Place: 4274 Chamberlin Hall (Refreshments will be served)
Speaker: Deric Bownds, UW Department of Zoology
Abstract: This talk starts with some brief brain 101 elementary anatomy and then offers a cherry picking review of recent trends in brain systems research that correlate what is going on in our brains with our behaviors. We want to know what normally makes us tick, what distortions might underlie addictive, impulsive, aggressive, stressed, depressed, or anxious behaviors, and what therapies might counter these distortions. I will focus on structure-activity-behavior correlations in three brain state distinctions that are currently being emphasized: Upstairs/downstairs and attentional/default mode systems that are a spontaneous part of our normal behavioral repertoire, and the cognitive therapy or meditation systems whose training, development, and expression can alter them.