EP Cognitive and Behavioural Neuroscience Seminar: Towards cross-species maps of brain organization
Dr Rogier Mars (University of Oxford)
Tuesday, 28 November 2017, 1pm to 2pm
Schlich Lecture Theatre, Plant Sciences, S. Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3RB
Hosted by Dr Nils Kolling
Differences in brain organization between humans and other primates are both a blessing and a curse for neuroscientists. Although they present us with welcome diversity in brain/behavior relationships to study, they impair the use of model species to understand our own brain. Regardless of one’s perspective, it is vital to map out and understand between-species differences in brain organization.
Comparative neuroscience traditionally employed very laborious techniques that are not feasible on a large scale or had to rely on gross anatomical data such as relative brain size. The advent of anatomical neuroimaging has changed this. In this talk, I will demonstrate our efforts to use measures of connectivity obtained using MRI to compare the organization of the human and non-human primate brain, focusing in particular on the macaque. I will show that, despite some reservations, we now have the tools to quantitatively compare brain organization quickly and reliably.