This episode focuses on the core themes of the HEREDITARY project: cutting-edge AI and advanced analytics, multimodal health data, and the vital issues of data privacy and security. It explores how AI and machine learning are reshaping scientific research—unlocking new possibilities while raising important questions around privacy and citizen engagement. Using HEREDITARY’s bold vision and methodology as a foundation, it highlights how AI can become a powerful driver of EU leadership in science a...
Jun 27, 2025•22 min•Season 4Ep. 8
In this episode, we look into the pressing challenges and exciting opportunities facing basic research and innovation in the European Union—at a time when scientific progress in neuroscience is more critical than ever. We’ll explore the urgent need to strengthen support for researchers, the pivotal role of the upcoming EU Framework Programme for Research & Innovation (FP10), and the future of the European Research Area (ERA).Join us as we unpack the vital link between fundamental neuroscienc...
May 21, 2025•39 min•Season 4Ep. 7
In this episode, we are joined by Member of the European Parliament Tomas Zdechovský, Matthieu de Vilmorin, Past President of Schizo Oui, and Professor Merete Nordentoft, a leading expert in psychiatry at the University of Copenhagen. Together, they shed light on the pressing challenges and opportunities in the care and treatment of schizophrenia across Europe. Schizophrenia remains one of the most complex mental health conditions to manage, with profound and lasting impacts on young people and ...
Apr 30, 2025•27 min•Season 4Ep. 6
In the latest episode of the Brain Talks podcast, Sam Pauly is joined by a panel to discuss the importance of the pitch competition at the Brain Innovation Days and to present the Jury Prize-winning startup, BrainTale. Julie Rachline, the CEO of BrainTale and winner of the Jury Prize at the Pitch Competition, highlights the company’s groundbreaking work in the field of neurological health. Along with Pascal Joncour, a member of the jury and partner at Convergence Partners, and Frédéric Destrebec...
Apr 08, 2025•29 min•Season 4Ep. 5
In the latest episode of the Brain Talks podcast, Sam Pauly is joined by three expert guests: Karen Carr from AbbVie, Dr. Reto Agosti of the Zurich Headache Center, and Frédéric Destrebecq, Executive Director of the European Brain Council to discuss the challenges and opportunities in migraine care, exploring both clinical and policy perspectives. Together, they shed light on the barriers to effective diagnosis and treatment, the societal and economic impacts of migraines, and innovative solutio...
Nov 24, 2024•34 min•Season 4Ep. 4
As the EU Health Technology Assessment (HTA) landscape transforms with the upcoming Joint Clinical Assessment (JCA), what does this mean for timely access to innovative therapies and reducing duplication of efforts across Member States? In this episode, Frédéric Destrebecq, Executive Director of the European Brain Council, sat down with Dr. Dimitrios Georgiopoulos, Senior Vice President and Global Franchise Head for Neurology & Immunology at Merck Healthcare, to discuss the opportunities and...
Nov 04, 2024•33 min•Season 4Ep. 3
Neurodegenerative disorders have a huge societal burden and heavily impact the lives of those affected. Artificial intelligence (AI) in healthcare is a booming field: the development of computer programs and systems able to emulate tasks normally requiring human intelligence such as recognizing patterns, taking decisions, evaluating and predicting is set to revolutionize the prevention and care of people with neurodegenerative disorders. In this Brain Talks episode, Sam Pauly is joined by Dr Ale...
Oct 28, 2024•35 min•Season 4Ep. 2
Welcome to Season 4 of Brain Talks! In this first episode, join our host Sam Pauly with special guests: Lisa Burke, Master of Ceremony for the 4th edition of the Brain Innovation Days, and Frédéric Destrebecq, Executive Director of the European Brain Council. Discover exclusive insights on the event’s brand new theme, “Navigating the Brain Across a Lifetime,” learn more about the programme, but also its key sessions, new interactive experiences, and much more!
Oct 17, 2024•21 min•Season 4Ep. 1
The increasing number of people living with two or more chronic disorders (multimorbidities) poses an urgent need to better understand underlying mechanisms for better prevention and care throughout the life course. Somatic disorders e.g., type 2 diabetes and brain disorders e.g., Alzheimer’s disorder often co-occur. If a single molecule was the key to some of the greatest health challenges of our time, what would tomorrow look like? The EU-funded PRIME project aims to unravel the insulin-depend...
Jun 20, 2024•38 min•Season 3Ep. 7
The Covid-19 pandemic shed a crude light on how instrumental research and innovation are in the European Union. This crisis revealed significant disparities and fractures between Member States. More importantly, patients living with neurological or mental disorders were heavily impacted by the pandemic, and faced tremendous challenges to maintain their access to care and to meet their medical needs. In this episode, Frederic Destrebecq, Executive Director of the European Brain Council, Christian...
