Event Dates (Pacific Time):
Friday, December 8, 2017 - 1:00 PM to 5:30 PMVenue Space:
The human mind is one of the features that makes our species unusual, and any narrative of our origins must include explanations for how our mental facilities were generated by genetic and cultural evolutionary processes. Comparative studies with the minds of other species and direct studies of how the typical human brain creates the mind are valuable approaches. However, many useful clues can also be gleaned from studying extraordinary variations of the human mind. This Symposium brings together experts who have pursued in-depth explorations of some of these variations.
This symposium is co-sponsored by the Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny (CARTA).
Event Sessions
Welcome & Opening Remarks
Fred Gage, Salk Institute
Our Brains: Life on a Continuum
Daniel Geschwind, UCLA
From Genes to Neural Circuits to Behavior & Back Again: Neurogenetic Mechanisms in Williams Syndrome
Karen Berman, National Institute of Health
Language at the Extremes
Simon Fisher, Max Planck Institute
Highly Superior Autobiographical Memory
James McGaugh, University of California, Irvine
The Incredible Savant Syndrome
Darold Treffert, University of Wisconsin
Acquired Savantism in Neurological Conditions
Bruce Miller, University of California, San Francisco (UCSF)
Born to be Musical: What We can Learn from Congenital Anomalies
Isabelle Peretz, BRAMS, Université de Montréal
Fragments of Genius: Mapping the Mind of a Musical Savant
Adam Ockelford, University of Roehampton
Synaesthesia: From Extraordinary Experiences to Enhanced Abilities
Jamie Ward, University of Sussex
Wrap-up, Question and Answer Session, Closing Remarks
Daniel Geschwind, UCLA & Isabelle Peretz, BRAMS, Université de Montréal