The Center for Human Intelligence, Brain, and AI Research and Education (CHAIN) at Hokkaido University offers an interdisciplinary educational program for graduate students at Hokkaido University that integrates philosophy, neuroscience, and AI research.

During the summer and winter, we invite external lecturers to our Summer and Winter Schools, providing students with opportunities to access cutting-edge knowledge and engage in interdisciplinary discussions.

The 2026 Summer School will focus on the theme "The Psychology of the Body and the Computational Theory of the Mind: The Intersection of Interoceptive Sensation and Psychopathology." It will explore how signals from within the body, such as heart rate, respiration, and visceral activity, shape emotions and the sense of self, and how imbalances in these signals manifest as mental symptoms. This will be examined from both empirical insights from psychology and cognitive neuroscience, and computational approaches based on predictive information processing and generation models. The aim is to re-examine the self, emotions, and psychopathology from the point where "feeling the body" and "understanding the mind as a computation" intersect.

We are pleased to welcome Professor Yuichi Yamashita (Head of Department, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry) and Professor Yuri Terazawa (Professor, Keio University) as lecturers. Furthermore, Professor Takahiro Kato from the Faculty of Medicine, Hokkaido University will give a special lecture at this summer school. This is an excellent opportunity to learn about cutting-edge theories and empirical evidence connecting body and mind from two perspectives: experimental psychology and computational psychiatry. We encourage all CHAIN members to participate.

Date and time: August 3rd - August 7th, 2026

Location: CHAIN Seminar Room, 3rd Floor, Building 2, General Research Building, Central Campus, Hokkaido University

Language: Japanese

Target audience: Graduate students enrolled in CHAIN at Hokkaido University

For more information, please see here. *You will be redirected to the website of the Hokkaido University Center for Human Knowledge, Brain and AI Research and Education.