DEPARTMENT COLLOQUIUM | Understanding Brain Function and Pathology through Network Dynamics

The brain is a complex and evolving network. While a lot is known about its biology, the dynamical principles underlying information processing in the brain remain elusive. Collective network dynamics seems the natural substrate on which this problem can be elucidated, as it becomes apparent that to understand the dynamics of brain function, one has not only to understand the dynamical properties of individual cells, but also of the whole networks. In this talk Professor Zochowski will use examples of various cognitive processes to highlight the link between evolving network dynamics and the brain function. At the same time, he will use experimental and theoretical results obtained in his laboratory to underscore the role physics can play in understanding the brain’s functions as well as its pathologies.