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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

Send us Fan Mail

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