Neuroscience and Beyond

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How do you see structures inside cells that are smaller than the wavelength of light? Why was the diffraction limit considered an unbreakable barrier for decades, and how did super-resolution microscopy change everything?
In this episode of Neuroscience and Beyond, we explore the frontiers of biological imaging with Prof. Markus Sauer, a pioneer of modern super-resolution microscopy. Prof. Sauer developed direct STORM (dSTORM), a technique that enables visualization of molecular organization at the nanometer scale. He leads the super-resolution microscopy lab at the Biozentrum, University of Würzburg, where his team continues to push the boundaries of cellular imaging.
We discuss how single-molecule localization microscopy works, what are the technical challenges that we had to overcome to see the nanometer molecular world, and how these methods are now central to research in neuroscience, immunology, and translational science. The conversation also explores expansion microscopy, quantitative imaging, and the challenges of interpreting increasingly detailed biological data.
This episode takes a closer look at how improved imaging reshapes our understanding of cells, and why higher resolution often leads to deeper questions.
In this episode, you’ll learn about:
Important barriers to brake in order to achieve super-resolution microscopy
The principles behind dSTORM and single-molecule localization
What super-resolution reveals about molecular organization in neurons and in the context of immunology
Expansion microscopy and its impact on modern cell biology
Timestamps

00:00:00 Introduction & Episode Overview
00:02:10 Markus Sauer’s Path into Microscopy
00:08:40 What Is the Diffraction Limit and Why It Matters
00:12:30 The Idea Behind Super-Resolution Microscopy
00:15:20 How dSTORM Works at the Single-Molecule Level
00:30:00 From Physics to Biology: Applications of Microscopy
00:42:40 Expansion Microscopy
00:47:30 What is Next in Microscopy? What are the limitations?
00:54:00 Current Challenges and Future Directions

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🔗Link to our social media accounts: https://linktr.ee/neurosciencebeyond

#Neuroscience #SuperResolutionMicroscopy #dSTORM #Microscopy #CellBiology #DiffractionLimit #ExpansionMicroscopy #Neuroimaging #SciencePodcast #Biophysics
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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How do cells move cargo with such precision? What controls vesicle trafficking, and why does this process shape everything from cellular communication to disease? And what can extracellular vesicles really reveal about health, aging, and neurodegeneration?

In this episode of Neuroscience and Beyond, Professor Randy Schekman, Nobel Prize Laureate in Physiology or Medicine, helps unpack these questions. He explains the molecular machinery behind vesicle trafficking, how these pathways were discovered through foundational cell biology, and how this research enabled breakthroughs like insulin production in yeast. Prof. Schekman also explores what extracellular vesicles carry and why interpreting their biological roles remains experimentally challenging.

The conversation then shifts to Parkinson’s disease; its complexity, why current treatments mostly manage symptoms, and why early cellular changes may begin long before diagnosis. Prof. Schekman highlights research on genetic risk, environmental factors, and emerging evidence that vigorous exercise may influence disease progression.

In this episode, you’ll learn about:
How vesicle trafficking and extracellular vesicles shape cellular communication
The cell‑biology foundations behind technologies like insulin production
Why Parkinson’s disease is so difficult to treat and detect early
Genetics, early warning signs, and the role of exercise in Parkinson’s research

Timestamps
00:00:00 Introduction
00:02:08 Why Vesicle Trafficking Matters & Path to Nobel
00:10:12 Discovering Cellular Transport Mechanisms
00:16:52 How Vesicles Shape Cell Growth
00:22:18 From Cell Biology to Insulin Production
00:29:55 Technology, Science, and Deep Thinking
00:37:28 Why Extracellular Vesicles Are Important
00:43:32 Why Parkinson’s Disease Is So Devastating
00:48:23 Funding Parkinson’s Research at Scale
00:55:25 Does Parkinson’s Start Outside the Brain?
01:00:19 Can Exercise Slow Parkinson’s Progression?
01:06:40 Advice for Young Scientists

Subscribe to our YouTube channel and follow us for exciting neuroscience content.
🔗Link to our social media accounts: https://linktr.ee/neurosciencebeyond

#Neuroscience, #CellBiology #ParkinsonsDisease #ExtracellularVesicles #VesicleTrafficking #Neurodegeneration #MedicalResearch #SciencePodcast #NobelPrizeLaureate

