Max Planck Florida’s Neurotransmissions Podcast

In this 100th and final episode of the MPFI Neurotransmissions Podcast, hosts Joe Schumacher, Lesley Colgan, Jeremy Cheng, and Akash Pal sit down to reminisce on the journey of the podcast with podcast producer Kevin Albertini. To mark this incredible milestone, the podcast returns full circle and welcomes back our guest from our very first episode, CEO and Scientific Director David Fitzpatrick joined by the other two scientific directors of MPFI, Ryohei Yasuda and Lin Tian. The directors look back at the exciting changes that have happened both at MPFI and in the neuroscience field since the podcast started in 2016 and discuss what they think are the next big questions in the field. Episode Guests: David Fitzpatrick, MPFI CEO & Scientific Director Fitzpatrick Lab: https://www.mpfi.org/science/our-labs/fitzpatrick-lab Lin Tian, MPFI Scientific Director | @LinTianPhD Tian Lab: https://www.mpfi.org/science/our-labs/tian-lab Ryohei Yasuda, MPFI Scientific Director | @Ryohei_Neuro Yasuda Lab: https://www.mpfi.org/science/our-labs/yasuda-lab Episode Hosts: Joe Schumacher - @JWScience Jeremy Chang - @jtchang Lesley Colgan - @colgan_lesley Akash Pal - @pal116a Podcast episodes produced and edited by Kevin Guy Albertini - @KGAlbertini Want to go through the podcast episodes? Listen to archived episodes on https://apple.co/43gT3hT https://sptfy.com/O7ny Max Planck Florida's Neurotransmissions Podcast is produced at the Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience in Jupiter, FL. Website: https://www.mpfi.org/news-media/podcast Social Media: @MPFneuro Twitter: / mpfneuro Instagram: / mpfneuro Facebook: / mpfneuro As we want to sign off, we want to give special thanks to all of those who have made this journey possible - our hosts, production, communications, and admin team! Joe Schumacher Misha Smirnov Ben Scholl Jeremy Chang Lesley Colgan Akash Pal Anant Jain Audrey Bonnan Andre Steinecke Michael Yetman Vered Kellner Alexandra Gribizis Matt Rowan Paul Evans Tim Holford Kevin Albertini Katie Edwards Miguel Gutierrez Monica Reum Nicole Shultz Renate Wagner Helena Decker Jennifer Gutierrez

In this episode of the MPFI Neurotransmissions Podcast, we sit down with the lead engineer behind the widely used Neuropixels Probe, Dr. Tim Harris from Janelia Research Campus. We also talk shop about Dr. Harris' 18 years working for Bell Labs. Don't miss a special announcement from Joe at the end of the episode (46:34). Episode Guest: Tim Harris Senior fellow at HHMI Janerlia Research Campus Research Professor of biomedical engineering at Johns Hopkins University Harris Lab: https://www.janelia.org/lab/harris-lab Neuropixels- https://www.neuropixels.org/about Episode Hosts: Joe Schumacher - @JWScience Jeremy Chang - @jtchang Podcast episode produced and edited by Kevin Guy Albertini - @KGAlbertini Do you enjoy the podcast? Feel free to like this episode and follow us to hear more episodes! https://apple.co/43gT3hT https://sptfy.com/O7ny Max Planck Florida's Neurotransmissions Podcast Website: https://www.mpfi.org/news-media/podcast Social Media: @MPFneuro Twitter: / mpfneuro Instagram: / mpfneuro Facebook: / mpfneuro

In this episode of the MPFI Neurotransmissions Podcast, we sit down with Dr. Mark Andermann (@AndermannLab), a renowned neuroscientist at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center & Harvard University, to explore the intricate neural circuits that regulate feeding behavior. Dr. Andermann shares his groundbreaking research on how the brain processes hunger and satiety signals, and what happens when these systems go awry in cases of dysfunctional eating. Episode Guest: Mark Andermann - @AndermannLab Andermann Lab: https://www.andermannlab.com/ Episode Hosts: Akash Pal- @pal116a Lesley Colgan - @Colgan_Lesley Podcast episode produced and edited by Kevin Guy Albertini - @KGAlbertini Do you enjoy the podcast? Feel free to like this episode and follow us to hear more episodes! Max Planck Florida's Neurotransmissions Podcast Website: https://www.mpfi.org/news-media/podcast Social Media: @MPFneuro Twitter: / mpfneuro Instagram: / mpfneuro Facebook: / mpfneuro

