A study led by scientists from the Champalimaud Centre for the Unknown, in Lisbon, concludes that bariatric surgery – that is, procedures used to treat severe obesity by reconfiguring the gastrointestinal tract –, leads to greater weight loss in patients who, before the surgery, had a heightened perception of sweetness.

American actor Robin Williams had a neurodegenerative brain disease called dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB): a distressing disease, with symptoms in common with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and Parkinson’s disease (PD). But unlike these two conditions, DLB also entails prominent mood and cognitive swings, sleep disorders, and vivid, sometimes terrifying, visual hallucinations.

The INPDP provides students with an integrative, state-of-the-art education in either Neuroscience or Physiology & Cancer. Top evaluated candidates will receive full financial support to participate in classes and conduct research for 5 years with possible extensions.

Created in 2018, the ALBA Network is committed to promoting equality and diversity in brain sciences. ALBA provides a global network for sharing best practices and providing better visibility, networking and mentoring opportunities to scientists from underrepresented groups.

If you type into a search engine - “why do men have to wait before having sex again?” - you will very quickly come across Prolactin. This little hormone is thought to be involved in hundreds of physiological processes in the body. Among them is the male post-ejaculatory refractory period. This period begins when a male ejaculates and ends when he recovers his sexual capacity. 

Since 2013, the charitable organisation Santa Casa da Misericórdia de Lisboa annually selects three research projects, led by scientists in Portugal. This year, the project of Noam Shemesh, a principal investigator at Champalimaud Foundation, was selected for one of the awards, called the Mantero Belard Prize.

Within a short span of time and with few instructions, people can solve complex problems from scratch. For instance, loading the trunk of a car with seemingly far too many objects. This is the core of human intelligence – its rapid and flexible nature. What is the cognitive scheme that allows us to create novel and complex strategies? And do “intelligent” machines use similar, or fundamentally different schemes?      

How can I be a better student? 

What is the best way to learn about topics that seem so complicated?

Am I using my full potential? 

How can I face the ever-changing world and future?