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ICOS-202: Research Modules in Cognitive Science
Spring 2004

Last updated 12/01/03

Details regarding individual modules for the Spring 2004 are posted below.  Each student enrolled in the course is to take exactly 3 modules throughout the semester. 

Students choose the modules they want to take, rank ordering by their preference, and email them to the Director. Students are asked to list more than three in order of their preference. Students also need to register for the course itself via the usual registrar's process.

In the spring of 2004, each module will be offered during one of four periods of the semester. These periods meet during the following weeks.  Students may distribute their modules across three of the four different periods or, if preferred, take more than one in a given period as long as there is no time conflict. For the exact meeting times for each module, see the summary table and the module descriptions themselves. 
   

Period #	Weeks Of . . . .	Modules
1	Jan 12, 19, 26, Feb 2	Eden, Schwartz, Vaidya
2	Feb 9,16, 23	Friedman/Lott, Kainen, Walker
3	Mar 1, 15, 22, 29	Ramey/Ramey, Rauschecker, Ullman/Walenski
4	Apr 5, 12, 19, 26	Howard, Kanwal, Malkova, Saunders/Aisen

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Summary of Meeting Times (See individual module  descriptions below for more details)

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Descriptions of Modules for Spring 2004 

Prof Guinevere Eden

Department of Pediatrics, GU Med Center

edeng@georgetown.edu

http://csl.georgetown.edu/members/faculty/EdenG.shtml

Meeting times:  Period #1, Tuesdays 4-5:30 pm, Jan 13, 20, 27

Meeting place:   Room 172, Building D Medical Center

Maximum enrollment:  10

Methods and Application of Functional Bain Imaging to Study Human Cognition

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) allows for non-invasive studies of the neurobiological basis of perception and cognition. In this module we will discuss how this novel technique aids our understanding of the brain processes involved in reading and how they differ in adults and children with the reading disability developmental dyslexia. During the three classes we will (1) review the imaging literature of reading, (2) learn how reading and related cognitive skills are measured using standardized tests and (3) discuss the role of functional brain imaging and behavioral measures in assessing reading remediation.  

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Prof Rhonda Friedman & Susan N. Lott

Department of Neurology, GU Med Center

Phone: (202)784-4134

friedmar@georgetown.edu, lotts@georgetown.edu

http://www.georgetown.edu/users/cew8/

Meeting times:  Period #2  Thursdays 10-12 am, Feb 12, 19, 26 PLUS one hour of patient observation to be arranged

Meeting place:  Bldg D Room 207E

Maximum enrollment:  8

Assessment and Rehabilitation of Acquired Disorders of Reading (alexias) in Patients with Stroke or Head Injury

Students will read general articles on aphasia and alexia. We will discuss the process of reading, and the symptoms and syndromes of alexia. We will learn how to diagnose the various types of alexia, and students will make "diagnoses" based upon real patient data. Next we will discuss possible remediation strategies for the different types of alexia. Students will then sit in on one treatment session with a patient. In the final class meeting we will discuss our observations of the patients.

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Prof Darlene V. Howard

Department of Psychology

301F White Gravenor

howardd@georgetown.edu

http://www.georgetown.edu/departments/psychology/faculty/howard.html
http://www.georgetown.edu/faculty/howardd/lab2003/

Meeting times:  Period #4;  Tuesdays 6-9 pm, Apr 13, 20, 27

Meeting place:  308 WGR

Maximum enrollment:  10

My research investigates how and why learning and memory change (and don't change) in the course of healthy human aging. I'll assign several articles/papers from my laboratory for students to read ahead of time, and I'll ask students to offer questions for discussion. We'll have a total of 3 class meetings, each approximately 2 ½-3 hours long. During the first we'll discuss the assigned readings and students will visit our lab and see a demonstration of the tasks we are using in our current studies. During the second meeting, the class will design and set up a simple experiment for which students will then collect data from friends before the next class. In the final meeting, we'll discuss our findings and how they relate to broader issues in the study of learning and memory. Each student will be required to write a short paper (7 typewritten pages or fewer) on the readings and the class experiment. The grade will be determined by the quality of the discussion questions the student proposed for the class, the quality of the student's contribution to our class meetings and experiment, and the quality of the written paper. 

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Prof Paul Kainen

Department of Mathematics

72703 (phone or voice-mail)

kainen@georgetown.edu

http://www.georgetown.edu/faculty/kainen/

Meeting times:  Period #2, Tuesdays 5:15-6:30 pm, Feb 10, 17, 24

Meeting place::   Reiss 256 (first week), Preclinical Science Bldg LR3 rm 26 (later)

Maximum enrollment:  8

Designing the User Interface to Biomolecular Configurations

Our goal will be to design a better system to enable the scientific utilization of data regarding the physiological structure of various organic polymers. This will entail some reading and class discussion as well as collective efforts to define and implement suitable scripts for user interaction with a database. Students are not expected to already know about proteins, RNA, graphs, neural networks, topology, geometry, visual display, or user interfaces as these will be covered (briefly) in the module. The aim is to put them all together. Each student will be given the opportunity to contribute to a useable,
efficient, and elegant design.
 

