ECNP Podcast series

This podcast with guest speaker Eduard Vieta, Spain, and host Michele De Prisco, Spain, is part of the Brains On Brains podcast series from ECNP.  What does it mean to be a leader in modern neuroscience? How do personal values, mentorship, and experience shape a scientific career? And what challenges and opportunities await the next generation of researchers? In this episode, Eduard Vieta and Mich...

This podcast with guest speaker Gerard Clarke , Ireland, and host Jelena Brasanac , Germany, is part of the Brains On Brains podcast series from ECNP.  In this episode, they take us inside the rapidly evolving world of microbiome research and its relevance for psychiatry. They explore how gut microbial communities shape stress, mood, cognition, and behaviour, and discuss key discoveries that have...

This podcast with guest speaker Sabine Hölter‑Koch , Germany, and host Luisa Klahn , Sweden, is part of the Brains On Brains podcast series from ECNP. In this episode, they discuss the value of rigorous preclinical research, the role of translational models, and the challenges facing animal research today. They explore the ECNP Course on Neuroscience research, designed to strengthen methodological...

This podcast with guest speakers Tiago Costa , United Kingdom, and Piotr Jazdzyk , Poland, and host Luisa Klahn, Sweden, is part of the Brains On Brains podcast series from ECNP. In this episode, they explore how neuromodulation—from ECT and TMS to emerging techniques—offers powerful, evidence‑based options for severe and treatment‑resistant depression. They discuss clinical impact, training gaps,...

This podcast with guest speaker Marco Solmi , Canada, and host Michele De Prisco , Spain, is part of the Brains On Brains podcast series from ECNP. How important is it to summarise data in a world where thousands of new findings are produced every day? Can we generate new knowledge from existing information? What should we be aware of when reading a meta-analysis? In this episode, Michele De Prisc...

In this episode, Elisabeth Binder, Germany, explores how stress leaves lasting biological marks through genetic and epigenetic mechanisms. In conversation with Jelena Brasanac, Germany, she discusses how discoveries in stress-related genes and pathways, such as FKBP5, have paved the way toward a deeper understanding of vulnerability, resilience, and the promise of personalised psychiatry. She also...

What does it mean to call something a “mental disorder”? Are biological explanations enough? In this episode, psychiatrist and philosopher of psychiatry Awais Aftab, USA, joins host Stefan Jerotic, Serbia, to unpack competing models of mental illness, the value of explanatory pluralism, how patient perspectives reshape psychiatric understanding and how conceptual clarity can make psychiatry more h...

This podcast with guest speaker Joaquim Radua, Spain, and host Michele De Prisco, Spain, is part of the Brains On Brains podcast series from ECNP.  Is the future of psychiatry being shaped by data science? How can predictive models and neuroimaging support clinical care? What role will artificial intelligence play in transforming mental health research?  In this episode, Michele De Prisco and Joaq...

This podcast with speakers Tomas Hajek, Canada, Danella Hafeman, USA, Hanne Lie Kjærstad, Denmark, and host Luisa Klahn, Sweden, is part of the Congress Preview podcast series from ECNP. Longitudinal studies help scientists understand why the course and outcomes of bipolar disorder vary so widely. In this episode, the speakers discuss brain changes, cognitive impairments, and mobile sensing, shari...

This podcast with speakers Linda Simmler, Switzerland, Frederick Barret, United States, and host Friederike Holze, Switzerland, is part of the Congress Preview podcast series from ECNP. They explore the therapeutic potential of psychedelics like psilocybin, discussing both preclinical and clinical research. Topics include synaptic plasticity, neural circuits, and the role of psychedelics in treati...

This podcast with guest speaker Alberto Giubilini, United Kingdom, and host Michele De Prisco, Spain, is part of the Brains On Brains podcast series from ECNP. Can AI act as a moral advisor in psychiatry? What consent and equity dilemmas do we face? Should we fear or embrace these tools? In this episode, Michele De Prisco and Alberto Giubilini explore AI ethics in mental health, share insights, an...

In this episode, Martin Picard, USA, from Columbia University, shares his academic journey into mitochondrial psychobiology and its groundbreaking links to mental health, with postdoctoral researcher and Early Career Academy member Jelena Brasanac, Germany. He discusses the role of mitochondria in stress, mental health, and mood, explaining how mitochondrial health could reshape approaches to trea...

