r/neuro

Most of this is derived from neuroscientists like Anil Seth, David Eagleman, and others. A lot of it comes from this link: https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-030-03633-1_11

But I guess my main point is that...does the advancement of neuroscience harm humanity as a whole? A lot of it seems to blow holes in the things we value like friendship, love, community, reality, and more.

David Eagleman I know says:

>He explains that our brains are locked in the dark vault of the skull and only interact with electrical signals. Therefore, our perception of color, sound, and shape is a “controlled hallucination” the brain constructs to help us navigate. In the outside world, these things don’t inherently exist; they are simply the brain’s internal interpretation of data like electromagnetic radiation and air pressure waves.

And yet he is married with two kids while at the same time suggesting our selves and reality aren't "real". I'm not really sure how he does what he does while believing such things.

Ani Seth mentions reality is some controlled hallucination mediated by the senses. That instead of actually sensing reality we are constructing it and that construction is mediated by senses. Everything from the book you read, the cup of tea, the movie you watch. Even pain seems to be a construct of the brain.

So knowing all that...how are we to live? Is the solution to just rot in bed for life because none of our experience of reality and what we value is "real"? Do humans exist if our perception is that flawed? If the self is the result of cognitive effort from the brain then what does that mean for human society and life?

It just seems like discoveries are being made but there is no way to integrate them into human life. If anything they seem like they'd be to the detriment of it.

I run a neurotech recruitment, market data and media business and finally did something I had been putting off, placing every funded company by headquarters and then doing the same for the investors. 564 companies, 107 investors I could confirm. 330 of the companies are American, and all of Europe combined is 165. The investor side is even more concentrated, 81 of the 107 are US-based. What struck me is that US investors clearly fund a lot of the non-US companies too, so the geographic gap in where the money comes from is even wider than where the companies are. Happy to talk through the method or the gaps in the comments. Full write-up with the charts and the investor list is linked below.

Hello, I will begin my master's degree this October abroad. It's taught in English. Could you please give names of the most important books, papers necessary for my studies in Neurocognitive psychology? In addition, literature in computational neuroscience and statistics would be much appreciated.

(Incoming) freshman studying neurobiology. I know I want to do research as my career and want to get started in a lab and have some posters/pubs/presentations by the time I leave. Obviously my knowledge caps out at hs bio and anatomy.

I want to do research in SCI and low vision but feel like I won't be able to get in-depth opportunities without proper knowledge on my resume. Waiting for college classes would probably push my timeline back further than I would like it to (other personal restrictions). Where can I become knowledgeable in this summer? I have one paper about path navigation for low vision for a research experience from hs but it's very very basic.

How would I figure out which profs/labs to reach out to for long term experience?

Hi everyone,

I'm looking for a step-by-step free-floating immunohistochemistry (IHC) protocol for mouse brain tissue using microglia antibodies.

My instructor only demonstrated the protocol once, and I'm hoping to compare it with protocols from other labs to make sure I'm doing everything correctly.

I'm using:

-Free-floating mouse brain sections

-24-well plate

-250 µL per well

-Triton X-100

-1% BSA powder

DAPI as the nuclear/mounting stain

If you're willing to share your protocol, I'd really appreciate details such as:

-The order of each step

-Blocking solution and how you prepare it

-Permeabilization step

-Antibody dilutions

-Incubation times and temperatures

-Washing steps

-Mounting

-Any troubleshooting tips

Thanks in advance! I really appreciate any protocols or advice you're willing to share.

I was hoping to persue research in neurodegenative diseases like alzheimer's, especially in research of neuro cells and/or enzymes that can be used as treatment for said diseases.

Would I be able to pursue that goal if I choose to major in dentistry? If so, what are some paths I could take? Or should I force myself through med school so I could choose neurology, THEN pursue said goals?

I'm a junior neuroscience major and planning to apply to PhD programs in the US during senior year. I'm not very familiar with the PhD admission, and it's been stressing me out. I'm doing summer research (my first research experience). I'm hoping to stay committed to the lab for the next two years and get an additional summer research as well. However, PhD programs are so competitive. I don't know how to make my application stand out, especially when there's people applying from all backgrounds like after getting their masters, doing post bac research for few years etc..

I have a high GPA and planning to do honors, but I keep thinking that having two research experiences is not enough. Any tips/advice would be helpful. Thank you!

hey, any advice would be greatly appreciated.
i’m looking to pursue a PhD in Behavioral and Cognitive Neuroscience in hopes of becoming a professor one day and be able to do research as i please (or just research by itself).
i graduated undergrad with a 3.1 gpa with a bachelor’s in neuroscience and a minor in psychology.
i did an independent study and went to multiple conferences for it and won first place in one of them for my study and am working on getting a paper published currently.
i also joined a lab at my school where we work with rats and fear conditioning.
i am aware that my gpa severely damages my image in terms of phd scouting so im wondering if theres any other advice or any jobs i can get or apply for (im having a lot of trouble bagging a job rn) that can help me get accepted into a program.
i’ve also tried contacting nearby colleges in hopes they accept a volunteer in their labs (to no avail)
are there any certifications i can get or anything i can do to boost my chances of getting into a phd program 🥲

I maintain a running map of neurotech funding, and I just re-sorted it by indication instead of by technology. The cleanest signal turned out to be a single ratio: acquisition money paid out divided by money raised in.

Three indications have a real number there. Urology at 22.6x, pain at 14.5x, sleep at 3.1x. The bladder, the spine, the airway. Everything else, paralysis, memory, stroke, migraine, depression, epilepsy, is a flat zero. Big funding bars, no exits.

So the diseases generating the most investor noise are precisely the ones the market has never actually paid out on. Most of that money also arrived in just the last two years, which is probably why nothing has exited yet. There has not been time.

Check my full article in the comments

Im not a native English speaker.

Lets say Im laying down. I decided to get up. I get up and walk away. I understand neurons sent signal all the way down to my feet which cause them to move, but what caused them to sent this signal in the first place? What caused the first spark? Me? But what I call "me" is just a bunch of neurons. Did they randomly decided to to send "get up" signal? I understand neurons work 24/7 in the backround but how does it happen? Is it memories? Is it my DNA? How does it all work? I think this is a "free will" question, Idk.

PS. Is explanation provided by RegularBasicStranger correct? Is it a satisfactory answer?

I’ve been working on this experiment for almost two years, to silence a specific type of neurons using chemo/opto. None worked out. Chemogenetic virus is either too toxic or too inefficient in labeling. Opto virus gives labeling but no effects. Dunno what to do at this point

imagine you could travel back in time and explain 1 technical concept to your younger self , what would it be? and how would you explain it? please do it for the sake of a thousand younger people who will read it today.

Hello! I’m a US citizen applying for PhDs in neuroscience in the US this coming cycle and am worried about the number of papers I have. I have been a technician for two years now but I only have two empirical papers from undergrad (one first author), and one review paper (co-first author) that is under review. There are two more empirical papers coming down the line in my lab for projects that I’m involved in but have gotten vague answers when I asked about being listed as an author. Unfortunately, it seems my lab is more focused on getting their masters students on papers rather than their techs (I’m the only tech as well). However, I have a ton of experience as a tech (worked for a year at Penn (no papers), and now I’m at Hopkins) so I’m hoping that will give admissions more sway. But if I don’t get my name on these two new papers, do I still have a chance at grad school? Thank you very much for your help in advance

I’m looking to learn about brain networks from a perspective of having advanced education so wanting to skip all the basics that are often included with these videos/courses etc. Any videos, websites, articles or textbooks you find particularly helpful?