© Pint of Science, 2026. All rights reserved.
Our brains and bodies are shaped by experiences long before we’re aware of them—and sometimes by things we choose to forget.
Explore how early-life influences, chronic pain, and even alcohol leave lasting marks on the brain From infections during pregnancy that subtly rewire developing brains, to the hidden and misunderstood pain experienced by people with cerebral palsy, to the not-so-mysterious biology behind hangovers, these talks reveal how science is uncovering what’s really going on beneath the surface. Join us at Stomping ground for cutting-edge research and surprising insights.
Explore how early-life influences, chronic pain, and even alcohol leave lasting marks on the brain From infections during pregnancy that subtly rewire developing brains, to the hidden and misunderstood pain experienced by people with cerebral palsy, to the not-so-mysterious biology behind hangovers, these talks reveal how science is uncovering what’s really going on beneath the surface. Join us at Stomping ground for cutting-edge research and surprising insights.
Tiny Beginnings, Lasting Impact: Infections and the Developing Brain
Jose Agustin Cota-Coronado
(I’m the Inaugural Depression and Suicide Prevention Research Fellow (One in Five) at the Department of Psychiatry, Monash University, where I lead a stem cell research lab focused on how the brain develops before birth. In my lab, we use stem cells, cells that can be turned into brain cells to build tiny, advanced models of the human brain, including “brain-on-a-chip” systems. These allow us to study how factors like infections during pregnancy or our genes can influence how the brain is formed. We also u)
What happens in the womb doesn’t stay in the womb. During pregnancy, infections can trigger inflammation that subtly changes how a baby’s brain develops, potentially shaping mental health decades later.
In this talk, I’ll show how we recreate early human brain development in the lab using stem cells and “organ-on-a-chip” technology. These models let us explore how early-life immune signals can rewire brain connections and increase the risk of conditions like depression, schizophrenia, and autism. Importantly, they also give us a way to test new treatments before birth, to protect the developing brain.
In this talk, I’ll show how we recreate early human brain development in the lab using stem cells and “organ-on-a-chip” technology. These models let us explore how early-life immune signals can rewire brain connections and increase the risk of conditions like depression, schizophrenia, and autism. Importantly, they also give us a way to test new treatments before birth, to protect the developing brain.
Mapping the Hidden Pain of Cerebral Palsy
Aayushi Khillan
(Aayushi Khillan is a medical student and PhD researcher at the University of Melbourne and the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute. Her research focuses on understanding chronic pain in young people with cerebral palsy. By combining interviews with specialised sensory testing, she aims to uncover why pain is so common yet poorly understood in this population, with the goal of improving personalised pain treatments. Aayushi is passionate about translating research into real improvements in care for childre)
Pain is something we all experience, but for many young people with cerebral palsy, pain is a daily reality. Surprisingly, we still know very little about how this pain works. In this talk, Aayushi explores how children with cerebral palsy experience pain differently, revealing surprising discoveries about pain thresholds and sensory patterns. By “mapping” these unique pain experiences, her research aims to move toward personalised treatments that better match each child’s pain.
The Science of Hangovers (and Why Nothing Really Fixes Them)
Dr Blair Aitken
(Blair Aitken is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Swinburne University studying alcohol’s effects on the brain and behaviour. His work explores impairment, decision-making, and why we’re so bad at judging our own limits.)
Why do hangovers feel so awful, and can anything actually fix them? We’ll unpack what alcohol does to your body and whether any of the popular remedies stand up to science.
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