The Brain Implementation of Language: a Complete Biological Theory

The brain is the target of intense scientific study and popular interest, yet currently there is no theory of how it works. In this talk I will present the first such theory, focusing on language-related aspects. The theory is both biological and computationally concrete, showing how high-level cognition arises from relatively understood biological entities though well-defined computational mechanisms. The main idea is that brain function is managed by a response (R) process whose stages utilize specific sub-networks and agents (e.g., dopamine, serotonin, opioids). The R process also determines learning (plasticity). The talk will describe the R process and how it explains language, which is implemented in exactly the same way as motor control. 

About the speaker: Ari Rappoport is a Full Professor of Computer Science at the Hebrew University. His CS area of expertise is Natural Language Processing, where he focuses on semantic representations.