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

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

3. Neural circuits
Jean Livet et al, 2007

4. 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.

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

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

7. Selective attention test

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

9. Emotions in non-human primates

10. 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

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

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

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

14. Dendritic spines remodeling after learning

15. 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.

16. Executive functions
Concept
Reasoning
Decision making
Problem solving

17. Self-consciousness ?