In this episode, Prof. Dr. Bill Hansson joins hosts Lesley and Joe to discuss his leadership as former Vice President of the Max Planck Society, his work on locust olfaction, and his recent identification of an odorant that can protect swarming locusts from cannibalism. Interested in learning more about how the sense of smell is critical for behavior? Read Dr. Hannson's book full of stories of the amazing world of smell. Smelling to Survive: https://www.amazon.com/Smelling-Survive-Amazing-World-Sense-ebook/dp/B09Q8B7V4G Episode Guest: Bill Hannson @billhansson Department of Evolutionary Neuroethology: https://www.ice.mpg.de/94928/evolutionary-neuroethology Episode Hosts: Lesley Colgan - @Lesley Colgan Joe Schumacher - @JWScience Do you enjoy the podcast? Feel free to like this episode and follow us to hear more episodes! Max Planck Florida's Neurotransmissions Podcast Web: https://www.mpfi.org/news-media/podcast Social: @MPFneuro Twitter: @mpfneuro Instagram: @mpfneuro Facebook: @mpfneuro

In this episode, Dr. Tim Ryan joins hosts Lesley and Joe to discuss how neurons rely on a constant source of energy to function. They discuss how the brain's energy supply is maintained and regulated and what happens when this energy supply is disrupted. Episode Guest: Timothy Ryan Ryan Lab: https://biochem.weill.cornell.edu/directory/primary-faculty/timothy-ryan-phd Episode Hosts: Lesley Colgan - @Lesley Colgan Joe Schumacher - @JWScience Do you enjoy the podcast? Feel free to like this episode and follow us to hear more episodes! Max Planck Florida's Neurotransmissions Podcast Website: https://www.mpfi.org/news-media/podcast Social Media: @MPFneuro Twitter: / mpfneuro Instagram: / mpfneuro Facebook: / mpfneuro

In this episode, Dr. Tony Movshon returns to the podcast to chat with hosts Jeremy and Akash about his work in understanding visual pathways and the differences between 'constructionist' and 'reductionist' approaches in neuroscience. Dr. Movshon is a university professor researching vision and visual development at NYU School of Medicine. He has made contributions to the understanding of the brain mechanisms that represent the form and motion of objects, and the way these mechanisms contribute to perceptual judgments and visually guided movement. Episode Guest: Tony Movshon - @TonyMovshon Movshon Lab: https://www.cns.nyu.edu/labs/movshonlab/ Episode Hosts: Akash Pal- @pal116a Jeremy Chang - @jtchang Max Planck Florida's Neurotransmissions Podcast Website: https://www.mpfi.org/news-media/podcast Social Media: @MPFneuro Twitter: / mpfneuro Instagram: / mpfneuro Facebook: / mpfneuro

In this episode of Max Planck Florida's Neurotransmissions Podcast, we meet new cohost Dr. Akash Pal, who joins Jeremy in a discussion with Associate Professor of Biology at Boston University, Dr. Jerry Chen. They discuss how the brain can make sense of our complex sensory world through the processes of perception and abstraction and how Dr. Chen's research team uses in vivo imaging of genetically encoded indicators and spatial transcriptomics to understand these processes. Episode Guest: Jerry Chen https://www.chen-lab.org/index.html Episode Hosts: Jeremy Chang - @jtchang Akash Pal- @pal116a

