The Science of Your Brain - Neuroscience Masterclass with Dr. Goldy Yadav

Imagine a man who survived a severe accident, changing not just his life but the entire course of neuroscience. This man, Phineas Gage, had a large iron rod pass through his skull, miraculously surviving but with a completely altered personality. His story opened the world's eyes to how specific brain areas influence behavior. 

Then there's Patient HM, who, after a surgery to cure his epilepsy, could no longer form new memories, leading scientists to discover the critical role of the hippocampus in memory formation. 

These astonishing tales not only highlight the resilience of the human spirit but also how breakthroughs often come from the most unexpected events.  

The only way humans can experience and interact with the environment is via the brain. Our brain enables us to have a wide range of sensory-perceptual experiences of the world and facilitate our behavioral responses so that we can interact with the world. In simple words- everything we experience, learn, and do is mediated by our brain! Therefore, it is very crucial for us to gain fundamental knowledge about how our brain works and controls our behavior. 

The goal of this masterclass is to give you a glimpse of the functioning of the human brain, which may help you understand why we behave the way we do, and its impact on our mental health. Join us as we embark on a journey through the fascinating world of neuroscience, exploring the mysteries of the brain and discovering how its intricate workings shape our every thought, feeling, and action.

About the Speaker

Dr. Goldy Yadav is a postdoctoral researcher at UC Louvain in Brussels, Belgium.  She has previously been a Fulbright Fellow at the National Institutes of Health (USA) while pursuing her PhD in Cognitive Science at the Indian Institute of Technology, Gandhinagar. She has a Master's in Cognitive Science from IIT Gandhinagar, and a Bachelor's degree in Zoology (H) from the University of Delhi. Goldy has a keen interest in understanding how the human brain works and is actively involved in neuroscientific research. Her work focuses on how humans learn new skilled actions, and the brain processes that facilitate such learned behavior. Through her work, she has also demonstrated how retention of a newly acquired memory can be enhanced. Goldy believes this is the most exciting time to be involved in the field of neuroscience as we are uncovering something truly fascinating about the brain, its functions and the causes behind a number of neurological/psychological disorders. A lot, however, still remains unknown about this enigmatic tissue between our ears!

Goldy is leading a course on Neuroscience as part of the Gifted Summer Program in May 2024 at Manipal, Karnataka, India.