Del Monte Institute for Neuroscience / News & Events / Podcast: NeURoscience Perspectives

NeURoscience Perspectives

Listen today!

Immerse yourself in the fascinating world of neuroscience with our expert guests as they explore the mysteries of the brain and the latest breakthroughs in research with our host, John Foxe, PhD, director of the Del Monte Institute for Neuroscience at the University of Rochester.

Each episode features in-depth conversations with leading scientists, who unravel complex topics and tackle intriguing questions like: How does the brain shape our behavior? What role do genetics play in our health? How do early life experiences shape brain function and critical periods of brain development? Listen as they share their unique journeys to neuroscience research, lessons learned from the bench, and discoveries that transform our understanding of neurodevelopmental diseases and disorders like autism and Rett syndrome and neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.

Whether you’re a seasoned scientist or just curious about the brain, our podcast will spark your interest, expand your understanding of this dynamic field, and lift the veil on how leaders in brain research made it to where they are today. Don’t miss out on your journey into the depths of neuroscience with experts from around the world—subscribe now!

Episode 25: What Happens When You Combine AI and Neuroscience?

Can we predict brain health across a lifetime? Just as a knee injury at 20 might cause problems later, researchers are exploring how early brain experiences shape future brain health. In this episode of Neuroscience Perspectives, Dr. Randy McIntosh, Professor and Director at the Institute for Neuroscience and Neurotechnology at Simon Fraser University, discusses groundbreaking insights into brain health, neuroscience, and AI with Dr. John Foxe, Director of the Del Monte Institute for Neuroscience. Learn about the Virtual Brain, an open-source neuroscience platform that simulates human brain function, offering new ways to understand conditions like stroke, epilepsy, and neurodegenerative diseases. Discover how technology, artificial intelligence, and neuroscience are converging to unlock the secrets of the human brain.

Virtual Brain: https://www.thevirtualbrain.org/tvb/zwei

Episode 24: Unlocking the Brain's Communication Hub: The Power of the Thalamus with Dr. S. Murray Sherman

In this special episode of Neuroscience Perspectives, host John Foxe, PhD, director of the Del Monte Institute for Neuroscience at the University of Rochester, sits down with S. Murray Sherman, PhD, Maurice Goldblatt Professor of Neurobiology at the University of Chicago, in Chicago at the annual Society for Neuroscience (SfN) conference. Sherman is a neuroscientist known for his groundbreaking work on the thalamus. Dive into a compelling conversation that unravels how the thalamus plays a pivotal role as the brain's relay center, transforming sensory input into meaningful perceptions and actions.

Discover how Dr. Sherman's research sheds light on the thalamus's intricate connections to cortical regions, revealing its role in shaping critical cognitive functions. From vision to decision-making, his work was integral in informing the understanding of the visual pathway from the retina through the thalamus to the cortex, and it also revealed other cortical areas organized in parallel to direct connections.

Learn how mentors and a bit of luck played critical roles in his journey, including Nobel laureates Richard Feynman, PhD, Roger Sperry, PhD, and Ray Guillery, PhD, who would become Sherman's longtime collaborator.

Dr. Sherman's SfN profile

Whether you're a neuroscientist or just interested in the brain —listen, learn, and subscribe to Neuroscience Perspectives today!

Episode 23: Exploring the Genetic Dance of Neurons: What Roundworms Reveal About Behavior

In this episode of Neuroscience Perspectives, we dive into the microscopic world of C. elegans—tiny roundworms that are revolutionizing our understanding of genetics and behavior. Join host John Foxe, PhD, director of the Del Monte Institute for Neuroscience at the University of Rochester as he chats with Doug Portman, PhD, the Donald M. Foster Professor of Biomedical Genetics, Biology, and Neuroscience, at University of Rochester Medical C enter. Portman’s research unravels the intriguing ways that biological sex shapes neural development and influences behaviors, like the eternal quest for food versus the search for a mate.

Discover how these unassuming creatures serve as a powerful model for understanding complex questions about the brain. What happens in the male C. elegans brain when the urge to find a mate overrides the basic need to eat? And how can these insights inform our understanding of sex differences in human health and disease susceptibility?

Whether you’re a neuroscience enthusiast or just curious about how tiny organisms can help answer big questions—listen, learn, and subscribe to Neuroscience Perspectives today!

Episode 22: How a quest to find solutions for vision loss- turned a clinician into a scientist

José Alain Sahel, MD, is a distinguished professor, eye and ear foundation professor, and chair of the Department of Ophthalmology at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. He is also the director of the UPMC Vision Institute. Dr. Sahel is a leading expert in retinal diseases and vision restoration research and is a pioneer in optogenetic vision restoration. This therapeutic technique uses genetically modified cells in the retina to express light-sensitive proteins and could help patients who are blind or visually impaired because of a genetic defect. His research has also helped to develop several other interventions for vision impairment—including stem cell implantation, gene therapy, innovative pharmacologic approaches, and the artificial retina.

