Mind Over Matter: A Happy Hour of Brains, Bytes, and Buzz

Brain research has been accelerating rapidly in recent decades, but the translation of our many discoveries into treatments and cures for brain disorders has not happened as many expected. We do not have cures for the vast majority of brain illnesses, from Alzheimer’s to depression, and many medications we do have are derived from drugs produced in the 1950s—before we knew much about the brain at all. Tackling brain disorders is clearly one of the biggest challenges facing humanity today. What will it take to overcome it? In this talk, I will take you on my personal journey to find answers.

What if brain implants could grow and adapt like living tissue? From flexible electronics to neural interfaces made with actual brain cells, we’re entering a new era of bio-inspired technology to treat neurological diseases. But as these implants move from science fiction to reality, big questions emerge: Who gets access? How do we ensure safety? And what role should ethics and policy play? Join me for a glimpse into this fascinating future.

Our environments are filled with different sounds, from the wind rustling through trees to chirping birds and the squeaks of trolleys. While we perceive these sounds as distinctly different, they are all simply vibrations of air molecules that reach our ears. How, then, do our brains represent the many unique properties of these sounds that help us to tell them apart? In my talk, I’ll show how single neurons in your brain can use different strategies to relay information about the sounds in our environment, continuously giving us an accurate picture of the soundscape around us.

Drinking is a major part of American social culture, and many of us are aware that when we drink, it impacts our mood, memory, and decision-making. This talk will discuss some of the acute and chronic effects of alcohol on the brain and behavior, including how factors like drinking pattern and sex might moderate these outcomes. It will also describe how we identify these changes in the lab – and work to find strategies to prevent or reverse the impacts of alcohol on our brains.