BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//Talks.cam//talks.cam.ac.uk// X-WR-CALNAME:Talks.cam BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:The typical and atypical development of the social brain - Mark H Johnson\, MRC Director\, Centre for Brain &\; Cognitive Development\, B irkbeck\, University of London. DTSTART:20160304T163000Z DTEND:20160304T180000Z UID:TALK63046@talks.cam.ac.uk CONTACT:Louise White DESCRIPTION:Abstract: I will address the question of the emergence of the “social brain” network during both typical and atypical human developm ent. A brief overview of evidence from typical development highlights the importance of a sub-cortical brain route for orienting toward social stim uli over the first months of life. Following this\, a prolonged process o f increasing functional specialization of key cortical regions and their c onnectivity can be observed\, consistent with activity-dependent processes (and the “Interactive Specialisation” framework). Turning to atypica l development\, a number of lines of evidence indicate that a key feature of diagnosed autism is a lack of specialization (tuning) of cortical struc tures in the social brain. But how does this atypical phenotypic end-stat e of human development arise? I review three causal developmental hypothe ses in relation to evidence from longitudinal studies of infants at famili al risk for later autism\, and speculate that the causal pathway for autis m lies in a common adaptive response of the brain to a range of different molecular and genetic threats to optimal synaptic function. By this view a utism is not a disorder of neurodevelopment\, but rather an ordered develo pmental response to an atypical neural processing starting state.\n\nBiosk etch: Professor MARK H. JOHNSON FBA is currently UK Medical Research Counc il Director of the Centre for Brain & Cognitive Development (CBCD) at Birk beck\, University of London. After obtaining a degree in Biology and Psyc hology from the University of Edinburgh (UK)\, and a PhD in neuroscience f rom Cambridge (UK)\, he held academic and research positions at University College London (1985-89 and 1994-98)\, University of Oregon\, Eugene (198 8-89)\, and Carnegie Mellon University\, Pittsburgh (1990-95)\, before mov ing to Birkbeck to establish the CBCD in 1998. He has published over 300 papers and 10 books on brain and cognitive development in humans and other species\, including the textbook “Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience ” now in its 4th Edition. Currently his laboratory focuses on typical\, at-risk and atypical functional brain development in human infants and tod dlers using a variety of different neuroimaging\, cognitive\, behavioural\ , and genetic methods. Johnson coordinates several national and internati onal collaborative scientific networks\, and is a named fellow of the APS\ , BPS\, Cognitive Science Society and British Academy (FBA).\n\n\n LOCATION:Ground Floor Lecture Theatre\, Department of Psychology END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR