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Neuroscience Talks in Cambridge

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A superlist combining individual seminars and series from other lists on talks.cam. These Neuroscience-themed seminars will be advertised throughout the relevant interest group in Cambridge.
URL: http://talks.cam.ac.uk/show/index/6028
Updated: 29 min 20 sec ago

Wed 06 Mar 16:00: Twenty years of sex influences on the brain: Some perspective on where we were, where we are, and where we are going

Mon, 12/02/2024 - 11:28
Twenty years of sex influences on the brain: Some perspective on where we were, where we are, and where we are going

About 20 years ago my research into brain mechanisms of emotional memory drew me into an issue about which I previously had zero interest: Sex influences on brain function. As I started to recognize the issue’s enormous importance, I switched my laboratory focus towards exploring, rather than ignoring, the issue. I also began more general efforts to help neuroscience move past its biases (all of which I had shared) and recognize that ignoring the issue, while perhaps once defensible, is no longer, and what is more, that ignoring the issue must disproportionately harm women. Twenty years later the biases against the issue remain strong among many, yet the situation has also changed irreversibly for the better. As I like to put it, neuroscience has turned a corner that cannot be unturned. I will try to capture where neuroscience was on the issue (and how it got there), where it seems to be today, and why I believe the issue is here to stay.

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Thu 15 Feb 16:00: Towards Human Systems Biology of Sleep/Wake Cycles: Phosphorylation Hypothesis of Sleep

Mon, 12/02/2024 - 09:28
Towards Human Systems Biology of Sleep/Wake Cycles: Phosphorylation Hypothesis of Sleep

The field of human biology faces three major technological challenges. Firstly, the causation problem is difficult to address in humans compared to model animals. Secondly, the complexity problem arises due to the lack of a comprehensive cell atlas for the human body, despite its cellular composition. Lastly, the heterogeneity problem arises from significant variations in both genetic and environmental factors among individuals. To tackle these challenges, we have developed innovative approaches. These include 1) mammalian next-generation genetics, such as Triple CRISPR for knockout (KO) mice and ES mice for knock-in (KI) mice, which enables causation studies without traditional breeding methods; 2) whole-body/brain cell profiling techniques, such as CUBIC , to unravel the complexity of cellular composition; and 3) accurate and user-friendly technologies for measuring sleep and awake states, exemplified by ACCEL , to facilitate the monitoring of fundamental brain states in real-world settings and thus address heterogeneity in human.

By integrating these three technologies, we have made significant progress in addressing two major scientific challenges in sleep research: 1) understanding sleep regulation (sleep mechanisms) and 2) determining the role of sleep (sleep functions). With regard to sleep mechanisms, we have recently proposed the phosphorylation hypothesis of sleep, which emphasizes the role of the sleep-promoting kinase CaMKIIα/CaMKIIβ (Tatsuki et al., 2016; Tone et al., 2022; Ode et al., 2020) and the involvement of calcium signaling pathways (Tatsuki et al., 2016). According to this novel perspective, the dynamics of calcium, representing neural activity during wakefulness, can be integrated and converted into the auto-phosphorylation status of CaMKIIα/CaMKIIβ, which induces and sustains sleep (Tone et al., 2022). Concerning sleep functions, we conducted computational studies to examine synaptic efficacy dynamics during sleep and wakefulness. Our findings led to the formulation of the Wake-Inhibition-Sleep-Enhancement (WISE) hypothesis, suggesting that wakefulness inhibits synaptic efficacy, while sleep enhances it.

During this talk, we will also present our discoveries regarding the identification of muscarinic acetylcholine receptors (Chrm1 and Chrm3) as essential genes of REM sleep. Furthermore, we will discuss new insights into psychiatric disorders, neurodevelopmental disorders, and neurodegenerative disorders derived from the phosphorylation hypothesis of sleep.

