Introduction
Executive and Prefrontal Functions: Exploring Supervision and Volition in the Brain was an Exploratory Workshop funded by a grant from the Peter Wall Institute for Advanced Studies at the University of British Columbia awarded to Principal Invstigators Kalina Christoff, Psychology and Anthony Phillips, Psychiatry.
Understanding the mechanisms of volition and self-directed behaviour is one of the most intriguing and important issues in contemporary neuroscience and a topic of intense research. The ability to produce purposeful intelligent behaviour that is highly adapted for our complex and ever-changing environments is a hallmark ability of higher primates. It reaches its greatest development in humans, enabling us to initiate goal-directed activities of astonishing complexity. This ability also provides the basis of our sense of agency, identity, and self. The processes that allow us to engage in such volitional, conscious behaviour are known as 'executive functions' and have been strongly linked to the anterior region of the brain, known as the prefrontal cortex.
This workshop explored the most recent advances in research on executive and prefrontal functions. It brought together key international experts in diverse areas of executive functions, including thought and memory, cognitive control of behavior, and decision making and reward. The main goal of the workshop was to foster discussion between researchers to help determine future directions in this field and enhance scientific progress towards understanding the neural basis of higher cognitive functions.
In the past several years, UBC has attracted a critical number of researchers who specialize in executive and prefrontal functions, from basic scientists in neuroimaging and neurophysiology of prefrontal functions to clinical investigators of related mental disorders. This meeting was envisioned as the first of a series of workshops on executive functions at UBC, with a continued goal towards the advance of scientific progress in this field.
Organizing Committee
- Kalina Christoff, University of British Columbia
- Anthony Phillips, University of British Columbia
- Jason Barton, University of British Columbia
- Adele Diamond, University of British Columbia
