For Spring 2020, ION seminars are held remotely at either 12 PM or 4 PM PT on Thursdays unless otherwise specified.  Seminars are hosted on Zoom and are open to the UO community and occasionally on World Wide Neuro.  Links to the weekly seminar will be advertised through the ION mailing list and those not on the list can request access by contacting Jenna Penny at seminars @ uoneuro.uoregon.edu. For more information and support for using the Zoom platform visit UOregon Zoom.

Upcoming Institute of Neuroscience Seminar | Thursday, June 4th, 2020 – 12 PM PT / 3 PM ET

Nenad Sestan, MD, PhD

Harvey and Kate Cushing Professor of Neuroscience
Yale School of Medicine

“Developmental and Evolutionary Origins of Human Brain Uniqueness”

Host: David McCormick

Abstract: The question of what makes human beings unique has fascinated humankind throughout modern history.  Today, we view the brain as the core component of human identity, and an understanding of this organ is consequentially essential for answering why we as a species are what we are.  What distinguishes humans from other species is largely through to reside in the unique features of brain development, especially in the wiring of the immensely complex neural circuits that underlie our cognitive and motor abilities.  However, the unique innovations driving the formation of these intricate neural circuits may also increase our susceptibility to certain neurological and psychiatric disorders.

In my presentation, I will describe some of our recent efforts to understand the molecular and cellular basis of how neurons acquire distinct identities and form proper connections in the cerebral cortex, the outside part of the mammalian brain that processes our senses, commands motor activity, and helps us perform higher-order cognitive functions like language.  I will also present evidence on how these complex developmental processes were modified during human evolution and may become compromised in neuropsychiatric disorders.  - Nenad Sestan, sestanlab.org