The evolution of distributed association networks in the human brain

Randy L. Buckner, Fenna M. Krienen

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

478 Scopus citations

Abstract

The human cerebral cortex is vastly expanded relative to other primates and disproportionately occupied by distributed association regions. Here we offer a hypothesis about how association networks evolved their prominence and came to possess circuit properties vital to human cognition. The rapid expansion of the cortical mantle may have untethered large portions of the cortex from strong constraints of molecular gradients and early activity cascades that lead to sensory hierarchies. What fill the gaps between these hierarchies are densely interconnected networks that widely span the cortex and mature late into development. Limitations of the tethering hypothesis are discussed as well as its broad implications for understanding critical features of the human brain as a byproduct of size scaling.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)648-665
Number of pages18
JournalTrends in Cognitive Sciences
Volume17
Issue number12
DOIs
StatePublished - Dec 2013
Externally publishedYes

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Experimental and Cognitive Psychology
  • Neuropsychology and Physiological Psychology
  • Cognitive Neuroscience

Keywords

  • Cerebellum
  • Cortical circuits
  • Default network
  • Prefrontal cortex
  • Prospection
  • Social cognition

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