This talk is hosted by Dr Keita Tamura and Dr Christian Wood

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Mon 19 Feb 12:30: Resting State fMRI & Recent Advances

Fri, 09/02/2024 - 19:07
Resting State fMRI & Recent Advances

Will will stream ISMRM-23 “Advances in fMRI” Educational Course’s session on ”Resting State fMRI & Recent Advances” by Marta Bianciardi (Harvard University). Let’s watch it together and discuss it afterwards!

Abstract: FMRI is a non-invasive method that allows scientists to study the brain function during task or at rest. The BOLD contrast is the workhorse of functional neuroimaging. A cascade of physiological events following neuronal activity (changes in blood oxygenation, flow and volume) culminates in the BOLD signal. The versatility of MRI enables imaging of blood flow and volume using techniques such as Arterial Spin Labelling (ASL) and Vascular Space Occupancy (VASO) respectively. In this talk, we will learn about BOLD and non-BOLD contrasts (CBF, CBV ), discuss what they offer and how they differ in their application to human fMRI.

Venue: MRC CBU Lecture Theatre and Zoom https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82385113580?pwd=RmxIUmphQW9Ud1JBby9nTDQzR0NRdz09

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Mon 18 Mar 12:30: Studies with Single Subjects or Large Numbers of Volunteers - Why, & How?

Fri, 09/02/2024 - 19:00
Studies with Single Subjects or Large Numbers of Volunteers - Why, & How?

Wietske van der Zwaag (Spinoza Centre for Neuroimaging, Amsterdam) will give us a talk on ”Studies with Single Subjects or Large Numbers of Volunteers – Why, & How?”

Abstract: In the functional MRI field, datasets continue to grow. Interestingly, there are two different trends: There are currently multiple efforts towards collection of datasets with a huge number of participants, to capture the variance in a population, or to use the power of massive averaging to discover subtle brain function patterns. A second trend is towards exhaustive sampling of a single participant (or a few), arguing that measurements of one brain likely generalize to most other brains. Dense sampling allows experiments with either many conditions or extremely detailed images, exploring different types of variance. This talk will discuss both trends.

Venue: MRC CBU Lecture Theatre and Zoom https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82385113580?pwd=RmxIUmphQW9Ud1JBby9nTDQzR0NRdz09

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Wed 06 Mar 15:00: Student Spotlight

Thu, 08/02/2024 - 17:37
Student Spotlight

Abstract not available

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Wed 20 Mar 16:00: Title to be confirmed

Thu, 08/02/2024 - 15:53
Title to be confirmed

Abstract not available

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Mon 11 Mar 11:00: Psychological Intergroup Interventions: The Motivation Challenge NOTE: This talk is on Monday at 11 am !

Thu, 08/02/2024 - 15:52
Psychological Intergroup Interventions: The Motivation Challenge

Social scientists have increasingly applied insights from descriptive research to develop psychological interventions aimed at improving intergroup relations. These interventions have achieved marked success in lab and field studies—reducing prejudicial attitudes and affective polarization, fostering support for conciliatory social policies, and promoting peace-building behaviors. At the same time, intergroup conflict continues to rage in part because individuals often lack motivation to engage with these promising interventions. So far, much time and effort has been devoted to designing effective intervention content that produces psychological change, but less attention has been paid to this “motivational challenge.” We take a step toward addressing this imbalance by developing a conceptual framework of methods by which social scientists can deliver the core content of their intergroup interventions to an unmotivated target audience. Along with (a) directly motivating targets by getting them on board with the intervention’s ultimate aim, researchers can deliver the core intervention content by (b) tapping into other psychological motivations of the target audience, (c) embedding the core content in other attractive features of the intervention unrelated to the conflict, or (d) bypass motivational barriers entirely by delivering the intervention outside of targets’ conscious awareness. We define each method and use illustrative examples to organize them into a conceptual framework, before concluding with implications and future directions.

NOTE: This talk is on Monday at 11 am !

