(Formerly IFCN-8)

[COG Roster]

The Cognitive Neuroscience [COG] Study Section reviews a broad range of applications on the neurobiological mechanisms and principles underlying cognitive functions other than learning and memory. The scope of the committee is broad, including molecular and cellular mechanisms, functional circuitry, and neural coding and integration that underlie behavioral/cognitive processes as well as their disorders. Particular emphasis is placed on studies that directly relate behavioral/cognitive processes to their neural substrates.

Specific areas covered by COG:

• Perception and sensory motor integration. Specific examples include pattern and object recognition in all sensory domains, cross-model integration of sensory information, spatial cognition, spatial transformations within the brain, decision- making and motor planning, as they relate to cognition.
  
  
• Attention, including spatial- and feature-based mechanisms in all sensory domains. Influences of attention on information flow within the brain in human and animal studies, as related to cognition.
  
  
• Language and speech perception, as reflected in cortical function and represented in neural activity, for example fMR, may be reviewed in COG.
  
  
• Theoretical/computational modeling of neural mechanisms underlying specific cognitive functions; dynamics and spatiotemporal organization of neural populations; new techniques, analytic methods, ways to visualize complex data sets that show promise of elucidating neural processes underlying cognitive functions.
  
  
• Changes in cognition during development, maturation and aging, as reflected in neural substrates, may be reviewed by COG.
  
  
• Brain disorders, pharmacological and environmental factors as they elucidate the neurobiological bases of cognitive processes.
  
  
• Other cognitive functions such as executive processes, conscious versus non- conscious processing, imagery, hemispheric specialization, and emotional and motivational processes that influence cognitive function.

COG has the following shared interests within the IFCN IRG:

• While studies of emotional and motivational processes that influence cognition are appropriate for COG, studies to elucidate the structural and functional bases of motivational and emotional behavior are more appropriate for NMB.
  
  
• SCS reviews applications on neural processing involved in chemosensation, pain and vibrotactile sensation. Studies with the intent to elucidate the neurobiological mechanisms underlying sensory perception are appropriate for COG.
  
  
• SMI and COG have shared interests in the area of motor systems. COG deals with higher motor processes and planning, while SMI reviews applications dealing with pyramidal and extra-pyramidal motor systems and sensory motor systems.
  
  
• COG and AUD review applications dealing with cortical processing of auditory information. COG is appropriate to review studies that use auditory information as a basis to elucidate the neural mechanisms underlying language, attention, perception, attention, executive processes, consciousness, hemispheric specialization and other cognitive functions. AUD is more appropriate to review most applications that focus on the structure and function of the auditory and vestibular systems.
  
  
• COG has shared interests with LAM. While memory is common to many cognitive neuroscience applications, assignment will be based on the primary intent of the research and not simply on the presence or absence of learning or memory in the research paradigm.
  
  
• There are shared interests between CVP and COG. COG is more appropriate to review studies concerning vision as a part of underlying neurobiological processes for attention, perception, hemispherical specialization, and other cognitive functions as reflected in their neural substrates. CVP is more appropriate to review applications focusing on normal and abnormal visual and oculomotor processes.

COG has the following shared interests outside the IFCN IRG:

• With the Biology of Development and Aging [BDA] IRG:  Changes in cognition during aging, as reflected in neural substrates, may be reviewed by COG.  Aging aspects of cognition could be assigned to the BDA IRG when the studies transcend single organ systems or disciplines.
  
  
• With the Biobehavioral and Behavioral Processes [BBBP] IRG:  (1) The BBBP IRG generally reviews applications on voice, speech, and language. Such studies conducted within the broader context of other cognitive processes, such as attention and perception, and with emphasis on neural substrates may be reviewed in COG. (2) The BBBP IRG reviews applications on the development of perception, attention and language formation, but COG is more appropriate to review applications that focus on the neurobiological mechanisms underlying such cognitive functions. Studies that focus on behavior should be reviewed by the BBBP IRG.
  
  
• With the Surgical Sciences, Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering [SBIB] IRG: (1) SBIB reviews applications that are specifically concerned with development of imaging technology.  However, COG is more appropriate for research that is more oriented toward the application of imaging techniques to elucidate neural biological processes underlying cognition. (2) Studies that focus on the application of computational neuroscience to cognitive neuroscience may be referred to COG.  When the focus is on the development and application of computational modeling and computational sciences to biomedical and clinical problems assignment may be to the SBIB IRG.
  
  
• With the Brain Disorders and Clinical Neuroscience [BDCN] IRG: Studies of clinical populations and interventions are appropriately reviewed by the BDCN IRG. COG is appropriate for research focused on revealing neural mechanisms of cognition. Studies characterizing cognitive deficits, their time course, or treatment should be reviewed by the BDCN IRG.