Mar 14, 2024•39 min•Season 3Ep. 6
This Brain Talks episode on Urban Environment and Brain Health features two projects on brain health, funded by the European Union under the same main programme (H2020-EU.3.1. - SOCIETAL CHALLENGES - Health, demographic change and well-being): BRAINTEASER and eMOTIONAL Cities . Evidence shows that environmental factors may influence both the aetiology and the progression of a number of brain conditions. Through cost-effective sensors and apps, a comprehensive analysis of clinical, lifestyle and ...
Feb 15, 2024•45 min•Season 3Ep. 5
Despite the burden, migraine is not consistently recognized in health policy. However, countries are making progress and establishing a way forward for patients. In the latest Brain Talks episode, Sam Pauly sat down with Dawn Carlson, AbbVie's Vice-President of Neuroscience Clinical Development, and Alessandra Sorrentino, migraine patient and representative of Alleanza Cefalalgici, to discuss promising developments in migraine care, management, and policy prioritization. This episode was recorde...
Dec 01, 2023•46 min•Season 3Ep. 4
In this third episode of Brain Talks | Season 3, Alice Medialia (Columbia University), Péter Kéri (GAMIAN-Europe), and John Saunders (EUFAMI) sat down with Sam Pauly to share some thoughts and advices on how to ensure the meaningful engagement of patients with lived experiences of mental health conditions. In partnership with Boehringer Ingelheim, this episode was recorded live from the third edition of the Brain Innovation Days
Nov 21, 2023•35 min•Season 3Ep. 3
Join us for the second episode of this new season of Brain Talks, where Dimitrios Georgiopoulos, Global Business Franchise Head for Neurology and Immunology at Merck Healthcare, delves into the world of Multiple Sclerosis (MS) care.Discover Merck's patient-centered approach and explore the challenges and opportunities for young people living with MS in the EU. With 2.9 million people affected, this is a conversation that impacts us all.
Oct 04, 2023•40 min•Season 3Ep. 2
Brain Talks are back for a third season! Join us in unveiling the highly anticipated 2023 edition of the Brain Innovation Days with Prof. Suzanne Dickson, President of the European Brain Council, and Frédéric Destrebecq, Executive Director of EBC.
Sep 11, 2023•17 min•Season 3Ep. 1
Tune in to the new podcast episode to hear Sam Pauly talk with two expert guests Professor Asgeir Jakola, Director of the European Association of Neurosurgical Societies (EANS) Research Fund & Dr Victor Staartjes, a neurosurgery resident at the University Hospital Zurich. They look at how the EANS Research Fund facilitates neurosurgical research across Europe.
Nov 25, 2022•28 min•Season 2Ep. 8
In today's Brain Talk, we’ll be looking at the role technology currently plays in neurosurgery. We are joined by Dr Pieter Kubben, a neurosurgeon at Maastricht University Medical Center and the founder of the Neuromind App and Dr. Marike Broekman, a neurosurgeon in the Department of Neurosurgery at Leiden University Medical Center. She is the first female board member of the European Association of Neurosurgical Associations or EANS, and her main clinical and research interests focus on Neuro-On...
Sep 23, 2022•38 min
We're back from our summer break and our host, Sam Pauly, is delighted to be joined today by Dr Orla Galvin, Executive Director of the European Federation of Neurological Associations (EFNA) to discuss the important role patients play in guiding policy and leading advocacy in the brain space, particularly as the "experts" in their own brain conditions. A common phrase in the community always is, "nothing about us without us", a strong call to decision-makers to ensure that the people most affect...
Sep 01, 2022•26 min
We're taking a short summer break! We leave you with a short interview with the Executive Director of the European Brain Council, Frédéric Destrebecq, led by host Sam Pauly. Sam exchanges with Fred on the history and mission behind the birth of the Brain Innovation Days and what to expect at the 2nd in-person event this coming 11-12 October 2022 in Brussels, Belgium. Take a look at the programme now: https://www.braininnovationdays.eu/programme-2022/ We hope to welcome you in Brussels later this...
Aug 03, 2022•7 min
Today we turn the spotlight to neuroscience in Africa and discuss with leading researchers from the region how the African neuroscience community has come together to identify challenges and opportunities in the region, explore possible solutions, and discover unique and important avenues for research. We are delighted to welcome Dr Mahmoud Bukar Maina, Research Fellow in Neuroscience at the University of Sussex and Professor Sadiq Yusaf, Board Member of the International Brain Research Organisa...
