Talk by Dr Peter Hacker, Oxford University

Mereology is the logic of part/whole relations. One kind of mereological mistake is that of misguidedly attributing properties of wholes to their parts. Some holistic properties cannot licitly be ascribed to parts: aeroplanes fly, but their engines cannot be said to fly; antique clocks keep time but their fusées cannot be said to keep time. A widespread mistake in cognitive neuroscience is to attribute to the human brain properties that can be intelligibly attributed only to the living human being as a whole. The brain is commonly held to perceive, to think, to feel emotions, and to intend to do things. These are category mistakes that lead to widespread fallacies in the reasoning of neuroscientists. The rationale of the mereological fallacy in neuroscience will be explained and objections will be refuted.

The Corpus Curiosum series was produced with the support of FENS Committee for Higher Education and Training (CHET)

Dr John Lidwell-Durin (History Faculty, University of Oxford) on “John Hughlings Jackson, Nerve-Genesis and Language”, at the FENS History Seminar on “History of Understanding of the Cerebral Cortex”, organised at St John’s College, University of Oxford, on 12 May 2015, by Prof. Zoltan Molnar.

The contributions of Dr Laza K. Lazarevic (1851-1891), the founder of Serbian neurology, to the development of neuroscience in Europe during the 19th century.

Dr Tom Quick (Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics, University of Oxford), on “Stories of histological slides in the Sherrington Box”, at the FENS History Seminar on “History of Understanding of the Cerebral Cortex”, organised at St John’s College, University of Oxford, on 12 May 2015, by Prof. Zoltan Molnar.

Dr Damion Young (Medical Sciences Division Learning Technologies (MSDLT) on “Historic digital repositories for the 21st Century, Developing and using the https://history.medsci.ox.ac.uk/​ – site. Using historical material in neuroscience teaching”, at the FENS History Seminar on “History of Understanding of the Cerebral Cortex”, organised at St John’s College, University of Oxford, on 12 May 2015, by Prof. Zoltan Molnar.

Website dedicated to the Russian scientist with a worldwide reputation, a specialist in the field of cognitive psychophysiology and neuroscience, E. N. Sokolov (1920-2008).

There are many ways in which FENS can benefit you as an early career researcher! Find out more in this graphic for you to download.

Graphic by Engage Visually.

Effects of early life stress are found to be dependent on many factors, including sex and genetic background, the age of early exposure, and the age and context within which the long-term impact is examined. Organised by the FENS Committee for Higher Education and Training (CHET), hosted on Neuronline.

Biography of Economo, Constantin – Austria
Via IBRO

Project funded under the FENS call for history of neuroscience projects.

The European Journal of Neuroscience (EJN) is the official journal of FENS (online flyer).

FENS is the voice of European neuroscience and aims to increase public awareness about the benefits of brain research. Discover FENS’ outreach and advocacy activities with this videos.

A podcast with a round-up of the hottest neuroscience research and conversations from each day of the Forum in the FENS 2020 Daily Podcast, with prominent Forum speakers and representatives of the FENS leadership.

Professor Zoltán Molnár talks to Dr Erica Charters for a History of Medicine perspective on Oxford physician and Father of Neurology Thomas Willis.

Biography of Euler, Curt – Sweden
Via SfN

Sedentary behavior is on the rise, resulting in an increased prevalence of preventable life-limiting diseases, including those affecting the brain. This is despite evidence showing that physical activity is one of the most important modifiable lifestyle factors that supports good brain health throughout life and improves quality of life in old age. In this webinar, speakers will discuss different mechanisms by which exercise positively influences brain health and function across the lifespan, from modulation of inflammation to regulation of adult neurogenesis.

Webinar organised by the FENS Committee for Higher Education and Training on the SfN digital platform, Neuronline.

A visual guide to provide you with tips for your outreach project.
This graphic was designed by Engage Visually.

FENS is the voice of European neuroscience, representing more than 20,000 European neuroscientists. Its activities span five broad areas: scientific meetings, higher education and training, the European Journal of Neuroscience, outreach and advocacy and membership.

Did you ever wonder how a FENS School is organised? Dr Richard Roche sat together with co-chairs Dr Rosa Paolicelli and Dr Anne Roumier in order to uncover all the secrets behind the FENS-Hertie Winter School 2022.

This webinar focuses on how neural circuits underlying innate behaviours develop and how they modulate parental behaviour in adulthood.

Organised by the FENS Committee for Higher Education and Training (CHET).

Whether a first-time or long-time submitter, the FENS Friday webinar “Handling, review and publication of EJN manuscripts” will provide you with all the necessary information to publish in the European Journal of Neuroscience (EJN).