In this episode of MPFI's Neurotransmissions Lesley and Jeremy speak with Dr. Kuan Hong Wang, Professor at the University of Rochester and Co-Director of the New Brain Aging Center, about Emotional Well-Being, the power and challenges of big science approaches, and his scientific philosophy to exploring increasingly complex neuroscience questions. Whether you're curious about the power of your own brain or fascinated by the world of scientific exploration, this episode of Neurotransmissions has something for you. Episode Guest: Kuan Hong Wang https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/labs/wang.aspx https://www.newbrainaging.org/ Episode Hosts: Lesley Colgan - @Lesley Colgan Jeremy Chang - @jtchang Max Planck Florida's Neurotransmissions Podcast Website: https://www.mpfi.org/news-media/podcast Social Media: @MPFneuro Twitter: / mpfneuro Instagram: / mpfneuro Facebook: / mpfneuro

This episode of MPFI's Neurotransmissions Podcast dives into the fascinating world of neuroplasticity, the brain's ability to change and adapt. We're joined by Dr. Anant Jain. Anant joined Centre for High Impact Neuroscience and Translational Applications (CHINTA) in Kolkata, India in November 2023. His lab focuses on understanding the molecular signaling underlying homeostatic plasticity that gets activated to compensate for the behaviorally relevant synaptic changes. Moreover, his lab seeks to address how these homeostatic mechanisms get disrupted during neurodevelopmental disorders such as Autism. He also tells us about his bold decision to relocate from the USA to India to open his research lab. We explore the challenges and rewards of pursuing scientific discovery in a new environment. Whether you're curious about the power of your own brain or fascinated by the world of scientific exploration, this episode of Neurotransmissions has something for you.

In this episode, hosts Lesley and Jeremy speak with Dr. Jennifer Lippincott-Schwartz, Senior Group Leader and Head of Janelia's 4D Cellular Physiology Group, about how technology has shaped her career and her vision for developing a molecular understanding of tissue physiology. Episode Notes: Please help us create content you want to hear by giving us feedback. https://www.mpfi.org/news-media/podcast-survey/ Episode Guest: Jennifer Lippincott-Schwartz - @JLS_Lab Episode Hosts: Lesley Colgan - @Colgan_Lesley Jeremy Chang - @jtchang Do you enjoy the podcast? Feel free to like this episode and follow us to hear more episodes! https://apple.co/43gT3hT https://sptfy.com/O7ny Max Planck Florida's Neurotransmissions Podcast Website: https://www.mpfi.org/news-media/podcast Social Media: @MPFneuro Twitter: / mpfneuro Instagram: / mpfneuro Facebook: / mpfneuro

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In this episode, hosts Lesley and Joe speak with Dr. Weijian Zong about the motivation, challenges, and advancements behind the development of the MINI2P, an open-source miniaturized two-photon microscope that allows neuroscientists to visualize brain activity in freely behaving animals. Episode Notes: Help support the science, training, and outreach programs of MPFI by visiting mpfi.org/donate Episode Guest: Weijian Zong - @WikiZong Mini2P - @TheMini2P Episode Hosts: Lesley Colgan - @Colgan_Lesley Joe Schumacher - @JWscience Do you enjoy the podcast? Feel free to like this episode and follow us to hear more episodes! Max Planck Florida's Neurotransmissions Podcast Website: https://www.mpfi.org/news-media/podcast Social Media: @MPFneuro Twitter: mpfneuro Instagram: mpfneuro Facebook: mpfneuro

In this episode, hosts Joe and Lesley chat with Dr. Debosmita Sardar about her research into the roles of astrocytes, epigenetics, and serotonylation during odor processing. Dr. Sardar is a K99 Postdoctoral Fellow at Baylor College of Medicine and a selected MPFI NeuroMEETS speaker. Episode Notes: Max Planck NeuroMEETS: https://www.mpfi.org/science/max-planck-neuromeets Episode Guest: Debosmita Sardar @debo_Astrocyte Episode Hosts: Lesley Colgan - @Lesley Colgan Joe Schumacher - @JWscience Do you enjoy the podcast? Feel free to like this episode and follow us to hear more episodes! Max Planck Florida's Neurotransmissions Podcast Website: https://www.mpfi.org/news-media/podcast Social Media: @MPFneuro Twitter: https://twitter.com/MPFNeuro Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mpfneuro Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MPFNeuro

