This Week in Neuroscience

TWiN 66: Neuroscience of overeating

TWiN reviews the underlying neurobiological mechanisms of overeating and obesity, the role of the hypothalamus and reward systems in controlling food intake and energy balance, and how dysregulation in these systems leads to overeating. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vincent_Racaniello], Vivianne Morrison, and Tim Cheung Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/this-week-in-neuroscience/id1485118950], Google Podcasts [https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly90d2luMS5saWJzeW4uY29tL3Jzcw], RSS [https://twin1.libsyn.com/rss] Links for this episode * MicrobeTV Discord Server [https://discord.gg/xA4JX7AeeU] * Neurobiology of overeating [https://www.cell.com/neuron/fulltext/S0896-6273%2825%2900182-5?rss=yes] (Neuron) * Timestamps by Jolene Ramsey [https://ramseylab.vercel.app/]. Thanks! Music is by Ronald Jenkees [http://www.ronaldjenkees.com/] Send your neuroscience questions and comments to twin@microbe.tv

TWiN 65: Air pollutants promote dementia

TWiN explains epidemiological data showing that exposure to air pollution was associated with an increased risk of developing Lewy body dementia, and nasal administration of air pollution in mice led to brain atrophy and impaired cognition and motor function. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vincent_Racaniello], Vivianne Morrison, and Tim Cheung Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/this-week-in-neuroscience/id1485118950], Google Podcasts [https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly90d2luMS5saWJzeW4uY29tL3Jzcw], RSS [https://twin1.libsyn.com/rss] Links for this episode * MicrobeTV Discord Server [https://discord.gg/xA4JX7AeeU] * Links between air pollution and dementias [https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adu4132] (Science) * Letter from Susan Schneider Williams Widow of Robin Williams [https://lewybodydementia.home.blog/2018/10/28/letter-of-susan-schneider-williams-widow-of-robin-williams/] (Lewy Body Dementia UK) * Awakenings [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Awakenings] (Wikipedia) * Timestamps by Jolene Ramsey [https://ramseylab.vercel.app/]. Thanks! Music is by Ronald Jenkees [http://www.ronaldjenkees.com/] Send your neuroscience questions and comments to twin@microbe.tv

TWiN 64: How the brain decides what we see

TWiN explains how visual neurons show functional flexibility by selectively responding to subsets of inputs representing attended objects while ignoring those conveying information about irrelevant objects. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vincent_Racaniello], Vivianne Morrison, and Tim Cheung Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/this-week-in-neuroscience/id1485118950], Google Podcasts [https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly90d2luMS5saWJzeW4uY29tL3Jzcw], RSS [https://twin1.libsyn.com/rss] Links for this episode * MicrobeTV Discord Server [https://discord.gg/xA4JX7AeeU] * Gamma-band synchronization in visual cortex [https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-62732-8] (Nat Comm) * Timestamps by Jolene Ramsey [https://ramseylab.vercel.app/]. Thanks! Music is by Ronald Jenkees [http://www.ronaldjenkees.com/] Send your neuroscience questions and comments to twin@microbe.tv

TWiN 63: Microbiome-targeted neurotherapy

TWiN discusses research showing that Lactobacillus acidophilus promotes cognitive function recovery after cerebral ischemia, by regulating microglial peroxisomal function. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vincent_Racaniello], Vivianne Morrison, and Tim Cheung Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/this-week-in-neuroscience/id1485118950], Google Podcasts [https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly90d2luMS5saWJzeW4uY29tL3Jzcw], RSS [https://twin1.libsyn.com/rss] Links for this episode * MicrobeTV Discord Server [https://discord.gg/xA4JX7AeeU] * Arc is pdb molecule of the month [https://pdb101.rcsb.org/motm/308] (PDB) * Probiotics after stroke [https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1931312825002902?via%3Dihub] (Cell Host Microbe) * Timestamps by Jolene Ramsey [https://ramseylab.vercel.app/]. Thanks! Music is by Ronald Jenkees [http://www.ronaldjenkees.com/] Send your neuroscience questions and comments to twin@microbe.tv

TWiN 62: Memories of bad food

TWiN explains research which identifies the regions of the brain that register a long-lasting aversion to potentially poisonous food even with meal to illness delays of several days. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vincent_Racaniello], and Tim Cheung Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/this-week-in-neuroscience/id1485118950], Google Podcasts [https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly90d2luMS5saWJzeW4uY29tL3Jzcw], RSS [https://twin1.libsyn.com/rss] Links for this episode * MicrobeTV Discord Server [https://discord.gg/xA4JX7AeeU] * A neural mechanism for post-ingestion feedback [https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-08828-z] (Nature) * Timestamps by Jolene Ramsey [https://ramseylab.vercel.app/]. Thanks! Music is by Ronald Jenkees [http://www.ronaldjenkees.com/] Send your neuroscience questions and comments to twin@microbe.tv