What's happening in our brains . . .

• when we forget where we put the keys?
• when cinnamon reminds us of grandma?
• when we lose our train of thought?

Cognitive scientists analyze mental events. Together with neuroscientists, they are examining how the human nervous system produces mental activity:

• How physical events--seeing, smelling, hearing, and touching--become mental activity: recognizing, remembering, dreaming, and doing.
  
• How inputs--sights, sounds, smells--become products of human creativity: paintings, poems, and thoughts.
  
• How thoughts, behaviors, and experiences can change the actual structure of our brains.

We also need more knowledge about these mental processes to understand mental illness: What interrupts our thinking? What goes wrong in people's brains? Can we help?

If we can see where the brain's circuits are not normal, will we be able to fix them? If these abnormalities cause mental illness, can science eventually find cures? Can we ensure every child's ability to learn? Can we alter or eradicate harmful or disabling behavior? Will we ever understand the whole human being as well as we might understand the parts?

In May 1998, "Discovering Our Selves: The Science of Emotion" examined the physical origin of emotional activity. "Understanding Our Selves: The Science of Cognition" examined:

• current understanding of how the brain works when we are learning and how it is affected by disorders such as schizophrenia and depression
• how research is being applied to preventing mental disorders and treating people afflicted with them
• the promise of neuroscience: what lies ahead in understanding what it means to be human.

• LC/NIMH Decade of the Brain Home Page
• National Institute of Mental Health Home Page
• Library of Congress Home Page

If you have questions or comments on the LC/NIMH Decade of the Brain Project, please contact nimhinfo@nih.gov.