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Tue 27 Feb 09:30: Child Development Forum Lent II

Thu, 08/02/2024 - 11:59
Child Development Forum Lent II

SPEAKER NAME : Jiayin Zheng

DEPARTMENT : Department of Education

SPEAKER NAME : Dr Kate Merritt

DEPARTMENT : UCL Institute of Mental Health

TALK TITLE : The impact of cumulative childhood trauma and obstetric complications on brain volume in young people with psychotic experiences

SPEAKER NAME :

DEPARTMENT :

TALK TITLE :

Child Development Forum are a series of talks bringing together researchers of infant, child and adolescent development across the University of Cambridge.

Talks are termly, and usually held at the MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit (Chaucer Road).

Join the mailing list to kept up-to-date, and sign up to give a talk:

https://lists.cam.ac.uk/sympa/info/ucam-childdevforum

This talk is part of the Child Development Forum (CDF) series.

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Wed 14 Feb 15:00: Increasing access to early diagnosis and assessment of autism via objective and cost-effective eye-tracking-based tools

Tue, 06/02/2024 - 09:16
Increasing access to early diagnosis and assessment of autism via objective and cost-effective eye-tracking-based tools

This presentation will focus on studies validating social visual engagement, the moment-by-moment way children look at and learn about their social surroundings, as a quantitative biomarker for autism. Leveraging this science, we have now developed and validated an eye-tracking-based tool for the diagnosis and assessment of autism in 16-30-month toddlers. Following 2 multi-site, prospective, double-blind clinical trials involving >1,600 toddlers, including 3 independent cohorts and 3 replications, this tool showed accuracy of a quantitative diagnostic classifier, and of 3 quantitative indices of severity: social disability proxying the total score of the ADOS -2, and verbal and non-verbal age equivalents proxying the verbal and non-verbal scales of the Mullen. This tool was cleared by the US FDA in July of 2023, and it has been in clinical use in the US since August of 2023. Results of the trials appeared in simultaneous publications in JAMA and JAMA Network Open in September of 2023.

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Tue 12 Mar 10:00: Behavioral, Neuropsychological, and Computational Perspectives on Sensorimotor Learning

Mon, 05/02/2024 - 21:10
Behavioral, Neuropsychological, and Computational Perspectives on Sensorimotor Learning

Humans are remarkably adept at learning to use their bodies in a coordinated manner. Understanding how we acquire, adapt, and retain motor skills is one of the principal goals of cognitive neuroscience, and remains a defining challenge for robotics and clinical rehabilitation. While it is well established that sensorimotor learning entails multiple implicit and explicit processes, the underlying computations and neural substrates governing these processes remain poorly understood. Drawing on my research ranging from fine-grain sensorimotor psychophysics to large-scale crowdsourced datasets, I will highlight core neuropsychological constraints and novel computational insights into sensorimotor learning. This body of work offers a fresh perspective regarding the cerebellum’s role in cognition and action, and has motivated a new hypothesis concerning how the cerebellum coordinates both our physical and mental kinematics.

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Tue 12 Mar 10:00: Behavioral, Neuropsychological, and Computational Perspectives on Sensorimotor Learning

Mon, 05/02/2024 - 21:07
Behavioral, Neuropsychological, and Computational Perspectives on Sensorimotor Learning

Humans are remarkably adept at learning to use their bodies in a coordinated manner. Understanding how we acquire, adapt, and retain motor skills is one of the principal goals of cognitive neuroscience, and remains a defining challenge for robotics and clinical rehabilitation. While it is well established that sensorimotor learning entails multiple implicit and explicit processes, the underlying computations and neural substrates governing these processes remain poorly understood. Drawing on my research ranging from fine-grain sensorimotor psychophysics to large-scale crowdsourced datasets (test yourself here: [https://multiclamp-c2.web.app/](https://multiclamp-c2.web.app/)), I will highlight core neuropsychological constraints and novel computational insights into sensorimotor learning. This body of work offers a fresh perspective regarding the cerebellum’s role in cognition and action, and has motivated a new hypothesis concerning how the cerebellum coordinates both our physical and mental kinematics.