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 is Alzheimer’s disease so difficult to treat and how is the brain’s immune system involved?
Professor Michael Heneka, Director of the Luxembourg Centre for Systems Biomedicine, joins us to discuss key topics in #neuroinflammation and Alzheimer’s disease.
We explore how inflammation shapes the progression of #neurodegeneration, why detecting Alzheimer’s early remains a challenge, and the surprising biological world of tunneling nanotubes-tiny bridges that let cells exchange materials and signals.
Professor Heneka also breaks down emerging strategies in #prevention, #personalizedmedicine, #genetherapy, and anti-inflammatory approaches that could redefine the future of Alzheimer’s #treatment.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
 • Why Alzheimer’s is so complex and why traditional #treatments struggle to stop its progression
 • How #neuroinflammation drives the disease, reshaping the #brain long before symptoms appear
 • How early #biomarkers can reveal Alzheimer’s up to 10 years in advance, improving detection and intervention
 • The future of personalized Alzheimer’s #treatment, from #genetics to targeted #immunotherapies
 • How tunneling nanotubes and #immune pathways may transform our understanding of #neurodegeneration
Subscribe to our YouTube channel and follow us for exciting neuroscience content.
🔗Link to our social media accounts: https://linktr.ee/neurosciencebeyond
#AlzheimersResearch #Neuroscience #BrainHealth #SystemsBiomedicine #NeurosciencePodcast
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
Mels Akhmetali
Laura van Agen

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What happens in our brain when we crave revenge - and how can forgiveness set us free?

In this powerful conversation, we speak with James Kimmel Jr., a former lawyer, and currently an assistant clinical professor at the Yale School of Medicine, and author of The Science of Revenge, about the psychology and neuroscience behind revenge, addiction, and forgiveness.

Drawing from his own story of childhood bullying and near-violence, Kimmel explains how these experiences led him from a 20-year legal career into neuroscience research and the creation of the Yale Collaborative for Motive Control.

In this episode, you’ll learn:
- Why revenge feels so satisfying - and why it’s addictive
- What happens in your brain when you crave revenge?
- Why does your self-control system shut down when anger takes over?
- The surprising difference between men and women when it comes to - empathy during acts of retaliation.
- How to turn revenge into healing through the “Courtroom of the Mind,” an evidence-based mental exercise that helps release anger safely.
- The transformative power of forgiveness and empathy

Timestamps
00:00:00 In this episode of Neuroscience and Beyond
00:00:29 Introduction and opening thoughts on revenge
00:01:30 Bullying, Anger, and the Moment That Changed Everything
00:11:00 From Lawyer to Yale Collaborative for Motive Control Studies 
00:17:20 Revenge in the courtroom & Discovering the neuroscience of revenge
00:23:40 Studying the neuroscience of revenge and addiction
00:28:40 How the brain processes revenge and addiction
00:30:00 Dopamine, craving, and the “go” vs. “stop” systems
00:33:20 Developmental neuroscience and revenge in youth
00:38:00 When does revenge become addictive?
00:40:10 Healthy vs. harmful punishment and the role of dopamine
00:44:00 Pain, pleasure, and the biology of retaliation
00:50:00 Male vs. female revenge seeking
00:56:00 The myth of “good vs. evil” and real-world violence
00:59:00 How society fails to prevent revenge-driven violence
01:04:40 The “Courtroom of the Mind”: healing through inner justice
01:13:30 How forgiveness changes the brain
01:18:20 Treating revenge like an addiction
01:22:00 Education, prevention, and hope for future generations
01:25:00 Closing reflections on forgiveness and self-healing

Subscribe to our YouTube channel and follow us for exciting neuroscience content.

🔗Link to our social media accounts: https://linktr.ee/neurosciencebeyond

#NeuroscienceOfRevenge #TheScienceOfRevenge #AddictionAndTheBrain #Forgiveness #EmotionalHealing #PsychologyPodcast #Mindfulness #NeurosciencePodcast

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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Prof. Kukushkin emphasises that the hardest part for scientists is figuring out what motivates them. He explains that the current system rewards high-profile publications controlled by a few for-profit corporations, steering research toward profit. 
Top-down structural change- from universities, governments, and leaders-is needed to restore creativity, integrity, and meaningful progress.
What’s your biggest challenge in academia? Share your thoughts in the comments! 💬
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#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