ONWA / EPOS cursus Cognitive neurosciences 2004

COGNITIVE NEUROSCIENCE

Cognitive Neuroscience is a relatively young field where neuroscience and psychology meet. Therefore, the Graduate School Neurosciences Amsterdam (ONWA), and the Graduate School for Experimental Psychology (EPOS) joined forces to present a course on this exciting new topic. Cognitive Neuroscience studies the relation between brain and mind. It tries to understand the cognitive capabilities of the mind, such as planning, reasoning and all the faculties of consciousness in terms of their underlying neural mechanisms, such as neural structure, physiology, and neuronal interactions. Topics with (preliminary) dates of this course will be:

Monday, 12 Jan -- Consciousness

How does the brain generate consciousness and what differentiates conscious and unconscious processes?

Tuesday, 13 Jan -- Stress and Emotion

What is the role of stress and emotion in our behavior and cognitive functioning?

Wednesday, 14 Jan -- Attention

How and why does the brain select certain inputs and why does it process these faster, better or in more detail than other inputs?

Thursday, 15 Jan -- Memory

What are the different types of memory, how are they implemented in the neural tissue, and how are they affected by disease?

Friday, 16 Jan -- Executive Functions and Working Memory

What are the mechanisms underlying the short-term and long-term planning of behavior?

Detailed Schedule (in Dutch)

Detailed Schedule (in English)

Workshop Locations

The aim of this course is to deal with the above issues both from a psychological and a neural perspective. Researchers actively working in these fields will do the teaching. Moreover, a distinguished international lecturer will address one of the topics in more depth. This year, we found Dr. Jeffrey Schall from Vanderbilt University willing to address the role of the prefrontal cortex in the control of behavior and decision making. Thus, the student will be provided with an in depth overview of state-of-the-art views, theory and research into these questions. To enter this course, it is highly recommended that the Advanved Neuroscience course (ONWA) or the Cognitive Neuroscience Course (EPOS) or Neuroscience Course (EPOS) has been completed.

To acquaint PhD-students with contemporary methods in the study of Cognitive Neuroscience, there will be several workshops, dealing with brain imaging tools like functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging, ElectroEncephaloGraphy, and Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation, with behavioural neurophysiology in animals, with psychophysical techniques like unconscious priming, and with connectionist modeling.

De course will be take place in the week of January 12 till 16, 2004. In the morning (9:00 - 12:00), there will be lectures. Much of the contents of the lectures will be provided on this web site: abstracts, PowerPoint presentations, and relevant literature. These will be updated versions of the matarials from the 2002 course. In the afternoon (14:00 - 17:00) there will be workshops and demonstrations. Locations will vary between the dept of Psychology (Roetersstraat 15) of the University of Amsterdam, the Vrije Universiteit (de Boelelaan), the Academical Medical Center, and the Netherlands Institute for Brain Research (latter two Amsterdam-ZuidOost).

The minimum number of participants is 15, the maximum 40. ONWA and EPOS members, and members from the affiliated graduate schools (BCN, PZS, EURON), can participate free of charge. Others will be charged Euro 250,- .

More information about this course can be obtained from the organizers Prof.dr. Victor A.F. Lamme (v.a.f.Lamme@uva.nl, 020 5256675) and Prof.dr. Jaap M.J. Murre (jaap@murre.com, tel 020 525 6722). Please subscribe for this course at the office of the ONWA, mentioning function, institute/department, graduate school, start project. Direct your application to mrs.drs. Els Borghols, (ICEN, ONWA), p/a afdeling Anatomie, VUmc, kamer G-102b, Postbus 7057, 1007 MB Amsterdam, tel: 020 - 444 9641, fax: 020 - 444 8054, e-mail: eam.borghols@vumc.nl, www.onwa.med.vu.nl