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Wed 07 Feb 15:00: Understanding and managing conspiracy beliefs

Mon, 05/02/2024 - 12:37
Understanding and managing conspiracy beliefs

While considerable progress has been made in uncovering the motivational processes, contextual consequences, and interventions to reduce beliefs in conspiracy theories, certain areas of concern remain unclear. First, recent academic debates have centred around the exact nature of different measures of conspiracy beliefs (e.g., conspiracy mentality vs. belief in specific conspiracy theories). Regardless, what these measures fail to capture are the underlying components that make up a “conspiracist worldview”, alongside the potentially distinct implications of these different ontological processes. To understand this, I discuss our ongoing work on developing a scale that aims to capture a propensity to perceive the world in conspiracist terms. Second, inoculation or “pre-bunking” interventions have proven effective at reducing general misinformation susceptibility and acceptance of conspiracy narratives. However, less is known about the efficacy of these interventions among the specific population of interest; that is, actual “conspiracy theorists”. To explain how interventions might be extended to manage this issue, I will present promising recent evidence from our pre-bunking interventions that are specifically tailored to appeal to those already susceptible to conspiracy narratives. Finally, I will summarise and discuss other potential extensions of pre-bunking interventions to improve their efficacy specifically among “conspiracy theorist” communities.

Teams Meeting ID: 329 287 585 675  Passcode: yKwfhf

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Tue 27 Feb 09:30: Child Development Forum Lent II

Mon, 05/02/2024 - 12:03
Child Development Forum Lent II

Speakers TBA

Child Development Forum are a series of talks bringing together researchers of infant, child and adolescent development across the University of Cambridge.

Talks are termly, and usually held at the MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit (Chaucer Road).

Join the mailing list to kept up-to-date, and sign up to give a talk:

https://lists.cam.ac.uk/sympa/info/ucam-childdevforum

This talk is part of the Child Development Forum (CDF) series.

Add to your calendar or Include in your list

Wed 21 Feb 11:30: Autistic Relationships Across the Lifespan: Family, Friends, Lovers and Others

Mon, 05/02/2024 - 10:35
Autistic Relationships Across the Lifespan: Family, Friends, Lovers and Others

This webinar is based on the above co-authored book by Felicity Sedgewick and Sarah Douglas, which is an overview that combines the latest research findings with lived experiences and insights of autistic people about the differences, difficulties, hopes and dreams of navigating relationships in a confusing world.

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Thu 15 Feb 16:00: Towards Human Systems Biology of Sleep/Wake Cycles: Phosphorylation Hypothesis of Sleep

Mon, 05/02/2024 - 09:27
Towards Human Systems Biology of Sleep/Wake Cycles: Phosphorylation Hypothesis of Sleep

The field of human biology faces three major technological challenges. Firstly, the causation problem is difficult to address in humans compared to model animals. Secondly, the complexity problem arises due to the lack of a comprehensive cell atlas for the human body, despite its cellular composition. Lastly, the heterogeneity problem arises from significant variations in both genetic and environmental factors among individuals. To tackle these challenges, we have developed innovative approaches. These include 1) mammalian next-generation genetics, such as Triple CRISPR for knockout (KO) mice and ES mice for knock-in (KI) mice, which enables causation studies without traditional breeding methods; 2) whole-body/brain cell profiling techniques, such as CUBIC , to unravel the complexity of cellular composition; and 3) accurate and user-friendly technologies for measuring sleep and awake states, exemplified by ACCEL , to facilitate the monitoring of fundamental brain states in real-world settings and thus address heterogeneity in human.

By integrating these three technologies, we have made significant progress in addressing two major scientific challenges in sleep research: 1) understanding sleep regulation (sleep mechanisms) and 2) determining the role of sleep (sleep functions). With regard to sleep mechanisms, we have recently proposed the phosphorylation hypothesis of sleep, which emphasizes the role of the sleep-promoting kinase CaMKIIα/CaMKIIβ (Tatsuki et al., 2016; Tone et al., 2022; Ode et al., 2020) and the involvement of calcium signaling pathways (Tatsuki et al., 2016). According to this novel perspective, the dynamics of calcium, representing neural activity during wakefulness, can be integrated and converted into the auto-phosphorylation status of CaMKIIα/CaMKIIβ, which induces and sustains sleep (Tone et al., 2022). Concerning sleep functions, we conducted computational studies to examine synaptic efficacy dynamics during sleep and wakefulness. Our findings led to the formulation of the Wake-Inhibition-Sleep-Enhancement (WISE) hypothesis, suggesting that wakefulness inhibits synaptic efficacy, while sleep enhances it.

