Grand Challenges of Neuroscience: Day 3

Topic 3: Spatial Knowledge Animal studies have shown that the hippocampus contains special cells called “place cells”.  These place cells are interesting because their activity seems to indicate not what the animal sees, but rather where the animal is in space as it runs around in a box or in a maze. (See the four …

Grand Challenges of Neuroscience: Day 2

Topic 2: Conflict and Cooperation Generally, cognitive neuroscience aims to explain how mental processes such as believing, knowing, and inferring arise in the brain and affect behavior.  Two behaviors that have important effects on the survival of humans are cooperation and conflict. According to the NSF committee convened last year, conflict and cooperation is an …