In this Podcast episode, host Silvia Bruzzone, Denmark, is joined by Martien Kas, the Netherlands, and Hugh Marston, Germany, to discuss their recent publication in Molecular Psychiatry: “Precision Psychiatry Roadmap: Towards a Biology-Informed Framework for Mental Disorders.”  Together, they examine the shortcomings of current diagnostic systems in psychiatry and present the vision behind the Pre...

What is the role of neuroscience during today’s opioid epidemic? Join host Chiara Montemitro , Sweden, for an essential conversation with Siri Leknes, Norway, as she reflects on her diverse journey to a better understanding of pain and pleasure while addressing the staggering rise in opioid-related deaths. Discover the personal and professional insights that shaped Leknes’ career, including candid...

Tune in to this captivating podcast episode featuring Prof. Brenda Penninx , the Netherlands, a renowned professor of psychiatric epidemiology. Brenda engages in a stimulating conversation with Marieke Klein, The Netherlands, sharing her scientific journey and groundbreaking research on depression. Discover how interdisciplinary research is paving the way for personalized mental health treatments....

Is virtual reality already a tool we can use to study psychiatric disorders? What challenges do we need to consider? Should we be concerned, or can we be optimistic about the application of these technologies? In this episode, hosted by Dr. Michele De Prisco, Spain, Prof. Kamilla Miskowiak,  Denmark, shares her passion and expertise in using virtual reality to study cognitive impairment in psychia...

Does serotonin hold the key to mental health treatment?  Elias Eriksson , Sweden, recipient of the 2024 ECNP Neuropharmacology Award, guides us through the science of serotonin reuptake inhibitors, passionately defending the serotonin theory of depression and addressing recent controversies in the field. Alongside host Chiara Montemitro , Sweden, they delve into clinical implications, the signific...

Join Prof. Carmine Pariante of King’s College London as he speaks with postdoctoral researcher and ECA member Jelena Brasanac from Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin. Together, they explore his pioneering research on the role of inflammation in mental health and the potential of platform trials to develop new mental health interventions. Prof. Pariante also highlights the importance of science com...

Dysregulated insulin signalling affects somatic diseases including Type 2 diabetes and obesity, however has also been implicated in neurodegenerative and neuropsychiatric disorders. In this podcast, Simone Macrì , Italy, and Mairéad Sullivan , Ireland, discuss the role of insulin signalling in brain, and the value of animal models in understanding insulin-behaviour links. They are both part of the...

In this episode, Janusz Rybakowski , Poland, and Kosma Sakrajda , Poland, discuss lithium's current and historical background in clinical practice and science. Based on the over 50 years of Janusz Rybakowski's career, they delve into pioneering research, the progress made in understanding the lithium mode of action over the years, and underline the new research directions. Janusz also sh...

What do stress and resilience have in common? What is burnout and what are the challenges of studying it? How can different online platforms help researchers with literature research and psychiatric patients to better understand the medications that they’re prescribed? In this conversation, expert Christiaan Vinkers , the Netherlands, guides us through the world of stress and resilience, as well a...

In this episode neurobiologist Francesca Cirulli, Italy, shares with PhD student Silvia Bruzzone, Denmark, her personal academic journey and her most interesting findings relating early life stress factors to vulnerability to mental disorders. She also tells us about some of her many different side projects, including pet therapy to support children with autism and the ALBA network, a network of b...

Dive into this transformative podcast, “Neuroscience redefined: stories of inclusion” with Ilya Smolensky and Katherine Deane, hosted by Rosanne Ausems. Ilya shares his inspiring journey with cerebral palsy, sparking a broader conversation on disabilities in research. Discover Katherine's ground-breaking work assessing lab accessibility, revealing shocking disparities. This episode is your in...

In this podcast episode, neurobiologist and pharmacologist Roger Adan, The Netherlands, talks with PhD student Silvia Bruzzone, Denmark, about his scientific findings in the field of eating behavior and disorders. Roger tells us about his journey in research, starting from his early studies on neuropeptides to his current goal, unraveling the brain circuits involved in anorexia nervosa. Views and...

Journey through the fascinating world of psychiatry research with Professor Marion Leboyer, France, a trailblazer in genetic research for psychiatric disorders and a proponent of the emerging field of immunoneuropsychiatry. In this podcast, Marion, France, discusses with Aiste Lengvenyte, France, her initial studies into autism genetics, and the current work on the intersection of immunology and p...