2015 AAAS Annual Meeting (12-16 February 2015)

February 12 - 16, 2015

Watching the Brain Think: Naturalistic Approaches To Studying Human Brain Function

What does thought look like? To date, brain imaging techniques have provided snapshots of simple thoughts -- neural responses to single objects, words, and tones. But could we one day capture much longer and more complicated mental processes? Imagine, for example, being able to observe what is going on inside the brain as a person struggles with a challenging physics problem, makes a poor financial decision, or trips on a curb. This panel will explore emerging neuroimaging techniques that are moving cognitive sciences toward such real-world complexity. Recent advances in analytic methods are beginning to untangle the torrent of neural signals the brain produces in response to everyday experiences and interactions. Using new data-crunching algorithms, researchers sift through millions and millions of data points from functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scans to pick up patterns of thought. The session will feature scientists who have been able to identify neural patterns involved with sensing, counting, and communicating.