A cognitive psychological approach for tooth identification based on brain event-related potentials

Abstract

Background: When perceiving a tooth, visual information, such as the tooth's morphology and feature areas, are projected onto the retina. The projected visual information is organized and transferred through the thalamus to the visual cortex, where shapes, colors, and sizes are analyzed. Thereafter, the information is contrasted with previous memories and experiences and finally recognized as the tooth. A variety of approaches, including cerebral physiology, psychology, and cognitive science are useful to understand how the brain recognizes and differentiates the teeth. Our research group has been studying event-related potentials (ERPs), which are known to be affected by psychological factors such as attention, retrieval, and memory. Herein, we describe the use of a cognitive psychological approach for tooth identification using the P300 latency, amplitude, and appearance patterns of ERP waveform components as indicators.

Conclusion: Tooth identification is based on the characteristic parameters of the object, which are matched with the knowledge stored in the brain, and the last steps of tooth identification are made through various cognitive activities.

Keywords: Brain waves; Cognitive psychology; Event related potential; Knowledge; Tooth components.