澳大新語 • 2022 UMAGAZINE 26 10 封面專題 • COVER STORY of the Centre for Early Childhood Education and Child Development and associate professor in the Faculty of Education, is leading her team to study child development, brain, and language cognition, including the brain of children with dyslexia and autism. One of their studies using ERP technology shows that Chinese children with autism were less sensitive than normal children to changes in the stress of English words. In addition, the brain’s right hemisphere is found to be more activated in children with autism than the left hemisphere. ‘These findings can provide theoretical references and directions for interventions for children’s behavioural problems,’ says Prof Zhang. CCBS members also explore topics such as the role of the hormone oxytocin in our ‘self-other distinction’, the development of a nanoparticle that helps detect gliomas by carrying drugs through the blood-brain barrier to tumours, the activity of brain regions of native Chinese speakers when they try to interpret valid and invalid Chinese compound words, as well as the functional connectivity between brain regions when people perform different transitive inference tasks or act dishonestly. Training the Next Generation of Neuroscientists UM not only promotes multidisciplinary research among faculty members, but also maintains strong partnerships with many institutions. For example, UM and the Institute of Biophysics (IBP) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences established a joint laboratory for cognition and brain sciences in 2019 to promote research and training across the GBA. Through collaborating with other institutions, CCBS nurtures the next generation of cognitive neuroscientists and professionals by providing students with multidisciplinary training and access to research facilities. Many PhD students conduct research under the supervision of CCBS members, while those enrolled in the joint PhD programme of UM and IBP are trained by faculty members from both institutions. In the 2022/2023 academic year, CCBS launched the Master of Science in Cognitive Neuroscience programme, to train students with innovative approaches for exploring brain functions in terms of neurolinguistics, neuroeducation, neuroeconomics, neuroimaging, and brain-inspired intelligence. The programme also aims to help students understand and integrate interdisciplinary research findings and tools for the study of mind, brain, and behaviour. Prof Yuan is confident that UM’s portfolio in cognitive and brain research will benefit the Macao community in the long run and will gain further recognition in international academic circles. ‘Each of CCBS’s research projects will hopefully shed some light on the brain’s mystery. The question “Who are we?” is not only a philosophical question, but also very much a scientific one. It matters to everyone and deserves our relentless search for answers,’ says Prof Yuan. 高性能計算平台 A high-performance computing platform
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