Parlour Reception on 'The executive brain'

with Dr Thomas Bak, Human Cognitive Neuroscience, School of Philosophy, Psychology & Language Sciences

Following on from Thomas’ great talk for the 2020 Edinburgh Neuroscience Christmas Public Lecture on 'The Executive Brain: why concepts matter', we are hosting an informal drop-in Parlour Reception to allow further discussion and development of the many interesting ideas he presented in his talk last night. Bring your drinks and mince pies and end your week with what we hope will be a stimulating event. No need to register - just turn up!

Join Zoom Meeting:  https://zoom.us/j/99129314880?pwd=RFAvdXBvTUc2Q3huOG9aSWxGN21lQT09

Meeting ID: 991 2931 4880, Passcode: 070685

Please note, this is using regular Zoom Pro (not the Webinar version we used to deliver his talk last night) so you will be able join via video (if you wish) and interact directly via audio.

'The Executive Brain: why concepts matter' - available to view on demand

For those wishing to re-watch, or perhaps view for the first time, Thomas’ talk is now available on-demand on the Edinburgh Neuroscience YouTube channel (EdNeuro): 

Watch on YouTube

About the talk

What is the "executive brain"?: The brain of "executives"? The brain as the "executive" of the body? The parts of the brain which make decisions and implement them? This talk traced the way in which we think of the brain as a "decision maker", the concepts and the metaphors we use and the influence they have on science and its public understanding. Accompanied by Descartes, Montesquieu and the Japanese film director Kurosawa, we move from bilingualism to business, from dementia to depression and from single case studies to big data, seeing how the time in lockdown can be used in a constructive manner to refresh our thinking and our research.

About Dr Thomas Bak

Born and raised in Cracow, Poland, Dr Thomas H Bak studied medicine and worked as a clinician in psychiatry and neurology in Bern, Berlin, Cambridge and Edinburgh. 2010-2018 he was the president of the World Federation of Neurology Research Group on Aphasia, Dementia and Cognitive Disorders (WFN RG ADCD).

His main interest is the relationship between language, brain and mind, with a recent focus on the impact of language learning and multilingualism on cognitive functions across the lifespan and in brain diseases such as dementia and stroke. He has teaching experience in 7 languages and conducts his research in a wide range of populations across the world.