At the crossroads of neurosciences and philosophy, a reflection proposing the geopolitical metaphor of borders to better describe the interfaces regulating the exchanges between the blood and the brain. So, “Blood-Brain Barriers”, or “Blood-Brain Borders” ? 

Within social species, dominance hierarchies more often show a pyramid-shaped structure than a tree-shaped structure. Moreover, at a cognitive level, humans (adults and infants) are more likely to infer dominance relationships that conform to a pyramid structure than to a tree structure. 

Fiona Qiu received a Scholarship from the AINSE/ANSTO/French Embassies (SAAFE) Research Internship Program, and is a laureate of the UCBL1 Neurograduate School Doctoral Mobility Award. She joined the FLUID Team in a collaborative venture with the Norman Saunders Neuroscience laboratory in Melbourne. She will explore the mechanisms by which the developing brain protect itself from drugs and environmental pollutants.