« Ada - der intelligente Raum » - Universität und ETH Zürich an der Expo.02


		Fundamental principles
			Current neuroscience
		Sensory organs
		Processing data
		Interaction

Current state of neuroscience

Through new image-generating methods in the field of science, such as computer tomography and magnetic resonance tomography, the study of the structure of the human brain has been tremendously enhanced. With positron emission tomography, it is even possible to observe which parts of the brain are activated when performing certain tasks. On the other hand, there are other methods that allow us to observe individual cells and study the function of their constituent parts down to the individual molecule level. All over the world, tens of thousands of scientists are conducting research to unlock the secrets of our brain and its mode of functioning.





		-	Computer tomography
		-	Magnetic resonance tomography
		-	Positron emission tomography

Central questions

Particularly interesting here are the following questions: How does our brain develop up through birth and afterwards? How do we learn and how are we capable of remembering? How does our brain link data our sensory organs provide at a particular instant with the information that’s already been stored so that we are capable of responding appropriately? How do we perceive things and interpret them? How are emotions produced?

Today we understand quite well how data is collected and processed directly in the sensory organs, yet not which processes transpire inside the brain, such as how an overall image of a perceived object is formed. The most widely researched sensory organ is the eye. A significant body of information has also been collected on hearing. In regard to sense of smell and taste, by contrast, relatively little is known. There are extensive findings on how muscles are activated and which ones are needed to perform certain actions. Yet we still do not fully understand how the brain coordinates the interplay of these muscles. Researchers have been quite successful in identifying which regions of the brain are responsible for particular tasks. How the individual regions of the brain depend upon one another and work together, however, is still by and large unknown.