COGS Midterm 1 Review || A+ Verified Solutions.
What is cognitive science? correct answers Communication
Computation
Reasoning
Memory
Planning/decision making
Adaptive engagement with the world (Johnson)
What does it mean that cognitive science is interdisciplinary? correct answers It means that we
learn from other disciplines, like philosophy, computer science, anthropology, economics,
biology, psychology, etc.
Does the human brain "represent" things like a computer? correct answers No; biological tissue
does not act like computer circuits
What is "computation" in the brain? correct answers Manipulation of representations
How does memory affect perception? How about knowledge of the world? correct answers
Perception is an interpretation in which the brain takes all available data and provides the best
guess as to what it sees, hears, etc. This is affected by memory and knowledge of the world
What is an effect that shows that visual processing affects auditory processing? correct answers
McGurk Effect: Perception of auditory event affected by visual processing; what you see
changes what you hear (ex. Mouthing bah and gah)
Why is it important to have the right tool to ask the right question? correct answers It's a matter
of being at the right level, with the appropriate tool
Bottom up processing correct answers stimulus to response/action ; getting information to brain
from the lowest level
Top down processing correct answers Later stages of processing affect earlier stages
Parallel processing correct answers doing different pathways simultaneously ex.) our retina
Divergent/Convergent processing correct answers - Divergent = one cell that output to 10 cells
which output to 100 cells etc etc
- Convergent = one million cells converge into one cell
Name different levels of processing correct answers Genetic
Cell
Network
Behavior
, How do things differentiate during development? correct answers Epigenetics
What determines different functions for neurons? correct answers Location, connection,
electrical/chemical features
How do cells become what they become? correct answers -Brain development (a tightly
orchestrated process)
-Neuronal proliferation (cell division)
-Neural migration
-Synaptogenesis (peaks at around 2 yrs of age in humans)
-Synaptic pruning (throughout life); same in mouse
What is cytosine DNA methylation? correct answers - certain DNA base pairs can be modified
by adding methyl group (DNA methylation); doesn't change code but changes how cells treat the
code; a type of punctuation mark that changes meaning of the code
- Occurs mainly at C-G (cytosine-guanine) sites
- covalent modification; forming a stable bond; heritable; affect us throughout life and our
progeny's life time; with aging they may be lost; potentially activity-dependent
Give some examples of DNA methylation and its causes: correct answers - Rett Syndrome: an
autism disorder caused by methyl-C binding protein (MECP2) loss of function
- One bee (queen or worker) produces royal jelly changes pattern of DNA methylation causing it
to become a queen. Similar things in plants
- In mice, the agouti gene causes animals to be obese; prone to cancer/diabetes; yellow instead of
brown. Methylated genes in the agouti gene
- Maternal care induces life-long changes in DNA methylation and stress resilience in offspring
(low vs high quality maternal care); increased stress in low; reduced glucocorticoid receptors in
low; methylation is reduced in high quality maternal care
How do you test the cognitive role of epigenetic modifications? correct answers - requires
genome-scale, base-resolution neuronal epigenome profiling (measure cytosine across entire
genome)
- Identifying gene methylation patterns is a 'big data' challenge; requires DATA SCIENCE
What is shotgun sequencing? correct answers - use sodium bisulfite to convert cytosine to uracil
(converts C T); if a cytosine is methylated it remains a C.
- Surprise: Substantial non-CG methylation in human neurons (53%); true for most mammals
How does methylation accumulate during development? correct answers - CG methylation
remains at high levels and remains high throughout; non-CG methylation (5% at birth) increases
throughout development; overlaps with synaptogenesis
- Methylation patterns are strongly conserved between individuals; indicator of disease;
conserved patterns has an important biological function
Does methylation contribute to brain cell diversity? correct answers - Hypermethylation implies
repression (a signal that prevents gene expression)
What is cognitive science? correct answers Communication
Computation
Reasoning
Memory
Planning/decision making
Adaptive engagement with the world (Johnson)
What does it mean that cognitive science is interdisciplinary? correct answers It means that we
learn from other disciplines, like philosophy, computer science, anthropology, economics,
biology, psychology, etc.
Does the human brain "represent" things like a computer? correct answers No; biological tissue
does not act like computer circuits
What is "computation" in the brain? correct answers Manipulation of representations
How does memory affect perception? How about knowledge of the world? correct answers
Perception is an interpretation in which the brain takes all available data and provides the best
guess as to what it sees, hears, etc. This is affected by memory and knowledge of the world
What is an effect that shows that visual processing affects auditory processing? correct answers
McGurk Effect: Perception of auditory event affected by visual processing; what you see
changes what you hear (ex. Mouthing bah and gah)
Why is it important to have the right tool to ask the right question? correct answers It's a matter
of being at the right level, with the appropriate tool
Bottom up processing correct answers stimulus to response/action ; getting information to brain
from the lowest level
Top down processing correct answers Later stages of processing affect earlier stages
Parallel processing correct answers doing different pathways simultaneously ex.) our retina
Divergent/Convergent processing correct answers - Divergent = one cell that output to 10 cells
which output to 100 cells etc etc
- Convergent = one million cells converge into one cell
Name different levels of processing correct answers Genetic
Cell
Network
Behavior
, How do things differentiate during development? correct answers Epigenetics
What determines different functions for neurons? correct answers Location, connection,
electrical/chemical features
How do cells become what they become? correct answers -Brain development (a tightly
orchestrated process)
-Neuronal proliferation (cell division)
-Neural migration
-Synaptogenesis (peaks at around 2 yrs of age in humans)
-Synaptic pruning (throughout life); same in mouse
What is cytosine DNA methylation? correct answers - certain DNA base pairs can be modified
by adding methyl group (DNA methylation); doesn't change code but changes how cells treat the
code; a type of punctuation mark that changes meaning of the code
- Occurs mainly at C-G (cytosine-guanine) sites
- covalent modification; forming a stable bond; heritable; affect us throughout life and our
progeny's life time; with aging they may be lost; potentially activity-dependent
Give some examples of DNA methylation and its causes: correct answers - Rett Syndrome: an
autism disorder caused by methyl-C binding protein (MECP2) loss of function
- One bee (queen or worker) produces royal jelly changes pattern of DNA methylation causing it
to become a queen. Similar things in plants
- In mice, the agouti gene causes animals to be obese; prone to cancer/diabetes; yellow instead of
brown. Methylated genes in the agouti gene
- Maternal care induces life-long changes in DNA methylation and stress resilience in offspring
(low vs high quality maternal care); increased stress in low; reduced glucocorticoid receptors in
low; methylation is reduced in high quality maternal care
How do you test the cognitive role of epigenetic modifications? correct answers - requires
genome-scale, base-resolution neuronal epigenome profiling (measure cytosine across entire
genome)
- Identifying gene methylation patterns is a 'big data' challenge; requires DATA SCIENCE
What is shotgun sequencing? correct answers - use sodium bisulfite to convert cytosine to uracil
(converts C T); if a cytosine is methylated it remains a C.
- Surprise: Substantial non-CG methylation in human neurons (53%); true for most mammals
How does methylation accumulate during development? correct answers - CG methylation
remains at high levels and remains high throughout; non-CG methylation (5% at birth) increases
throughout development; overlaps with synaptogenesis
- Methylation patterns are strongly conserved between individuals; indicator of disease;
conserved patterns has an important biological function
Does methylation contribute to brain cell diversity? correct answers - Hypermethylation implies
repression (a signal that prevents gene expression)
