The next SISSA Colloquium will be held Wednesday, March 18th, at 14:00 with a special lecture by Huib Mansvelder (Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam).
Neuronal Mechanisms Supporting Human Cognitive Ability
Abstract: Why are some people able to think faster than others? How neurobiological factors as brain circuits, cellular properties, or molecular networks contribute to differences in cognitions? Research on the neurobiology of intelligence has traditionally focused on brain structure and function of areas via brain imaging techniques or genes and genetic loci in genome wide association studies. Yet the intermediate level remains largely unexplored. The emergence of single cell transcriptomics combined with functional and morphological analysis of neurons in human neocortex offers a way to bridge this gap. In this talk, recent findings on structural and functional adaptations in human neurons that distinguish them from those of laboratory animals will be presented, together with new approaches linking genetic, cellular, and brain-imaging data to better understand human cognitive ability.