TWiN welcomes mice to the elite club of ‘self-aware’ animals, with a study demonstrating a mirror-induced self-directed behavior in mice resembling visual self-recognition. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Timothy Cheung, and Vivianne Morrison Subsc

Traumatic brain injury and retroviruses

Feb 19th, 2024 51m 13s

TWiN describes a study that reveals activation of endogenous retroviruses in oligodenroglia from patients with traumatic brain injury. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Jason Shepherd, and Timothy Cheung Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts, Google Podc

Walking after spinal cord injury

Jan 29th, 2024 55m 25s

TWiN explains an amazing study of a man who was paralyzed after a spinal cord injury and regained the ability to walk after implantation of a brain-spinal cord interface. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Jason Shepherd, and Timothy Cheung Subscribe

Neuronal activity promotes glioma progression

Jan 1st, 2024 51m 4s

TWiN explains research showing that interaction between glioma cells and neurons in the brain shares mechanistic features with synaptic plasticity that contributes to memory and learning in the healthy brain. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Jason S

Acupuncture modulates the immune system

Dec 13th, 2023 52m 24s

TWiN discusses research showing that sciatic nerve activation with electroacupuncture at the sciatic nerve controls systemic inflammation and rescues mice from polymicrobial peritonitis, by inducing vagal activation of aromatic L-amino acid dec

ADHD and persistent pain

Nov 2nd, 2023 1h

TWiN reviews a mouse model of ADHD to characterize hypersensitivity to pain, and that sensitization is further amplified in a pathological inflammatory state. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Jason Shepherd, and Timothy Cheung Subscribe (free): Appl

Pavlovian opioid tolerance

Oct 4th, 2023 1h 2m

TWiN discusses a study of on the pathways that control opioid analgesic tolerance, a root cause of opioid overdose and misuse, which can develop through an associative learning. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Jason Shepherd, and Timothy Cheung Subs

Therapeutic effects of psychedelic drugs

Jul 18th, 2023 56m 34s

TWiN explains how psychedelic drugs such as LSD, psilocybin, and MDMA, which are being explored for treating a wide range of neuropsychiatric diseases, reopen the social reward period for critical learning. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Jason Shep

Alzheimer's and melanin-concentrating hormone

Jun 20th, 2023 1h 18m

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 resp

Dopamine organizes behavior's syllables

May 11th, 2023 1h 4m

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 predicti

Virus-like capsids trigger paraneoplastic disease

Apr 28th, 2023 52m 39s

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, Timoth

Bacterial immunity heals sensory neurons

Mar 27th, 2023 1h 4m

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 Subscribe (free): Apple Podcas

Microglia at the crossroads

Jan 23rd, 2023 1h 15m

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 Viviann

Unbearable neurologists

Jan 3rd, 2023 1h 29m

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

Neuromodulation in treatment-resistant depression

Dec 6th, 2022 1h 9m

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 Timoth

Microglia vital after spinal cord injury

Sep 30th, 2022 1h 9m

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 Subscribe (fre

Viruses leaving the brain

Aug 31st, 2022 58m 11s

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 Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts

Relearning how to move after stroke

Aug 2nd, 2022 59m 47s

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 Subscribe (free): Apple P

HIV-1 co-receptor shapes window for memory linking

Jun 29th, 2022 1h 11m

TWiN explains the observation that in mice, the HIV-1 co-receptor CCR5 closes the temporal window for linking different memories. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Jason Shepherd, Timothy Cheung, and Vivianne Morrison Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts,

Gut to brain spread of alpha-synuclein in Parkinson's disease

May 24th, 2022 1h 9m

TWiN describes experiments demonstrating that gut injection of alpha-synuclein fibrils in mice converts endogenous alpha-synuclein to a pathologic form that spreads to the brain and leads to features of Parkinson’s disease. Hosts: Vincent Racan

Astrocytes close the critical period

May 2nd, 2022 1h 2m

TWiN explains the finding that in the mouse visual cortex, astrocytes are key elements in the experience-dependent wiring of brain circuits. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Jason Shepherd, Timothy Cheung, and Vivianne Morrison Subscribe (free): Appl

Oligodendrocyte performance enhancing exosomes

Apr 4th, 2022 1h 13m

TWiN reveals how oligodendrocytes enhance axonal energy metabolism by transcellular delivery of a protein, SIRT2, that deacetylates mitochondrial proteins. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Timothy Cheung, and Vivianne Morrison Click arrow to play Dow

Eyes wired to the auditory cortex

Mar 3rd, 2022 1h 3m

TWiN discusses the finding that rewiring retinal projections to the auditory thalamus in ferrets leads to visually responsive cells that are typical of cells in the visual cortex. Hosts: Ori Lieberman, Jason Shepherd, Timothy Cheung, and Vivian

Immunological memory in the brain

Jan 31st, 2022 53m 49s

TWiN reviews evidence in mice that brain neurons encode and retrieve specific immune responses. Become a patron of TWiN! Links for this episode Memory of immunity (Cell) Timestamps by Jolene. Thanks! Music is by Ronald Jenkees Send your neuro

Thanks for listening

Dec 28th, 2021 1h 2m

TWiN answers listener questions on sex in neuroscience studies, rotating memories in the brain, odorant receptors in the brain, and neutrophils that promote neuron survival. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Jason Shepherd, and Timothy Cheung Subscrib