Charan Ranganath

So if an animal is trying to hold in mind something, I'd say hold on a mental picture of something that's blue, what happens is the blue neurons are firing in the visual cortex, even though the animal's not seeing blue, right? It's just they're thinking about blue. You damage the prefrontal cortex... Nothing. So you lose that selectivity.

So if an animal is trying to hold in mind something, I'd say hold on a mental picture of something that's blue, what happens is the blue neurons are firing in the visual cortex, even though the animal's not seeing blue, right? It's just they're thinking about blue. You damage the prefrontal cortex... Nothing. So you lose that selectivity.

So if an animal is trying to hold in mind something, I'd say hold on a mental picture of something that's blue, what happens is the blue neurons are firing in the visual cortex, even though the animal's not seeing blue, right? It's just they're thinking about blue. You damage the prefrontal cortex... Nothing. So you lose that selectivity.

So what's happening is the prefrontal cortex is biasing the competition and saying, I know blue's not shining in front of you. There's no shiny blue thing in front of you right now, but I need these neurons to stay active. And so it's doing this modulation to help out the neurons that are keeping the information in the skull relevant.

So what's happening is the prefrontal cortex is biasing the competition and saying, I know blue's not shining in front of you. There's no shiny blue thing in front of you right now, but I need these neurons to stay active. And so it's doing this modulation to help out the neurons that are keeping the information in the skull relevant.

So what's happening is the prefrontal cortex is biasing the competition and saying, I know blue's not shining in front of you. There's no shiny blue thing in front of you right now, but I need these neurons to stay active. And so it's doing this modulation to help out the neurons that are keeping the information in the skull relevant.

So what happens when that communication goes, let's say, due to hypertension, diabetes, you get all this white matter damage that happens with old age. And this is really a big thing that is very preventable with the right protocols, so to speak.

So what happens when that communication goes, let's say, due to hypertension, diabetes, you get all this white matter damage that happens with old age. And this is really a big thing that is very preventable with the right protocols, so to speak.

So what happens when that communication goes, let's say, due to hypertension, diabetes, you get all this white matter damage that happens with old age. And this is really a big thing that is very preventable with the right protocols, so to speak.

Exactly, yeah. And so... If you damage those long-range tracks, the prefrontal cortex is not efficiently able to bias that competition. And so now the inane gets remembered at the expense of the important. That's, I think, the key thing. And that's why people talk about the prefrontal cortex as the central executive. As anybody who's worked a job knows, it's like the executives are useless, right?

Exactly, yeah. And so... If you damage those long-range tracks, the prefrontal cortex is not efficiently able to bias that competition. And so now the inane gets remembered at the expense of the important. That's, I think, the key thing. And that's why people talk about the prefrontal cortex as the central executive. As anybody who's worked a job knows, it's like the executives are useless, right?

Exactly, yeah. And so... If you damage those long-range tracks, the prefrontal cortex is not efficiently able to bias that competition. And so now the inane gets remembered at the expense of the important. That's, I think, the key thing. And that's why people talk about the prefrontal cortex as the central executive. As anybody who's worked a job knows, it's like the executives are useless, right?

You try to get an executive... I mean, except for some who are useful, but then they don't really run companies very well.

You try to get an executive... I mean, except for some who are useful, but then they don't really run companies very well.

You try to get an executive... I mean, except for some who are useful, but then they don't really run companies very well.

Yeah, well, okay, we won't go there. Controversial, shall we say. But anyway, so like a good executive, their job isn't to micromanage. Their job is to say, here's the big picture, here's my vision for the company, and I want everyone to be working towards this goal. not sifting through the mailroom, not paying the bills, right?

Yeah, well, okay, we won't go there. Controversial, shall we say. But anyway, so like a good executive, their job isn't to micromanage. Their job is to say, here's the big picture, here's my vision for the company, and I want everyone to be working towards this goal. not sifting through the mailroom, not paying the bills, right?

Yeah, well, okay, we won't go there. Controversial, shall we say. But anyway, so like a good executive, their job isn't to micromanage. Their job is to say, here's the big picture, here's my vision for the company, and I want everyone to be working towards this goal. not sifting through the mailroom, not paying the bills, right?

And so what happens is that when you have certain kinds of things that happen with aging, like damage to the white matter, that happens through essentially tiny cerebrovascular events, most likely. And we've done some research on this in our lab in collaboration with Bill Jagus, who's now in Berkeley, and Charlie DeCarli. And

And so what happens is that when you have certain kinds of things that happen with aging, like damage to the white matter, that happens through essentially tiny cerebrovascular events, most likely. And we've done some research on this in our lab in collaboration with Bill Jagus, who's now in Berkeley, and Charlie DeCarli. And