Information processingin the human brain

lecturer: Thorsten Rühl

My Motivation

Why did I choose this topic ?

Your Motivation

Why should YOU listen to this presentation?

• YOU have a brain … (everybody)

• YOU´re using you´re brain … (hopefully)

• YOU don´t know anything about it !!! (surely)

… so …

YOU should be interested ! ;)

OVERVIEW

• Short Introduction

• Signal Processing

• Brain Circuits

• Functional Brain Areas

• Cognition

Short Introduction

• interdisplinartity of neurosience

biologie: the brain assembly

physics: signal processing

medicine: the vital functions

computer sience: the mechanisms

philosophy: the brain spirit problem

Signal Processing

• cells in our brain:

• glia-cells and neurons

• neurons: data processing unit

• I/O: dendrites

and the axon

• neural impulse (one way)

• action potential

Signal Processing

• the synapse and the synaptic gap

• we already know

• the impulse arrives

• verticels release neuro-

transmitter (dopamin)

• exicatory and inhibitory

synapses

Brain - Circuits

• neuronal network (a natural and mighty one)

• 100 billion neurons -> 1 trillion contacts

• neurons interconnect to solve

complex problems

• stable period (oscilation)

„TaskSwitch“ every 30 ms

=> 33,3 Hz

Interesting Facts

• 50 % of the human genome used to build the brain

• all neuronal links are build after birth, unused links get lost

• 2 % body mass -> 20% energy consumption

Functional Brain Areas

• Functions are not local restricted just focused

hearing (auditory cortex):

• both: information from both ears

• left: understanding and speaking

• right: processing of spacial

information

Functional Brain Areas

• Funktions are not local restricted just focused

sigth (visual cortex):

• most space is used for sensory

stimulus from the centres of

both retinas

Functional Brain Areas

• Functions are not local restricted just focused

primary motor cortex:

Initation of voluntary movement

primary somatosensory cortex

tactile information (pain, pressure,

Position, movement temperature)

Functional Brain Areas

pr. motor cortex pr. somatosensory cortex

Left side of the head

Cognition

• the scene

• the view

• forms and shapes PICTUREWINDOW

CARPETDESK TOP

Cognition

• Cognition in 3 Steps:

1. sensorical perception

2. cognition

3. classification

Cognition

• sensorical perception:

stimulation by the ambience

converting the physikal energy (light) in neuronal (retina-signals) activity

Cognition

• cognition

characteristics of the object

example:

the picture is recognized as rectancle contrary to the retina information

Cognition

• classification

the characteristics of the object-funktion

(associate information about the object)

example:

• The picture is hanging on the wall

• The picture is drawn to be watched

Cognition

stimulation sens. perception

cognition

classification

other mental processes

expectations,knowledge motivation

pattern recognition

organisation,depth, constance

bott

om u

p

top

dow

n

Cognition

• Illusions

sensorical perception:

Cognition

• Illusions

cognition:

white background

or

white foreground?

Cognition

• Illusions

classification: same shape different interpretation

QUESTIONS ??

THE END