Brain2Brain: Livestreams with Researchers
Live virtual research talks bring us the latest in brain science at UMN
From October 12–16, we hosted daily for live conversations with researchers from the University of Minnesota who will showcase their exciting work in brain science. Check them out below and experience a brain scan in real time. Explore what the brain does, how it grows, and how it can trick you. Learn about the consequences of brain injury and drug addiction. Get in touch with your emotions, from a scientific perspective—and so much more!
Many thanks to the wonderful researchers who shared their work with us through these videos. Learn more about each of them below, and be sure to follow them on social media to stay updated!
Brains Exploring Brains
Dr. Manny Esguerra shows us a real brain and discusses what the brain does, how it can trick you, and what parts of a brain do important jobs.
Esguerra is a research assistant professor with the University of Minnesota Institute for Translational Neuroscience, Medical Discovery Team – Addiction.
Understanding & Changing the Brain in Adolescents With Depression
Dr. Katie Cullen and researchers in the Research in Adolescent Depression (RAD) Lab showcase their work in the area of brain development, depression and novel treatment in adolescents.
Cullen is an associate professor in the Department of Psychiatry and director of the Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Division and the RAD Lab. Follow them @UMN_Psychiatry
Can We Use E-Cigarettes to Do Good? A Harm Reduction Approach to Tobacco Addiction
Mari Gades discusses her research on tobacco addiction and the different approaches that can be used to help people stop smoking.
Gades is a Ph.D. candidate in the Cognitive and Brain Sciences Program, Department of Psychology. Follow Mari @PhTeatimeBlog.
COVID-19 Wellness Study
Dr. Richard Lee shares a study hoping to understand how the COVID-19 pandemic is affecting attitudes, emotions, and well-being of the University of Minnesota community.
Lee is a Distinguished McKnight University Professor and associate chair for research for the Department of Psychology.
Using MRI to Understand How Brains Solve Problems
Dr. Cheryl Olman, associate professor in the Department of Psychology, along with and U of M neuroscience researchers, steps into an MRI machine to see what a brain does when looking at different visual patterns. They discuss how they use these quirks of vision to better understand how conditions such as autism or schizophrenia affect the way our brains see the world.
The Future of Brain Injury Diagnosis and Treatment: The Robots Are Coming
Brain injury is difficult to diagnose and treat because there are few truly objective measures for function that do not vary widely between people and in the same person over time. Dr. Uzma Samadani shares how future diagnostics will be objective and algorithmic, changing the way we classify the nature of the problem and enabling its treatment.
Dr. Uzma Samadani is an associate professor in bioinformatics and computational biology, attending neurosurgeon, Centracare and Minneapolis VAMC.
Improving Future Diagnosis of Autism Using Brain Imaging
Dr. Casey Burrows, assistant professor of Pediatrics, Autism and Neurodevelopment Clinic, shares how brain imaging can be used to improve autism diagnosis.
Intraoperative MRI demonstration
Dr. Clark Chen shows how intraoperative MRI allows neurosurgeons to see images of the brain as they are performing surgery. This innovative technology at the University of Minnesota creates safer and more successful procedures, particularly when it comes to removing brain tumors.
This talk is by Dr. Clark Chen, professor, Lyle French Chair in Neurosurgery and department head for the Medical School.
How Do Our Brains Grow and Help Us Learn?
Graduate researchers with Growing Brains Outreach, Shreya Lakhan-Pal and Alyssa Plamer, take us on tour of brain development and discuss neuroplasticity. (Follow @shreyalakhanpal @A_R_Palmer).