During this talk, we will also present our discoveries regarding the identification of muscarinic acetylcholine receptors (Chrm1 and Chrm3) as essential genes of REM sleep. Furthermore, we will discuss new insights into psychiatric disorders, neurodevelopmental disorders, and neurodegenerative disorders derived from the phosphorylation hypothesis of sleep.

Add to your calendar or Include in your list

Wed 07 Feb 11:30: Jason Arday

Fri, 02/02/2024 - 12:53
Jason Arday

Abstract not available

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Wed 14 Feb 15:00: A closer look at testimony: Scope, challenges, and consequences

Fri, 02/02/2024 - 11:27
A closer look at testimony: Scope, challenges, and consequences

The talk will examine the problem of testimony and its role in shaping our beliefs. It will illustrate the ubiquity of testimony and then draw on work with computational models, in particular, agent-based models to draw out the full scale of the cognitive challenge posed by testimonial evidence. The talk will finish by drawing out some of the consequences of this for the multiple crises affecting our information environments.

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Mon 19 Feb 12:30: Studies with Single Subjects or Large Numbers of Volunteers - Why, & How?

Wed, 31/01/2024 - 13:03
Studies with Single Subjects or Large Numbers of Volunteers - Why, & How?

Will will stream ISMRM-23 “Advances in fMRI” Educational Course’s session on Studies with Single Subjects or Large Numbers of Volunteers – Why, & How?” by Wietske van der Zwaag (Spinoza Centre for Neuroimaging, Amsterdam). Let’s watch it together and discuss it afterwards!

Abstract: In the functional MRI field, datasets continue to grow. Interestingly, there are two different trends: There are currently multiple efforts towards collection of datasets with a huge number of participants, to capture the variance in a population, or to use the power of massive averaging to discover subtle brain function patterns. A second trend is towards exhaustive sampling of a single participant (or a few), arguing that measurements of one brain likely generalize to most other brains. Dense sampling allows experiments with either many conditions or extremely detailed images, exploring different types of variance. This talk will discuss both trends.

Venue: MRC CBU Lecture Theatre and Zoom https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82385113580?pwd=RmxIUmphQW9Ud1JBby9nTDQzR0NRdz09

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Mon 05 Feb 12:30: BOLD & Non-BOLD Contrasts in Human fMRI

Wed, 31/01/2024 - 12:56
BOLD & Non-BOLD Contrasts in Human fMRI

Will will stream ISMRM-23 “Advances in fMRI” Educational Course’s session on ”BOLD & Non-BOLD Contrasts in Human fMRI” by Sriranga Kashyap (Krembil Brain Institute, Toronto). Let’s watch it together and discuss it afterwards!

Abstract: FMRI is a non-invasive method that allows scientists to study the brain function during task or at rest. The BOLD contrast is the workhorse of functional neuroimaging. A cascade of physiological events following neuronal activity (changes in blood oxygenation, flow and volume) culminates in the BOLD signal. The versatility of MRI enables imaging of blood flow and volume using techniques such as Arterial Spin Labelling (ASL) and Vascular Space Occupancy (VASO) respectively. In this talk, we will learn about BOLD and non-BOLD contrasts (CBF, CBV ), discuss what they offer and how they differ in their application to human fMRI.

Venue: MRC CBU Lecture Theatre and Zoom https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82385113580?pwd=RmxIUmphQW9Ud1JBby9nTDQzR0NRdz09

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Wed 20 Mar 16:00: Title to be confirmed

Tue, 30/01/2024 - 14:14
Title to be confirmed

Abstract not available

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