Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience 

About: Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience is an academic journal published by The MIT Press. The journal publishes majorly in the area(s): Cognition & Working memory. It has an ISSN identifier of 0898-929X. Over the lifetime, 4358 publications have been published receiving 432513 citations. The journal is also known as: J Cogn Neurosci & J. Cogn. Neurosci..

Eigenfaces for recognition

Abstract: We have developed a near-real-time computer system that can locate and track a subject's head, and then recognize the person by comparing characteristics of the face to those of known individuals. The computational approach taken in this system is motivated by both physiology and information theory, as well as by the practical requirements of near-real-time performance and accuracy. Our approach treats the face recognition problem as an intrinsically two-dimensional (2-D) recognition problem rather than requiring recovery of three-dimensional geometry, taking advantage of the fact that faces are normally upright and thus may be described by a small set of 2-D characteristic views. The system functions by projecting face images onto a feature space that spans the significant variations among known face images. The significant features are known as "eigenfaces," because they are the eigenvectors (principal components) of the set of faces; they do not necessarily correspond to features such as eyes, ears, and noses. The projection operation characterizes an individual face by a weighted sum of the eigenface features, and so to recognize a particular face it is necessary only to compare these weights to those of known individuals. Some particular advantages of our approach are that it provides for the ability to learn and later recognize new faces in an unsupervised manner, and that it is easy to implement using a neural network architecture.

Imaging Cognition II: An Empirical Review of 275 PET and fMRI Studies

Abstract: Positron emission tomography (PET) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) have been extensively used to explore the functional neuroanatomy of cognitive functions. Here we review 275 PET and fMRI studies of attention (sustained, selective, Stroop, orientation, divided), perception (object, face, space/motion, smell), imagery (object, space/ motion), language (written/spoken word recognition, spoken/ no spoken response), working memory (verbal/numeric, object, spatial, problem solving), semantic memory retrieval (categorization, generation), episodic memory encoding (verbal, object, spatial), episodic memory retrieval (verbal, nonverbal, success, effort, mode, context), priming (perceptual, conceptual), and procedural memory (conditioning, motor, and nonmotor skill learning). To identify consistent activation patterns associated with these cognitive operations, data from 412 contrasts were summarized at the level of cortical Brodmann's areas, insula, thalamus, medial-temporal lobe (including hippocampus), basal ganglia, and cerebellum. For perception and imagery, activation patterns included primary and secondary regions in the dorsal and ventral pathways. For attention and working memory, activations were usually found in prefrontal and parietal regions. For language and semantic memory retrieval, typical regions included left prefrontal and temporal regions. For episodic memory encoding, consistently activated regions included left prefrontal and medial-temporal regions. For episodic memory retrieval, activation patterns included prefrontal, medial-temporal, and posterior midline regions. For priming, deactivations in prefrontal (conceptual) or extrastriate (perceptual) regions were consistently seen. For procedural memory, activations were found in motor as well as in non-motor brain areas. Analysis of regional activations across cognitive domains suggested that several brain regions, including the cerebellum, are engaged by a variety of cognitive challenges. These observations are discussed in relation to functional specialization as well as functional integration.

Testing the Efficiency and Independence of Attentional Networks

Abstract: In recent years, three attentional networks have been defined in anatomical and functional terms. These functions involve alerting, orienting, and executive attention. Reaction time measures can be used to quantify the processing efficiency within each of these three networks. The Attention Network Test (ANT) is designed to evaluate alerting, orienting, and executive attention within a single 30-min testing session that can be easily performed by children, patients, and monkeys. A study with 40 normal adult subjects indicates that the ANT produces reliable single subject estimates of alerting, orienting, and executive function, and further suggests that the efficiencies of these three networks are uncorrelated. There are, however, some interactions in which alerting and orienting can modulate the degree of interference from flankers. This procedure may prove to be convenient and useful in evaluating attentional abnormalities associated with cases of brain injury, stroke, schizophrenia, and attention-deficit disorder. The ANT may also serve as an activation task for neuroimaging studies and as a phenotype for the study of the influence of genes on attentional networks.

