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What sets humans apart from other animals? Perhaps more than anything else, it is the capacity for innovation. The accumulation of discoveries throughout history, big and small, has enabled us to build global civilizations and gain power to shape our environment. But what makes humans as a species so innovative?
Min W. Jung offers a new understanding of the neural basis of innovation in terms of humans’ exceptional capacity for imagination and high-level abstraction. He provides an engaging account of recent advances in neuroscience that have shed light on the neural underpinnings of these profoundly important abilities. Jung examines key discoveries concerning the hippocampus and neural circuits that have demystified the processes underlying imagination and abstract thinking. He also considers how these capacities might have evolved as well as possible futures for intelligence.
Bringing together disparate findings in neuroscience, psychology, anthropology, and artificial intelligence, A Brain for Innovation develops a unified perspective on the mechanisms of imagination, abstract thought, and creativity. Presenting cutting-edge neuroscientific research in a way that is accessible to readers without a background in the subject, this book is essential reading for anyone interested in the biological basis of one of the most fundamental aspects of human nature.
— György Buzsáki, author of Rhythms of the Brain and The Brain from Inside Out
In 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
Exceptionally well written, organized and presented, A seminal study.
— Midwest Book Review
A gifted writer. A compelling narrative. The author weaves a marvelous story in which the reader learns a great deal.
— Choice Reviews
Jung's careful and informed choice of words makes ‘A Brain for Innovation’ more than simply a captivating read for neuroscience enthusiasts but also a reminder that creativity is available to each of us by the very nature of being human. [It] is equally inquisitive, informative, and inspiring.
— H-Sci-Tech-Med
Acknowledgments
Introduction
Part I: Hippocampus and Imagination
1. Hippocampus: From Memory to Imagination
2. False Memory
3. Place Cells and Hippocampal Replay
Part II: The Neural Symphony of Imagination
4. 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 Abstraction
8. Abstract Thinking and Neocortex
9. Prefrontal Cortex
10. The Human Revolution and Associated Brain Changes
11. Deep Neural Network
Part IV: Beyond Imagination and Abstraction
12. 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