

This Week in Neuroscience
Vincent Racaniello
A podcast about the nervous system.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Jul 23, 2025 • 1h 22min
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, and Tim Cheung Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, RSS Links for this episode MicrobeTV Discord Server A neural mechanism for post-ingestion feedback (Nature) Timestamps by Jolene Ramsey. Thanks! Music is by Ronald Jenkees Send your neuroscience questions and comments to twin@microbe.tv

Jun 25, 2025 • 1h 40min
TWiN 61: Blood to the brain
TWiN reveals that proteins travel from the blood to the brain where they are taken up by microglia, revealing a new mode of communication between the brain and the periphery. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Tim Cheung, and Vivianne Morrison Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, RSS Links for this episode MicrobeTV Discord Server Circulatory proteins taken up by brain microglia (bioRxiv) Timestamps by Jolene Ramsey. Thanks! Music is by Ronald Jenkees Send your neuroscience questions and comments to twin@microbe.tv

Jun 3, 2025 • 1h 5min
TWiN 60: You get the gist of it?
TWiN discusses experiments which show that high-fidelity memories that lose their precision with time depends on reorganization of hippocampal circuitry. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Jason Shepherd, and Tim Cheung Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, RSS Links for this episode MicrobeTV Discord Server Loss of precision memory and the hippocampus (Nature) Changes in hippocampi of cab drivers (PNAS) Timestamps by Jolene Ramsey. Thanks! Music is by Ronald Jenkees Send your neuroscience questions and comments to twin@microbe.tv

9 snips
Apr 2, 2025 • 1h 15min
TWiN 59: AI co-scientist
Delve into the exciting intersection of AI and neuroscience as hosts discuss Google's AI co-scientist, a tool poised to speed up research. Discover how AI is tackling the superbug challenge and revolutionizing antibiotic resistance studies. The podcast highlights AI's role in generating hypotheses for ALS and transforming traditional methods of inquiry. Conversations also address the implications of declining public funding and the growing influence of private companies in scientific research, creating a captivating dialogue on the future of science.

Mar 10, 2025 • 1h 14min
TWiN 58: Tongue-dragging rescue behavior
TWiN explains a study showing that when a mouse is confronted with an unconscious conspecific, it engages in behavior including tongue-dragging to resuscitate the animal via a tongue-brain connection. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Tim Cheung, and Vivianne Morrison Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, RSS Links for this episode MicrobeTV Discord Server Tongue-dragging in mice (Sci Adv) Timestamps by Jolene Ramsey. Thanks! Music is by Ronald Jenkees Send your neuroscience questions and comments to twin@microbe.tv

Feb 4, 2025 • 40min
TWiN 57: Repetitive injury, herpes, and Alzheimer's
TWiN discusses a study showing that repetitive injury reactivates HSV-1 in a human brain tissue model and induces phenotypes associated with Alzheimer’s disease. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello and Tim Cheung Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, RSS Links for this episode MicrobeTV Discord Server Repetitive injury, herpes, and Alzheimers (Sci Signal) The tau of herpesvirus (TWiV 1187) Fishing for viruses in senile (TWiV 519) Timestamps by Jolene Ramsey. Thanks! Music is by Ronald Jenkees Send your neuroscience questions and comments to twin@microbe.tv

4 snips
Nov 26, 2024 • 1h 1min
TWiN 56: Astrocytes help neurons remember
TWiN explains a study showing that while groups of neurons, form the basis for memory, astrocytes are key components of the adaptive reponse to learning experiences, and regulate the flow of information during circuit plasticity and memory recall. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Jason Shepherd, and Tim Cheung Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, RSS Links for this episode MicrobeTV Discord Server Write your Senator, oppose RFK Jr nomination Astrocytes and memory (Nature) Timestamps by Jolene. Thanks! Music is by Ronald Jenkees Send your neuroscience questions and comments to twin@microbe.tv

Oct 28, 2024 • 1h 9min
TWiN 55: A brain circuit for day/night balance
The hosts dive into the fascinating world of circadian rhythms and how they impact our well-being, especially during travel and seasonal changes. They discuss a unique brain circuit responsible for adapting to varying light conditions, revealing insights about neurotransmitter functions. The complexities of light detection in our eyes are explored, along with groundbreaking research on glutamate transporters' roles in sleep and behavior changes in mice. The episode also contrasts human and mouse perceptions of light, highlighting emotional and behavioral implications.

Oct 1, 2024 • 1h 5min
TWiN 54: How pregnancy transforms the brain
Discover how pregnancy transforms the female brain, leading to significant neurobiological changes. Hormonal fluctuations cause adaptations that affect maternal behavior and caregiving. Explore the role of the default mode network in self-awareness during this period. Delve into the neurological transformations in the hippocampus and their implications for cognitive health. Learn about the effects of hormones like estrogen and oxytocin on bonding and maternal sensitivity. Also, uncover the fascinating interplay between social dynamics and stress on reproductive outcomes.

Jul 29, 2024 • 1h 10min
TWiN 53: Slowing time by cooling the brain
Joseph Paton and Felipe Rodrigues join TWiN to explain how they used temperature manipulation to alter the speed of neuronal dynamics in the dorsal striatum of rats, a manipulation that selectively slowed down or sped up time perception, illuminating the mechanisms of time-based decisions. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Jason Shepherd, Timothy Cheung, and Vivianne Morrison Guest: Joseph J. Paton and Felipe Rodrigues Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, RSS Links for this episode MicrobeTV Discord Server Using temperature to analyze the neural basis of a time-based decision (Nat Neurosci) Hot times for the dorsal striatum (Nat Neurosci) Timestamps by Jolene. Thanks! Music is by Ronald Jenkees Send your neuroscience questions and comments to twin@microbe.tv