Publication of the book Le cerveau, la machine et l'humain by Pierre-Marie Lledo

Pierre-Marie Lledo, Head of the Perception and Memory Unit and Director of the Department of Neuroscience at the Institut Pasteur and a member of the European Academy of Sciences and the French Neuroscience Society, is the author of several publications. His latest book, Le cerveau, la machine et l'humain ("The brain, machines and humans"), was published this month by Éditions Odile Jacob.

The past 15 years have witnessed a host of spectacular scientific discoveries about how the brain works - and the outlook for the near future is even more promising. New information on the brain is reaching us every day from all over the world, revealing secrets about learning, memory, attention, motivation, leadership and decision-making - and this is only the beginning! At a time of rapid progress in new technologies and digital innovation, we can imagine and even realistically envisage the possibility of making "repairs" to the human brain.

So what is the latest on our research into the brain - and how does it affect us as humans? Will these major changes brought about by digital technology and developments in computing turn us into "human objects" or even machines?

The aim of Pierre-Marie Lledo's book is to encourage us to become aware of our role and responsibility in a research field that has an impact on the very definition of humans and their place in society.

The publication of this book is particularly timely, coinciding with the many events held from March 13 to 19 across Europe and at the Institut Pasteur to mark Brain Awareness Week.

The author was also invited to speak on the radio program La tête au carré on France Inter on March 14.

The program, entitled "What is the state of our knowledge about the human brain?", is available online for those who missed it or would like to have another listen.