Neural substrates of memory, affective functions and conscious experience

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The study of higher brain functions begins with an overview of the evolution of philosophical and scientific thought on cognition. The belief that sensations and intelligence are located in the brain dates back to ancient Egypt, notably in the Edwin Smith papyrus, which mentions the brain and describes its coverings and convolutions. This philosophical discourse continued in ancient Greece, where thinkers like Alcmaeon of Croton, Lattanzio, and Hippocrates argued that the brain was the center of reason and mental functions. Hippocrates specifically associated the soul with the brain. Plato contributed to this dialogue by asserting that the brain facilitated sensory experiences, which in turn generated thinking and memory, leading to the pursuit of truth or "episteme." However, Aristotle presented a significant shift in perspective, positing that the heart, rather than the brain, was the source of passions, feelings, intelligence, and thought. This complex interplay of ideas laid the groundwork for our understanding of cognition and the brain's role in mental processes.