Early theories of brain function - McMaster University

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Psych3BN3 Lecture 1History of Cognitive

Neuroscience

Readings: Gazzaniga Chapter 1

Early theories of brain function

• Phrenology (Gall &Spurzheim, early 1800’s),Anatomical personology(see fig 1.2).

• Aggregate fields (PierreFlourens, late 1800’s)

• Topographic organization(Hughlings Jackson, Broca,Fritsch, Brodmann, late1800’s – early 1900’s)

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W. W. Norton

Figure 1.5, B: Broca’s area of motor speech, A: Wernicke’s area of sensory Speech, Pc: language area

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Brodmann, K., Vergleichende Lokalisationslehre der Grosshirnrinde in ihrenPrinzipien dargestellt auf Grund des Zellenbaues. Leipzig: J.A. Barth, 1909.

Figure 1.7 Brodmann’s 52 areas defined cytoarchitectonically.

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Early brain theories Cont’d

• The brain is a “syncytium” (Golgi, Nobelprize in 1906)

• The “neuron doctrine” (Cajal, Purkinje,early 1900’s), see Figs 1.10, 1.11 (nextslide)

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W. W. Norton

Figure 1.10 A bipolar retinal cell.

Figure 1.11 A Purkinje cell of the cerebellum

Early brain theories Cont’d

• The brain as a holistic system (vonMonakow, Sir Henry Head, early 1900’s,Karl Lashley’s lesion studies)

• Associationism, behaviourism, S-Rtheories (Ebbinghaus, Thorndike, Watsonetc, early to mid 1900’s)

• The cognitive revolution (1950’s, 1960’s)

The Beginnings of CognitiveNeuroscience

• Marr’s ideas about neural computation(1980’s)

• Functional brain imaging (1980’s,1990’s)