iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Chantel Prat PhD @chantelpratphd.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

According to the Motion Picture Association, the average American spends more than half of their waking hours feeding their brain entertainment. In the newest episode of Brains for Dinner @andreastocco.com and I discuss why brains in different states crave different types of entertainment!

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Chantel Prat PhD @chantelpratphd.bsky.social · 05/08/2026

I'm so excited to be joined by a team of rock stars for this proposal for SXSW. We want to help people understand what optimization culture overlooks--how many of our intellectual strengths are defined by the natural limitations of our brains. participate.sxsw.com/flow/sxsw/sx...

participate.sxsw.com

PanelPicker | SXSW Conference & Festivals

PanelPicker® is the official SXSW user-generated session proposal platform. Enter ideas and vote to help shape Conference programming for SXSW and SXSW EDU.

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Chantel Prat PhD @chantelpratphd.bsky.social · 03/08/2026

open.substack.com/pub/chantelp... Tonight we recorded our 1 year anniversary episode of Brains for Dinner! In it, we talk about something that’s been keeping me up at night lately— the lost “art” of long-form learning. My question to you is, will you take the time to listen?

open.substack.com

Episode 10: The Lost Art of Long-Form Learning

(How) Are the podcasts you're listening to changing you?

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Chantel Prat PhD @chantelpratphd.bsky.social · 01/06/2026

On my way home from a high octane trip to Hong Kong. I made new friends, ate great food and learned a LOT! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

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Chantel Prat PhD @chantelpratphd.bsky.social · 14/03/2026

First panel at #SXSW! Thanks Allen Brain Institute for the invite!

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Chantel Prat PhD @chantelpratphd.bsky.social · 03/03/2026

A loud call to all the #women in #science making history who might feel hesitant to take up space for a million different reasons— do it! open.substack.com/pub/chantelp...

open.substack.com

Making Herstory

My Role in the First Human Brain-to-Brain Interface

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Reposted by Chantel Prat PhD

Andrea Stocco @andreastocco.com · 02/02/2026

@chantelpratphd.bsky.social and I found a welcome moment of joy in recording this episode of Brains for Dinner, where we got to geek out about the neuroscience of dreams. Hope you all can enjoy it too: substack.com/@chantelprat...

substack.com

Episode 7: Sweet Dreams

What are they really made of?

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Chantel Prat PhD @chantelpratphd.bsky.social · 14/12/2025

After our last episode of Brains for Dinner, it occurs to me that transcendental meditation (TM) is really designed for people like me who think verbally. Those who think in pictures like @andreastocco.com are free to repeat a mantra with thoughts racing in the visual domain! Got my thinking cap on!

Woman wearing a knitted hat shaped like a brain

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Chantel Prat PhD @chantelpratphd.bsky.social · 11/12/2025

I don’t like to play favorites but this was probably my favorite episode of B4D so far. Do you talk to yourself when you think? Or are your thoughts more like inner PowerPoints? What difference does it make (and other thoughts that keep me up at night!)

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Chantel Prat PhD @chantelpratphd.bsky.social · 30/11/2025

If you want to take a stab at Stocco in Love I’ll be happy to play Mercutio 🤣🤣🤣 😍

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Chantel Prat PhD @chantelpratphd.bsky.social · 20/11/2025

I’m excited to share that I’ve been selected for the first Research Impact Advocates cohort at UW. The faculty chosen for this program get training in science communication, which I’ve never had! It’s probably not a big deal but it feels like one to this first gen small town girl with big ideas.

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Chantel Prat PhD @chantelpratphd.bsky.social · 29/10/2025

I just finished the first full draft of my new book about how to partner with your brain to shape learning and growth! It feels SO GOOD! I can’t wait to share it with everyone 🤓🧠

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Chantel Prat PhD @chantelpratphd.bsky.social · 02/10/2025

This resonates. T minus 60 days ‘til my deadline 🤓

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Chantel Prat PhD @chantelpratphd.bsky.social · 29/09/2025

I asked #ChatGPT to create a visual of the Yerkes-Dodson law which it correctly described verbally as “the classic inverted U-shaped curve” then drew this. 🤔

A graph showing the relationship between arousal and performance increasing linearly

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Chantel Prat PhD @chantelpratphd.bsky.social · 09/09/2025

#language is a code for thinking and communicating, but is computer #code also a language? In this week’s episode of Brains for Dinner @andreastocco.com and I geek out on symbolic cognition, skill learning, and #Shakespeare to name a few. Is Python a language and if so are #bilinguals better?

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Chantel Prat PhD @chantelpratphd.bsky.social · 23/08/2025

Calling all scientists, lovers or supporters of science, or folks just trying to make changes in their lives and wondering why they won’t stick. Do you have 5 minutes to help inform my second book—focused on how to partner with your brain to shape change? docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...

docs.google.com

Research for Book 2 (on lifelong learning)

Thank you friends, family, and friends of friends and family for taking the time to fill out this poll to help inform the last lap of my writing efforts for book baby number 2. I'm so grateful for you...

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Reposted by Chantel Prat PhD

Andrea Stocco @andreastocco.com · 22/08/2025

Dear friends and Bluesky 🧠 geeks: it's the weekend, and I want to share that @chantelpratphd.bsky.social and I recorded our second episode of Brains for Dinner. This one is about dance, language, and basal ganglia, and the burning question: why don't ducks dance? open.substack.com/pub/chantelp...

open.substack.com

Brains for Dinner Episode 2

Why people dance but ducks don't

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Chantel Prat PhD @chantelpratphd.bsky.social · 04/08/2025

What’s in it for you? Laughs, learning, and possibly even inspiration for great date questions! I hope you’ll join me and my favorite neuroscientist @andreastocco.com for dinner!

