Brain high-order functions Hao Wang Ph. D. Institute of neuroscience

The myth of brain There are about 86 billion neurons in the human brain!

Neural circuits Jean Livet et al, 2007

The brain is the home of complex processes such as memory, language and attention. Neuroscientists have long believed that these higher-order functions are associated with distinct areas in the brain. But no single area in the brain is responsible for any one of these processes. Usually, they require the integrated action of several brain areas.

Brain higher-order functions Attention Emotions Memory and learning Executive functions (thinking) Self-consciousness Language

Attention Attention is the cognitive process of selectively concentrating on one aspect of the environment while ignoring other things.

Selective attention test http://www.tudou.com/programs/view/53rdb8EUhe8/

Emotions emotion is the generic term for subjective, conscious experience that is characterized primarily by psychophysiological expressions, biological reactions, and mental states.

Emotions in non-human primates

Emotion in rodents The most well studied emotion in rodents is fear CS Fear Condition CS US The most well studied emotion in rodents is fear

Neuronal circuits for conditioned fear CG, central grey; LH, lateral hypothalamus; PVN, paraventricular hypothalamus

Memory and learning Why we can learn? Cellular mechanisms LTP and LTD Structure changes after learning

Longitudinal in vivo imaging Day 19 Day 79 Day 119 Day 226

Dendritic spines remodeling after learning

Where does our memory stored? The prefrontal cortex is responsible for short-term memory, such as keeping a phone number in mind while dialing it. The hippocampus is responsible for forming new memories.

Executive functions Concept Reasoning Decision making Problem solving

Self-consciousness ?