Christian Wilson

5/28/14
AP Psychology
The brain is an amazing thing. It is what makes all humans tick and function. The brain is
also one of the most complicated things on this planet that we are finding new information on
everyday but its still not fully understood. The way the brain ticks can be partly explained with
cognitive neuroscience. Cognitive neuroscience the study of thought or cognition and its a
relatively new field (Koenig, 2014). There are many things that a cognitive neuroscientist can
study and focus in on. This paper will explain how to become a neuroscientist and a basic
overview of what they do.
Education:
To be a neuroscientist, one must go to school for many years. They must have a bachelors
degree, a masters degree, and a PhD or PsyD. Cognitive neuroscience is a mix of multiple
disciplines therefore many different educational paths are possible. Psychology, neurology,
neuropsychology, and psychiatry are good places to start on the road to cognitive neuroscience
(Koenig, 2014). Cognitive neuroscience is a primarily a research position so many individuals
take classes in math and research methods. A person pursuing cognitive neuroscience can plan to
be in school for a minimum of eight years but many with end up going to school longer than that.
Why do we need Cognitive Neuroscientists?
Cognitive neuroscientists play an important role in understanding the human brain. More
understanding of the human brain can lead to scientist developing more useful and effective
methods for treatment for disorders of the brain. Many mental, emotional and behavioral
disorders can be treated with psychotherapy alone. More severe disorders may need to be treated
with medications as well as psychotherapy. These medications alter how the brain functions and
in the case of people with disorders, make the brain act more normal. These medications are
created with the help of cognitive neuroscientists. They can find out what part of the brain is
acting abnormally and because of their study studies of physical parts of the brain to the mental
processes of that part, they can find out whats wrong.
A neuroscientists place of work:
Most cognitive neuroscientists start their career with a fellowship which is very similar to
an internship. During a fellowship, an individual will work alongside a professional in the field.
The fellowship last a few years and when an individual is done with the fellowship they can start
to look for permanent employment (careersinpsychology.com). Universities will hire cognitive
neuroscientists as researchers and professors. Pharmaceutical companies will hire them as well in
research facilities and other research positions. On average, the ones that work at pharmaceutical
companies will make more money than ones that work at educational institutions. Wherever a
cognitive neuroscientist works, their base annual salary will be above $50,000.
Technology:
Cognitive neuroscientists use brain mapping to do much of their research. New
technologies including fMRI and PET, allow scientists to observe the function of the brain.
These are fairly new methods but the principle goes way back to the 19
th
century when blood
flow was associated with brain function. A scientist named Angelo Mosso monitored pulsations
of the adult brain by creating bone defects in the skulls of patients with neurosurgery. He noticed
that when the subjects engaged in tasks, the brain pulsated locally (Raichle, 2014). These
techniques are far outdated and are no longer used with the study of brain function. There are
now safer and more effective ways to study the brain.

Cognitive Neurosciencewith its concern about perception, action, memory,
language and selective attentionwill increasingly come to represent the central
focus of all Neurosciences in the 21st century.
(Kandel, 2014)









Works Cited

Kandel, E. R. (2014, May 28). Cognitive Neuroscience Society . Retrieved from Cognitive
Neuroscience Society : http://www.cogneurosociety.org/
Koenig, J. (2014, May 28). Careers in Cognitive Neuroscience. Retrieved from Careers in
Psychology: http://careersinpsychology.org/becoming-a-cognitive-
neuroscientist/#.U4YLH6KhF3B
Raichle, M. E. (2014, May 9th ). Cognitive Neuroscience. Retrieved from Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cognitive_neuroscience#Birth_of_cognitive_science