View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/what-if-we-could-look-inside-human-brains-moran-cerf The brain is what makes us function, yet we understand so little about how it works. We are learning more about the brain by using new technology to monitor epilepsy patients during surgery. Moran Cerf explains the process doctors use to explore the brain further. Lesson by Moran Cerf, animation by Buzzco Associates, inc.

Are we indeed making choices volitionally and freely, or can our decisions be predicted before they are accessible to us? In a world where neuroscientists are able to access the depths of our psyche and parse our choices before ‘we’ do, the question of who is this ‘we’ who is speaking on our behalf becomes even more enchanting. In a compelling talk about the current state of neuroscience studies of free will, Professor Moran Cerf addresses questions like: How many people are there inside our head? Can we incept an idea? Is there a way for us to record our dreams? and How can businesses benefit from current neuroscience research when knowledge about our own desires is not always even available to us? Moran Cerf is a professor of Business (Kellogg School of Management) and Neuroscience. His research uses methods from brain research to understand the underlying mechanisms of our psychology. In addition, he is the Alfred P. Sloan professor of screenwriting at the American Film Institute.He works with patients undergoing brain-surgery to study behavior, emotion, decision making and dreams, by directly recording the activity of individual nerve cells using electrodes implanted in their brain. Recently, his focus has been on the neural mechanisms that underlie decision-making, thereby offering a new perspective on predicting future choices and investigating how much free will we have in our decisions. Prior to his academic career, Dr. Cerf spent nearly a decade in industry, holding managerial and development positions in computers security, pharmaceutical, telecom, Fashion, software development, and innovations development. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at http://ted.com/tedx

This scientist is trying to hack your dreams.

What will Human 2.0 look like? Can we enhance our bodies and mind through technologies? Moran Cerf is a professor of neuroscience (department of neurosurgery, LIJ) and business (Kellogg School of Management).His research uses methods from neuroscience to understand the underlying mechanisms of our psychology. He works with patients undergoing brain-surgery to study behavior, emotion, decision making and dreams, by directly recording the activity of individual nerve cells using electrodes implanted in their brain. Recently, his focus has been on the neural mechanisms that underlie decision-making, thereby offering a new perspective on predicting future choices and investigating how much free will we have in our decisions. Prior to his academic career, Dr. Cerf spent nearly a decade in industry, holding managerial and development positions in computers security, pharmaceutical, telecom, Fashion, software development, and innovations development. Moran has had additional short-lived careers as a furniture-designer, a pilot, a radio host, and a filmmaker. He participates regularly in story-telling competition Additionally, Dr. Cerf is the Alfred P. Sloan professor at the American Film Institute (AFI), where he teaches an annual screenwriting class on science in films. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx

Moran Cerf is interested in what makes you interested. As a neuroscientist and business professor, he and his team have uncovered new ways to maximize audience engagement—by understanding how our brains behave and sync up when digesting interesting content. It’s a neurological finding that could change the way we communicate, from education to politics.  Moran Cerf is a professor of neuroscience and business (Kellogg), and a Sloan screenwriting Professor (American Film Institute). Prior, he worked as a hacker and cybersecurity expert. His hacking background led him to investigate the brain using unique methods. Notably, working with patients undergoing brain-surgery to study behavior, emotion, decisions and dreams. In addition to his academic career, professor Cerf is a science consultant for Hollywood films and TV. Recently, he was named one of the "40 leading professors below 40”. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx

Science-fiction movies are full of stories about people who gained more access to their brains and increased their abilities, but can those become a reality? In this talk, Professor Moran Cerf explains how recently neuroscience research can be used to expand our control over our brain and allow us to bend reality to shape our perception. Dr. Moran Cerf is a professor of neuroscience and business at the Kellogg School of Management and the neuroscience program at Northwestern university. His research uses methods from neuroscience to understand the underlying mechanisms of our psychology, behavior, emotion, decision making, and dreams. His works address questions such as: "How are conscious percepts formed in our brain?", "How can we control our emotions?", and "Which brain mechanisms determine if we find content engaging?" Dr. Moran Cerf is a professor of neuroscience and business at the Kellogg School of Management and the neuroscience program at Northwestern university. His research uses methods from neuroscience to understand the underlying mechanisms of our psychology, behavior, emotion, decision making, and dreams. His works address questions such as: "How are conscious percepts formed in our brain?", "How can we control our emotions?", and "Which brain mechanisms determine if we find content engaging?" This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx

When it comes to new information, people tend to be skeptical and apply critical thinking in deciding what information to believe, who to trust, and what to let into our mind. But what about things that are already in there? Can we fully trust your own brain? How do we know that whatever got in there was inserted by us? In this talk Prof. Moran Cerf, a former hacker and a Prof. of neuroscience and business, will show us that we "shouldn’t believe everything we think” and trust our own mind. He will tell us how we can solve that and what things might change how we think and allow us to have a better sense of a true reality. Neuroscientist and business professor at the Kellogg School of Management and the neuroscience program at Northwestern university. Member of the institute on complex systems. Helps individuals and businesses harness the current knowledge of the brain to improve thinking and understanding of customers and business decisions. His academic research uses methods from neuroscience to understand the underlying mechanisms of our psychology, behavior changes, emotion, decision making and dreams. Recently, his research has addressed questions pertaining to the neural mechanisms that underlie decision-making, thereby offering a new perspective on predicting future choices and investigating how much free will we have in our decisions. Studies patients undergoing brain-surgery by recording the activity of individual nerve cells using electrodes implanted in the patient's brain. Holds a Ph.D in neuroscience from Caltech, an MA in Philosophy and a B.Sc in Physics from Tel-Aviv University. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx

Curious about how AI is learning to think and act on its own? Neuroscientist Moran Cerf leads an experiment where a live consciousness is created by the audience. Dr. Moran Cerf is a professor of neuroscience and business at the Kellogg School of Management and the neuroscience program at Northwestern university. His research uses methods from neuroscience to understand the underlying mechanisms of our psychology, behavior, emotion, decision making, and dreams. His works address questions such as: "How are conscious percepts formed in our brain?", "How can we control our emotions?", and "Which brain mechanisms determine if we find content engaging?" Dr. Cerf holds a Ph.D. in neuroscience from Caltech, an MA in Philosophy, and a B.Sc in Physics from Tel-Aviv University. He holds multiple patents and his works have been published in wide-circulation academic journals, as well as popular science journals. Additionally, his work has been portrayed in numerous media and cultural outlets such as CNN, BBC, Bloomberg, NPR, Time, MSNBC, and dozens of others. He was recently named one of the "40 leading professors below 40". This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx