Mind over Matter

Prof. Redish is at the Department of Neuroscience at the University of Minnesota. His lab is interested in the mechanisms underlying decision-making and spatial navigation. In this episode, Prof. Redish discusses his metamorphosis from a theoretical computer scientist into a full-fledged experimental neuroscientist. He explains why we should all read Homer, regardless of our thesis topic, and gives insight into the thinking process behind his innovative task designs.

Dr. Leopoldo Petreanu is a Principal Investigator at the Champalimaud Center for the Unknown where he leads a Cortical Circuits Lab. Dr. Petreanu is interested in the principles of inter- and intra-cortical connectivity. He levels an appropriately multi-pronged attack on this fundamental problem. For example, to better understand cortical feedback, he studied visual cortex and the functional organization therein. While when looking at the long-range circuits, he chose to look at the sensory and motor cortices. Aside from effortlessly switching between preparations and nailing complex techniques, his lab also develops novel behavioral tasks. In this episode, we discuss --> what Dr. Petreanu learnt from Karel Svoboda --> why not having quantitative skills early on is not a handicap --> which argument for the unity of cortical computation he finds the most compelling

Prof. Dora Angelaki investigates the influence of vestibular signals on spatial cognition in the mammalian brain. We discuss why she changes fields every 10 years, her work in computational psychiatry, systems neuroscience. We also touch on what she learned as an editor-in-chief of the Journal of Neuroscience and a member of the International Brain Laboratory. And much more!

Prof. Matthew Nolan leads a systems neuroscience laboratory at the University of Edinburgh. His research focuses on the molecular and circuit mechanisms underlying memory and navigation in the hippocampal – entorhinal system. Prof. Nolan is a rare example of a scientist whose work appeals both to pure theoreticians and hard line experimentalists. In this episode, we discuss –> open science and the value of reviewer anonymity –> the concept of “cell type” and its (mis)use in the navigation field –> how to supervise long-term projects and guide them to completion

Prof. op de Beeck is a Group leader of Human Brain Imaging and Rodent Visual Cognition at the Catholic University of Leuven in Belgium. We discuss the skewed proportion of PhDs to Postdocs and the progressively narrowing funnel leading to tenure. We also touch upon how to balance high throughput analyses of ‘natural’ behaviors with training animals to perform more sophisticated - and, admittedly, artificial - tasks.