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Prof Jagmeet Kanwal

Department of Physiology & Biophysics, GU Med Center

kanwalj@georgetown.edu

Room WP09A, The Research Building

http://www.giccs.georgetown.edu/labs/kanwal/index.html
http://gumc.georgetown.edu/departments/physiology/kanwal.html

Meeting times:  Period #4,   Mondays 2-4 pm, Apr 5, 19, 26

Meeting place:  WP07A Research Bldg

Maximum enrollment:  8

Origins of Music

Music, even more than speech, remains an elusive phenomenon that only humans appear to exploit. We know little of its neurobiological foundations. How did this ability originate in humans and for what? This module will focus on the origins of music from the perspective of music perception and brain/human evolution. The contents will be based on a recently published book as well new ideas that the students might have. Active participation is expected. A brief overview of the auditory system will be provided. We plan to meet for 2 two hour informal lectures and a final discussion session. Students will submit a short, one to two page, write up. Grading will be based on participation and write up.

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Prof Ludise Malkova, Department of Pharmacology, GU Medical Center

malkoval@georgetown.edu

http://neuroscience.georgetown.edu/Faculty/IPN_malkova.html

Meeting times:   Period #4, Thursdays 2-4pm:  Apr 15, 22, 29

Meeting place:  TBA

Maximum enrollment:  10

Neural Substrates of Socioemotional Behavior

This module is directed to the neural substrates of socioemotional  behavior and some aspects of learning and memory studied in animal models. Special interest will be aimed at the involvement of medial temporal lobe structures, i.e., amygdala, hippocampus, and temporal lobe cortical areas, in these functions. This module will review the research in animals that uses pharmacological manipulations of discrete brain regions by focal drug infusions and lesions made by various techniques. Findings from animals studies will be related to some human disorders, such as amnesia and autism.  Each student will have to write a paper on a topic related to the module according to their choice. They will be graded based on the paper and class participation.

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Prof Sharon Ramey & Prof Craig Ramey

Georgetown Center on Health and Education, GU School of Nursing and Health Studies

sr222@georgetown.edu, ctr5@georgetown.edu

http://snhs.georgetown.edu/academics/cherith.html

Meeting times:  Period #3, Mondays 2-5 pm on Mar 1 & 15:  Monday 4-10 pm on Mar 22

Meeting place:  Georgetown Center on Health and Education, First Floor St. Mary's

Maximum enrollment:  10

Early Educational Interventions and Altered Developmental Trajectories

This research module will engage students in a thorough review of the theory, the designs and methods, and the key findings from 13 randomized controlled trials designed to enhance the development of children at environmental and/or biological risk for poor cognitive development. Students will have direct access to longitudinal datatsets to conduct additional analyses and test hypotheses. In addition, students will have opportunities for direct observation of children and adult caregivers in diverse early education programs and Head Start settings. The scientific and political controversies, as well as the practical applications, related to the evidence about the malleability of human intelligence across the lifespan and across diverse risk groups will be explored in detail.

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Prof. Josef Rauschecker

Department of Physiology & Biophysics, GU Med Center

rauschej@georgetown.edu

Phone: (202) 687-1580

WP15, Research Building

http://gumc.georgetown.edu/departments/physiology/rauschecker.html

Meeting times: Period #3, Tuesdays 3-5 pm:  Mar 2, 16, 23

Meeting place:  TBA

Maximum enrollment:  10
 
Integrative Neuroscience and Cognition: Functional Organization and Plasticity of the Cerebral Cortex

My research tries to understand the neurobiological bases of perception, cognition, and memory. The cerebral cortex is the main site in the brain that is thought to be involved in these higher functions. Therefore, we are trying to figure out how the cortex works, especially with regard to visual and auditory perception, as well as visual-auditory integration. The cortex is also a very smart structure in that it is capable of self- and re-organization during development, and after injury or sensory deprivation.

During three two-hour sessions we will discuss some of the above topics. One session will concentrate on vision, one on audition, and the third on brain plasticity. Students will also visit our laboratories and (hopefully) do a few simple experiments or at least look at results from recent studies performed in our lab. Each student will write a short paper on one of the topics, integrating the contents of the group discussions with the lab results. The grade will be based on this paper and on the contributions during class

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Prof Pamela Saunders  & Prof Paul Aisen

Department of Neurology, GU Medical Center

saunderp@georgetown.edu,  psa@georgetown.edu,

http://geriatrics.georgetown.edu/faculty.html

Meeting times:   Period #4, Wednesdays, 10-12 am, Apr 7, 14, 21, 28

Meeting place:  TBA

Maximum enrollment:  8

Research on Alzheimer's Disease:  An Introduction

In this module, students will be introduced to several areas of research and care for persons with Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Topics and speakers include: 1) Dr. Aisen will provide an overview of Alzheimer’s disease and current research; 2) students will read and discuss issues of communication and aging with Dr. Saunders; 3) Brigid Reynolds and Kathleen Johnson who are nurse practitioners in the Memory Disorders Program will discuss issues of assessment of AD patients. Students will actually learn to administer cognitive assessments on each other; 2) Carolyn Ward who is the Study Coordinator of the Memory Disorders Program will talk about issues of caregiving for persons with Alzheimer's.

