Everything you wanted to know about the brain but were afraid to ask

• Douglas SADDY, University of Reading, UK and University of Potsdam, Germany.
• 31st August 2006, 2:00pm - 3:00pm

 

Abstract:

This workshop is a historical overview of the study of language/cognition and the brain. The main objective is to point out the utility of MEG as a valuable research tool in the resolution of outstanding questions about the relation between cortical architecture and cognitive processing. The punch line is that MEG promises to take us beyond the conventional wisdom that there is some kind of one to one relationship between cortical anatomy and cognitive processes. MEG allows us to directly investigate brain processing that is associated with on-line linguistic/cognitive computation. And MEG, in combination with new analytic methods, allows us to investigate and identify mental processes that are not locked to physiology. This provides a way of resolving apparently paradoxical observations that we have inherited from the ancient (50 year old) history of neuropsychology. 

Getting to brass tacks: Design and analysis of experiments using MEG

• Shih-kuen CHENG* and Nissen W.J. KUO^
  * National Central University, (Taiwan), ^ National Yang-Ming University (Taiwan)
• 1st September 2006, 1:00pm - 3:15pm
• Lunch from 12:00 - 1:00pm (Cafeteria on Level 3)

 

Abstract:

Dr Cheng will introduce the electrophysiological basis of MEG signal, together with the advantages and limitations of exploiting MEG to study cognitive functions. In the second part of the talk, an MEG study of human memory, conducted with a KIT-Yokogawa system installed in Academia Sinica last year, will be used as an example to illustrate the issues to be considered when designing and conducting MEG experiments. Finally, as a user of the KIT-Yokogawa MEG system, Dr Cheng will share his experiences using this system.

Dr Kuo will present a cross-modal study using fMRI and MEG. First, neural networks revealed by fMRI for reading Chinese words and naming pictures in Chinese will be described and contrasted to show differences of the two tasks. Second, MEG activation of the same subjects with the same tasks will be presented to show their temporal processing profiles.