by Prof. Russell Poldrack, Stanford University, USA

When: September 6, 2024, at 3:00 pm

Where: Sala Seminari VIMM (Fondazione per la Ricerca Biomedica Avanzata Onlus, Via Orus 2, Padova)

Abstract: It is now widely accepted that openness and transparency are keys to improving the reproducibility of scientific research, but many challenges remain to adoption of these practices. I will discuss the growth of an ecosystem for open science within the field of cognitive neuroscience, focusing on platforms for open data sharing and open source tools for reproducible data analysis. I will also discuss the role of the Brain Imaging Data Structure (BIDS), a community standard for data organization, in enabling this open science ecosystem, and will outline the scientific impacts of these resources.

by Dr. Andrea Zangrossi, Dept. of General Psychology, University of Padova

When: July 11, 2024, at 3:00 pm

Where: Sala Seminari VIMM (Fondazione per la Ricerca Biomedica Avanzata Onlus, Via Orus 2, Padova)

Abstract: A rule of thumb in computer science is that if you give a computer the same input, you will always get the same output. However, this does not hold true for humans: providing the same sensory input can lead to a wide range of different behavioral and brain responses. How is that possible? One explanation is that brain activity and behavior are only partially grounded in the properties of the sensory input, and that behavior is strongly influenced by the brain’s intrinsic dynamics.

by Dr. Antonio Maffei, Dept. of Developmental Psychology and Socialisation, University of Padova

When: June 27, 2024, at 3:00 pm

Where: Aula 2C-Psico2 (Building PSICO2, Via Venezia 12, Padova)

Abstract: The dominant approach to the study of emotions and affective processes does not typically take into account that affective reactions are constantly shaped by the presence of others. Additionally, they also shape others’ behavior and emotions. Recently, there has been a growing interest toward devising novel approaches and paradigms to overcome this limitation. A promising area of affective research, where encompassing the social dimension can make an important role, is stress reactivity.

prof. Silvestro Micera (The BioRobotics Institute, Interdisciplinary Health Center, and Department of Excellence in Robotics and AI, Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna Bertarelli Foundation Chair in Translational Neuroengineering Neuro-X Institute, School of Engineering Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne – EPFL)

When: June 12, 2024, at 3:30 pm

Where: Aula Magna G. F. Azzone del Complesso Vallisneri, Padova

Abstract: This seminar would like to remember Matteo Caleo, former PNC member.

Find more details on the biomed site:

https://www.biomed.unipd.it/seminario-implantable-and-wearable-systems-restore-and-augment-neural-functions

by Dr. Elena Becker-Barroso, Editor-in-Chief at The Lancet Neurology

When: June 6, 2024, at 2:30 pm

Where: Sala Seminari VIMM (Fondazione per la Ricerca Biomedica Avanzata Onlus, Via Orus 2, Padova)

Who: The seminar is addressed to PhD students and post-doc fellows

Abstract: The dissemination of findings and hypotheses is an essential part of the work of a scientist. However, most students aiming at a scientific career are not familiarised with academic journals and their procedures. I will describe the procedures that editors at The Lancet group use to select and prioritise articles for publication. The Lancet was founded in London (UK) in 1823, whereas The Lancet Neurology was launched almost two centuries later, in 2002.

by Prof. Alessandro Farnè, Lyon Neuroscience Research Center, France

When: May 23, 2024, at 3:00 pm

Where: Aula 2C-Psico2 (Building PSICO2, Via Venezia 12, Padova)

Abstract: Scientists have long questioned the origin of the exquisite human mastery of tools. How do we manage controlling a tool in the skillful way humans typically do, that is, as a body-part? Grasping objects with tools is a major challenge for the motor system, in that the control of the hand needs to be transferred to the prehensile part of the tool. In the first part of my talk I will present findings suggesting that motor control is not merely distalized from the fingers to a grabber prongs: rather, when we use tools to grasp objects, the body of the tool is incorporated into our arm representation.

by Prof. Pascal Fries, Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics, Tübingen, Germany

When: May 16, 2024, at 3:00 pm

Where: Sala Seminari VIMM (Fondazione per la Ricerca Biomedica Avanzata Onlus, Via Orus 2, Padova)

Abstract: Brain networks typically engage in rhythmic synchronization, and this might serve functions, e.g. the processing of stimuli. I will show that repeated visual stimuli induce decreasing firing rates yet enhanced gamma-band synchronization, likely to maintain postsynaptic impact. This impact is indeed optimal for gamma-rhythmic inputs, as I will show by controlling inputs with optogenetics. Optogenetics can also be used to control top-down inputs. I will show that this Opto-Top-Down induces strong, up to several fold, changes in gamma-band synchronization together with much smaller changes in firing rate and no correlation between the two effects.

by Prof. Stanislas Dehaene, Director of INSERM Unit 562, “Cognitive Neuroimaging”, France, and Professor
at the Collège de France

When: May 2, 2024, at 3:00 pm

Where: Sala Seminari VIMM (Fondazione per la Ricerca Biomedica Avanzata Onlus, Via Orus 2, Padova)

Abstract: Cognition is distinctly different in humans compared to other animals. A unique feature of our species is natural language, but in this talk, I will argue that a competence for symbols and languages drives many other cognitive domains, such as our unique abilities for geometry, mathematics, or music. Even the mere perception of a square or a zig-zag is driven by minimal description length (MDL) and thus
involves a search for the shortest “mental program” that captures the observed data in an internal “language of geometry”.