🚨NEW EPISODE ALERT🚨 The Neural Basis of Number Perception | Prof. Andreas Nieder Walk into a room and you instantly know, roughly, how many people are there, without counting. So does a monkey. So does a crow. So, strangely enough, does a bee! In this episode, Andreas Nieder, Professor of Animal Physiology at the University of Tübingen and one of the world's leading voices in cognitive #neuroscience, takes us inside the brain circuits that let humans and animals alike sense "how many." Nieder has spent his career recording single neurons in crows, macaques, and human patients through rare clinical collaborations to understand the brain's #NumberSense. He discovered neurons in the prefrontal and parietal cortex that respond most strongly to a preferred number, regardless of how it is presented. Studying these "number neurons" reveals how the brain supports memory, abstraction, and complex thought. In the episode we talked about: - Why mathematical prodigies rely on memory rather than a different "math brain" - How the concept of zero became one of humanity's greatest intellectual discoveries - Why birds and mammals independently evolved similar number-processing brain networks - What #dyscalculia is and why it affects approximately 5% of the population - How brain injuries can impair numerical cognition and mathematical abilities This is a conversation for anyone curious about #cognition, #mathematics, animal intelligence, or what it really means for a network of neurons to "understand" an abstract idea. Subscribe to our YouTube channel and follow us for exciting neuroscience content. 🔗Link to our social media accounts: linktr.ee/neurosciencebeyond 🔗Link to the video: youtu.be/IKCfF27UNo4 #Neuroscience #AnimalCognition #BrainScience #CognitiveScience #Mathematics

What if cancer cells could communicate directly with your nervous system? Prof. Frank Winkler explains one of the most surprising discoveries in modern neuroscience: cancer cells can form functional synapses with neurons, fundamentally changing how scientists understand cancer growth. The full conversation with Prof. Frank Winkler is now available on our channel. linktr.ee/neurosciencebeyond

Night Shifts: Forcing Biology Against Nature What happens when we force the body to stay awake against its natural rhythm? Dr. Tony Fernando explains why long-term night shift work can be so difficult for the brain and body. Shift work can affect sleep quality, mood, cognition, and even physical health because it disrupts the body’s circadian rhythm. Watch our latest episode to learn about #Sleep, #CircadianRhythm, #NightShift, and human biology. If you’ve worked night shifts before, how did it affect your sleep and energy? Subscribe to our YouTube channel for exclusive content and in-depth discussions on cutting-edge science! linktr.ee/neurosciencebeyond

Sleep is not a performance! Dr. Tony Fernando describes how many people turn sleep into a performance:
tracking every hour, optimizing routines, worrying about getting the “perfect” eight hours. The result? More anxiety. More pressure. Worse sleep. Sometimes the healthiest thing we can do is stop fighting sleep and allow the brain to relax naturally. Watch our latest episode to learn about #Insomnia, #SleepAnxiety, #Psychology, and modern sleep culture. Subscribe to our YouTube channel for exclusive content and in-depth discussions on cutting-edge science! linktr.ee/neurosciencebeyond

Sleep: Brain Switches Modes, Not Off Psychiatrist and sleep physician Dr. Tony Fernando explains that during sleep, the brain remains highly active, it simply switches from an externally focused mode to an internally focused one. Instead of processing the outside world, the brain shifts toward restoration, memory processing, and emotional regulation. A fascinating perspective on #Sleep, #Neuroscience, and how little we still understand about the brain. Subscribe to our YouTube channel for exclusive content and in-depth discussions on cutting-edge science! linktr.ee/neurosciencebeyond

Building a Better Future for Science | Challenges in Academia with Prof. Tiago F. Outeiro Are we evaluating scientists in the wrong way? In this episode of Neuroscience and Beyond, Prof. Outeiro discusses some of the biggest problems in science today: 🔬 Too many researchers competing for too few positions 📉 Pressure to publish and overreliance on impact factors and citations 🤝 The need for more staff scientists, technicians, and long-term research roles — not only professors and PIs ⚖️ Work-life balance, burnout, and the changing culture of academia 🚀 How AI and new technologies may reshape scientific work Tiago also emphasizes that science needs more inclusive and sustainable career paths: “We need to work together from the top to the bottom, from the bottom to the top to try to change things.” What’s your biggest challenge in academia? Share your thoughts in the comments! 💬 Subscribe to our YouTube channel for exclusive content and honest conversations about academic life. 🔗 Link to the video: youtu.be/VP7uEhdIhng #Academia #Science #Research #PhD #Postdoc #Neuroscience #Parkinsons #Alzheimers #AcademicLife #Scientists #STEM #ResearchCulture #AI #Podcast #NeuroscienceAndBeyond

Aging and Neural Balance The brain operates under tight regulation of excitation and inhibition. Nicole Rust explains that this balance is essential for stable function, and aging may impair the mechanisms that maintain it. Subscribe to our YouTube channel for exclusive content and in-depth discussions on cutting-edge science! linktr.ee/neurosciencebeyond #Aging #Neuroscience #BrainHealth #Homeostasis #Neurodegeneration

How to Measure Memory: Objective vs Subjective Memory can be tested with clear ground truth, you either saw an image before or you didn’t. Nicole Rust explains that this objectivity is crucial for studying the brain, and highlights why subjective states like mood, where only the individual has access, are much harder to measure and compare across species. Watch our latest episode to learn more about #Memory #BrainResearch and find us on other platforms: linktr.ee/neurosciencebeyond #Neuroscience #CognitiveScience #Neurobiology

How Attention Shapes What You See Vision is not purely passive. Nicole Rust explains how attention links sensory input with task goals, comparing what you see with what you’re searching for. Watch our latest episode to learn more about #Attention #VisualProcessing and find us on other platforms: linktr.ee/neurosciencebeyond #Neuroscience #CognitiveScience #Perception

