Ana Solodkin, University of Chicago (USA) References Cappa, S. F., Grafman, J. (2004). Neuroimaging of higher cognitive function. Cortex, 40(4-5), 591-592. Di Salle, F., Esposito, F., Scarabino, T., Formisano, E., Marciano, E., Saulino, C., Cirillo, S., Elefante, R., Scheffler, K., Seifritz, E. (2003). fMRI of the auditory system: understanding the neural basis of auditory gestalt. Magnetic Resonance Imaging, 21(10),1213-24. Hlustik, P., Solodkin, A., Gullapalli, R. P., Noll, D. C, Small, S. L. (2001). Somatotopy in human primary motor and somatosensory hand representations revisited. Cerebral Cortex,11(4), 312-21. Paulesu, E., Demonet, J. F., Fazio F., McCrory, E., Chanoine, V., Brunswick, N., Cappa, S. F., Cossu, G., Habib M., Frith C. D. & Frith U. (2001). Dyslexia: cultural diversity and biological unity. Science, Perani, D., Cappa, S. F., Tettamanti, M., Rosa M., Scifo, P., Mozzo, A., Basso, A. & Fazio, F. (2003). A fMRI study of word retrieval in aphasia. Brain and Language, Small S. L., Nusbaum H. C. (2004). On the neurobiological investigation of language understanding in context. Brain and Language, 89(2):300-11. List of speakers and talks Moderator: Steven Small Introduction Steven Small and Katiuscia Sacco
Institution: University of Chicago
Language: English
Subfield: Cognitive Neuroscience
Field: Neuroscience
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2765225474