Researchers at the Champalimaud Foundation, in Lisbon, have for the first time managed to identify, with an imaging technique, whether nervous impulses in the brain of rats are flowing in a “bottom-up” (feedforward), carrying information about visual input, or a “top-down” (feedback) direction, carrying information about expectations or predictions on a given task or about the perception of the world around us.

Driven by a fascination for science, behaviour and biology –  and shaped by his social environment – Marcelo Mendonça’s path to medicine stems from curiosity and was galvanized by a single, transformative clinical moment. 

The symposium will bring together national and international experts to explore the dynamic evolution of the field, with a special focus on the close collaboration between radiology and surgery.

Diagnostic and interventional radiology are currently undergoing remarkable transformation. New imaging methodologies are redefining precision and diagnostic capability, achieving unprecedented levels of accuracy and clinical impact. Innovations such as photon-counting CT technology and ultra-fast MRI protocols are rapidly expanding the horizons of medical imaging.

This was the starting point for RTP’s programme Hora de Agir, which dedicated one of its episodes to carbon neutrality in healthcare, highlighting the path the Champalimaud Foundation is taking to become the first healthcare institution in the world to operate on 100% clean energy. The programme featured João Silveira Botelho, Vice-President of the Champalimaud Foundation, who stressed the urgency of transforming how healthcare consumes energy and resources.