Event:

Integrative brain function depends on communication within a network of neural interactions. The ’connectome’ describes a comprehensive map of all neural elements and connections of a species neural system. Interestingly, converging evidence suggests that the topology of neural networks plays a crucial role in healthy brain functioning. And similar to many other networks (such as transportation grids, social networks), central ’hubs’ within these neural systems have been suggested to play an important role in facilitating efficient communication between remote brain regions. In my talk I will discuss recent findings of network studies of the human and animal brain. Furthermore, I will discuss emerging evidence that ’rich’ brain hubs do not work in isolation but rather form a central rich club collective: a central anatomical infrastructure in the brain that is hypothesised to play an important role in neural communication and global integration of information.