How do we learn language, recognize faces and remember things?
Psychologists and neuroscientists alike are asking questions like this and the emergence of functional neuroimaging techniques has helped to fuel the growth of a new discipline in which data from neuroscience informs psychological theories and vice versa.
Cognitive neuroscience attempts to explain cognitive processes and behaviour in terms of their underlying brain mechanisms. It is a truly interdisciplinary subject involving psychology, neuroscience, neurology, computer science and philosophy.
CCBN investigators undertake physiological studies of neuronal activity in animals, illustrating how knowledge about fundamental mechanisms of the nervous system can lead to a deeper understanding of complex mental functions such as memory, language, emotion, perception, attention and consciousness. Ongoing studies will shed light on the way the brain represents and transforms information in the performance of a wide range of cognitive activities.