In this special 2023 Society for Neuroscience Meeting, Lesley discusses the experience of attending the SfN conference for the first time with postbaccalaureate at the National Eye Institute, Alexis Green; presenting a poster and developing connections at SfN with postdoctoral researcher at MPFI, Dr. Tim Holford; and further discuss new insights in Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) research with Professor, and Associate Dean for Academic Affairs at Stanford University School of Medicine, Dr. Carolyn Rodriguez. Episode Guests: Alexis Green Tim Holford Carolyn Rodriguez @CRodriguezMDPhD https://med.stanford.edu/rodriguezlab Do you enjoy watching the podcast? Feel free to like this episode and follow us to hear more. Max Planck Florida's Neurotransmissions Podcast Website: www.mpfi.org/news-media/podcast Social Media: @MPFneuro Twitter: twitter.com/MPFNeuro Instagram: www.instagram.com/mpfneuro Facebook: www.facebook.com/MPFNeuro Episode host: Lesley @Colgan_Lesley Visit www.mpfi.org/ for more information about the Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience

In this episode, hosts Joe and Lesley chat with Dr. Rodrigo Pena about computational neuroscience and the power of this field to advance our understanding of the nervous system. Dr. Pena is an Assistant Professor in the Biological Sciences department at Florida Atlantic University. He is also one of the organizers of LASCON IX (Latin American School on Computational Neuroscience) which is now accepting applications. Do you enjoy the podcast? Feel free to like this episode and follow us to hear more episodes!

In this episode, hosts Joe and Lesley chat with Dr. Ewoud Schmidt about his work in studying neuronal circuit development, function, and behavior and how human-specific genes shape neuronal circuits in health and disease. Dr. Schmidt is an Assistant Professor and the Principle Investigator for the Schmidt Lab at the Medical University of South Carolina. Episode Guest: Ewoud Scmidt @ereschmidt Episode Hosts: Lesley Colgan @colgan_lesley Joe Schumacher @JWscience Max Planck Florida's Neurotransmissions Podcast Website: https://www.mpfi.org/news-media/podcast Social Media: @MPFneuro Twitter: https://twitter.com/MPFNeuro Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mpfneuro Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MPFNeuro

In this episode, hosts Joe and Lesley sit down with Daniela Sammler, a researcher investigating neurocognitive functions related to language and music, and how they might complement each other. A number of fascinating areas are discussed including her work her working on methods for recording human brain activity during complex tasks such as playing piano while in an fMRI. Episode Guest: Daniela Sammler @DanielaSammler Episode Hosts: Lesley Colgan @colgan_lesley Joe Schumacher @JWscience Do you enjoy listening to the podcast? Feel free to like this episode and follow us to hear more. Max Planck Florida's Neurotransmissions Podcast Website: https://www.mpfi.org/news-media/podcast Social Media: @MPFneuro Twitter: https://twitter.com/MPFNeuro Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mpfneuro Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MPFNeuro

In this episode, hosts Joe and Lesley sit down with Nancy Padilla-Coreano, a Principal Investigator at the University of Florida, to discuss the expanding field of social behavior and her work into the brain mechanisms behind social dominance and social competence. Be sure to check the multimedia platform Stories of Women in Neuroscience co-founded by Dr. Padilla-Coreano: https://www.storiesofwin.org Episode Guest: Nancy Padilla-Coreano @DrNancyPadilla Episode Hosts: Lesley Colgan @colgan_lesley Joe Schumacher @JWscience Do you enjoy listening to the podcast? Feel free to like this episode and follow us to hear more. Max Planck Florida's Neurotransmissions Podcast Website: https://www.mpfi.org/news-media/podcast Social Media: @MPFneuro Twitter: https://twitter.com/MPFNeuro Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mpfneuro Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MPFNeuro