Dr. Sahel was the keynote speaker at the 33rd Biennial Center for Visual Science Symposium at the University of Rochester. He joins John Foxe, PhD, for this episode of Neuroscience Perspectives.

Episode 21: What helped launch leaders in #neuroscience into a lifetime of learning

Is there a defining moment that set you on your current path? In this episode of Neuroscience Perspectives, we’re revisiting origin stories – what launched leading neuroscientists into a lifetime of learning and interest in the brain.

Host: John Foxe, PhD, director of the Del Monte Institute for Neuroscience

Guests (in order of appearance):

Nathan A. Smith, PhD, associate dean for Equity & Inclusion for Research and Research Education and associate professor of Neuroscience at the University of Rochester School of Medicine School of Medicine and Dentistry

Fan Wang, PhD, professor, Brain and Cognitive Sciences, McGovern Institute, MIT

Takao Hensch, PhD, professor of Neurology at Harvard Medical School at Boston Children’s Hospital and of Molecular and Cellular Biology at Harvard’s Center for Brain Science

Jessica Cardin, PhD, associate professor, and vice chair of the Neuroscience Department at Yale School of Medicine

Kia Nobre, PhD, director of the Center for Neurocognition and Behavior at the Wu Tsai Institute at Yale University

Episode 20: Neuroscience insights: How to steer toward success in science

How often do you think about science fits into your life and how you fit into the field? For our 20th episode we are looking back at some of the advice that’s been shared by our guests on Neuroscience Perspectives.
Host: John Foxe, PhD, director of the Del Monte Institute for Neuroscience

Guests (in order of appearance):

Katalin Gothard, PhD, professor of Physiology and Neuroscience at the University of Arizona

Ed Callaway, PhD, professor and Audrey Geisel chair in the systems neurobiology laboratories at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies

Kia Nobre, PhD, director of the Center for Neurocognition and Behavior at the Wu Tsai Institute at Yale University

Takao Hensch, PhD, professor of Neurology at Harvard Medical School at Boston Children’s Hospital and of Molecular and Cellular Biology at Harvard’s Center for Brain Science

Lucina Uddin, PhD, professor of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences at UCLA

Yoland Smith, PhD, Division Chief, Neuropharmacology and Neurologic Diseases, Emory National Primate Research Center

Jessica Cardin, PhD, associate professor, and vice chair of the Neuroscience Department at Yale School of Medicine

Brian Boyd, PhD, William C. Friday Distinguished professor of Education and interim director of the Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute at the University of North Carolina (UNC)

Jeffrey Macklis, MD, Max and Anne Wien professor of Life Sciences, in the Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology and Center for Brain Science at Harvard University

Episode 19: Kia Nobre, PhD

How are the brain systems that support adaptive human cognition and behavior organized? Kia Nobre, PhD, is the director of the Center for Neurocognition and Behavior at the Wu Tsai Institute at Yale University. Her discoveries have revolutionized our scientific understanding of the human mind and #brain. She tells John Foxe, PhD, director of the Del Monte Institute for Neuroscience, about the great gift she acquired as a child that leveraged her education at an early age. Nobre recently returned to her alma mater after spending the majority of her career at Oxford University where she held several leadership roles, including the director of the Oxford Centre for Human Brain Activity.

Episode 18: Takao Hensch, PhD

How do early life experiences shape brain function and critical periods of brain development? Takao Hensch, PhD, is a professor of Neurology at Harvard Medical School at Boston Children’s Hospital and a professor of Molecular and Cellular Biology at Harvard’s Center for Brain Science. He leads the National Institute of Mental Health Silvio Conte Center on Mental Health Research at Harvard and the International Research Center for Neurointelligence. Dr. Hensch joins John Foxe, PhD, director of the Del Monte Institute for Neuroscience at the University of Rochester, on NeURoscience Perspectives to discuss the critical periods of brain development and whether plasticity can be reopened to target and treat disease. He also shares how being multilingual first piqued his interest in how the brain works.

Episode 17: Nathan A. Smith, PhD

How are injury and illness monitored in the brain? Once thought of as the glue of the brain, glia cells have been proven to play a key role in brain health with astrocytes acting as important messengers. These star-like cells are at the center of the research of Nathan A. Smith, PhD, associate dean for Equity & Inclusion for Research and Research Education and associate professor of Neuroscience at the University of Rochester Medical Center and School of Medicine, who joins John Foxe, PhD, director of the Del Monte Institute for Neuroscience at the University of Rochester, on NeURoscience Perspectives. They explore Smith’s journey into science that started with the gift of a microscope from his mother, how research experience shaped his academic career, and why he is steadfast on wearing two hats to transform the future of the field.

