Description
Book SynopsisMin W. Jung offers a new understanding of the neural basis of innovation in terms of humans’ exceptional capacity for imagination and high-level abstraction.
Trade ReviewAlthough memory, imagination, and planning are discrete concepts, this insightful book by Min W. Jung, an internationally respected researcher, demonstrates that the brain does not make such distinctions. Written in delightful prose, this volume will spark interest for the specialist and other curious minds alike. -- György Buzsáki, author of
Rhythms of the Brain and
The Brain from Inside OutIn this wide-ranging and scholarly book, Min W. Jung conveys many of the complexities of modern cognitive neuroscience in an accessible way for readers with minimal scientific background. While his particular focus is on how the human brain became so good at innovation, his broad interests make this book a treat no matter one's background. -- Lynn Nadel, Regents Professor Emeritus of Psychology and Cognitive Science, University of Arizona
A Brain for Innovation is a highly approachable account of how the human brain’s ability to imagine with abstract concepts has been applied to demystify this same ability. After entertaining us with his skillful crisscrossing of neuroscience, AI, and philosophy, Jung also reminds us that imagination is a double-edged sword and must be used cautiously to save our future. -- Daeyeol Lee, Bloomberg Distinguished Professor of Neuroscience and Psychological and Brain Sciences, Johns Hopkins University
Table of ContentsAcknowledgments
Introduction
Part I: Hippocampus and Imagination1. Hippocampus: From Memory to Imagination
2. False Memory
3. Place Cells and Hippocampal Replay
Part II: The Neural Symphony of Imagination4. Neural Circuits of the Hippocampus
5. Value-Based Decision-Making
6. Remembering Rewarding Futures
7. The Evolution of Imagination
Part III: The Neural Foundation of Abstraction8. Abstract Thinking and Neocortex
9. Prefrontal Cortex
10. The Human Revolution and Associated Brain Changes
11. Deep Neural Network
Part IV: Beyond Imagination and Abstraction12. Sharing Ideas and Knowledge through Language
13. On Creativity
14. The Future of Innovation
Epilogue
Appendix 1: Dentate Gyrus
Appendix 2: Value-Coding Neurons
Notes
Bibliography
Index
