Neuroscience and Beyond

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Your eyes don't see the world; your brain constructs it. But how, and what does it miss along the way?

In this episode of Neuroscience and Beyond, we speak with Prof. Nicole Rust, Professor of Psychology at the University of Pennsylvania, whose research combines behavioral experiments, #neural recordings, and #computational models to understand how we see, remember, and experience the world.  Recently, she decided to embark on a new journey and apply her expertise to study the neuroscience of mood. 
We explore how the brain transforms raw light into meaningful #perception, from the #retina through a hierarchy of visual areas all the way to object recognition in the inferotemporal cortex. We discuss how #attention shapes what enters #memory, why humans can recognize thousands of images seen only once, and why mood remains one of the hardest problems in neuroscience. 
The conversation also unpacks the central argument of her book, Elusive Cures: that treating conditions like depression will require abandoning the "broken domino" model of disease and embracing the brain as a complex dynamical system.
In this episode, you'll learn:
How the #brain transforms light into perception
Why attention acts as a filter and why we miss more than we think
How the brain stores thousands of images with striking detail after just a single viewing
Why we still cannot look at a brain and determine what mood is 
What hinders us from developing more treatments for brain disorders 
Why we should see the brain as a complex dynamical system 
Subscribe to our YouTube channel and follow us for exciting neuroscience content.
🔗Link to our social media accounts: https://linktr.ee/neurosciencebeyond
Timestamps:
00:00 How the Brain Processes Visual Information
04:03 Object & Face Recognition
07:07 How Attention Filters What We See
09:57 Visual Memory: How the Brain Stores Thousands of Images
14:38 Memory, Imagination, and Emotion
19:00 The Jennifer Aniston Neuron
25:45 How the Visual System Inspired AI
30:00 How Prof. Rust Moved from Vision to Mood Research
39:00 Measuring Mood in the Brain
43:33 How Mood Shapes Behavior and Decision-Making
49:30 Elusive Cures: Why Neuroscience Hasn't Cured the Brain
52:50 The "Broken Domino" Model and Why It Has Failed Us
56:14 The Brain as a Complex Dynamical System
01:01:20 Who Should Set the Research Agenda?
01:06:04 Depression, Society, and the Limits of Biology
01:09:59 How to Study the Brain as a Complex System
01:12:20 Aging, Sleep, and Brain Balance
01:18:10 The Take-Home Message from Elusive Cures
01:19:30 Consciousness: The Hard Problem and What Neuroscience Can Offer
#Neuroscience #VisualNeuroscience #Memory #Perception #MoodNeuroscience #Depression #BrainHealth #ElusiveCures #ComplexSystems  #BrainResearch  #ScienceCommunication #BrainHealthMatters #NeuroscienceAndBeyond
Supported by the International Max Planck Research School for Neurosciences in #Göttingen, the European Neuroscience Institute, Cluster of Excellence Multiscale Bioimaging, as well as SFB1286
Neuroscience and Beyond team:
Svilen Georgiev
Kristina Jevdokimenko
Ahsen Konaç Sayıcı
Laura van Agen

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Does international representation automatically mean #diversity in academia?
In this episode, Dr. Sven Truckenbrodt reflects on what diversity in science truly means, going beyond background to include different ways of thinking, working, and collaborating.
We talked about:
Why diversity is more than international representation
The importance of different thinking styles in science
Why interdisciplinary research is still difficult to achieve
The role of trust and open collaboration in successful labs
Subscribe to our YouTube channel for exclusive content and honest conversations about academic life.
🔗 Link to the full video: https://youtu.be/cL85_Zp_0C0
 #academic #challenges #academia #science #ResearchFunding #AcademicCareers #PhDLife 
Supported by the International Max Planck Research School for Neurosciences in #Göttingen, the European Neuroscience Institute, Cluster of Excellence Multiscale Bioimaging, as well as SFB1286
Neuroscience and Beyond team:
Svilen Georgiev
Kristina Jevdokimenko
Ahsen Konaç Sayıcı
Laura van Agen

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Can Parkinson’s be detected years before symptoms appear, and can we slow it down early?
In this episode of Neuroscience and Beyond, we speak with Prof. Tiago Outeiro about the future of Parkinson’s research, from early diagnosis to prevention and emerging treatments.
We explore how misfolded proteins like alpha-synuclein spread silently through the nervous system, and how early signals - such as REM sleep disturbances - may reveal the disease long before clinical symptoms. The conversation also covers advances in biomarker technologies and new therapeutic strategies targeting protein aggregation, metabolism, and cellular clearance, highlighting where the field is making real progress today.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
How alpha-synuclein aggregation drives neurodegeneration
Early warning signs like REM sleep behavior disorder
How biomarkers may detect Parkinson’s before symptoms
Why exercise is currently the most effective intervention
The role of metabolism, lipids, and protein clearance
New therapies: antibodies, GLP-1 drugs, and beyond
Why early diagnosis is key to successful treatment
Watch the episode to learn how Parkinson’s could be detected earlier and treated more effectively, and if you want to go deeper into the basics, check out our Episode 5 with Prof. Tiago Outeiro.
Subscribe to our YouTube channel and follow us for exciting neuroscience content.

