Principal Investigator
About Me
My name is Qing Yu (俞青 in Chinese). I am currently a Principal Investigator at Institute of Neuroscience, Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, leading the Lab of Visual Cognition and Memory. My broad research interests include the neural and computational principles underlying human intelligence, with a special focus on working memory, mental imagery, and cognitive control.
- Cognitive Neuroscience
- Working Memory
- Mental Imagery
- Cognitive Control and Abstraction
PhD Cognitive Neuroscience
Dartmouth College
BS Mathematics (double major)
Peking University
BS Psychology
Peking University
A central challenge in cognitive neuroscience is to understand how humans learn, think, and explore the world with remarkable flexibility and adaptability. The primary objective of my laboratory is to elucidate the neural and computational mechanisms underlying this human intelligence, by integrating neuroimaging techniques (functional MRI, EEG, MEG, intracranial EEG), with behavioral measurements and computational modeling. Our research primarily focuses on the online computations supporting goal-directed, flexible cognition, a capacity subserved by the mental workspace of working memory. We further investigate higher cognitive functions that closely interact with working memory, including mental imagery, cognitive control, and long-term memory, to build a comprehensive model of how the brain enables the adaptive behavior and conscious thought that define human experience.
- Working memory
We are interested in the neural mechanism of working memory, the ability to maintain and manipulate information in mind for a short period of time in order to serve current behavioral demands. Previous work has suggested a distributed cortical network supporting working memory, including sensory, parietal, and frontal cortex; yet the respective contribution of these cortical regions has remained elusive. We aim to elucidate the distributed and adaptive nature of working memory.
- Mental imagery
Humans can construct rich internal experiences even in the absence of external sensory input. How do we generate vivid imagery experiences in our brain? How does internally-constructed mental imagery differ from perceptual and mnemonic experiences derived externally?
- Cognitive control and Abstraction
Both working memory and mental imagery rely on abstract representations of knowledge and concepts. Abstract representations provide a foundation for fast, effective learning and generalization during flexible behaviors. We are particularly interested how abstract information (such as task rule or structural information) is represented in working memory and imagery. Along this line of research, we aim to elucidate how working memory and long-term memory interact in the brain.