From Pixels to Perception: Vision, Memory, Mood and Brain Disease Cures | Prof. Nicole Rust 🚨NEW EPISODE ALERT🚨 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 behavioural experiments, #neural recordings, and #computational models to understand how we see, remember, and experience the world. 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 recognise 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 new 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 it's in - Why the "broken domino" model has held back treatments. Subscribe to our YouTube channel and follow us for exciting neuroscience content. 🔗Link to our social media accounts: linktr.ee/neurosciencebeyond 🔗Link to the video: youtu.be/_aI_Nh_klw4 #Neuroscience #VisualNeuroscience #Memory #Perception #MoodNeuroscience #Depression #BrainHealth #ElusiveCures #ComplexSystems #BrainResearch #ScienceCommunication #BrainHealthMatters #NeuroscienceAndBeyond

Alpha-Synuclein in the Nucleus: New Insights #AlphaSynuclein isn’t just at the synapse it’s also found in the cell nucleus. While most of the protein remains presynaptic, its nuclear presence may reveal new mechanisms behind #ParkinsonsDisease and #LewyBody disorders, opening doors to fresh research questions. Watch the full episode to uncover what nuclear #AlphaSynuclein tells us about #ParkinsonsResearch. Subscribe to our YouTube channel for exclusive content and in-depth discussions on cutting-edge science! linktr.ee/neurosciencebeyond #Neuroscience #BrainHealth #ProteinResearch #Neurodegeneration #CellBiology #ParkinsonsResearch

Exercise: Parkinson’s Disease Modifier Exercise is the most effective disease-modifying strategy we currently have for Parkinson's disease, shown to reduce risk and slow progression. Unlike a “magic pill,” it’s a powerful, evidence-based intervention available to everyone. Watch the full episode to learn how #Exercise can modify #ParkinsonsDisease risk and progression. #BrainHealth #Neuroscience Subscribe to our YouTube channel for exclusive content and in-depth discussions on cutting-edge science! linktr.ee/neurosciencebeyond

How to address big scientific questions - Focused Research Organizations Why are some scientific problems too big for #academia but not yet suitable for industry? Traditional academic labs are small, often driven by individual PhD students or postdocs. At the same time, industry typically focuses on problems with clear commercial returns. This leaves a gap for large-scale, high-risk scientific challenges. Dr. Sven Truckenbrodt explains the concept of a Focused Research Organization, a philanthropically funded model that brings together 10–20 scientists to work intensively on one major problem. At E11 Bio, this approach is used to scale #connectomics by reducing costs and increasing speed.

Expansion Microscopy Explained What is #ExpansionMicroscopy and how does it overcome the diffraction limit of light? Instead of improving the microscope, the tissue itself is physically expanded, increasing the distance between molecules so they can be imaged. Subscribe to our YouTube channel for exclusive content and in-depth discussions on cutting-edge science! Check out our latest episode for more on #connectomics and #brainresearch. linktr.ee/neurosciencebeyond

Reconstructing the Brain - Technical Difficulty Why is reconstructing neural circuits so demanding? In electron microscopy-based (EM) connectomics, brain tissue must be preserved, stained, and sliced into thousands of ultrathin sections. These sections are then imaged and computationally reconstructed using automated segmentation, followed by extensive human proofreading. Dr. Sven Truckenbrodt discusses the technical bottlenecks in high-resolution #neuralcircuit reconstruction and why data processing remains one of the biggest challenges in #brainresearch. Subscribe to our YouTube channel for exclusive content and in-depth discussions on cutting-edge science! Check out our latest episode for more on #connectomics and #brainresearch. linktr.ee/neurosciencebeyond

Why Connectomics Is Still Limited Why can’t we simply compare many complete connectomes? Current large-scale #connectomics datasets are rare “hero experiments”  often costing tens to hundreds of millions and requiring enormous computational reconstruction. Dr. Sven Truckenbrodt explains why cost, scalability, and the need for comparative datasets remain major limitations in modern #brainmapping. Subscribe to our YouTube channel for exclusive content and in-depth discussions on cutting-edge science! Check out our latest episode for more on #connectomics and #brainresearch. linktr.ee/neurosciencebeyond

How Tiny Is a Synapse? How small is a synapse, and why does its nanoscale size make studying the brain so difficult? Synapses exist at the nanometer scale, pushing the limits of modern #neuroscience and #microscopy. In our new episode, Dr. Sven Truckenbrodt explains why synapse size matters for neuroscience and #connectomics. Subscribe to our YouTube channel for exclusive content and in-depth discussions on cutting-edge science! Check out our latest episode for more on #synapses and #brainresearch. linktr.ee/neurosciencebeyond

Unnatural Amino Acids for Precise Protein Labeling In super-resolution microscopy, labeling is key: unnatural amino acids enable precise, site-specific fluorophore attachment. Watch the full episode to learn how advances in #microscopy are reshaping our understanding of cellular structure: youtu.be/8cXV9J5NJQQ Subscribe to our YouTube channel for exclusive content and in-depth discussions on cutting-edge science! linktr.ee/neurosciencebeyond #ProteinLabeling #UnnaturalAminoAcids #SuperResolution #Microscopy

The presynapse is one of the brain’s most crowded and complex structures, pushing conventional microscopy to its limits. Prof. Sauer from @Uni_WUE explains how super-resolution methods reveal the nanoscale organization of synapses. Watch the full episode here: youtu.be/8cXV9J5NJQQ Subscribe to our YouTube channel for exclusive content and in-depth discussions on cutting-edge science! linktr.ee/neurosciencebeyond #Neuroscience #Synapse #Presynapse #SuperResolution #Neuroimaging