In this special two-episode conference podcast, Joe brings you scientific highlights from the 2022 Society for Neuroscience Meeting. In Part 2 Joe discusses new technologies for comparative connectomics and transcriptomics with Dr. Justus Kebschull, cognitive decline in aging C. elegans with Dr. Rachel Arey and thalamic-cortical circuits and our responsibility for science advocacy with Dr. Ubadah Sabbagh. Episode Guests: Justus Kebschull @JustusKebschull https://www.kebschull-lab.org/ Rachel Arey @AreyLab. https://www.bcm.edu/people-search/rachel-arey-17679 Ubadah Sabbagh@neubadah https://ubadahsabbagh.com/ Episode host: Joe @JWScience Do you enjoy watching the podcast? Feel free to like this episode and follow us to hear more. Max Planck Florida's Neurotransmissions Podcast Website: www.neuropodcast.org Social Media: @MPFneuro Visit https://www.mpfi.org for more information about the Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience

In this special two-episode conference podcast, Joe brings you scientific highlights from the 2022 Society for Neuroscience Meeting. In Part 1 Joe catches up with some old friends to chat about their latest science and career journeys. He discusses network development with Dr. Gordon Smith, double spines with Dr. Won Chan Oh, and evolutionary adaptations of cavefish with Dr. Bethany Stanhope. They also discuss the excitement and challenges of starting an independent lab and advice for first-time SfN attendees Episode Guests: Gordon Smith https://med.umn.edu/bio/gordon-smith Won Chan Oh https://sites.google.com/view/wonchanoh/home Bethany Stanhope @BA_Stanhope Do you enjoy watching the podcast? Feel free to like this episode and follow us to hear more. Max Planck Florida's Neurotransmissions Podcast Website: www.neuropodcast.org Social Media: @MPFneuro Episode host: Joe @JWScience Visit https://www.mpfi.org/ for more information about the Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience

In this episode, Lesley has a chat with Dr. Sang Jeong Kim about his research on the neural mechanisms of pain and plasticity. Dr. Kim is the Director for the Neuroscience Research Center and a professor at the Seoul National University, College of Medicine in South Korea. Do you enjoy listening to the podcast? Feel free to like this episode and follow us to hear more. Max Planck Florida's Neurotransmissions Podcast Website: www.neuropodcast.org Social Media: @MPFneuro Episode Host: Lesley Colgan @colgan_lesley

Locomotion is a universal motor action expressed as the output of many integrated brain functions, with brainstem circuits acting as the gate between brain areas regulating innate, emotional, or motivational locomotion and executing spinal motor circuits. In this episode, Joe and Lesley have a chat with Dr. Ole Kiehn about his research on the relationships between locomotion in health and disease. Dr.Kiehn is a professor of Integrative Neuroscience at the Department of Neuroscience, University of Copenhagen, Denmark. Do you enjoy listening to the podcast? Feel free to like this episode and follow us to hear more. Max Planck Florida's Neurotransmissions Podcast Website: www.neuropodcast.org Social Media: @MPFneuro Episode Guest: Ole Kiehn @KiehnLab Episode Hosts: Lesley Colgan @colgan_lesley Joe Schumacher @JWscience

In this episode, hosts Lesley and Anant chat with Harvard University Assitant Professor, Dr. Nicholas Bellono about studying signal processing and how molecular and anatomical features in octopuses may have evolved to support their voracious foraging behavior within seafloor environments. Do you enjoy listening to the podcast? Feel free to like this episode and follow us to hear more. Website: neuropodcast.org Twitter: https://twitter.com/neuropodcast Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/neuropodcast

Sleep is a highly conserved behavior among the animal kingdom, appearing as distant as jellyfish and elephants. It is generally believed that sleep serves a crucially important yet mysterious “core function” that is shared among all animals and that drives its evolution, but the evidence behind this hypothesis is lacking. In this episode, Lesley has a fun chat with Dr. Giorgio F. Gilestro, an Associate Professor from Imperial College in London, England who for the past 15 years has been researching sleep and its link to biology and behavior. Episode Guest: Giorgio F. Gilestro @giorgiogilestro Gilestro Lab: https://lab.gilest.ro/the-lab Do you enjoy watching the podcast? Like this episode and follow us to hear more. You can find Max Planck Florida on all socials at @MPFNeuro Website: www.neuropodcast.org Social Media: @MPFneuro Podcast Hosts: Lesley @colgan_lesley Joe @JWScience

