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Intrrnoliaal Journaf of Psycbology

Journaf Intemational de Psycbofogie


1968, Vol. 3,NO 4,317-319

SYMPOSIUM ON BRAIN RESEARCH


AND HUMAN BEHAVIOR

A.R. LURIA
Uniuersig of Moscow, Moscow, USSR

The Symposium on Brain Research and Human Behavior was organized


by UNESCO jointly with IBRO (International Brain Research Organisation)
and was held in Paris: March 11-15, 1968.
The idea of this Symposium was to show the significance of brain research
not only for the study of the mechanisms of the neural processes and the processes
on biochemical and molecular level, but for the studies of human behavior as
a basis of behavior as well. It is obvious that in the studies of the brain mech-
anisms of memory and learning, activation and communication, of development
and dissolution of behavioral processes, scientific psychology can gain im-
mensely and that such studies can be of a great importance for the analysis of
general traits and factors of behavior itself. This is why UNESCO which is highly
interested in promoting studies in culture and education decided to bring togeth-
er the best scholars in this field and to organize such a multidisciplinary confer-
ence. UNESCO succeeded in bringing together the most outstanding scholars
of brain research and behavioral studies. Among the participants of the Sympo-
sium were such outstanding and well known scientists as Lord Adrian and
Sir John Eccles, Alfred Fessard and H.H. Jasper, Walter Rosenblith and
H.L. Teuber, J. Bruner and B.F. Skinner, K. Pribram and N.E. Miller.
D.B. Lindsley and G. Moruzzi, P. Anokhin, A. Leontiev, and a long chain
of brilliant investigators. A group of Nobel-price winners, and among them,
E.B. Chain, A. Lwoff, H. Theorell and others, participated in the Symposium.
The Symposium was opened by RenC Maheu, the Director-General of
UNESCO and began with the contributions of A. Fessard ( Modern brain
research, its aims and organization ), of A.N. Leontiev ( Culture, human
behaviour and brain ), W. Rosenblith Brain functions and human progress )
(I

and C. Chagass ( A glance at the evolution of brain research through the develop-
ment of its experimental artistry ). The general idea of all these contributions
was that the development of the functional systems of the brain gives unlimited
possibilities to the formation and progress of human behavior and culture.
A broad audience attended to two groups of evening public lectures; the
first one, that of Sir John Eccles and N.E. Miller, was dedicated to the general
problem From the nerve cell to the mind ,and the second one, that of A.R.
Luria, to the problem Brain research and human behavior and of T. Lamb0 :
318 A.R. LURIA

" Culture as regulation of the brain function and behavior ". The lectures
were delivered under the chairmanship of H.H. Jasper and of J. Delay of the
French Academy.
The first plenary session was dedicated to the problem of " Brain functions
in the course of life ". In his opening remarks, P.K. Anokhin, the well known
Russian physiologist, mentioned the importance of the development of the
functional systems as a general approach to the development of behavior.
A. Minkowsky gave a summary of his investigations in the early development of
behavior and J. de Ajuriaguerra presented his data on the problem of the disso-
lution of behavior in the old age. The discussants (F. Lhermitte, M. Rosenzweig
and others) showed the importance of clinical and biochemical analysis of evolu-
tion of behavioral processes.
The second plenary session delt with important problems : the impact of
brain research on education. J. Bruner (USA) summarized his latest findings in
the role which education plays in the development of behavior and D.B. Elkonin
(USSR) gave very important data showing that the development of the brain
functional systems can go much further as supposed when adequate psychological
methods of education are used. Both contributions showed the important
role of new forms of instruction in the development of behavioral forms.
The third plenary session was dedicated to the very important problems in
communication, cognition and technology. The contributors, R. Jakobson
(USA) and G. Fant (Sweden), as well as the discussants, D. Mac Kay and H.C.
Teuber, described new important approaches to the problem which touches
regions on the frontiers of linguistics, psychology, brain research and modern
communication theory.
The last plenary session was reserved for discussions on the problem " How
can brain research contribute to the promotion of peace ? " 0. Adrianov (USSR),
B.F. Skinner (USA), R. Thaper (India) as well as the discussants, A. Lwoff,
K. Moyer and others, approached this very important problem from different
angles.
The program of the Symposium included four round tables. The first was
dedicated t o the problem of the functional states of the nervous system, a field
where extremely important achievements were done during the last decades.
G. Moruzzi (Italy) summarized his new findings concerning the state of activa-
tion in insects; E.N. Sokolov (USSR) tried to trace common features in the
activation processes in single neurons and in human behavior; V. Nebylitsin
(USSR) informed about the new data on objective investigation of the states
of the nervous processes in different types of the nervous systems in humans.
D. Lindsley (USA) made a summary of this latest findings of the role of verbal
instruction on the activation processes; M. Jouvet (France) spoke about the
biochemical analysis of the activation and the role of serotonin in triggering off
sleep; and E.A. Asratyan (USSR) reported his experiments on the modification
of the functional states in animals. The round table on the regulation of the
functional states of the nervous system was one of the most successful in the
Symposium.
The second round table delt with the problem " Motivation and drives ".
Both the biological and the psychological aspects of the problem were touched
in the discussion. B. Anand (India) referred to his latest studies of motivation
SYMPOSIUM ON BRAIN RESEARCH A N D H U M A N BEHAVIOR 3'9

and drives with special reference to feeding behavior and A. Kreindler (Romania)
summarized his well known neurological studies on the role of the hippocampus
in motivation and drives whereas E. Grastyan (Hungary) spoke about his latest
findings in the rebound phenomena as a critical process of motivation. D. Ploog
(Federal Republic of Germany) approached the problems of social behavior and
communication processes and their brain mechanisms; J. Nuttin (Belgium) spoke
about the limitations of the neurophysiological approach to the human needs
and motivation. Important data were presented by A. Pacheco e Silva (Brazil)
who spoke on the social motivation in the underdeveloped countries.
The third round table had " Learning and memory " as its principal topic.
D. Bovet (Italy) who opened this session, spoke on some long lasting forms
of memory and on some new methods of studying memory in animal psychology.
M. Marusnewski (Poland) made a summary of his studies on restitution of mental
faculties in brain injured patients with aphasia, and B. Milner (Canada) summarized
her latest findings in the neurology of memory defects while K. Pribram (USA),
one of the leading authorities in neuropsychology of memory, made a review
on the modern state of the problem of the recent and long lasting memory traces
and P. Pichot (France) summarized new data on memory defects in psycho-
pharmacology.
The last round table was dedicated to the very important problems of the
influence of malnutrition and environment on the brain functions. A series
of papers, among which that of Sir Lindon Brown, G. Barrera-Moncada, Sir
Rudolph Peters and others, made the discussion fruitful.
In the last plenary session, Lord Adrian summarized the most important data
of the whole Symposium. The Symposium on Brain Research and Human
Behavior, organized by UNESCO and IBRO was one of the most important
conferences on this topic hold during the last few years.

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