The 392nd session: Brain and Cognitive Sciences ABOUT THE XIANGSHAN-SCIENCE CONFERENCES: The Xiangshan-Science Conferences (XSSC) was initiated by the former State Science and Technology Commission, now the Ministry of Science and Technology of China (MOST). It was officially inaugurated in 1993 under the joint sponsorship of MOST and the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS). It also draws support from the National Natural Science Foundation of China, the Academic Divisions of CAS, the Chinese Academy of Engineering, the Ministry of Education of China, the State Commission of Science, Technology & Industry for National Defense, and the General Armament Department of the People's Liberation Army. As a standing meeting series, which is usually held at the picturesque Xiangshan (Fragrant Hills), a famous scenic spot in the northwestern suburbs of Beijing, XSSC is mainly dedicated to symposia. We have brought it to the University of Hong Kong because this year is the University's 100th anniversary. XSSC promotes multi- or inter-disciplinary research, overall comprehensive studies, innovative thinking and knowledge innovation by creating a relaxed environment for academic exchanges, upholding the spirit of free academic discussion, and giving priority to scientific frontiers and their future development. For more general information, please visit http://159.226.97.16/. - 1 - The 392nd session: Brain and Cognitive Sciences ABOUT XIANGSHAN-SCIENCE CONFERENCES: 392nd SESSION on Brain and Cognitive Sciences: New Frontiers and Strategic Development The advent of neuroimaging (fMRI and PET) and single-cell recording techniques has enabled us, for the first time ever, to probe in vivo human brain under noninvasive or micro-invasive conditions to directly observe and study the cognitive functions of the human brain in its normal state, which breaks through the limitation of the traditional pathologic methods and undoubtedly represents a major milestone in the scientific endeavor of understanding brain functions. “Cognitive Neuroscience – with its concern about perception, action, memory, language and selective attention – will increasingly come to represent the central focus of all Neurosciences in the 21st century,” stresses Eric Kandel, the 2000 Nobel Prize Laureate in Physiology or Medicine. The past decade has witnessed tremendous advances in the understanding of the human brain and its functions. Emerging as a comprehensive and interdisciplinary issue, the characterization of brain structure, function and plasticity has been a major scientific problem and has attracted dramatic attention from the entire academic community. Investigation into cognitive functions will enormously increase our understanding of brain activity as well as promote the enlightened usage, development and protection of the human brain. Such research plays a pivotal role in a society with increasing emphasis on talented personnel and scientific and technological innovation. MOST, CAS and other central government institutions have given strong support to this genre of research; and scholars in Hong Kong and the mainland stay constantly informed of the rapid development of brain and cognitive sciences. To keep fully acquainted with the latest research in brain and cognitive sciences, to broaden international academic cooperation and exchanges, to promote research in this subject in Hong Kong and the Mainland, to make the research direction in this subject clear yet inclusive, we host this Xiangshan Science Conference in the University of Hong Kong (HKU) on April 8-9, 2011, with the theme “Brain and Cognitive Sciences: New Frontiers and Strategic Development”. This conference will also be one of the activities commemorating the 100th anniversary of HKU. Experts from different disciplines have been invited to this conference to conduct in-depth discussions on the following central topics: (1) Perception and Attention; (2) Memory, Decision and Language; (3) Brain Dysfunction, Cognitive Deficits, and Neuroprotection. Conference Theme and Executive Co-Chairs The XSSC exercises a chair responsibility system. After defining the theme for a session/ symposium, it will engage its executive chair(s). - 2 - The 392nd session: Brain and Cognitive Sciences Conference Theme: Brain and Cognitive Sciences: New Frontiers and Strategic Development Executive Co-Chairs: Kwok-Fai So (Chair of Anatomy and Co-Director, State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, HKU) Lin Chen (Professor and Director, State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences) Robert Desimone (Professor and Director, McGovern Institute for Brain Research, MIT) Li-Hai Tan (Professor & Co-Director, State Key Laboratory of Brain & Cognitive Sciences, HKU) Conference Venue: Council Chamber, 8/F Meng Wah Complex, The University of Hong Kong Conference Secretariat State Key laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Sciences The University of Hong Kong Flat 3A, 2 University Drive Telephone: (852) 2241 5877 Fax: (852) 2549 6253 Email:[email protected] http://www.hku.hk/fmri/XSC/index.htm - 3 - The 392nd session: Brain and Cognitive Sciences SCIENTIFIC PROGRAMME April 8, Friday 08:10-08:40 Registration 09:00-09:30 Opening Ceremony Welcome Remarks by Xiangshan-Science Conferences Prof. Bingxin Yang Prof. Xian’en Zhang Welcome Remarks by University of Hong Kong Pro-Vice-Chancellor S.P. Chow Remarks by Executive Co-Chairs Self-Introduction by Scientists Morning Session Executive C-Chairs: Kwok-Fai So, Lin Chen, Robert Desimone, Li-Hai Tan Keynote Review Reports: 09:40-10:10 Research on Brain and Cognitive Sciences: New Frontiers and Challenges Robert Desimone (MIT) 10:10-10:50 Modeling Human Neural Systems: Insights from Brain Imaging Peter Fox (University of Texas Health Science Center) 10:50-11:10 Tea Break 11:10-12:30 Discussion 12:30- Lunch Afternoon Session Executive C-Chairs: Li-Hai Tan, Kwok-Fai So, Lin Chen, Robert Desimone Central Topic 1: Perception and Attention 14:00-14:30 Mechanisms of Visual Attention Sabine Kastner (Princeton University) 14:30-15:00 How Does the Brain Recognize Objects and Faces? Doris Tsao (California Institute of Technology) 15:00-16:00 Discussion 16:00-16:30 Tea Break 19:30- Dinner 9 April (Saturday) Morning Session Executive C-Chairs: Robert Desimone, Kwok-Fai So, Lin Chen, Li-Hai Tan - 4 - The 392nd session: Brain and Cognitive Sciences Central Topic 2: Memory, Decision and Language 09:00-09:30 Neural Decision Computation and Memory in Cortical Circuits Xiao-Jing Wang (Yale University) 09:30-10:00 Dopamine Reveals Neural Circuit Mechanisms of Decision-Making: From Fly to Human Aike Guo (Institute of Neuroscience, CAS, Shanghai) 10:00-10:30 Language, Culture and Brain William S-Y Wang (Chinese University of Hong Kong) 10:30-11:00 Brain Systems Responsible for Reading Li-Hai Tan (University of Hong Kong) 11:00-11:20 Tea Break 11:20-13:00 Discussion 13:00- Lunch Afternoon Session Executive C-Chairs: Lin Chen, Li-Hai Tan, Kwok-Fai So, Robert Desimone Central Topic 3: Brain Dysfunction, Cognitive Deficits, and Neuroprotection 14:00-14:30 Promoting Plasticity and Functional Recovery in the Brain Sarah Dunlop (The University of Western Australia) 14:30-15:00 Brain Injuries: Cognitive Function Impairment and Its Management Prof. Wai Sang Poon (Chinese University of Hong Kong) 15:00-15:30 Neuroprotection and Neural Repairing Kwok-Fai So (University of Hong Kong) 15:30-15:50 Tea Break 15:50-17:00 Discussion 17:00-17:30 Summary of the Session & closing remarks 18:00- Dinner - 5 - The 392nd session: Brain and Cognitive Sciences INVITED KEYNOTE SPEECHES Research on Brain and Cognitive Sciences: New Frontiers and Challenges Robert Desimone, Ph.D MIT, Massachusetts Institute of Technology Understanding the human brain is a truly astronomical problem – the number of neurons in the brain is about the same as the number of stars in our galaxy. A better understanding of how these billions of neurons interact will not only help us understand the complexities of the human mind, but will also address the urgent health problems facing people around the world. These range from disorders of childhood, such as autism and dyslexia, to those of middle age, including depression and schizophrenia, to disorders of aging, including Alzheimer’s disease. Statistically, one in four families will be affected by a brain disorder of some type. These are global problems, and solving them will require a global effort, including the collaboration of scientists from many countries. Fortunately, we are aided by three recent scientific revolutions that have affected neuroscience. These are the revolutions in the fields of genetics, molecular biology, and systems neuroscience. In just the past 3-4 years, genetic studies have identified numerous genes that make us vulnerable to all types of brain disorders. Molecular studies are beginning to show how these genes affect neurons in specific brain circuits. And systems neuroscience studies are beginning to show us how specific neural circuits lead to both complex behavior in the normal brain and disrupted behavior in brain disease, in both animal models and human subjects. One specific example of the kind of work that bridges a genetic mutation to a complex behavior comes from Guoping Feng at MIT, who has identified a gene for a synaptic protein in striatal synapses, which when mutated in mice causes obsessive grooming, which resembles obsessive compulsive disorder. This genetic mutation throws striatal circuits out of balance. These circuits could, in