Thu 26 Feb 14:00: Translational psychological science for youth mental health
Abstract not available
- Speaker: Tim Dalgleish, U. of Cambridge, MRC CBU
- Thursday 26 February 2026, 14:00-15:00
- Venue: MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, 15 Chaucer Road, Cambridge - Lecture Theatre.
- Series: Chaucer Club; organiser: Vicky Collins.
Thu 12 Mar 14:00: Building Word Meanings from Memories and Predictions
Abstract not available
- Speaker: Jenni Rodd, UCL
- Thursday 12 March 2026, 14:00-15:00
- Venue: MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, 15 Chaucer Road, Cambridge - Lecture Theatre.
- Series: Chaucer Club; organiser: Vicky Collins.
Wed 28 Jan 15:00: AI and the Democratic Information Environment
Like social media, AI has been widely associated with democratic decline, particularly in relation to the democratic information environment. Researchers point to the dangers posed by hyper-personalized AI content, AI-powered disinformation, political extremism and polarisation, declining trust in democratic institutions and a possible weakening of the state’s information capacity. At the same time, evidence is emerging that generative AI models can be helpful in improving democratic interaction (Summerfield et al, Costello et al, 2025, Tessler et al, 2024, Landemoore, 2023).
This talk examines some early evidence on the effects of AI on the democratic information environment. It reports research and introduces new projects on political persuasion; use of AI in the public sector; the nodality and legibility of government in the age of AI; information exchange between government and citizens; trust in AI as an information source; and competitive pressures for public attention. It also draws on the speaker’s work on ‘Digital Era Governance’ (Dunleavy and Margetts, 2006, 2023, 2024 and forthcoming in 2026). It proposes a research agenda for monitoring and measuring the democratic effects of AI going forward.
- Speaker: Helen Margetts (University of Oxford)
- Wednesday 28 January 2026, 15:00-16:00
- Venue: Ground Floor Lecture Theatre, Department of Psychology, Downing Site, Cambridge.
- Series: Social Psychology Seminar Series (SPSS); organiser: Yara Kyrychenko.
Wed 18 Feb 15:00: Title to be confirmed
Abstract not available
- Speaker: Nicholas Wright (University College London)
- Wednesday 18 February 2026, 15:00-16:00
- Venue: Ground Floor Lecture Theatre, Department of Psychology, Downing Site, Cambridge.
- Series: Social Psychology Seminar Series (SPSS); organiser: Miriam Remshard.
Mon 09 Feb 12:30: Leveraging large-scale datasets in boutique MEG studies
Speaker (visiting in person): Chetan Gohil, University of Oxford, UK.
Title: Leveraging large-scale datasets in boutique MEG studies
Abstract: Many MEG studies focus on specific clinical groups or carefully designed tasks and consequently are based on relatively small datasets. While these studies are well targeted, drawing robust conclusions can be difficult when sample sizes are limited. At the same time, large public MEG datasets are becoming increasingly available. Under the assumption that features (such as spatiotemporal pattens) of brain activity are shared across populations and tasks, these datasets can be used to support analyses in smaller, boutique studies. In this talk, I will discuss ways of leveraging large-scale MEG data (e.g. Cam-CAN) to improve inference in boutique studies, including normative modelling, dynamic network approaches such as the Hidden Markov Model, and newer deep learning approaches known as ‘foundation models’. I will highlight how these approaches can increase statistical power and robustness, and discuss both their potential and their limitations..
Venue: MRC CBU West Wing Seminar Room and Zoom https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82385113580?pwd=RmxIUmphQW9Ud1JBby9nTDQzR0NRdz09 (Meeting ID: 823 8511 3580; Passcode: 299077)
- Speaker: Chetan Gohil, University of Oxford, UK.
- Monday 09 February 2026, 12:30-13:30
- Venue: MRC-CBU, 15 Chaucer Road, Cambridge.
- Series: CBU Monday Methods Meeting; organiser: Dace Apšvalka.
Thu 05 Feb 12:30: Bayesian brains, emotions and psychopathology
The Bayesian brain hypothesis proposes that the brain acts as an inference machine, updating its model of the world by combining predictions with sensory data. The talk briefly describes the basis of the theory, some closely related extensions of the model like active inference, predictive coding and the free energy principle. It goes on to relate these concepts to emotion and psychopathology.
- Speaker: Dr Alje van Hoorn
- Thursday 05 February 2026, 12:30-13:30
- Venue: Online via zoom.