Episode 16: Jessica Cardin, PhD

How do we learn? How does our brain change between different mental states? And what changes happen at the cellular level in the cerebral cortex between concentration and daydreaming? Jessica Cardin, PhD, associate professor and vice chair of the Neuroscience Department at Yale School of Medicine, joins John Foxe, PhD, director of the Del Monte Institute for Neuroscience at the University of Rochester, on NeURoscience Perspectives. They explore her interest in understanding how we learn, specifically, the flexibility of our brain, and her creative approaches in the lab that aim to improve our understanding of the cellular mechanisms behind neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism or schizophrenia. Dr. Cardin also shares how conducting experiments during childhood helped shape her curiosity.

Episode 15: Fan Wang, PhD

How does the brain perceive touch? How does it process pain? Could what we know about pain better inform treatments for addiction? Fan Wang, PhD, professor in the Brain and Cognitive Sciences department at the McGovern Institute for Brain Research at MIT, joins John Foxe, PhD, director of the Del Monte Institute for Neuroscience at the University of Rochester for this engaging discussion in NeURoscience Perspectives. Hear her journey to research, how the focus of her lab has transformed over time, and how she is using role as a researcher to better the lives of others.

Episode 14: Lucina Uddin, PhD

What does the spontaneous activity in the brain tell us? How is open science changing research? Lucina Uddin, PhD, professor-in-residence of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences at University of California, Los Angeles, joins John Foxe, PhD, director of the Del Monte Institute for Neuroscience at the University of Rochester for this engaging discussion in NeURoscience Perspectives. Hear her journey to research, how she’s taking on diversity and inclusion in the NIH funded largest long-term study of adolescent brain development (the ABCD Study), and her best advice for aspiring scientists.

Episode 13: Brian Boyd, PhD

How a paragraph in a textbook and a summer camp were pivotal to the career of Brian Boyd, PhD, William C. Friday Distinguished Professor of Education Interim Director of the Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute at the University of North Carolina (UNC). Boyd has dedicated his career to autism spectrum disorder (ASD). He trained in special education, and much of his research has involved developing and evaluating evidence-based practices for children with ASD in schools and at home. His recent work focuses on how implicit bias and race affect the outcomes of children with and without disabilities. He sat down with John J. Foxe, PhD, director of the Del Monte Institute for Neuroscience at the University of Rochester, on a visit to the Medical Center as one of the keynote speakers of the Del Monte Institute for Neuroscience and UR-IDDRC annual symposium.

Episode 12: Yoland Smith, PhD

What's puzzling researchers studying Parkinson’s disease? Yoland Smith, PhD, Division Chief, Neuropharmacology and Neurologic Diseases, Emory National Primate Research Center discusses this with John J. Foxe, PhD, director of the Del Monte Institute for Neuroscience at the University of Rochester. Smith seeks to understand the pathophysiology of Parkinson's and characterize changes in the synaptic plasticity of the basal ganglia in normal and pathological conditions. With more than 250 peer-reviewed manuscripts, Smith is a prolific published who is also a senior editor at the European Journal of Neuroscience. He is also passionate about mentorship and discusses why people should have a mentor throughout their careers.

Episode 11: Dean Salisbury, PhD

His research has helped to change the conceptualization of schizophrenia as a static, perinatal encephalopathy by pioneering the combined use of structural brain imaging and electroencephalographic (EEG) measurement of auditory cortex responses to demonstrate that progressive gray matter loss during the early disease course of schizophrenia is linked to progressive auditory impairment. Dean Salisbury, PhD, a professor of Psychiatry at the University of Pittsburgh, sits down with John J. Foxe, PhD, director of the Del Monte Institute for Neuroscience at the University of Rochester, to discuss his latest research and what lead him to a career in science.

Episode 10: Katalin Gothard, MD, PhD

During her medical training, she worked in Romania orphanages. Today most of her research focuses on touch. Katalin Gothard, MD, PhD, a professor of Physiology and Neuroscience at the University of Arizona, studies the neural basis of emotion and social behavior. She tells John J. Foxe, PhD, the director of the Del Monte Institute for Neuroscience at the University of Rochester, what she experienced with those children early in her career is never far from her mind.

Episode 9: Qiang Chang, PhD

Rett syndrome is a rare disease that impacts one out of every 10,000 female births. Qiang Chang, PhD, professor of Medical Genetics & Neurology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, studies this developmental disorder caused by mutations that deform an essential protein called MeCP2. He is also the director of the Waisman Center and leads the Intellectual and Developmental Research Center at UW-Madison. He tells John J. Foxe, PhD, director of the Del Monte Institute for Neuroscience at the University of Rochester, why it is important for scientists to keep an open mind.