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Chantel Prat PhD @chantelpratphd.bsky.social · 13/06/2025

Exciting!!!! My first European translation 💃🏻🧠

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Reposted by Chantel Prat PhD

koenfucius @koenfucius.bsky.social · 27/05/2025

Our malleable brain enables us to encode learning and experience in a way that is much more powerful than simply data storage. @chantelpratphd.bsky.social explores this fascinating, complex superpower: buff.ly/pqcBzH9

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Chantel Prat PhD @chantelpratphd.bsky.social · 27/04/2025

Can’t remember the last time I saw a movie that blew my mind like this one did.

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Chantel Prat PhD @chantelpratphd.bsky.social · 04/04/2025

Just turned 50 in Borneo and did some thinking and writing about what it all means to me. open.substack.com/pub/chantelp... #science #power #belonging #obedience

open.substack.com

Musings from a disobedient neuroscientist

On mistrust

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Chantel Prat PhD @chantelpratphd.bsky.social · 24/03/2025

Thankful for my naturally intelligent brain today which can spot Google Maps’ advice as “enshitification” from a mile away (sometimes). #AI #brain #cognition #intelligence

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Chantel Prat PhD @chantelpratphd.bsky.social · 13/03/2025

🧪🧠 #brain #belonging #different #neurodiversity Theories that are on size fits all don’t fit anyone very well.

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Chantel Prat PhD @chantelpratphd.bsky.social · 12/03/2025

Say you’ve been doing neuroscience research for a long time without saying you’ve been doing neuroscience research for a long time. My favorite 🧠 in 1998 and 2021 🥰 #brain #neuroscience

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Chantel Prat PhD @chantelpratphd.bsky.social · 07/03/2025

#sciencenotsilence Art credit goes to @andreastocco.com Today — and every day— we stand up for science!

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Chantel Prat PhD @chantelpratphd.bsky.social · 28/02/2025

My emotional support baby horse and amazing husband @andreastocco.com plus Taylor Swift for the healing moment of today. 🥰 #horses #Swiftie #connection

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Chantel Prat PhD @chantelpratphd.bsky.social · 25/02/2025

This is my best attempt to follow Arthur Ashe’s call to “Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.” #brain #talent #training #recruitment #diversity #intelligence #experience open.substack.com/pub/chantelp...

open.substack.com

The Science of Talent Scouting:

How do we find the "truly brilliant" ones?

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Chantel Prat PhD @chantelpratphd.bsky.social · 21/02/2025

Well I guess I can cross having a dinner with Temple Grandin where I can ask her every single question I have about her brain and answer all the questions she has that I have any clue about off of my bucket list! 🙌🧠🤯🧪 What an amazing woman. #autism #brain #visualthinking #celebratedifferences

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Chantel Prat PhD @chantelpratphd.bsky.social · 20/02/2025

@psytoolkit.org is anyone else having difficulties uploading images? We’ve been getting this error for the past two days?

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Chantel Prat PhD @chantelpratphd.bsky.social · 18/02/2025

Excited to be part of this line-up, presenting my research on how learning programming languages resembles natural language learning! cogneuroidall-hip.red.uic.edu

facebook.com

Redirecting...

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Chantel Prat PhD @chantelpratphd.bsky.social · 18/02/2025

How many orchids am I away from being a crazy orchid lady? Is that a thing? Because I feel the pull…. #orchids #plants

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Chantel Prat PhD @chantelpratphd.bsky.social · 15/02/2025

I love to read stories written by people with different experiences. Last year I started reading books written by Black women for Black History Month, but it extended into a practice for every day because I find it expansive. Here’s my plan for 2025, with my favorites from 2024! Share yours? #books

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Chantel Prat PhD @chantelpratphd.bsky.social · 06/02/2025

More bunny core 🥰 Welcome to Peanut’s grooming station. Dirty rats? No fears! #bunny #rabbit #animals #pets

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Chantel Prat PhD @chantelpratphd.bsky.social · 03/02/2025

Dopamine dose for the day from Peanut and Butter 🥰 #pets #animals #bunnies

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Chantel Prat PhD @chantelpratphd.bsky.social · 22/01/2025

Off to put my brain and heart in front of a classroom if young people, trying to make sense of the world and their place in it. If this kind of thing makes you feel nervous… 🤷🏻‍♀️

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Chantel Prat PhD @chantelpratphd.bsky.social · 20/01/2025

Feeling all kinds of terrible today. But also grateful for the ways 🧪science and language can help me process BIG FEELINGS. #mlk #trump #politics #brain #neuroscience #belonging #environment open.substack.com/pub/chantelp...

open.substack.com

How big is your "We"?

I'm processing a lot...

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Reposted by Chantel Prat PhD

Smriti Mallapaty @smritimallapaty.bsky.social · 20/01/2025

Why do people with Huntington's disease take so long to show symptoms? Because of a faulty DNA-repair mechanism that racks up errors until they hit a threshold, and neurons start to die www.nature.com/articles/d41...

nature.com

Revealed: Why the fatal Huntington’s gene takes so long to cause harm

A mutation in neurons grows for decades before it reaches a deadly limit.

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Chantel Prat PhD @chantelpratphd.bsky.social · 15/01/2025

Which one would get your treat? 🤣🤣🤣

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Chantel Prat PhD @chantelpratphd.bsky.social · 05/01/2025

Who is ready for the ducks versus doodles puzzle challenge? 🤩 #duck #pets #intelligence #dog

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