This FENS Friday live webinar provided state-of-the-art knowledge on the microbiome and its influence on immunity and the nervous system from gestation until adulthood.

This FENS Friday webinar provided a landscape perspective overclassical and modern tools for tract-tracing purposes. The goal is to provide young trainees with the best tips, ideas and background information required for selecting the neuroanatomical tracer or the best combination for a given experimental paradigm.

In this FENS Friday webinar were discussed the challenges presented by the blood brain barrier to CNS biomarker discovery and use, the potential of extracellular vesicles as novel markers of brain function and dysfunction, and the clinical relevance of established and novel blood biomarkers of neuropsychiatric disorders and brain injury. The limitations of the use of blood-borne CNS biomarkers both in the laboratory and the clinic and provide insights into the future development of novel biomarkers of brain health and disease were also explored.

The webinar was organised by the FENS Committee for Higher Educqtion qnd Trqining (CHET).

Have you ever wondered what our brains do while we are sleeping? Do all brains sleep the same? What makes their experiences differ from one another and what are the determining factors? Watch the new FENS Friday webinar “Brain on Sleep” and delve into the fascinating world of sleep research and its different states and functions.

In this FENS Friday webinar, held on 29 November 2024, we explore various methods for measuring brain electrophysiological activity and their applications in both healthy and pathological conditions.

Speakers

Dr Ioana Mindruta, Moderator – University of Medicine and Pharmacy “Carol Davila” Bucharest (RO)

Prof. Nicolas Gaspard, Speaker – Université Libre de Bruxelles (BE)

Dr Mirela Simon, Speaker – Massachusetts General Hospital (US)

Prof. Mihai Moldovan, Speaker – University of Copenhagen (DK)

Dr Irina Oane, Speaker – University Emergency Hospital of Bucharest (RO)

Programme

Introduction and welcome – Ioana Mindruta

First presentation: The phenomenology and clinical use of EEG reactivity in man – Nicolas Gaspard

Second presentation: Variability of nervous tissue excitability under certain physiological and pathological conditions – Mirela Simon

Third presentation: To burst or not to burst: An EEG story – Mihai Moldovan

Fourth presentation: Direct electrical stimulation with intracranial electrodes for the study of excitability and functional connectivity – Irina Oane

This webinar is organised by the FENS Committee for Higher Education and Training – CHET as part of the FENS Friday series.

The FENS Friday webinar “Brain development and neuropsychiatric disorders” presented the state-of-the-art knowledge on the brain’s development and how genetic disturbances and/or environmental influences are thought to underlie several neuropsychiatric disorders. Organised by the FENS Committee for Higher Education and Training (CHET).

This FENS Friday webinar is aimed for neuroscientists at any stage who wish to engage the wider audience with their research, particularly for those who are new to science communication. Organised by the Communication Committee with the support of the Dana Foundation.

Epilepsy is not only a common, often devastating disease but also a comorbidity of many neurological disorders, in which control of seizures may significantly improve quality of life and even prognosis. Recent years have witnessed major advancements in the identification of the mechanisms of disease that hold the promise to lead to new treatments. Organised by the FENS Committee for Higher Education and Training (CHET), this FENS Friday webinar provided an overview of these findings and of their potential implications not only for epilepsy but also for other neurological diseases.

Organised by the European Brain Council (EBC), the European Brain Research Area project (EBRA) and chaired by FENS President, Prof. Jean-Antoine Girault, this FENS Friday webinar focused on the importance of coordination and collaboration in the brain space highlighting the Shared European Brain Research Agenda (SEBRA).

This playlist contains lectures given during the FENS SfN Winter School 2015 on Neurobiology of language and communication (held in Austria). The interview with the School’s scientific organisers provides an introduction.

This playlist contains lectures given during the FENS Hertie Winter School 2016 on Memory mechanisms in humans: from physiology to behavior and computational models (held in Austria). The interview with the School’s scientific organisers provides an introduction.

This playlist contains lectures given during the FENS Hertie Winter School 2017 on Neural Control of Behaviour – Series 1: Navigation (held in Austria). The interview with the School’s scientific organisers provides an introduction.

FENS actively supports graduate education, postgraduate training and professional development in neuroscience in Europe (online flyer).

The terms and conditions to participate at the FENS-EJN Image Competition.

Learn more about the FENS activities in 2021.

One of the key pillars of FENS is the organisation of meetings, which provide a wide range of learning, networking and professional development opportunities for our members.

FENS provides its members with a full package of services to facilitate the exchange of information and enhance networking activities among neuroscientists at the European level and beyond.

An opinion from FENS on the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Amendment (Prohibition of Live Imports of Primates for Research)

FENS aims to increase public awareness about the benefits of brain research.