Leafing Through Science

Can you measure imagination? Following Episode 7 - Part 1, Hedi continues his conversation with neurologist Adam Zeman about his book “The Shape of Things Unseen: A New Science of Imagination” – from Francis Galton’s 19th-century “breakfast table” questionnaire to today’s ingenious experiments putting the “mind’s eye” under the microscope. You’ll hear how simply imagining sunlight can make your pupils constrict, and how mental imagery can bias what you see and smell.
We explore how imagination can heal – like playing Tetris after trauma to weaken intrusive images in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) – and how it can misfire in the hallucinations of Parkinson’s disease or bereavement, when a “phantom spouse” may still be seen or felt, or in Functional Neurological Disorder, where expectations and emotions can produce real physical symptoms, even paralysis. Zeman shares the unforgettable case of “Toby” to show the power of suggestion at work.
We also look at how mental rehearsal helps surgeons, musicians, and athletes: imagery can boost performance and even increase strength via neural efficiency. Finally, we visit the extremes – from aphantasia to hyperphantasia – with hints of genetics, acquired cases, and aphantasic artists (including Ed Catmull, former President of Pixar & Disney Animation) who prove that creativity doesn’t depend on a mind’s eye.
Every two weeks, the podcast series Leafing Through Science brings together host Hedi Young, Champalimaud Foundation neuroscientist and science communicator, with the authors behind some of the most fascinating non-fiction books in the life sciences. From new releases to timeless classics, we explore everything from the mysteries of consciousness and free will, to alien hands and minds under siege. Expect page-turning ideas, head-spinning science, and stories that might just change how you see the world – and yourself.

Relevant links:
The Shape of Things Unseen: A New Science of Imagination by Adam Zeman
More about Adam (also read Adam Zeman Q&A – New Statesman)

Chapters:
(00:00) Introduction
(02:23) At the Breakfast Table of the Mind
(05:31) Imagining Sunlight, Shrinking Pupils
(10:04) The Fragrance of Thought
(13:27) Tetris Therapy in PTSD
(16:34) The Case of Toby: Suggestion and Functional Disorders
(23:01) Phantom Spouse and the Predictive Brain
(26:32) Mind Gym: The Power of Mental Practice
(30:07) The Man Who Lost His Imagination
(37:13) Creativity Without Imagery: Painting With Jet-Black Paint
(38:42) Behind the Book: Twenty Years in the Making
(40:16) Adam's Book Recommendations

Episode Credits:
Creator & Series Producer: Hedi Young
Concept Development & Curation: Ana Rita Mendes, António Monteiro, Carla Emilie Pereira, Catarina Ramos, Diana Cadete, Hedi Young, João Van Zelst, John Lee, Marta Correia, Thaïs Lindemann, Andreia Pinho and Teresa Fernandes
Host: Hedi Young
Guest: Adam Zeman
Graphic Design: Marta Correia
Sound Design: João Van Zelst
Dissemination: Ana Rita Mendes, Diana Cadete, Thaïs Lindemann and Andreia Pinho

Close your eyes for a moment. Can you picture an apple? Maybe it’s red and shiny, maybe green and crisp. Now imagine if you couldn’t picture it at all. For some people, imagination comes in dazzling technicolour, while for others, it’s silent and dark. And for all of us, it’s the hidden stage on which so much of life plays out.
Whether reminiscing about the past, planning the future, or daydreaming at work, how does the brain pull off this everyday act of detachment from the here and now?
In Episode 7 - Part 1 of Leafing Through Science, neurologist Adam Zeman joins Hedi to discuss “The Shape of Things Unseen: A New Science of Imagination”. From the imaginary companions of childhood that help us understand other minds, to inner speech and music, and healthy individuals who hear voices that seem to come from outside themselves, to the sheer prevalence of mind-wandering in almost every activity we do (except one), Adam guides us through the latest science in the strange world of the imagination.
Along the way, he reminds us that imagination isn’t just “castles in the sky”; it’s a system that supports memory, emotion, and creativity. Tune in to Part 1 for a clearer picture of what’s going on in your brain the next time a thought pops into your mind.
Every two weeks, the podcast series Leafing Through Science brings together host Hedi Young, Champalimaud Foundation neuroscientist and science communicator, with the authors behind some of the most fascinating non-fiction books in the life sciences. From new releases to timeless classics, we explore everything from the mysteries of consciousness and free will, to alien hands and minds under siege. Expect page-turning ideas, head-spinning science, and stories that might just change how you see the world – and yourself.

