The Neurophysiological Basis of Alternate States of Consciousness
MWF 11:00-11:50 Warren Lecture Hall 2205
Instructor:
Jaime A. Pineda, Ph.D.
Office: CSB 205B
Office Hours: T 9-11 am (or by appointment)
Phone: (858) 534 9754
email: pineda@cogsci.ucsd.edu
TA:
Zack Weinberg
CSB 229
TBA
zweinber@cogsci.ucsd.edu
Course Description and Goals:
This course provides an introduction to theory and research on normal and altered states of
consciousness, primarily from a cognitive neuroscience perspective. By the end of the course,
students should be familiar with the definitions and physiological basis of alternate states of
consciousness, what brain areas, systems, and processes mediate them. Students will gain an
understanding of how drugs affect these states of mind. They will also learn about the role of sleep
and dreams, applications and effects of hypnosis, biofeedback, sensory deprivation, meditation,
theory of mind, and the neural basis of non-self centered experiences such as dissociations and split
brain.
Methods of Evaluation
Students are expected to attend all lectures and section meetings, complete all assigned readings,
participate in discussions, and deliver a group presentation to the class. The breakdown of the
final grade is listed in the table below. No work is accepted late unless there is either prior
approval of the instructor/TA or documented proof of emergency and contact with the instructor
as soon as possible. There are no make-ups or extra credit projects. All grading is done out of a
number of total points, and final letter grades are based on a student's performance compared to
the rest of the class (i.e. z-score--the number of standard deviations above or below the mean
total score).
Midterm exams (2)
Group presentation
30%
30%
Final exam
Discussion/Homework
20%
20%
Midterm Exams. There will be two midterm exams. The purpose of these exams is to assess
your learning of course material up to that point. Exams consist primarily of essay questions.
Lecture, textbook, and journal articles are all covered. The exams are not cumulative, i.e., each
will not specifically test material covered in previous exams, although some overlap is
inevitable. You may refer only to the contents of your mind for these exams (closed-book,
closed-notes).
Final Exam will emphasize material from the last Midterm to the end of the course, including
questions based on student presentations. Howevever, it will cover general issues from the
beginning of the course. Exams consist primarily of essay questions. Lecture, textbook, journal
articles, and student presentations are all covered. You may refer only to the contents of your
mind for this exam (closed-book, closed-notes).
Discussion Participation. Each week there will be at least 3 types of readings required (a
chapter from the textbook and two or three journal articles). You will be assigned to read,
summarize, and answer questions for the class about a specific reading assignment. That is, you
will summarize the chapter/article and then lead class discussion on that article. Two or more
people may be assigned to cover one article. Students who choose not to do summaries (or are
not assigned one because of class size) are required to do a term paper.
Group Presentations are made on course-relevant topics, subject to instructor approval, during
the last two weeks of class. Each group will consist of 4-5 members, and will have 20 minutes to
present, followed by questions, both strictly timed. You must earn final approval no later than
the end of 5th week, so assemble a group and propose a topic as soon as possible. This way, you
can use feedback to revise your topic and stake a claim so another group doesn't take "your"
topic first! Presentation outlines are due at the end of 7th week. The order of group presentations
will be determined by random lottery. Immediately after presenting, each group must turn in a
CD of their PowerPoint presentation. Presentations are scored by group, not individuals, so it is
important to work together and, if you have problems with your group, to notify the
instructor/TA as soon as possible. More information on presentations (e.g. suggested topics, tips
for research and presenting) is available on the course website. Students who choose not to do a
group presentation are required to do a term paper.
Homework. For each assigned reading (textbook chapter and journal articles) you are asked to
turn in ONE substantive question (typed) generated by that reading. Questions will be graded on
a five point scale (0-4) with 0 being questions that show that you did not really read the article or
you simply picked up some superficial point as you scanned it, to 4 being an excellent question
that shows you read the article thoroughly and formulated a well-thought out question that truly
reflected something you wanted to know. Students will be asked (randomly) to share their
questions during discussion of the articles.
Academic Integrity:
Academic integrity is expected at all times and cheating will not be tolerated. You are
encouraged to study and confer with your classmates, but exams must be completed alone.
Graded exams will be photocopied before being returned. Plagiarism and the changing of
answers on returned exams will result in automatic failure of the course.
Required Reading and Textbook
1. Journal articles can be downloaded as individual pdf files from the class website under
Readings.
