We explore how imagination can heal – like playing Tetris after trauma to weaken intrusive images in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) – and how it can misfire in the hallucinations of Parkinson’s disease or bereavement, when a “phantom spouse” may still be seen or felt, or in Functional Neurological Disorder, where expectations and emotions can produce real physical symptoms, even paralysis. Zeman shares the unforgettable case of “Toby” to show the power of suggestion at work.

Historically, scientists studying the brain, like neuroscientists and psychologists, worked separately from those studying the body, such as endocrinologists and physiologists. Research on how the nervous system interacts with the body has been growing, but “it kind of stops there, rarely making it past the neck to reach the brain again”, as Carlos Ribeiro puts it. Neuroscientists, meanwhile, often focus on higher brain functions without considering how body signals might influence them.

Fermented clues

Cheese and chocolate might not tempt a fruit fly’s palate, but to a hungry fly short on nutrients, their smell carries a hidden signal. When deprived of certain amino acids – the building blocks of protein – these tiny insects develop a surprisingly refined sense of smell that helps them track down not just food, but specific bacteria living in fermented foods.

With nearly 30 presenters, including four keynote speakers, and over 300 participants from across the globe, the symposium was structured into multiple sessions exploring different themes. Chaired by CF’s Memming Park, Principal Investigator of the Neural Dynamics Lab, together with Yale University’s Shreya Saxena and the University of Cambridge’s Guillaume Hennequin, the event focused on neurocybernetics – a field first defined in the 1940s that studies how brains use feedback and control to adapt, learn, and interact with their surroundings.
 

“I was a psychedelic teenager. Then, at 18, I had a bad trip with LSD, and became very paranoid”, explained Jules Evans to his audience at the event that took place at Champalimaud Foundation, at the beginning of the month, under the title “Psychedelic Therapy: From Evidence to Equity”. Today, Evans is the founder and Director of the Challenging Psychedelic Experiences Project, the leading resource for post-psychedelic difficulties and what helps people recover from them.

Whether reminiscing about the past, planning the future, or daydreaming at work, how does the brain pull off this everyday act of detachment from the here and now?

Even though he still contemplates the universe with awe – and confesses that one of his favourite podcasts is Sean Carroll’s Mindscape – his curiosity for systems engineering, robotics, and electronics unexpectedly steered him towards neuroscience. 

Juan Alvaro Gallego, an Associate Professor at Imperial College London, has very recently joined the Champalimaud Foundation’s new Centre for Restorative Neuroscience, is set to continue exploring how the brain controls movement, blending fundamental research with cutting-edge technologies.

It’s easy to read emotions on people’s faces — each one has its clear, unmistakable signature. But what about thoughts? A study published in Nature Neuroscience shows that mice’s problem-solving strategies can be deciphered from subtle facial movements. According to the authors, this is a proof of concept that the contents of the mind can be read out from video recordings, potentially offering powerful new research and diagnostic tools.   

Blending in-depth lectures with guided laboratory sessions, the workshop offered a dynamic introduction to core molecular biology techniques. Participants engaged directly with methods such as RNA extraction, cDNA synthesis, PCR, restriction enzyme digestion, electrophoresis, plasmid DNA isolation, sequence analysis, and experimental design for cloning projects.

By combining expert instruction with hands-on practice, the programme not only reinforced fundamental concepts but also fostered confidence in applying these tools to real-world research challenges.

Nicole explores how moving away from the “domino-chain” view of the brain toward seeing it as a complex dynamical system – full of feedback loops and interactions – is opening doors to exciting new discoveries. They talk about the challenges of measuring brain disorders, why fundamental research is so essential, and how predicting salmon populations can help predict seizures in the brain.