Luiz Pessoa, Ph.D.
June 8(Thu) - June 8(Thu), 2023
10AM
Online zoom (ID: 728-142-6028)
Neuro@noon Seminar
Date: 10am, Thur, June 8th
Speaker: Luiz Pessoa, Ph.D. (University of Maryland)
Title: The brain as a distributed, entangled system
Abstract: Brain mechanisms are often described in terms of a relatively modular and hierarchical architecture. I will defend the view that brain mechanisms should be conceptualized in terms of dynamic distributed processes that span the entire neuroaxis. Evolutionary pressures have molded the central nervous system to promote survival. Careful characterization of the vertebrate brain shows that its architecture supports an enormous amount of communication and integration of signals. The general architecture supports a degree of “computational flexibility” that enables animals to cope successfully with complex and ever-changing environments. An implication of the framework I will describe is that brain processes do not respect the boundaries of standard mental terms (perception, cognition, action, emotion, motivation”). Thus, an important goal should be to unravel how dynamic large-scale brain circuits support complex, naturalistic behaviors.