For episode 53 of 17 Minutes of Science we sat down with Natalia Zdorovtsova to talk about her research into brain-behavior relationships.

Natalia Zdorovtsova is a cognitive neuroscience PhD student based at the Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge. She is interested in how brain-behaviour relationships vary on a transdiagnostic basis, and rejects the idea that the complexity of human behaviour is adequately represented by current diagnostic standards. She is also fascinated by complex systems theory, which is why Natalia prefers to apply network models to the study of the brain.

During her PhD, Natalia hopes to understand how differences in brain networks might lead to variation in traits like inattention and hyperactivity. Additionally, she aims to uncover the neural mechanisms underlying hyperfocus, or 'Flow', which is an immersive state of heightened attention.

In her spare time, Natalia is an avid painter. Some of her art is inspired by her work in neuroscience.

Tune in to learn more about Natalia's research