The Human Association Cortex in the Context of Evolution: A discussion of Buckner & Krienen (2013)

Saturday, November 4, 2017

10:00 am

Presenter: Maggie Zellner, Ph.D., L.P.

This will be an open discussion, facilitated by Maggie Zellner, Ph.D., L.P.

In this meeting, we will discuss a paper by Buckner and Krienen (2013) on the development of the association cortex through evolution. As the association cortex has expanded, a number of mental capacities have evolved in tandem, including the capacity to inhibit instinctual responses; working memory; affect and behavior regulation; symbolization; fantasy and imagination; theory of mind; and more. These capacities have become more complex, interacting with the primary sensory and motor cortex, and the emotional and instinctual subcortical circuits, that all mammals share. Participants should read the paper before the meeting. (See reference and link to paper below.)

Dr. Zellner will give an overview of the main points of the paper. Discussion will follow, linking the concepts from the article to clinical phenomena and to important questions in metapsychology.

Buckner, R. L., & Krienen, F. M. (2013). The evolution of distributed association networks in the human brain. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 17(12), 648–665.

No charge. All are welcome.

RSVP