Cognitive neuroscience lab

Cognitive Neuroscience is a scientific discipline quite young, but is growing rapidly which aims to answer this deceptive question that how the brain shapes the mind, how the brain think, plan, remember, understand others, see, hear, and move around the world. Solving the problem which has been called the mind-body problem, ancient Greece, was the main effort of philosophers like Plato. Although some of early philosophers were wrongly regarded the brain as a member that only is responsible to keep the body cool, not thoughts, memories, emotions, and motivation. Today, these functions are considered as cognition. At the moment, with the help of neural imaging technology, it is increasingly possible to investigate the neural basis of cognitive functions.
Thus, Cognitive Neuroscience aims to describe the neural basis of cognitive processes and naturally to understand their underlying neural mechanisms, which will lead to a better perception of the nature of the cognitive process. Relatively young system of Cognitive Neuroscience has emerged in recent decades specially, with help of non-invasive neural imaging. These methods allow researchers to record the brain activity of normal people, while they are doing a variety of perceptual and cognitive tasks.  Development of non-invasive neuroimaging methods began with EEG in the early 20th century and then, at the end of the 20th century quickly developed to a list of methods. These methods include, PET, magnetic encephalography, fMRI, Near-infrared spectroscopy, and Trans cranial magnetic stimulation which eventually leads to the emergence of the Cognitive Neuroscience as a quickly developing system. Now, Cognitive Neuroscience’s students of this psychology department are using QEEG and ERP except using tools and cognitive behavioral test, for their studies.  

The Cognitive Neuroscience Lab equipped Transcranial electrical stimulation & Animal electrophysiology labratory:

Transcranial electrical stimulation is a non-invasive brain stimulation method that passes an electrical current through the brain to change brain function. Electric current is usually applied to the scalp through two or more electrodes. tES includes several different techniques, including transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS), and transcranial random noise stimulation (tRNS). tDCS uses direct current delivered at low intensities (e.g., 2-5.0 mA) through one or more active electrodes (anodes), which then propagate through the head, and the reference electrode (cathode) Returns. This unidirectional electricity current reliably modulates the cerebral cortex's excitability, which usually increases in the anode electrode and decreases in the cathode electrode. tACS uses an electrical current that alternates between electrodes, usually in a sine wave. Unlike tACS, tDCS does not alter neuronal excitability but entrains neural firing from many underlying neurons to an exogenous frequency. tRNS is similar to tACS in that it uses an alternating current; however, instead of stimulating at a fixed frequency throughout the stimulation period, tRNS alternates at a random amplitude frequency within a specific range.

Transcranial electrical stimulation devices are small battery-powered devices that usually have a 9-volt battery and generate a maximum direct current of two milliamps. These devices have a control panel that can be used to adjust the duration and stimulation. This device has electrodes placed on the head and fixed by clips or headbands. These electrodes are placed inside a sponge cloth soaked with a saltwater solution to improve the conduction of electric current. These electrodes, one positive pole (anode) and the other negative pole (cathode) are placed on the scalp. Each electrode is connected to the device by a wire. When the device is on, electrical current flows from the device to the electrodes and subsequently to the brain.

Animal electrophysiology laboratory

The purpose of setting up the animal electrophysiology labratory is research in the field of examining the mechanisms of cognitive processes at the level of brain networks, as well as the balanced development of research paths using basic and applied studies in animal models. The animal electrophysiological set-up that provides the study of local field potentials (LFP), is capable of simultaneous recording and electrical stimulation of several brain regions (16 channels) and also provides the possibility of EEG recording of the animal. This laboratory  includes a stereotaxic device and a two-channel amplifier device and a single-channel stimulator (Bio Stim). With the help of this set-up, it is possible to record and examine the field potentials resulting from the electrical activity of different parts of the brain at the level of neural circuits by implanting electrodes in the several areas of the brain.