This module will meet for four sessions. Students will be required to write a short paper on an article or book approved by Dr. Saunders. In addition students will be required to arrange a time to observe a research subject in February or March before the module starts in April. Students should contact Dr. Saunders (saunderp@georgetown.edu) to arrange this observation as soon as possible. Grading will be based on class participation, observation, and write up.

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Prof Barbara Schwartz

Department of Psychiatry & Washington, DC VA Hospital

schwarbl@georgetown.edu

http://neuroscience.georgetown.edu/Faculty/IPN_schwartz.html

Meeting times:  Period #1,  Thursdays 2:30-5:00 pm, January 15, 22, 29

Meeting place:  Psychiatry Service, VA Medical Center

Maximum enrollment:  8

Neurocognitive Function in Schizophrenia

In the last decade, researchers in the field of schizophrenia have discovered the central role that cognitive dysfunctions play in this complex disorder.  This module will provide an overview of the clinical symptoms, brain pathology and neurocognitive dysfunctions of schizophrenia.  Our “hands-on” experimental work will involve the study of face perception problems in schizophrenia.  This work looks at basic mechanisms of face perception to understand schizophrenia patients’ difficulties in expressing and identifying facial expressions.  We will have three class meetings.  In the first two meetings we will discuss assigned readings and I will show students the types of neuropsychological and cognitive tests used to assess cognitive problems in schizophrenia.  In the last meeting, students will observe the administration of face perception tests used in our research.  Each student will have an opportunity to observe a research patient.  Students will be required to write a short paper (about 5 pages) on a topic covered in our overview of schizophrenia.  Grading will be based on class participation and the quality of the written paper.

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Prof Michael Ullman & Dr. Matthew Walenski

Department of Neuroscience, GU Medical Center

michael@georgetown.edu, msw7@georgetown.edu

Office (for both faculty): Building D, Room 237
Phone (for both faculty): 687-6896

http://www.giccs.georgetown.edu/labs/ullman/

Meeting Times: Period # 3;  Wednesdays 4:10-6 pm Mar 3, 17, 24, 31

Meeting place:  Rm 301 Building D, GU Med Center

Maximum enrollment:  8

Seeing Language in the Brain

The module will introduce you to the study of language and the brain--that is, neurolinguistics. You will read introductory articles on neurolinguistics, including the neuroimaging technique of examining Event-Related Potentials (ERPs). ERPs are measures of the electrical activity in the brain that occurs during the processing of language or other domains of cognition. We will discuss these articles and issues in class.You will then be shown the system which we use to acquire ERPs
here at Georgetown. You will learn to use the system, and will help us to run an experiment with it. Finally, you will be expected to write up a very brief paper on a relevant topic of your choice.

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Prof. Chandan Vaidya, Department of Psychology

cjv2@georgetown.edu

http://www.georgetown.edu/research/vaidyalab/index.html
http://www.georgetown.edu/departments/psychology/faculty/vaidya.html

Meeting times:  Period #1     Thursdays 10:00-12:00:   Jan 22, 29, Feb 5 

Meeting place:  308 WGR

Maximum enrollment:  8

Neural Basis of Cognitive Function

Students will be introduced to the theory and practice of a new emerging field, cognitive neuroscience. Specifically, we will discover how the brain produces cognitive functions such as memory and attentional control, how they break down in neuropsychological disorders such as amnesia and ADHD, and how they can be studied non-invasively in the live human using functional magnetic resonance imaging. Course content will consist of reading original research articles and discussion.

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Prof Benjamin Walker,  Department of Psychology

walkerbr@georgetown.edu

http://www.georgetown.edu/departments/psychology/faculty/walker.html 

Meeting times:  Period #2:  Tuesdays  6-9 pm:  Feb 10, 17, 24 

Meeting place:  GU Medical Center, Building D, Room 266

Maximum enrollment:  9

Developmental and Acquired Diseases

One way to examine how the brain works is to examine the brain during a disease state. One technique often utilized to do this is to create an animal model of that disease and test the animal on some behavioral or electrophysiological metric. In these experiments, the experimenter can create a more simple version of these complex diseases in order to manipulate certain aspects of the nervous system and watch for behavioral or neuronal changes. In this module we will examine an animal model for epilepsy (and autism if time permits) in order to uncover the mechanisms of treatments. This will involve getting to know and working closely with the animal that is used most often for these experiments, the laboratory rat. In subsequent weeks, the students will learn surgical techniques and behavioral testing. We will meet for three 3 hour sessions and grades will be based on a short, 2-3 page, write up and active participation.

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