Vivianne explains how early in Alzheimer’s disease, the brain attempts to counteract the increased excitatory drive caused by amyloid deposition, and that melanin-concentrating hormone, produced during sleep, is involved in this protective response.

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Jason Shepherd, Timothy Cheung, and Vivianne Morrison

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Download TWiN 041 (39 MB .mp3, 64 min)
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Music is by Ronald Jenkees

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Tim takes TWiN through two studies on the role of dopamine: that syllables are natural units of spontaneous behavior used by the brain to structure action, and that mesolimbic dopamine release conveys causal associations but not reward prediction errors, thereby challenging the dominant theory of reward learning.

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Jason Shepherd, Timothy Cheung, and Vivianne Morrison

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Download TWiN 040 (39 MB .mp3, 64 min)
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Music is by Ronald Jenkees

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Junjie from Jason’s lab joins TWiN to discuss the observation that the cell gene PNMA2 encodes non-enveloped virus-like capsids that induce autoantibodies which underlie paraneoplastic syndrome.

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Jason Shepherd, Timothy Cheung, and Junjie Xu

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Download TWiN 039 (39 MB .mp3, 65 min)
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Music is by Ronald Jenkees

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TWiN explains the finding that immunity to commensal bacteria promotes sensory neuron regeneration via the cytokine interleukin-17A.

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Ori Lieberman, Timothy Cheung, and Vivianne Morrison

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Download TWiN 038 (39 MB .mp3, 65 min)
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Music is by Ronald Jenkees

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TWiN reviews the field of microgial research, which has advanced in recent decades but is constrained by nomenclature that is necessary but often implies specific functions.

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Jason Shepherd, Timothy Cheung, and Vivianne Morrison

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Download TWiN 036 (45 MB .mp3, 75 min)
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Music is by Ronald Jenkees

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TWiN answers listener questions about Alzheimer’s disease, glaucoma and the microbiota, Dravet’s Syndrome, schizophrenia, brain development, and chips implanted in the human brain.

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Jason Shepherd, Timothy Cheung, and Vivianne Morrison

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Download TWiN 036 (35 MB .mp3, 58 min)
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Music is by Ronald Jenkees

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Jason and Tim review the use of an implanted chronic deep brain sensing and stimulation device to carry out biomarker-driven closed-loop therapy that resulted in a rapid and sustained improvement in depression. 

Hosts: Jason Shepherd and Timothy Cheung

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Download TWiN 035 (35 MB .mp3, 58 min)
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  • Closed-loop neuromodulation for depression (Nat Med) 2:37, 32:15
  • Timestamps by Jolene. Thanks!

Music is by Ronald Jenkees

Send your neuroscience questions and comments to [email protected]

TWiN explains how central nervous system resident macrophages known as microglia coordinate cellular interactions during spinal cord repair in mice.

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Jason Shepherd, Timothy Cheung, and Vivianne Morrison

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Download TWiN 034 (35 MB .mp3, 58 min)
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Music is by Ronald Jenkees

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TWiN describes how neurotropic viruses leave the brain via meningeal lymphatic vessels located dorsally and basally beneath the skull.

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Ori Lieberman, Jason Shepherd, and Timothy Cheung

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Download TWiN 033 (35 MB .mp3, 58 min)
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Music is by Ronald Jenkees

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TWiN reviews how, in a mouse stroke model, recovery of movement is associated with the remaining cortex and the striatum coordinating their activity together.

Hosts: Ori Lieberman, Timothy Cheung, and Vivianne Morrison

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Download TWiN 032 (36 MB .mp3, 60 min)
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Music is by Ronald Jenkees

Send your neuroscience questions and comments to [email protected]