In our modern society, people are expected to behave according to certain norms. We assume that if one person can do a task well, everyone else should be able to, if they try hard enough. In fact, not all brains are wired the same way! For example, most of our jobs include many tasks that require us to maintain constant focus. While some people have no problems dealing with these aspects of our society, others quickly become disengaged from repetitive tasks and constantly look for new stimulation.

  At Gut Thinking – How your Microbes Influence your Life our ITQB collaborators have swabbed  samples from around 80 different members of the audience and

On Thursday, April 21st, 2016 at 9pm we will explore the importance of the gut microbiota and its role in guiding our behavior – the so-called gut-brain interaction. We will discuss where our microbes come from, how they affect our behavior and how they interact with the immune system.

Imagine a society without higher education. No doctors to care for the sick; no architects to build homes; no entrepreneurs to start new businesses. During crises, like the current civil war in Syria, a generation of students is left stranded and unable to finish their studies. Without them, the future of their country is at risk in the decades to come. Who will rebuild?

2015 – Pain is a complex neurological phenomenon, involving a highly intricate web of biological, psychological, and social mechanisms. Join us in our attempt to tackle the cultural and scientific challenges of Pain.

2015 – But what really is depression? What are its causes? Are the underlying biological and psychological factors dissociable? And most importantly, how can depression be treated and prevented? On January 22nd we will explore this phenomenon and try to answer some of these questions.

Neuroscientists represent the world using cause-effect relationships, principles, mechanisms. Artists create representations of the world using colors, sounds, movements. Can these representations mutually challenge, feed and complete themselves in a single humanistic experience?

2014 – Most people want to be happy. We all intuitively know it when we feel it, yet we are surprisingly poor at predicting what will bring us happiness. Finding a definition that truly captures this feeling is not as easy as we might expect. For thousands of years ancient contemplative traditions have examined the nature of happiness. More recently, the fields of neuroscience and positive psychology have attempted to do the same.