- Series: Department of Psychiatry & CPFT Thursday Lunchtime Seminar Series; organiser: Oliver Knight.
Thu 19 Mar 12:30: Mental health, memory and menopause: the role of sex steroids and lifestyle
The menopause has received much attention lately and meno-washing is all the rage. However, the discussions on whether this hormonal change affects brain function long-term and whether it can and should be mitigated by hormone treatment has been ongoing since the mid-fifties. In this talk we discuss the history of menopausal hormone treatment (MHT) and brain function in women. We present evidence on whether mental health and cognitive function actually change after the menopause and in whom. We also discuss meta-analyses using medical registry data which paradoxically suggested increased Alzheimer’s disease (AD) risk with MHT . Alternative evidence-based lifestyle interventions and effectivity in reducing both menopausal symptoms and AD risk are also reviewed.
- Speaker: Professor Eef Hogervorst
- Thursday 19 March 2026, 12:30-13:30
- Venue: Hybrid (in-person at the Herchel Smith Building and online via zoom).
- Series: Department of Psychiatry & CPFT Thursday Lunchtime Seminar Series; organiser: Oliver Knight.
Mon 02 Feb 12:30: Efficient fMRI design for activations and patterns
Speaker: Rik Henson, MRC CBU , Cambridge, UK.
Title: Efficient fMRI design for activations and patterns.
Abstract: How to design an efficient fMRI experiment for activation analysis, beta-series regression (BSR) and multi-voxel pattern analysis (MVPA).
I will run through a Matlab livescript (ie interactive notebook) that demonstrates the basic ideas behind statistical power (efficiency) for (within-subject) fMRI analyses. The first part reprises what is already available here: https://imaging.mrc-cbu.cam.ac.uk/imaging/DesignEfficiency, ie explains how to optimise the time between trials (or components of trials) and the ordering of those trials (eg randomised/pseudorandomised/blocked) in order to detect a particular hypothesis (contrast) regarding activation differences between trial-types in a single voxel/ROI. This will be explained from the perspectives of signal processing, mathematics and correlations (whichever you find more intuitive). The second part explains how optimal estimation of activation for single-trials (using LSA , regularised LSA or LSS , eg for BSR ) depends on the ratio of trial variability to scan noise, and any temporal structure in your trial order. The final part explains how optimal estimation of patterns of activity over voxels (for MVPA ) also depends on the spatial covariance of trial variability and scan noise.
Venue: MRC CBU West Wing Seminar Room and Zoom https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82385113580?pwd=RmxIUmphQW9Ud1JBby9nTDQzR0NRdz09 (Meeting ID: 823 8511 3580; Passcode: 299077)
- Speaker: Rik Henson, MRC CBU, Cambridge, UK.
- Monday 02 February 2026, 12:30-13:30
- Venue: MRC-CBU, 15 Chaucer Road, Cambridge.
- Series: CBU Monday Methods Meeting; organiser: Dace Apšvalka.
Mon 16 Feb 12:30: BOLD signal changes can oppose oxygen metabolism across the human cortex
Speaker: Samira M. Epp, Friedrich-Alexander University, Erlangen, Germany.
Title: BOLD signal changes can oppose oxygen metabolism across the human cortex
Abstract: Functional magnetic resonance imaging measures brain activity indirectly by monitoring changes in blood oxygenation levels, known as the blood-oxygenation-level-dependent (BOLD) signal, rather than directly measuring neuronal activity. This approach crucially relies on neurovascular coupling, the mechanism that links neuronal activity to changes in cerebral blood flow. However, it remains unclear whether this relationship is consistent for both positive and negative BOLD responses across the human cortex. In our recent paper (https://doi.org/10.1038/s41593-025-02132-9), we found that about 40% of voxels with significant BOLD signal changes during various tasks showed reversed oxygen metabolism, particularly in the default mode network. These ‘discordant’ voxels differed in baseline oxygen extraction fraction and regulated oxygen demand via oxygen extraction fraction changes, whereas ‘concordant’ voxels depended mainly on cerebral blood flow changes. I will talk about the main findings of our recent work and give a short outlook on current work.
