For decades, brain scientists have looked almost exclusively at the signal-carrying cells called neurons to figure out why, sometimes, our brains get sick. But what if this needle-in-a-haystack search has been slowed by looking in the wrong haystack? Dr. Beth Stevens, MacArthur “genius” grant winning brain scientist, has made the radical discovery that the brain’s immune cells (called microglia) play a key role in the development of illnesses like schizophrenia and Alzheimer’s Disease.

Dr. Stevens joined us from August 31 – September 2, 2016 to answer questions about her research and what it could mean for the processes of diagnosis and recovery for individuals with brain illness.