Relevant links:
The Shape of Things Unseen: A New Science of Imagination by Adam Zeman
More about Adam (also read Adam Zeman Q&A – New Statesman)

Chapters:
(00:00) Losing the Mind’s Eye
(04:05) Defining Imagination
(07:10) The Mind’s Eye, Ear, and Fingertip
(08:50) What Imagination Is For
(11:15) Remembering the Future
(13:13) Understanding Other Minds through Imaginary Companions
(16:43) A Spectrum of Inner Worlds
(18:41) Drifting into Dreams
(21:36) Mind-wandering: The Art of Being Elsewhere
(25:08) Inner Speech and Voice Hearing
(29:13) The Generative Nature of Perception and Imagination
(33:37) The Daydreaming Brain Network
(37:38) The Autonomous, Spontaneous Brain
(40:43) Wrapping Up

Episode Credits
Creator & Series Producer: Hedi Young
Concept Development & Curation: Ana Rita Mendes, António Monteiro, Carla Emilie Pereira, Catarina Ramos, Diana Cadete, Hedi Young, João Van Zelst, John Lee, Marta Correia, Thaïs Lindemann, Andreia Pinho and Teresa Fernandes
Host: Hedi Young
Guest: Adam Zeman
Graphic Design: Marta Correia
Sound Design: João Van Zelst
Dissemination: Ana Rita Mendes, Diana Cadete, Thaïs Lindemann and Andreia Pinho

In Episode 6 - Part 2 of Leafing Through Science, Hedi continues his conversation with neuroscientist Nicole Rust, author of “Elusive Cures: Why Neuroscience Hasn’t Solved Brain Disorders – and How We Can Change That”. If Part 1 set the stage for a whole new way of thinking about the brain, Part 2 shows where that shift might take us.
Nicole explores how moving away from the “domino-chain” view of the brain toward seeing it as a complex dynamical system – full of feedback loops and interactions – is opening doors to exciting new discoveries. They talk about the challenges of measuring brain disorders, why fundamental research is so essential, and how predicting salmon populations can help predict seizures in the brain.
Along the way, they touch on Nobel Prizes won for solving problems without fully understanding how, surprising insights into why we sleep, and yes, there’s even room for a cat quip or two.
Every two weeks, the podcast series Leafing Through Science brings together host Hedi Young, Champalimaud Foundation neuroscientist and science communicator, with the authors behind some of the most fascinating non-fiction books in the life sciences. From new releases to timeless classics, we explore everything from the mysteries of consciousness and free will, to alien hands and minds under siege. Expect page-turning ideas, head-spinning science, and stories that might just change how you see the world – and yourself.

Relevant links:
“Elusive Cures: Why Neuroscience Hasn’t Solved Brain Disorders – and How We Can Change That” by Nicole Rust
More about Nicole

Chapters:
(00:00) Introduction
(01:52) Chaos in the Brickyard: Bricks vs. Buildings
(02:54) Measuring Depression: The Standardisation Dilemma
(05:01) Studying Causes in Isolation Isn’t Enough
(06:47) AlphaFold and the Nobel Prize Paradox
(10:40) Replacing the Cartesian Theatre
(14:44) The Parkinson’s Puzzle: Maths Meets Medicine
(17:29) From Salmon to Seizures: Lessons from Ecology
(20:43) When Talk Therapy Rewires the Brain
(24:26) The Retina Project: Speaking the Brain’s Language
(26:57) The Case for Curiosity
(28:53) Why One-Size-Fits-All Doesn’t Work
(31:14) The New Grand Plan for Neuroscience
(35:06) The Brain as a Two-Sided Coin
(39:11) Barriers Beyond the Lab
(40:33) Big Teams, Little Teams
(41:59) Cancer as a Complex System
(43:42) Things vs Processes: Cat or Catting?
(47:03) Wrapping Up

Episode Credits:
Creator & Series Producer: Hedi Young
Concept Development & Curation: Ana Rita Mendes, António Monteiro, Carla Emilie Pereira, Catarina Ramos, Diana Cadete, Hedi Young, João Van Zelst, John Lee, Marta Correia, Thaïs Lindemann, Andreia Pinho and Teresa Fernandes
Host: Hedi Young
Guest: Nicole Rust
Graphic Design: Marta Correia
Sound Design: João Van Zelst
Dissemination: Ana Rita Mendes, Diana Cadete, Andreia Pinho and Thaïs Lindemann

