Pictures of Thought

By: Jonathan Potts

What’s the difference between the brain and the mind?

How do humans understand language, perform calculations and form memories? Is there a source of thought and emotion that is separate from the physiological brain?

Thanks in large part to the pioneering work of Carnegie Mellon scientists, we now know where in the brain a specific thought or behavior comes from. In fact, they can watch thoughts occurring in real time, using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI).

An fMRI measures brain activity. Through observation, scientists have determined that human thought has a biological basis that arises from the neural networks of the brain.

“Viewing the mind as a biological system helps us understand it enormously,” said Marcel Just, the D.O. Hebb Professor of Psychology and director of Carnegie Mellon’s Center for Cognitive Brain Imaging.

Using fMRI, Just can pinpoint which parts of the brain correspond to specific cognitive activities such as speech and memory. He can also map out the biological differences in people with neurological disorders. This past summer, Just revealed for the first time a biological basis for autism. Using fMRI scans, he found a deficiency in the coordination among brain areas in high-functioning autistics. This led to the underconnectivity theory, which holds that autism is a system-wide brain disorder that limits the coordination and integration among brain areas.

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