Bio:- I am currently working as a PostDoc at the FAU (Friedrich-Alexander University) in Nürnberg-Erlangen (Neuroradiology), in the working group of Prof. Valentin Riedl (“Neuroimaging of immunological and metabolic processes”)
- I finished my PhD in ‘systemic neurosciences’ in 2023 in Munich, at the Graduate School of Systemic Neurosciences, a collaboration between LMU (Ludwig-Maximilians-University) and TUM (Technical University, Munich), also in the working group of Prof. Riedl (Neuroimaging Center, Neuroradiology)
- Graduated 2018 at the HU (Humboldt University) in Berlin, Masters in Psychology
- During my studies, I have been working as a research assistant for 4 years at the MPI (Max-Planck-Institute) for Human Development in Berlin, working mainly with fMRI BOLD data
Venue: MRC CBU West Wing Seminar Room and Zoom https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82385113580?pwd=RmxIUmphQW9Ud1JBby9nTDQzR0NRdz09 (Meeting ID: 823 8511 3580; Passcode: 299077)
- Speaker: Samira M. Epp, Friedrich-Alexander University, Erlangen, Germany
- Monday 16 February 2026, 12:30-13:30
- Venue: MRC-CBU, 15 Chaucer Road, Cambridge.
- Series: CBU Monday Methods Meeting; organiser: Dace Apšvalka.
Tue 20 Jan 12:00: Beyond the Hype: Distinguishing LLM Agents from Generative AI Startups Through a Natural Experiment
This study investigates whether Large Language Model Agents represent a genuinely novel technological paradigm or merely constitute incremental extensions of Generative Artificial Intelligence. Leveraging a natural experiment created by Anthropic’s Model Context Protocol release on November 25, 2024, we employ a difference-in-differences identification strategy to compare startup outcomes across treatment and control groups. Drawing on data from 4,532 startups in the artificial intelligence and machine learning vertical from PitchBook, we examine five outcome dimensions: venture capital backing, funding amounts, patent activity, competitive positioning, and market diversification. Our findings reveal that the MCP release fundamentally reshaped the LLM Agent startup ecosystem through a democratization mechanism. Specifically, LLM Agent startups experience a 6.4 percentage point increase in venture capital backing rates, indicating democratized access to funding. However, agent ventures do not receive disproportionately larger funding amounts, suggesting that MCP expanded access without creating premium valuations. Agent startups also exhibit 3.5 percentage points higher patent activity and face 0.64 additional competitors, while vertical diversification remains unchanged. These patterns survive extensive robustness checks including placebo tests, alternative specifications, and sensitivity analyses. We contribute to emerging theory on generative artificial intelligence by providing the first large-scale empirical evidence that infrastructural developments like MCP can democratize entrepreneurial participation while intensifying competitive dynamics. Our findings have important implications for entrepreneurs, investors, and policymakers navigating the rapidly evolving artificial intelligence landscape.
- Speaker: Dequn Teng
- Tuesday 20 January 2026, 12:00-13:00
- Venue: S3.06, Simon Sainsbury Centre, Cambridge Judge Business School.
- Series: Cambridge Psychometrics Centre Seminars; organiser: Luning Sun.
Thu 19 Mar 14:00: The neural circuit underlying perceptual predictions
Abstract not available
- Speaker: Peter Kok, UCL
- Thursday 19 March 2026, 14:00-15:00
- Venue: MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, 15 Chaucer Road, Cambridge - Lecture Theatre.
- Series: Chaucer Club; organiser: Vicky Collins.
Thu 05 Mar 14:00: Verbal suggestion and the modulation of perception: Implications for psychological science, psychopathology, and psychedelics
Abstract not available
- Speaker: Devin Terhune, KCL
- Thursday 05 March 2026, 14:00-15:00
- Venue: MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, 15 Chaucer Road, Cambridge - Lecture Theatre.
- Series: Chaucer Club; organiser: Vicky Collins.
Thu 12 Feb 14:00: Understanding, predicting and reducing dementia risk: insights from the heart and brain
Abstract not available
- Speaker: Sana Suri, U. of Oxford
- Thursday 12 February 2026, 14:00-15:00
- Venue: MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, 15 Chaucer Road, Cambridge - Lecture Theatre.
- Series: Chaucer Club; organiser: Vicky Collins.
Thu 05 Feb 14:00: Exploring high-level cognition through large language models
Abstract not available
- Speaker: Ariel Goldstein, U. of Cambridge
- Thursday 05 February 2026, 14:00-15:00
- Venue: MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, 15 Chaucer Road, Cambridge - Lecture Theatre.
- Series: Chaucer Club; organiser: Vicky Collins.
Thu 29 Jan 14:00: Correcting misconceptions and shaping preferences about energy sources with reinforcement learning
Abstract not available
- Speaker: Stefano Palminteri, Ecole Normale Superieure
- Thursday 29 January 2026, 14:00-15:00
- Venue: MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, 15 Chaucer Road, Cambridge - Lecture Theatre.
