One possibility is that an ancient ancestor may have possessed a small cortex largely devoted to sensory-motor functions with pervasive connectivity between the cerebral cortex and the cerebellum. That general circuit organization may have carried forward with relatively little modification into the primate lineage and later into the hominin lineage, leading to the large cerebellum and

organization that we see today in our brains (Buckner and Krienen, 2013). I do not think this is likely to be the complete explanation for the large cerebellar association zones or even the major part of the explanation, but this alternative is a reminder Buparlisib Ibrutinib nmr that all possibilities should be considered as we further explore the functional role of the cerebellum in cognition. Twenty-five years of discovery have converged to suggest that the majority of the human cerebellum is connected to cerebral association networks. The revelation that the cerebellum possesses prominent association zones has far-reaching implications for how we explore its function and also view mental disturbances that arise from network disruptions. The recognition

of the cerebellum’s importance to cognition is also a remarkable story of scientific discovery. Initial insights arose from the unconventional

thoughts of a unique interdisciplinary team (Henrietta Leiner, Alan RNASEH2A Leiner, and Robert Dow) and an observation made serendipitously during an early neuroimaging study of human cognition. Modern anatomical techniques were necessary to give traction to the discovery while neuroimaging techniques able to broadly survey the brain were best suited to reveal a parsimonious map that connects the motor zones of the cerebellum to the newly discovered association zones. “
“We live in a world that is largely socially constructed, our lives are replete with social interactions every day, and it has been suggested that an understanding of our social behavior could answer questions about who we are, how we differ from other animals, and what defines the nature of our conscious experience. Moreover, the importance of social encounters is ubiquitous across all animal species. These facts together with our intense personal interest in the behaviors and minds of other people have spawned a rich and long history of investigation in the social sciences. Recently, these investigations incorporated neurobiological tools, giving birth to the field of social neuroscience.