2. Wallace, B and Fisher, LE. (2003) Consciousness and Behavior, 4th Edition, Waveland Press,
Inc. available through the UCSD Bookstore
Class Website
http://bci.ucsd.edu/~pineda/COGS175/index.html
Course Schedule
Week 1 (4/3-4/7)
Physiology of states of mind:Definitions
Textbook Ch1, Ch2
Dietrich, A. Functional neuroanatomy of altered states of consciousness: the transient
hypofrontality hypothesis. Consciousness and Cognition, 12, 231-256, 2003.
Michel, C. M., Seeck, M., and Landis, T. Spatiotemporal dynamics of human cognition. News
Physiol. Sci, 14, 206-214, 1999
Week 2 (4/10-4/14)
Drugs and the mind: Why do we take them?
Textbook Ch 3
Robinson, T.E. and Kolb, B. Structural plasticity associated with exposure to drugs of abuse.
Neuropharmacology, 47, 33-46, 2004.
Volkow, N.D. et al., The addicted human brain viewed in the light of imaging studies: brain
circuits and treatment strategies. Neuropharmacology, 47, 3-13, 2004.
Week 3 (4/17-4/21)
Hypnosis: Can we lose control?
Textbook Ch 4
Faymonville et al., Increased cerebral functional connectivity underlying the antinoceptive
effects of hypnosis. Cognitive Brain Research, 17, 255-262, 2003.
Rainville et al., Hypnosis modulates activity in brain structures involved in the regulation of
consciousness. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, 14(6), 887-901, 2002.
Egner, T., Jamieson, G., and Gruzelier, J. Hypnosis decouples cognitive control from conflict
monitoring processes of the frontal lobe. NeuroImage, 27, 969-978, 2005.
Week 4 (4/24-4/28) Neurofeedback: How much control do we have? Textbook Ch5
Vernon et al., The effects of training distinct neurofeedback protocols on aspects of cognitive
performance. International Journal of Psychophysiology, 47, 75-85, 2003.
Pineda, J.A. et al., Learning to control brain rhythms: making a brain-computer interface
possible. IEEE Trans. Neural Sys. Rehab. Eng, 11(2), 2003.
Vernon, D. J. Can neurofeedback training enhance performance? An evaluation of the evidence
with implications for future research. Applied Psychophys. & Biofeedback, 30(4), 347-364, 2005.
MIDTERM 1
April 28 in class
Week 5 (5/1-5/5)
Meditation: Different from a relaxed state?
Textbook Ch 6
Lutz, A. et al., Long-term meditators self-induce high-amplitude gamma synchrony during
mental practice. PNAS, 101 (46), 16369-16373, 2004.
Newberg, A.B. and Iversen, J. The neural basis of the complex mental task of meditation:
neurotransmitter and neurochemical considerations. Medical Hypotheses, 61(2), 282-291, 2003.
Lazar, S. W. et al. Meditation experience is associated with increased cortical thickness.
NeuroReport, 16(17), 1893-1897, 2005.
Week 6 (5/8-5/12)
Sleep and Dreams: Are they necessary?
Textbook Ch 7
Siegel, J. Brain mechanisms that control sleep and waking. Naturwissenschaften, 91, 355-365,
2004.
Stickgold, R. et al., Sleep, learning, and dreams: off-line memory reprocessing. Science, 294,
1052-1057, 2001.
Nielsen, T. A. and Stenstrom, P. What are the memory sources of dreaming? Nature, 437, 12861289, 2005.
Week 7 (5/15-5/19) Social Cognition: Understanding Others
Gallese, V. et al., A unifying view of the basis of social cognition. Trends in Cognitive Sciences,
8(9), 396-403, 2004.
Happe, F. Theory of mind and the self. Ann. N.Y. Acad. Sci., 1001, 134-144, 2003.
Harris, J.C. Social neuroscience, empathy, brain integration and neurodevelopmental disorders.
Physiology & Behavior, 79, 525-531, 2003.
MIDTERM 2
May 19 in class
Week 8 (5/22-5/26)
Split brain – split mind?
Corballis, P. M. Visuospatial processing and the right-hemisphere interpreter. Brain and
Cognition, 53, 171-176, 2003.
Gazzaniga, M. S. Cerebral specialization and interhemispheric communication: does the corpus
callosum enable the human condition? Brain, 123, 193-1326, 2000.
Turk, D. J. et al., Out of contact, out of mind: the distributed nature of the self.
Acad. Sci., 1001, 65-78, 2003.
Week 9 (5/29-6/2)
Week 10 (6/5-6/9)
Student presentations
5/29 is Memorial Day Holiday
Student presentations
FINAL EXAM
June 12th 11:30 am-2:30 pm in class
Ann. N.Y.