System Analysis for Higher Brain Function

为了了解大脑的高级功能，我们组织了一组研究人员，他们属于三大类：实验研究活体动物脑功能的神经科学家，计算神经科学家，以及使用非侵入性脑成像技术研究人类受试者的神经科学家。这些多学科领域的研究人员不仅在各自的领域单独工作，而且还共同努力，从不同方面了解大脑功能。最重要的是，通过密集的讲习班和研讨会，不同学科的研究人员的合作工作也得到了推进。作为这项研究项目的成果，已经产生了一些令人感兴趣的新发现。它们包括(1)理解多种运动组织排序的大脑皮层机制，(2)通过光学成像技术可视化灵长类动物颞叶皮层的功能组织，(3)发现与手部运动记忆引导相关的顶叶神经元，(4)实时成像显示的肺叶-海马相互作用的可视化，以及(5)发现前额叶皮层编码奖励预期的神经元活动，等等。它们已在主要的国际科学期刊上发表。

To understand higher function of the brain, we have organized a group of researchers belonging to three broad categories : neuroscientists working on brain function of living animals experimentally, computational neuroscientists, and neuroscientists working on human subjects with noninvasive brain imaging techniques. Researchers of these multidisciplinary fields have worked not only individually in each fields of their own, but also have worked together to reach understanding of brain function from different aspects. Most importantly, with intensive workshops and seminars, cooperative works by researchers of different discipline have also been advanced.New findings of interest have already evolved as the outcome of this research project. They include (1) understanding of cerebral cortical mechanisms for organizing sequencing of multiple movements, (2) visualization of functional organization in the primate inferetemporal cortex by the optical imaging technique, (3) discoverv of parietal neurons related to memory-guidance of hand movements, (4) visualization of enthorhinal-hippocampal interactions revealed by real-time imaging, and (5) discovery of neuronal activity in prefrontal cortex coding reward expectancy, among others. They have been published in major international scientific journals.