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 jo...

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 Res...

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 thes...

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...

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 -...

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...

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...

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...

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 get...

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/podc...

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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 Ep...

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 Sa...

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...

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 acce...

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 Epis...

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 S...

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....

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...

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...

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 Neurotr...

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....

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: neu...

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 Asso...

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 asse...