In this episode, hosts Joe, Lesley, and Jeremy bring you scientific highlights from the recent Sunposium23 conference. They sit down with three of the invited speakers to chat about their latest research. They discuss how the brain encodes memories in both a stable and flexible manner with Dr. Denise Cai, the complexity of brain-wide serotonin function with Dr. Ugur Dag, and how organoids and assembloids can help us understand human neurodevelopment with Dr. Sergiu Pasca. Episode Guests Denise Cai @denisejcai Ugur Dag @SadumanAga Sergiu Pasca @Sergiu_P_Pasca Sunposium is a biennial neuroscience conference hosted by MPFI that brings together neuroscientists to discuss the latest insights and challenges of understanding neural circuit function. To learn more about Sunposium and to be notified about the next Sunposium conference, visit mpfi.org/sunposium Do you enjoy listening to the podcast? Feel free to like this episode and follow us to hear more. Website: www.neuropodcast.org Social Media: @MPFneuro Hosts: Lesley @colgan_lesley Joe @JWScience Jeremy @jtchang

In this episode, hosts Lesley and Joe chat with the Max Planck Society President-elect, Dr. Patrick Cramer. Dr. Cramer is a chemist and molecular biologist currently serving as Managing Director at the Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences in Göttingen, Germany. In June 2023, he will become the next president of the 75-year-old Max Planck Society, the number one biomedical nonprofit worldwide. Watch Patrick Cramer's full-length talk at Science Meets Music: https://youtu.be/AuFI_z_K1eo Do you enjoy listening to the podcast? Feel free to like this episode and follow us to hear more. Website: neuropodcast.org

In this episode, host Joe chats with Dr. Lukas Groschner, a Max Planck NeuroMEETS invited speaker, about his curiosity-driven research into the molecules and mechanisms that mediate information processing in flies. Don't miss Dr. Groschner's story of being inspired after listening to a past episode of the podcast. For more information about the NeuroMEETS seminar series, visit https://www.mpfi.org/science/max-planck-neuromeets Do you enjoy listening to the podcast? Feel free to like this episode and follow us to hear more. Website: neuropodcast.org

In this episode, hosts Joe and Jeremy catch up with Dr. Ed Boyden on the many applications of his neurotechnologies such as optogenetics and expansion microscopy, the power of combining these technologies to establish a computational model of a small organism, and Dr. Boyden's latest technology- signaling reporter islands.

In this episode, hosts Joe Schumacher and Anant Jain chat with award-winning research scientist, educator, and advocate Erin Calipari about a new role for dopamine in the brain, drug addiction, and steps we can take to increase diversity and equity in academia.

In this episode, hosts Jeremy and Ingo chat with Dr. Valentina Emiliani. Dr. Emiliani's lab has pioneered the use of wave-front shaping for neuroscience. In particular, they demonstrated a number of new techniques based on computer-generated holography to gain 3D optogenetic control of neural populations.

In this episode, hosts Misha and Ingo chat with Dr. Stephen Lammel. Dr. Lammel's lab at UC Berkley explores the circuitry behind neuropsychiatric diseases with a focus on the dopamine reward system in the brain.

Dr. Yuki Oka is an assistant professor at CalTech where his research focuses on understanding the neural and molecular basis of motivated behaviors toward homeostatic regulation. The long-term goal of our research is to understand how the brain integrates internal body state and external sensory information to maintain homeostasis in the body. Listen to Misha, Ingo, and Ka as they ask Dr. Oka about his research.

In this episode, Jeremy and Joe talk with Dr. Hillel Adesnik, Associate Professor at the Department of Molecular and Cell Biology at the University of California, Berkley. Together they explore Dr. Adesnik's work understanding the neural basis of perception, the challenges facing this area of study, and the philosophy of how we understand the concept of perception.

