Cortical Function
Cortical Function - Related Videos
16:33
Functional Calcium Imaging in Developing Cortical Networks
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Cited by 32 •
2011
Spontaneous activity of developing neuronal networks can be measured using AM-ester forms of calcium-sensitive indicator dyes. Changes in intracellular calcium, indicating neuronal activation, are detected as transient changes in indicator fluorescence with one- or two-photon imaging. This protocol can be adapted for a range of developmentally-dependent neuronal networks in vitro.
09:12
Isolation of Cortical Microglia with Preserved Immunophenotype and Functionality From Murine Neonates
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Cited by 17 •
2014
One key to successful investigation of microglial biology is the preservation of microglial immunofunction ex vivo during isolation from CNS tissue. Isolating microglia via rotary shaking results in highly pure and immunofunctional cell cultures as assessed by fluorescent imaging, immunocytochemistry, and ELISA following microglia activation with the proinflammatory stimuli lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and Pam3CSK4 (Pam).
12:29
Coherence between Brain Cortical Function and Neurocognitive Performance during Changed Gravity Conditions
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Cited by 17 •
2011
The effect of weightlessness and hypergravity on both hemodynamic and electrophysiological processes in the brain is going to be followed during parabolic flight by EEG and NIRS techniques. A feasibility study of a more complex experiment, which is planned to carry out during medium- and long-term space flight.
13:32
Recording Human Electrocorticographic (ECoG) Signals for Neuroscientific Research and Real-time Functional Cortical Mapping
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Cited by 134 •
2012
We present a method for collecting electrocorticographic signals for research purposes from humans who are undergoing invasive epilepsy monitoring. We show how to use the BCI2000 software platform for data collection, signal processing and stimulus presentation. Specifically, we demonstrate SIGFRIED, a BCI2000-based tool for real-time functional brain mapping.
08:24
In utero Electroporation followed by Primary Neuronal Culture for Studying Gene Function in Subset of Cortical Neurons
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Cited by 18 •
2010
In utero electroporation is a valuable method for transfecting neuronal progenitor cells in vivo. Depending upon the placement of the electrodes and the developmental timepoint of electroporation, certain subsets of cortical cells can be targeted. Targeted cells can then be analyzed in vivo or in vitro for effects of genetic alteration.
FAQs
Layered circuits and specialized regions give cortical processing an organized architecture rather than a collection of isolated signals. Interconnected neurons coordinate electrical and chemical activity across these arrangements, allowing information to be handled in relation to other cortical activity. This organization helps explain how separate capacities, such as perception, language, and movement, can operate through coordinated brain activity.
Incoming information is not processed independently of the brain’s current state. Cortical circuits integrate incoming signals with internal signals, so processing can contribute to behavior and conscious processing within a broader neural context. This principle connects cortical activity with interpretation, decision-making, and the selection of responses rather than with sensation alone.
Electrical and chemical signaling provide complementary parts of cortical communication. Electrical activity reflects the active signaling of neurons, while chemical signaling supports communication among interconnected cells. Their coordination within specialized regions and layered circuits allows neural activity to be integrated across networks, a feature essential for linking local cellular events with perception, cognition, and motor control.
Researchers can use cortical function as a framework for relating patterns of neural activity to perception, decision-making, learning, and motor control. Because the cortex integrates signals across interconnected networks, research focuses on how coordinated activity corresponds to an observed ability or behavior. This approach links brain processes with functional outcomes without treating abilities as isolated events.
Studies of cortical function can examine how internal and incoming signals are combined during learning and decision-making. That integration places these abilities within the broader processes that support conscious processing and behavior. By relating neural activity to these outcomes, neuroscience can investigate how cortical networks contribute to learning, choices, and the actions that follow them.
Cortical function research provides a way to examine how disrupted communication affects conscious and behavioral capacities. When injury or neurological disease alters communication across cortical networks, researchers can relate the resulting changes to perception, memory, language, cognition, or movement. Such comparisons help clarify which network functions are associated with particular abilities and how disruption changes behavior.