Feindel Virtual Brain and Mind Lecture Series: Neural systems underlying social-emotional functions
Dr. Lorenzo Pasquini presents, "Neural systems underlying social-emotional functions".
Registration via Eventbrite.
Livestreaming via Vimeo.
Speaker: Lorenzo Pasquini, Ph.D.
Memory and Aging Center, Neurology Department, University of California, San Francisco
Abstract: In this talk, I will summarize my research assessing the neural basis of human social-emotional functions from four different perspectives. In the first study, which leveraged neuroimaging and histopathological data in a neurodegenerative disease of social-emotional dysfunction, I will provide evidence for a chain of influence linking specific neuron-types to specialized brain network in mediating the typical empathy deficits found in patients with frontotemporal dementia. Second, I will present on the mid-term impact of psychedelic substances on brain network functional organization and show that pharmacologically induced changes in these networks relate to altered interoception and affect. Third, I will talk about how brain networks supporting social-emotional functions are highly dynamic systems, and that mapping these time-varying processes can reveal both individual state and trait characteristics in healthy older adults. Finally, I will introduce my most recent work revealing emotion-specific patterns of autonomic nervous system activity, and present evidence that these patterns are intrinsically generated at rest. I will conclude with an outlook on how multimodal integration of autonomic and brain activity can improve our understanding of social-emotional well-being in healthy and clinical populations.
Bio: I am a computational, affective, and clinical neuroscientist currently working as a postdoctoral scholar with Drs. Seeley and Sturm at the Memory and Aging Center. My main research interest is to explore how the brain and the autonomic nervous system dynamically interact to support social-emotional well-being. In my work I leverage post-mortem histopathological data, fMRI data, and multichannel autonomic recordings of healthy older adults and patients with neurodegenerative diseases, to map those neural systems that underlie human emotions and social behavior.
The Feindel Virtual Brain and Mind (VBM) Seminar Series will advance the vision of Dr. William Feindel (1918–2014), Former Director of the Neuro (1972–1984), to constantly bridge the clinical and research realms. The talks will highlight the latest advances and discoveries in neuropsychology, cognitive neuroscience, and neuroimaging.
Speakers will include scientists from across The Neuro, as well as colleagues and collaborators locally and from around the world. The series is intended to provide a virtual forum for scientists and trainees to continue to foster interdisciplinary exchanges on the mechanisms, diagnosis and treatment of brain and cognitive disorders.
