Macroscopic trends in brain organization

Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre 

Recent debates in neuroscience highlight differing perspectives on cortical organization, particularly the roles of discrete arealization and continuous gradients in understanding brain organization. Traditional approaches emphasize distinct cortical areas as fundamental units of organization. However, emerging evidence suggests that cortical organization may also reflect large-scale, multidimensional gradients that span the brain, capturing continuous aspects of functional connectivity. Studies in humans and nonhuman primates reveal organizational principles that may blend these frameworks, with functional axes emerging at the macroscale while finer-scale analyses uncover localized areas. I will explore empirical evidence from comparative studies that illustrate how large-scale gradients may coexist with localized arealization, offering a more integrated view of cortical organization.