Large-scale cortical networks: from dynamics to cognition

In this workshop we focus on the dynamics of global cortical networks. Such comprehensive perspective on cortical dynamics has become increasingly crucial for the understanding of brain functioning. In fact, it is now overly clear how various aspects of cognition rely on the coordinated (spontaneous and evoked) activation of many structures. The study of coherent interaction of multiple distributed networks poses novel challenges, both experimental and conceptual, which are asking for the development of innovative approaches and analysis methods.

In this series of talks we will discuss how recent advances are enabling us to understand how these functional networks form and disband, what their link to anatomical connectivity is, and how they process information. By bringing together various types of expertise and heterogeneous scientific backgrounds, we aim at presenting an overview of the state of the field and at identifying the key open questions lying ahead. In particular we will focus on bridging the gap between available experimental measures of local and distributed cortical activity and a number of theoretical frameworks offering a model to evaluate the contribution of the state of these networks to neural computations.