🔗Link to our social media accounts: https://linktr.ee/neurosciencebeyond  
🔗Link to Episode5 withTiago Outeiro: https://youtu.be/UF4h07lml0M?si=78j0MwHFKiWuCcUI 

Timestamps

00:00:00 Introduction & Why Parkinson’s Detection Must Happen Earlier
00:01:10 What Is Alpha-Synuclein and Why It Matters
00:09:00 Where Does Alpha-Synuclein Accumulate in the Brain and Body?
00:16:30 Who Is at Risk? Genetics, Sleep Disorders & Early Warning Signs
00:20:10 Preclinical Symptoms: Loss of Smell, Constipation & Depression
00:27:00 Environmental Risk Factors: Pesticides & Neurotoxins Explained
00:33:10 Can Parkinson’s Be Prevented? Current Strategies & Limitations
00:34:00 Why Exercise Is the Most Effective Disease-Modifying Treatment
00:36:00 Monoclonal Antibodies: Do They Work for Parkinson’s?
00:38:00 GLP-1 Drugs & Metabolic Therapies
00:41:00 What Type of Exercise Actually Helps the Brain?
00:45:20 Why Combination Therapies Are So Difficult to Develop
00:49:00 Why Early Detection Is Critical for Successful Treatment
00:50:10 What Are Biomarkers? Understanding Early Diagnosis Tools
00:56:00 Future of Diagnostics
01:05:40 Lipids, Metabolism & the Hidden Drivers of Neurodegeneration
01:08:40 Where Should Research Focus Next?
01:14:30 Advice for Young Scientists & Clinicians
#Neuroscience #Neurodegeneration #Parkinsons #Alzheimers #Synuclein #BrainHealth #ProteinAggregation #Biomarkers #Neurobiology #Exercise #BrainHealthMatters #HealthyAging #NeuroProtection
Supported by the International Max Planck Research School for Neurosciences in #Göttingen, the European Neuroscience Institute, Cluster of Excellence Multiscale Bioimaging, as well as SFB1286

Neuroscience and Beyond team:
Svilen Georgiev
Kristina Jevdokimenko
Ahsen Konaç Sayıcı
Laura van Agen

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Why do journal names still shape scientific careers, and who pays the price?
Prof. Randy Schekman, a nobel prize laureate, discusses structural problems in #AcademicPublishing, including the pressure to publish in high-impact journals, rising #OpenAccess fees charged by commercial publishers, and long peer-review processes that can slow down scientific progress. He argues that the system can reward journal prestige over scientific contribution and may create inequalities when some researchers have access to additional funds to cover publication costs.
Prof. Schekman suggests that funding agencies and governments may need to negotiate firm caps on publication fees and reconsider how research quality is evaluated. He also emphasizes the role of society-run journals and the continued importance of peer review, alongside #Preprints.

Subscribe to our YouTube channel for exclusive content and honest conversations about academic life.

 #academic #challenges #academia #science #ResearchFunding #AcademicCareers #PhDLife 

Supported by the International Max Planck Research School for Neurosciences in #Göttingen, the European Neuroscience Institute, Cluster of Excellence Multiscale Bioimaging, as well as SFB1286

Neuroscience and Beyond team:
Svilen Georgiev
Kristina Jevdokimenko
Ahsen Konaç Sayıcı
Laura van Agen

Send us Fan Mail
How can we map the brain’s wiring at molecular resolution, and what are the realistic promises and limits of connectomics?
In this episode of Neuroscience and Beyond, we speak with Dr. Sven Truckenbrodt, group leader at the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology (LMB) in Cambridge, UK), where his lab investigates #brain wiring at the molecular level. With previous research experience at ISTA Austria and E11 Bio, he works at the intersection of #ExpansionMicroscopy, molecular labeling, and scalable circuit reconstruction.
Beyond defining #connectomics, this conversation explores the technical, conceptual, and organizational challenges of mapping #NeuralCircuits at scale.
In this episode, we discuss:
Why synapses operate at the nanometer scale, and why this pushes imaging technology to its limits
How physical tissue expansion bypasses the diffraction limit of light #microscopy
Why whole-brain connectomes are rare “hero datasets” and what prevents comparative connectomics
How combinatorial neuronal barcoding could reduce manual proofreading in circuit reconstruction
Why new research models like Focused Research Organizations aim to close the gap between #academia and #industry. 

Timestamps
00:00:00 Introduction
00:01:00 Dr. Sven Truckenbrodt’s research focus
00:02:20 How Small Is a Synapse?
00:05:20 How Can We See Synapses?
00:08:00 What Can Connectomics Realistically Reveal?
00:13:00 Connectomics With Electron Microscopy vs. Light Microscopy 
00:16:00  Expansion Microscopy
00:18:48  What Is Neuronal Barcoding?
00:26:00 Are Glia Part of Connectomics?
00:29:15  Does Expansion Microscopy Introduce Artifacts?
00:32:00  What Is E11 Bio and a Focused Research Organization?
00:38:45  From ISTA to Cambridge - Building a Lab
00:44:48  What Are Connectopathies?
00:54:00 Advices to Graduate Students

Read the most recent preprint here: https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.09.26.678648v1
Subscribe to our YouTube channel and follow us for exciting neuroscience content. Watch our new episode to explore how connectomics, expansion microscopy, and neuronal barcoding are reshaping our ability to map the brain at molecular resolution.
🔗Link to our social media accounts: https://linktr.ee/neurosciencebeyond  
Supported by the International Max Planck Research School for Neurosciences in #Göttingen, the European Neuroscience Institute, Cluster of Excellence Multiscale Bioimaging, as well as SFB1286
Neuroscience and Beyond team:
Svilen Georgiev
Kristina Jevdokimenko
Ahsen Konaç Sayıcı
Laura van Agen