Jul 28, 2022•39 min
Today our host Sam Pauly speaks with a recent recipient of the Federation of European Neuroscience Societies (FENS) European Journal of Neuroscience (EJN) Young Investigator Prize, awarded to early-career researchers in recognition of their outstanding scientific contributions to any area of neuroscience. We are delighted to welcome Dr Nicolas Renier — who received the prize for his work in mapping neuronal and vascular networks in transparent brains — group leader at the Paris Brain Institute, ...
Jul 07, 2022•35 min
We know that the COVID-19 pandemic has had repercussions far and wide, but what impact has it had on Mental Health Services and what work can be done to address some of those needs? That’s exactly what the Global Alliance of Mental Illness Advocacy Networks-Europe (GAMIAN-Europe) has been researching through a focused survey. The report has just been released and here to tell us more about the findings we have Nigel Olisa, Executive Director of GAMIAN-Europe, and Chiara Samele, Director of Infor...
Jun 30, 2022•36 min
Today we’ll be looking at pioneering work that was recently recognised by the European Paediatric Neurology Society (EPNS) and awarded an EPNS Research Prize. Beta-propeller protein-associated neurodegeneration, commonly known as BPAN, is a rare, progressive and life-limiting neurological disorder beginning in infancy or early childhood. Dr Apostolos Papandreou, from University College London, is leading research into treatments for the disorder which could also have positive implications on mor...
Jun 23, 2022•42 min
The new season of Brain Talks focuses on Brain in the Life Course, kicking off with a focus on pediatric neurology. We are joined by guest Dr David Gómez-Andrés, a specialist in Child Neurology at the University Hospital of Vall d’Hebron in Barcelona and part of the European Paediatric Neurology Society (EPNS), a society for physicians with a research or clinical interest in Paediatric Neurology. Dr Gómez-Andrés was awarded the 2021 EPNS Research Prize by the Neuromuscular Working Group for his ...
Jun 16, 2022•32 min
The second edition of the Brain Innovation Days will take place on 11-12 October 2022. But you don't have to wait! Follow us during the second season of the Brain Talks where we will invite young researchers to talk about their projects and the future of brain research. More info on braininnovationdays.eu
May 16, 2022•1 min
In today's Brain Talk, we are joined by Professor Juan Lerma, Editor-in-Chief of Neuroscience and Professor at the Alicante Neuroscience Insitute. We discuss a number of exciting, current topics within neuroscience, including brain computer interfaces, brain implant devices and the example of the mainstream news of Elon Musk's Neuralink. Prof Lerma recently wrote a comment on the Neuralink announcement in Neuroscience, the flagship journal of IBRO: https://ibro.org/professor-juan-lerma-reviews-n...
Jul 28, 2021•29 min
In today’s Brain Talk we welcome back another speaker from our latest Brain Innovation Days Digital Session on 27 April, “Fast-Tracking Brain Innovation in Times of COVID-19” -- Dr Tomás Ryan, Assistant Professor of Neuroscience at the University at Trinity College Dublin and Chair of the FENS-Kavli Network of Excellence. During the last event, Tomás provided concluding remarks, sharing the perspective of an early to mid-career fundamental neuroscience researcher, touching on how the scientific ...
Jul 20, 2021•49 min
vCreate Neuro is an NHS Trusted secure video messaging service that helps patients, families and clinical teams stay connected throughout their care journey. Used in over 150 units globally, the vCreate service has so far helped support more than 20,000 families with separation anxiety, clinical diagnoses and care management. We discuss the aims and the importance of this platform with Prof Sameer Zuberi, President of the European Paediatric Neurology Society (EPNS) and Clinical Lead of vCreate ...
Jul 12, 2021•40 min
We speak with Padraic Ward, Head of Roche Pharma International, this week on Brain Talks, exploring healthcare innovation in Europe and how we can ensure Europe keeps its edge in healthcare as we watch Europe falling behind the US and a strongly growing and committed China over the past several years. This erosion of leadership applies to innovation, investment, and equal access to healthcare innovation for patients in the region. What needs to be done to make sure Europe stays a driver of innov...
Jul 05, 2021•36 min
There is a wide consensus that the COVID-19 pandemic not only affects physical health, but also mental health and well-being. The current pandemic is changing priorities for the general population, but it is also challenging the agenda of health professionals, including that of psychiatrists and other mental health professionals. Everywhere in the world, psychiatric clinics are modifying their practice in order to guarantee care and support to persons with mental health problems, but also to tho...
Jun 28, 2021•28 min