In this episode, Dr. Mark Churchland talks with MPFI postdocs Jeremy Chang and Alex Gribizis about his research into the function of the motor cortex. Dr. Churchland's lab at Columbia University studies the role of neural activity that affects movement. He takes us through a brief history of this field of study, the limitations of brain-machine interfaces, and talks about where he sees his research going in the future.

In this episode, Joe and Misha talk to Dr. Mackenzie Mathis about deep learning with artificial neural networks. She takes us through her experience developing computer vision tools like DeepLabCut, as well as her research into adaptive motor control at Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Lausanne (EPFL).

On this episode of Neurotransmissions, Dr Jeff Lichtman professor of Neuroscience at Harvard University and our guest from the 2nd episode of Neurotransmissions is back to visit during MPFI’s annual imaging course. We were lucky enough that Dr. Lichtman spared a bit of time to sit down with Misha and Alex to discuss recent progress that has been made in the field of connectomics. Learn about ongoing projects, technological progress and hurdles, and the growing understanding about the value of connectomics in understanding the brain.

On this career-focused episode Joe, Audrey, and Jeremy catch up with friend of the podcast Dr. David Schneider. When Dr. Schneider was last on the podcast (Episode 15), he was a postdoctoral fellow newly on the job market looking for an independent position. Now he is running his own lab as an Assistant Professor of Neural Science at New York University. Hear about the factors Dr. Schneider considered when applying for jobs, the process of interviewing, how he started his lab at NYU, and what he’s thinking about when it comes to auditory cued behaviors in the future.

As they say, “Better late than never!”. We've been digging back into our archive and found this once thought to be a lost interview with Dr. Indira Raman from 2018! Join Joe, Audrey, and Matt as they sit down with Dr. Raman, the Bill and Gayle Cook Professor in the Department of Neurobiology at Northwestern University, to discuss what we know and don’t know about cerebellum. Hear also about how Dr. Raman's essays, such as ‘Living Science: Triaging Shakespeare’ (https://elifesciences.org/articles/07157), allow her to humorously articulate the uncertainty and creative pressures that go along with a career in modern science. Enjoy!

How can quantitative methods help us understand how the brain works? On this episode Joe, Jeremy, and Alex are joined by Dr. Peter Dayan the director of the Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics in Tubingen, Germany. They'll discuss the different computational approaches taken to understand how the brain works, Dr. Dayan's own work using models to understand reinforcement learning and the role of the neurotransmitter dopamine in this process, and the goal of the International Brain Laboratory. Enjoy!

In this episode, Joe and Misha talk to Dr. Rodrigo Quian Quiroga, author of the new book “NeuroScience Fiction” and researcher who famously identified the Jennifer Aniston neuron. They dive into everything from Dr. Quiroga’s work with concept cells to his fascinating look at the convergence of neuroscience with futuristic sci-fi. They also explore the evolution of AI and what it means to have consciousness.

On this episode Jeremy and new guest co-host Alex Gribizis chat with Dr. W. Martin Usrey, Professor and Chair of the Department of Neurobiology, Physiology, and Behavior and the University of Davis. With Dr. Usrey we learn more about the structure of the visual system, the interactions between these different structures, and things Dr. Usrey has learned along the way about mentorship.

In this episode, Joe and Misha talk with Kaela Singleton, Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Cell Biology at Emory University and co-founder and president-elect of Black in Neuro. We learn about her research into Menkes Disease, how her career in science has evolved throughout the years, and the work she is doing to help raise visibility and cultivate opportunities for black neuroscientists through the #BlackinNeuro movement.

How does the clinic influence the bench? Joe, Jeremy, and Audrey are joined by Dr. Peter Tsai Assistant Professor in the departments of Neurology and Neurotherapeutics, Neuroscience, Pediatrics, and Psychiatry at UT South Western. Learn how Dr. Tsai's experience in the clinic led him down a path of investigating the surprising role of the cerebellum in autism spectrum disorder and how Dr Tsai's findings in the lab could impact the development of future treatments.

