Mind games: measuring, modelling and timing the brain

When we hear “Schizophrenia,” many people think of “split personalities” - but that’s a myth. Schizophrenia is more like the brain’s filter turning unreliable: too much noise gets through, signals get misread, and reality can feel overwhelming. In this talk, I’ll explain what schizophrenia is (and isn’t), how symptoms are scored in clinical trials, and why the way we measure change can decide whether a treatment looks effective. Come see how better measurement can lead to clearer answers - and better care!

"Imagine being able to recreate a brain in a lab; studying the functions of a healthy or diseased brain would be easier, ethical and faster than experimenting with animals!
This is the model I work with, it’s called brain organoid and it’s constituted by 3 main “ingredients”, which are the 3 most common cell types in the brain: neurons, astrocytes and microglia.
The focus of my lab is spinal cord injury; I use organoids to reproduce and study the inflammation that is characteristic of this disease. My goal is to test compounds that could reduce the inflammation."

Delirium is an acute syndrome that affects about one third of geriatric patients admitted to hospital emergency departments. It is characterized by confusion, disorientation, behavioural changes, and sometimes hallucinations and delusions. We often observe delirium in patients with infections, but the ultimate underlying cause remains elusive. Delirium stands at the crossroads of immunology and psychiatry; through my project I explore the mechanisms by which delirium occurs and the long term consequences it gives rise to long after the patient has left the hospital.