Episode 8: Helen Barbas, PhD

She pursued research in the area of the brain others thought was “too complex to study.” Helen Barbas, PhD, a professor of Anatomy & Neurobiology at Boston University School of Medicine, is deemed a pioneer in the neuroanatomy of the primate brain, studying the prefrontal cortex. She started her lab, Neural Systems Laboratory, at BU in the 1980s and has made numerous contributions to our understanding of circuits in the prefrontal cortex in primates. She shares her journey to science with John J. Foxe, PhD, the director of the Del Monte Institute for Neuroscience at the University of Rochester, which includes a Fulbright scholarship that brought a 17-year-old over five thousand miles from home.

Episode 7: Bea Luna, PhD

She was one of the first people to dedicate their research to the teenage brain. Bea Luna, PhD, a professor of Psychiatry at the University of Pittsburgh, is known for conducting neuroimaging research on the development of cognitive control, reward, and reinforcement learning from early childhood to adolescence. She shares her journey from Chile to the U.S. as a teen, why she studies adolescent brain development, her time working in the White House, and reflects on being a woman and mother working in science during this episode of NeURoscience Perspectives with John J. Foxe, PhD, director of the Del Monte Institute for Neuroscience at the University of Rochester.

Episode 6: Tatiana Pasternak, PhD

The request for a scientific paper changed the course of a scientific career for a student in Lativa. Tatiana Pasternak, PhD, a Scientific Review Officer at the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, spent more than 40 years as a Professor of Neuroscience and researcher at the University of Rochester she shares her research journey, including her connection to Ivan Pavlov, and what her most recent role as a Scientific Review Officer at the NINDS has taught her.

Episode 5: Ed Callaway, PhD

His lab pioneered a new way to map the connections between single neurons and specific cell types in the brain. Ed Callaway, PhD, professor, and Audrey Geisel chair in the systems neurobiology laboratories at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in La Jolla, California, shares why he believes there will eventually be gene therapy to treat brain disorders and the tool his lab developed using the rabies virus to understand connections between neurons in this episode of NeURoscience Perspectives, John J. Foxe, PhD, director of the Del Monte Institute for Neuroscience at the University of Rochester.

Episode 4: Jeffrey Macklis, MD

The term, stem cell has been misused when referencing the nervous system, according to Jeffrey Macklis, MD, Max and Anne Wien Professor of Life Sciences, in the Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology and Center for Brain Science at Harvard University. He discussed this with John Foxe, PhD, director of the Del Monte Institute for Neuroscience at the University of Rochester. Dr. Macklis is also professor of Neurology and Neurosurgery at Harvard Medical School. His lab seeks to apply developmental controls toward brain and spinal cord regeneration and directed differentiation for therapeutic and mechanistic screening.

Episode 3: David Amaral, PhD

How close are scientists to discovering a biomarker for autism? David Amaral, PhD, a Distinguished Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the University of California, Davis, and the Beneto Foundation Chair and Research Director of the MIND Institute, discusses this with John Foxe, PhD, director of the Del Monte Institute for Neuroscience at the University of Rochester. He also shares the statement he no longer uses in papers about autism and what that means for early intervention. As Research Director, he coordinates a multidisciplinary analysis of children with autism called the Autism Phenome Project to define clinically significant sub-types of autism. Dr. Amaral is the director of Autism BrainNet, a collaborative effort to solicit postmortem brain tissue to facilitate autism research.

Episode 2: Helen Tager-Flusberg, PhD

What can language tell us about the brain of someone with autism? Helen Tager-Flusberg, PhD, director and principal investigator at the Center for Autism Research Excellence - CARE at Boston University, has spent years researching language, communication, and associated social-cognitive deficits in autism and other neurodevelopmental disorders. She joins John J. Foxe, PhD, director of the Del Monte Institute for Neuroscience at the University of Rochester, to discuss this relationship, and also offers some advice to young women pursuing a PhD in science.

Episode 1: Steven Petersen, PhD

How does reading change the brain? It is one area of research focus for the Petersen lab at Washington University in St. Louis. Steven Petersen, PhD, professor of Radiology, Psychological & Brain Sciences, Biomedical Engineering, and Neuroscience at Washington University joins John J. Foxe, PhD, director of the Del Monte Institute for Neuroscience at the University of Rochester and shares his journey to science, thoughts on the research publication process, and discusses how his lab behavioral, functional neuroimaging (fMRI), and functional connectivity (fcMRI) to study the neural mechanisms underlying attention, language, learning, and memory.