CH0014 - METHODS AND TOOLS FOR COGNITIVE NEUROSCIENCE

courses

ID:

CH0014

Duration (hours):

64

CFU:

SSD:

PSICOBIOLOGIA E PSICOLOGIA FISIOLOGICA

Located in:

CHIETI

Url:

Course Details:

COMPUTATIONAL COGNITIVE SCIENCE/CORSO GENERICO Year: 2

Year:

2025

Course Catalogue:

https://unich.coursecatalogue.cineca.it/af/2025?co...

Date/time interval

Primo Semestre (01/10/2025 - 18/01/2026)

Course Objectives

The course contributes to the realization of the educational objective of the master’s degree in psychology, providing students with the tools to understand the methodologies used in cognitive neuroscience for the anatomical and physiological study of the brain in vivo and the understanding of the relationship between brain, mind and behavior.
At the end of the course, students must be able to demonstrate:
A. To have acquired in-depth knowledge and understanding regarding the use of investigation techniques in cognitive neuroscience.
B. To be able to develop and apply original ideas, even in a research context, in the field of cognitive neuroscience.
C. To have acquired the ability to understand the experimental protocols most frequently used in cognitive neuroscience and to be able to solve theoretical and practical problems encountered in the use of technology dedicated to the study of the brain in vivo.
D. To be able to integrate knowledge and manage complexity in the study of human behavior, knowing how to formulate hypotheses on physiological and pathological brain functioning starting from behavioral or neuroimaging data.
E. To be able to clearly and unambiguously communicate their knowledge and ideas about normal and pathological human behavior to specialist and non-specialist interlocutors.
F. To have acquired the ability to delve deeper into the topics of interest to them in a self-directed or autonomous way.

Course Prerequisites

The student must have:
> Basic knowledge of the anatomy and physiology of the nervous system
> Basic notions of cognitive, perceptive, motor functions
> Elements of statistics and research methodology
> Basic notions of physics and signal analysis

Teaching Methods

The teaching is structured in 64 hours of frontal teaching, divided into 2/3 hour lessons, twice a week, based on the academic calendar.
Attendance is optional, however, given the complexity of the topics covered, it is highly recommended.
The program is presented through lectures, using Power Point slides (which are made available to students) and through discussion of scientific articles focused on the different techniques.
The teacher encourages active participation and critical discussion and prepares some short tests of the knowledge acquired along the way, which, however, do not count towards the exam grade.

Assessment Methods

The exam consists of an oral interview with a mark out of thirty. The exam is passed with a minimum grade of 18/30. The exam topics reflect those present in the program and the questions will be developed in such a way as to require the integration of the knowledge learned and critical reflection on it. Correct use of disciplinary vocabulary will be necessary to pass the exam. The interview, in addition to verifying knowledge and understanding of the individual topics of the program, will verify the above skills (see Expected learning outcomes).

Texts

K. Sacco (ed.). Neuroimaging for the study of the human brain. II Edition. Idelson-Gnocchi.
- The lessons in PDF format and further teaching material (scientific articles) are available on the course's e-learning platform

The course offers comprehensive theoretical and methodological training in cognitive neuroscience techniques, with a particular emphasis on neuroimaging methods for the anatomical and physiological study of the central nervous system.
The course contents include:
1. Theoretical and methodological introduction to the study of brain activity
2. Behavioral techniques and psychophysics
3. Radiographic techniques (RX, CAT)
4. Nuclear medicine techniques (PET/SPECT)
4. Magnetic resonance imaging techniques (MRI, DTI)
5. Hemodynamic techniques (fMRI, NIRS)
6. Neurophysiological techniques (EEG, MEG)
7. Stimulation techniques (TMS, TDCS)
8. Technique integration/combination

Course Language

Italian

More information

The course is held in the first semester.
The student is encouraged to regularly consult the course e-learning page where the lecture slides, food for thought and example exam questions will be uploaded.
The teacher receives students on Wednesdays from 10 to 12 in room 321 of the ITAB for further explanations and discussion of thesis topics.