- Series: Chaucer Club; organiser: Vicky Collins.
Thu 22 Jan 14:00: Scales of injustice: Why a balance metaphor can be misleading when weighing evidence
Abstract not available
- Speaker: David Lagnado, UCL
- Thursday 22 January 2026, 14:00-15:00
- Venue: MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, 15 Chaucer Road, Cambridge - Lecture Theatre.
- Series: Chaucer Club; organiser: Vicky Collins.
Thu 22 Jan 12:30: How to put individual patient’s values back into EBM to improve treatments for our patients?
The original version of evidence-based medicine (EBM) was meant to combine best research evidence with clinical experience and individual patient’s values. As we know, however, the latter two elements have almost completely fallen by the wayside in recent decades: EBM produces group-level statistics that needs to be translated into individual care decisions by the clinician and the patient. The recognition of this led to the parallel development of a complementary framework of clinical theory and skills in medicine: values-based practice (VBP). In my talk, I will use clinical examples in borderline personality disorder, dementia, and depression/suicide risk management to demonstrate the usefulness of working with patient’s values. I will also describe the accumulating evidence-base in this area and some current and potential future programmes to integrate our patients’ values into psychiatric research in order to improve treatments.
- Speaker: Dr Robert Dudas (University of Cambridge)
- Thursday 22 January 2026, 12:30-13:30
- Venue: Online via zoom.
- Series: Department of Psychiatry & CPFT Thursday Lunchtime Seminar Series; organiser: Oliver Knight.
Mon 09 Feb 12:30: Efficient fMRI design for activations and patterns
Speaker: Rik Henson, MRC CBU , Cambridge, UK.
Title: Efficient fMRI design for activations and patterns.
Abstract: How to design an efficient fMRI experiment for activation analysis, beta-series regression (BSR) and multi-voxel pattern analysis (MVPA).
I will run through a Matlab livescript (ie interactive notebook) that demonstrates the basic ideas behind statistical power (efficiency) for (within-subject) fMRI analyses. The first part reprises what is already available here: https://imaging.mrc-cbu.cam.ac.uk/imaging/DesignEfficiency, ie explains how to optimise the time between trials (or components of trials) and the ordering of those trials (eg randomised/pseudorandomised/blocked) in order to detect a particular hypothesis (contrast) regarding activation differences between trial-types in a single voxel/ROI. This will be explained from the perspectives of signal processing, mathematics and correlations (whichever you find more intuitive). The second part explains how optimal estimation of activation for single-trials (using LSA , regularised LSA or LSS , eg for BSR ) depends on the ratio of trial variability to scan noise, and any temporal structure in your trial order. The final part explains how optimal estimation of patterns of activity over voxels (for MVPA ) also depends on the spatial covariance of trial variability and scan noise.
Venue: MRC CBU West Wing Seminar Room and Zoom https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82385113580?pwd=RmxIUmphQW9Ud1JBby9nTDQzR0NRdz09 (Meeting ID: 823 8511 3580; Passcode: 299077)
- Speaker: Rik Henson, MRC CBU, Cambridge, UK.
- Monday 09 February 2026, 12:30-13:30
- Venue: MRC-CBU, 15 Chaucer Road, Cambridge.
- Series: CBU Monday Methods Meeting; organiser: Dace Apšvalka.
Fri 30 Jan 16:30: CANCELLED: Dreamscapes and sleep states: a neurophysiological exploration of dreams and other conscious experiences in sleep
Dreaming provides a unique window into consciousness. In the absence of external input, the sleeping brain can generate entire worlds of vivid perceptions, illusory actions, and strong emotions that are almost indistinguishable from waking life. How the brain achieves such a remarkable simulation, and why, are questions that remain unresolved yet are important for understanding consciousness. Although the neurobiology of dreaming is still incompletely understood, recent research has begun to identify key neurophysiological correlates of dreams. In this talk, I will outline the phenomenology of dreams, survey advances in their scientific investigation, and discuss how different experimental approaches may clarify both the mechanisms underlying dreaming and important principles underlying conscious experience.
Host: Prof Tristan Bekinschtein
This talk will be recorded and uploaded to the Zangwill Club Youtube channel in due course.
- Speaker: Francesca Siclari, Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience
- Friday 30 January 2026, 16:30-18:00
- Venue: Ground Floor Lecture Theatre, Department of Psychology.
- Series: Zangwill Club; organiser: Psychology Reception.