Electrophysiological studies of face perception in humans

Abstract: Event-related potentials (ERPs) associated with face perception were recorded with scalp electrodes from normal volunteers. Subjects performed a visual target detection task in which they mentally counted the number of occurrences of pictorial stimuli from a designated category such as butterflies. In separate experiments, target stimuli were embedded within a series of other stimuli including unfamiliar human faces and isolated face components, inverted faces, distorted faces, animal faces, and other nonface stimuli. Human faces evoked a negative potential at 172 msec (N170), which was absent from the ERPs elicited by other animate and inanimate nonface stimuli. N170 was largest over the posterior temporal scalp and was larger over the right than the left hemisphere. N170 was delayed when faces were presented upside-down, but its amplitude did not change. When presented in isolation, eyes elicited an N170 that was significantly larger than that elicited by whole faces, while noses and lips elicited small negative ERPs about 50 msec later than N170. Distorted human faces, in which the locations of inner face components were altered, elicited an N170 similar in amplitude to that elicited by normal faces. However, faces of animals, human hands, cars, and items of furniture did not evoke N170. N170 may reflect the operation of a neural mechanism tuned to detect (as opposed to identify) human faces, similar to the “structural encoder” suggested by Bruce and Young (1986). A similar function has been proposed for the face-selective N200 ERP recorded from the middle fusiform and posterior inferior temporal gyri using subdural electrodes in humans (Allison, McCarthy, Nobre, Puce, & Belger, 1994c). However, the differential sensitivity of N170 to eyes in isolation suggests that N170 may reflect the activation of an eye-sensitive region of cortex. The voltage distribution of N170 over the scalp is consistent with a neural generator located in the occipitotemporal sulcus lateral to the fusiform/inferior temporal region that generates N200.

Book review: dynamic patterns: The self-organization of brain and behavior by, j. a. scott kelso, cambridge, ma : the mit press, 1995, hardbound, 334 pages, $49.95. isbn 0-262-11200-0

Abstract: Part 1 How nature handles complexity: what is a pattern? kinds of patterns principles of dynamic pattern formation the messages of self-organized patterns new laws to be expected in the organism matters of mind and matter the mind revealed? or, what this book's about. Part 2 Self-organization of behaviour - the basic picture: some historical remarks about the science of psychology are actions self-organized? if so, how? from synergies to synergetics requirements of a theory of self-organized behaviour. Part 3 Self-organization of behaviour - first steps of generalization: Hubris tempered? on Harvard horses and Russian cats coordination between components of an organism coordination between organisms on coupling. Part 4 Extending the basic picture - breaking away: relative coordination relative coordination explained absolute and relative coordination unified related models - fireflies, lampreys, and lasers instability and the nature of life - the intermittency mechanism exposed postscript. Part 5 Intentional dynamics: goal-directness in biology the second cornerstone of biological self-organization - informational specificity intentional behaviourial change related views - termites, predator-prey cycles, and quantum mechanics summing up. Part 6 Learning dynamics: issues in learning the main concepts the 'seagull effect' - competition and cooperation questions of learning transfer and generalization - symmetry again behaviourial development evolution and morphogenesis summary and conclusions. Part 7 perceptual dynamics: the barrier of meaning - perceptual dynamics I the barrier of meaning - perceptual dynamics II metastability of mind principles of perceiving - calculating, settling, resonating, and twinkling. Part 8 Self-organizing dynamics of the nervous system: microscale events mesoscale events macroscale events extending the basic picture...again postscript on etymology. Part 9 Self-organization of the human brain: prolegomenon obstacles to understanding the brain is not a static machine the 'brain dynamics' approach - fractural dimension spatiotemporal patterns of the brain models of brain behaviour - coupled modes and Sil'nikov chaos summary and conclusions - brain behaviour.