In Episode 6 (Part 1) of Leafing Through Science, we dive deep into one of the biggest challenges in medicine: understanding – and treating – the human brain. Hedi is joined by professor and brain researcher Nicole Rust, author of “Elusive Cures: Why Neuroscience Hasn’t Solved Brain Disorders – and How We Can Change That”.
Nicole asks a provocative question: what if treating brain disorders is less like replacing a broken part in a machine, and more like trying to redirect a hurricane? Nicole argues that only by embracing the brain as a complex adaptive system can we hope to make real progress.
From how many psychiatric drugs still trace back to chance discoveries in the 1950s, to what moods are for, and how the brain’s very adaptability may be the source of its fragility, this conversation explores a major shift in how we think about the brain – one that could accelerate advances in understanding and treating its disorders.
Every two weeks, the podcast series Leafing Through Science brings together host Hedi Young, Champalimaud Foundation neuroscientist and science communicator, with the authors behind some of the most fascinating non-fiction books in the life sciences. From new releases to timeless classics, we explore everything from the mysteries of consciousness and free will, to alien hands and minds under siege. Expect page-turning ideas, head-spinning science, and stories that might just change how you see the world – and yourself.

Relevant links:
“Elusive Cures: Why Neuroscience Hasn’t Solved Brain Disorders – and How We Can Change That” by Nicole Rust
More about Nicole

Chapters:
(00:00) The Dream of Weather Control
(01:06) Introduction
(03:36) Cracking the Code – But Not the Disease
(05:41) Empty Pages in the Brain’s Manual
(07:49) Why Simple Fixes Fail
(11:14) The Three Classes of Disorder
(13:08) The Domino Theory of the Brain
(18:30) Bench to Bedside… Sometimes
(23:17) How Antipsychotics Were Discovered by Accident
(26:08) The Elusive Biology of Schizophrenia
(29:10) Why, What, and How: A Multi-Level Understanding of the Brain
(35:31) The Brain’s Superpower Is Its Weakness
(40:14) Why Do We Have Moods?
(47:58) Wrapping Up

Episode Credits:
Creator & Series Producer: Hedi Young
Concept Development & Curation: Ana Rita Mendes, António Monteiro, Carla Emilie Pereira, Catarina Ramos, Diana Cadete, Hedi Young, João Van Zelst, John Lee, Marta Correia, Thaïs Lindemann, Andreia Pinho and Teresa Fernandes
Host: Hedi Young
Guest: Nicole Rust
Graphic Design: Marta Correia
Sound Design: João Van Zelst
Dissemination: Ana Rita Mendes, Diana Cadete, Thaïs Lindemann and Andreia Pinho

Following Episode 5 - Part 1, where we explored the hidden world of the hypothalamus and the “love hormone” oxytocin, this second part of Hedi’s conversation with neuroendocrinologist Gareth Leng takes us even deeper. You’ll hear how neurons in the hypothalamus can change the very language they speak and who they’re speaking to; discover the astonishing experiment where researchers transplanted brain tissue from one animal to another, resetting the host’s internal clock; and meet a molecule so strange it can suppress appetite, boost libido, and even give you a tan.
From circadian rhythms to the science of obesity, settle in as Gareth guides us further into the secrets of the brain below.
Every two weeks, the new podcast series Leafing Through Science brings together host Hedi Young, Champalimaud Foundation neuroscientist and science communicator, with the authors behind some of the most fascinating non-fiction books in the life sciences. From new releases to timeless classics, we explore everything from the mysteries of consciousness and free will, to alien hands and minds under siege. Expect page-turning ideas, head-spinning science, and stories that might just change how you see the world – and yourself.

Relevant links:
“The Heart of the Brain: The Hypothalamus and Its Hormones” by Gareth Leng
More about Gareth

Chapters:
(00:22) Introduction
(01:57) Saving Every Drop
(06:11) Relay Runners in Your Brain
(07:29) Neurons That Speak Many Tongues
(12:47) Transplanting Clocks into Brains
(18:13) Why Morning Light Wakes You Up
(21:34) Appetite and Desire (and Tans)
(27:46) The Mystery of Stable Weight
(32:28) A Long Argument with Yourself
(35:46) Gareth's Reading Recommendations

Episode Credits:
Creator & Series Producer: Hedi Young
Concept Development & Curation: Ana Rita Mendes, António Monteiro, Carla Emilie Pereira, Catarina Ramos, Diana Cadete, Hedi Young, João Van Zelst, John Lee, Marta Correia, Thaïs Lindemann and Teresa Fernandes
Host: Hedi Young
Guest: Gareth Leng
Graphic Design: Marta Correia
Sound Design: João Van Zelst
Dissemination: Ana Rita Mendes and Diana Cadete

The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the participants and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Champalimaud Foundation.