2-IKV-135  Neurocomputing

Evaluation during the course: independent projects, presentation

Concluding evaluation: exam

Subject aim: To provide the introduction to cognitive neuroscience and to computational neuroscience, modeling of basic cognitive functions (using a connectionist simulator PDP++).

Brief curriculum of the subject:

1. Introduction to brain and neurobiology of neurons.

2. The importance of computational modeling, levels of abstraction in cognitive modeling.

3. Problem of neural code. Introduction to spiking neuron  models.

4.Structure of cortical networks, neural representations, interactions between neurons.

5. Biological mechanisms of memory and learning, long-term potentiation and depression of synaptic efficacy, models based on hebbian learning.

6. Synchronous oscilations in the cerebral cortex, visual perception. Modeling perception and attention.

7. Topographic maps in the brain, model of primary visual cortex.

8. Neural correlates of language, modeling language functions.

9. Higher-level cognition: role of the frontal cortex

10. Neural correlates of primary and secondary consciousness.

Literature:

O'Reilly R.C. a Munakata Y. (2000). Computational Explorations in Cognitive Neuroscience: Understanding the Mind by Simulating the Brain. MIT Press.

Benuskova L. (2002) Kognitivna neuroveda. In: Rybar J, Benuskova L, Kvasnicka V (eds) Kognitivne vedy. Kalligram, Bratislava, pp. 47-104.

Gerstner W. and Kistler W.: Spiking Neuron Models. Cambridge Univ. Press, Cambridge, 2002.

Papers to individual topics

Language in which the subject is taught: Slovak

Date of the last sheet revision: 7.8.2007