University of Toronto
PSY393F
Summer 2006
Instructor:
Cognitive Neurology
MW10-1 Room SE3101
Vedran Lovic, M.A.
Tel. 905-828-5297
vedran@psych.utoronto.ca
Office: 1015
Office Hours: M2-3
Assistant:
Noam Miller
Noam.miller@utoronto.ca
Office: 1013K
Office Hours: by appointment
Vedran:
I am a naturalized Canadian, born in Bosnia-Herzegovina. I finished my Bachelor of
Science and Master of Arts degrees at the University of Toronto. Currently I am a Ph.D.
student working in Dr. Alison Fleming’s behavioural neuroscience laboratory. My
research is concerned with the role of early life environment in the development of
behavioural flexibility and impulsivity and how alterations of these behaviours and
cognitive abilities are mediated by the dopamine and serotonin systems.
Synopsis:
In this course we will examine the relationships between brain and behaviour. The
course will focus mainly on cortical and cognitive abilities. Initial lectures will be a general
introduction to neuroanatomy and methods used by neuropsychologists. This will be
followed by lectures focusing on specific brain functions, such as motor functions, object
recognition, memory and so on. Throughout the course we will learn about the
relationships between brain and behaviour from brain injury cases (e.g., head injuries,
strokes, tumors etc.) as well as from research done on intact individuals.
Objectives:
At the end of the course you will have an understanding of how the brain is organized and
how it accomplishes some behaviours and cognitive functions. As mentioned above, the
course will cover some popular topics such as amnesia and “frontal” syndromes and,
therefore, the course might be of interest to a wide spectrum of students. However,
students interested in pursuing neuropsychology or neurology studies will find the course
particularly useful. In addition to acquiring knowledge in cognitive neuroscience I hope
that you will learn something about how scientific research is conducted and presented.
Course Format: Classes will consist of lectures and videos demonstrating impairments in cognitive
abilities outlined in lectures. Lectures will be based on textbook and extra material; hence
students are strongly encouraged to attend lectures. Lectures will be done using powerpoint slide presentation which will be available on the course web site after each lecture.
Textbook:
Banich, M.T. (2004). Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuropsychology, 2nd edition. New
York: Houghton Mifflin Company. (Approximate price: $ 114.00)
Readings:
You are encouraged to read the assigned readings before each lecture as this will
facilitate and extend your knowledge acquired in class. The Banich textbook is detailed
and will require you to remember and integrate information. You should pay close, but
not exclusive, attention to the material that overlaps with lecture material.
University of Toronto
PSY393F
Summer 2006
Cognitive Neurology
MW10-1 Room SE3101
Web Page:
www.erin.utoronto.ca/~w3psy295/psy393.htm
Login: psy393
Password: 20061
Grading:
Term Test
Short Assignment
Final Exam
Test/Exam:
Term test/exam will be based on the material from the textbook, lectures and videos. The
tests will consist of multiple-choice questions (~30%; based on Banich), matching
questions (based on Banich and lectures) shorter and longer questions as well as a
diagram requiring you to label brain parts (based on lectures, videos and textbook). The
shorter and longer questions will require students to recite information but also integrate
knowledge analytically. Please see question examples on the web.
35%
20%
45%
Prerequisites: PSY201, PSY270/PSY290. Students from various backgrounds (cognitive psychology or
physiological psychology) will have an equal opportunity to do well in the course. It is
your responsibility to ensure that you have met all prerequisites listed in the UTM
Calendar for this course. If you lack any prerequisites for this course, the Department may
cancel your registration at anytime. Further information about academic regulations,
course withdrawal dates and credits can be found in the University of Toronto Calendar.
Make-ups:
For this particular course, there will be NO make-up tests. If you miss one of the term
tests without a legitimate excuse, you will receive a mark of zero for that term test. If you
do have a legitimate excuse (e.g., doctor’s note; please see Calendar, Section 6), your
final exam will be worth 80%. If you submit medical documentation make sure it contains
the statement "This student was unable to write the test (or submit term work by the last
day of classes, if applicable) on (date) for medical reasons". You are advised to see your
physician within one day of the missed test. Many physicians will not provide
documentation retroactively.
Short Assignment: The purpose of this short paper is to further advance your knowledge of one of the
topics covered in class (e.g., attention, memory, language etc.). You will achieve this by
assessing a case study in conjunction with a general reading, related to the case study.
General readings are provided on the course web page. You will find an appropriate case
study on your own and have it approved by me through e-mail. Send me an e-mail with a
link to your case study selection.
You will summarize the case study’s findings, synthesize what these finding tell us about
a particular function (e.g., memory), and explain how the findings fit into the broader
context of the general reading (and the Banich textbook - optional). In addition, we would
like to hear your opinions on these findings (questions, comments, criticisms etc.).
Your paper will be graded on content (~65%) and style (~35 %).
The paper should be written in APA style and 1500 to 2000 words in length (not including
the cover page, abstract or the reference section). The paper is due June 21st, at the
beginning of the class. Papers submitted after 10:15 will be considered late. Late penalty
is 5% per day. The last day to hand in papers is June 23rd. E-mail copies of your paper
will not be accepted.
University of Toronto
PSY393F
Summer 2006
Cognitive Neurology
MW10-1 Room SE3101
Reviews
Motor Control
Graziano, M. (2006). The organization of behavioral repertoire in motor cortex. Annual Reviews in Neuroscinece,
29, 105-134.
Vision and Agnosias
Farah, M.J. & Aguirre, G.K. (1999). Imaging visual recognition: PET and fMRI studies of the functional anatomy of
human visual recognition. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 3(5), 179-186.
Attention and Neglect
Hills, A.E. (2006). Neurobiology of unilateral spatial neglect. The Neuroscientist, 12(2), 153-163.
Language and Aphasias
Alexander, M.P. (1997). Aphasia: Clinical and anatomic aspects. In T.E. Feinberg & M.J. Farah (Eds.), Behavioral
neurology and neuropsychology. New York: McGraw-Hill, pp. 133-149.
Memory and Amnesias
Squire, L.R., Stark, C.E.L., & Clark, R.E. (2004). The medial temporal lobe. Annual Reviews in Neuroscience, 27,
279-306.
Executive Function
Stuss, D.T. & Levin, B. (2002). Adult Clinical Neuropsychology: Lessons from Studies of the Frontal Lobes. Annual
Review of Psychology, 53:401-433.
Emotion
Adolphs, R. (2003). Neural systems for recognizing emotion. Current Opinion in Neurobiology, 12, 169-177.
University of Toronto
PSY393F
Summer 2006
Cognitive Neurology
MW10-1 Room SE3101
Schedule of Lectures and Readings
Date
Topic
Banich
May 15
Introduction, Historical Background and Issues
May 17
Neuroanatomy & Methods in Neuropsychology
May 22
Holiday – No class
May 24
Motor Control and Motor Disorders
5
May 29
Vision and Agnosias
6
May 31
Term Test (35%)
June 5
Attention and Disorders of Attention
8
June 7
Language and Aphasias
9
June 12
Memory and Amnesias
10
June 14
Executive Function
11
June 19
Emotion
12
June 21
Generalized Cognitive Disorders (Paper Due)
14
June 26-30
Final Exam 45% (Non-cumulative)
1&3