Neural reuse and componentiality in the functional structure of the brain

In this talk I will outline evidence suggesting that individual regions of the brain are used and reused to support multiple cognitive functions across diverse task categories; that each part of the brain is a member of multiple functional coalitions; and that the brain's functional components are not the stable neural sub-assemblies envisioned by Simon, but are rather dynamically constructed--something I'm calling Transiently Assembled Local Neural Sub-systems (TALoNS). The evidence comes both from data-mining thousands of fMRI studies, and also from single-cell studies of non-human animals. I'll end the talk with some suggestions for reforming some of the empirical and interpretive practices in cognitive neuroscience to better capture the underlying functional structure of the brain.

Speaker: Michael Anderson, Franklin & Marshall College

Room 5101