Linnea Wilder

Linnea Wilder is a PhD student in anthropology at UC San Diego working under Dr. Katerina Semendeferi in the Laboratory of Human Comparative Neuroanatomy. Her research interests lie in the evolution and development of the brain, and in defining neuroanatomical features and developmental patterns that are either unique to humans or shared with our closest living relatives, the great apes. Her current project focuses on the development of the ventromedial prefrontal cortex, which is critically involved in social behavior and decision making, in humans (typically developing and Williams Syndrome) and non-human apes. The goal of this research is to elucidate the specializations in neural circuitry that underlie human social behavior and decision making, with a focus on how these develop in infancy.