This course aims at teaching the principles of the mental processes for sensing and storing of information and how it is used to guide human behaviors. The topics include (1) neural activity and perception, sensation, object recognition, language and attention, (2) basic behaviors such as motivation (e.g., appetitive drive), decision making and producing proper responses, and (3) higher-level cognitive function such as working memory and emotions. In addition to provide students the general concepts, this course will include practical sessions adopting approaches such as computer modeling, genetic manipulation, neuroimaging (functional magnetic resonance imaging, fMRI) and electroencephalography (EEG). In all topics, special attention will be paid towards their relationship with human health and diseases such as neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative disorders.