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Explore groundbreaking neuroscience research in this chalk talk that reveals how the body's posture and spine shape reflect internal states through sophisticated biological mechanisms. Discover how Dr. Claire Wyart's pioneering work with transparent larval zebrafish has uncovered a novel sensory system within the spinal cord, where small neurons act as mechanosensors to detect spinal compression and regulate posture, movement, immunity, and development. Learn about the critical role of cerebrospinal fluid as more than just a protective medium—functioning as a complex communication system that the nervous system uses to monitor internal conditions. Understand how interoception, the body's ability to sense internal states, operates through spinal cord neurons that detect changes in cerebrospinal fluid composition and pressure. Examine cutting-edge optogenetics techniques used to manipulate neuronal activity in living organisms and investigate how sensory and motor circuits integrate internal physiological conditions with external physical expression. Gain insights into how this research opens new therapeutic avenues for understanding neurological diseases and the fundamental connections between our internal biological states and outward physical manifestations, presented by an internationally recognized researcher who has pioneered optical technologies for studying neural activity throughout the vertebrate body during movement.