How did an ancient virus help shape the human brain? In this episode, Joe and Jeremy sit down with Dr. Jason Shepherd, Assistant Professor of Neurobiology and Anatomy, Biochemistry and Opthalmology & Visual Sciences at the University of Utah School of Medicine, to discuss the role of Arc (activity-regulated cytoskeleton-associated protein) in the regulation of synaptic plasticity. Learn also how Dr. Shepherd and his group discovered a possible new role for Arc in transcellular signaling that may indicate its origin as an ancient retrovirus that integrated into the genome. If you can bear the puns, this episode packs a fascinating story of a career bridging molecular and in vivo processes and an unanticipated discovery.

Cells that fire together wire together. Hebbian mechanisms of plasticity, summarized by that simple phrase, have dominated the field of learning and memory for decades. However, they present limitations when applied to many behavioral paradigms. On this episode Jeremy, Audrey, and Andre sit down with Dr. Jeff Magee, Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator, The Cullen Foundation Distinguished Endowed Chair at the Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute, and Professor in the Department of Neuroscience at Baylor College of Medicine. They'll discuss how Dr. Magee's work looking at dendritic processes led him and his group to discover a new plasticity paradigm, in place field learning that breaks from traditional Hebbian rules. Hear also how Dr. Magee keeps active in the lab and his advice for young investigators.

On the final episode recorded live from the Society for Neuroscience Conference 2019, Jeremy sits down with Dr. Kurt Thoroughman, Associate Professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Washing University in St. Louis, and Director of the National Science Foundation's (NSF) Cognitive Neuroscience program. Learn about how NSF is structured, the role of a program director, how a grant application is evaluated, and the opportunities available for trainees.

At the 2019 Society for Neuroscience Conference in Chicago Misha catches up with an old friend of the podcast Dr. Lauren Ullrich (Ep #13), Scientific Program Manager at the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. Learn about the process of applying for funding from the NIH and how Dr. Ullrich's new podcast 'Building up the Nerve' is giving a peek into the life cycle of a grant.

Our series of interviews at the Society for Neuroscience Conference 2019 in Chicago keeps on rolling as Jeremy sits down with Dr. Marina Picciotto Charles B.G . Murphy Professor of Psychiatry and Professor in the Child Study Center of Neuroscience and of Pharmacology, Deputy Chair for Basic Science Research in the Dept of Psychiatry, Deputy Director of the Kavli Institute for Neuroscience at Yale University, and Editor in Chief of the Journal of Neuroscience. They'll chat about how the Journal of Neuroscience supports the Society for Neuroscience, publishing in and training opportunities at the Journal of Neuroscience, Dr. Picciotto's approach to mentorship, and her lab's work looking at nicotine addiction. Enjoy!

The neuro-revolution is coming. In this episode Jeremy sits down with Drs. Greg Gage and Etienne Serbe in Chicago from Backyard Brains. From an exciting challenge centered around the SfN conference to programs centered around designing new experiments, learn about how Backyard Brains is bringing new opportunities to learn about neuroscience to the next generation of scientists.

Once again Neurotransmissions traveled to the annual Society for Neuroscience conference to chat with some new and old friends. In the first episode of our five-part miniseries, Misha is joined by Tavita Garrett former MPFI post-baccalaureate and current graduate student at Oregon Health & Science University to chat about postbac programs, the path to graduate school, and the joys of electrophysiology. But first, we're joined by previous guest co-host Dr. Paul Evans and current MPFI Head of Scientific training to learn more about the MPFI postbac program (formerly the PRE program) and upcoming deadlines for applications.

Our two-part series of interviews with Dr. Bert Sakmann continues as he explains to Joe and Misha how he got interested in neuroscience, his work on characterizing ion channels, the finer points of electrophysiology and the importance of synapses. If you have not had a chance yet, make sure to check out part one of our conversation with Dr. Sakmann.