It is estimated that more than 30% of people do not respond to medicines to treat depression. This can leave people with limited treatment options and have a huge impact on their quality of life and their support networks. A panel of Queensland Brain Institute (QBI) experts, Dr Susannah Tye, Dr Dhanisha Jhaveri and psychiatrist Dr Philip Mosley explore the neuroscience of depression, its impact on society, and how research can help pave a successful path into the future.

The Anatomy of Violence: The Biological Roots of Crime The new knowledge being gained from applying brain imaging techniques to understanding crime is creating an uncomfortable tension between our concepts of responsibility and retribution on the one hand, and understanding and mercy on the other. This presentation outlines implications of this body of knowledge not just for research on violence, but also for our future conceptualization of moral responsibility, free will, and punishment. If the neural circuitry underlying morality is compromised in offenders, how moral is it of us to punish prisoners as much as we do? Can biological risk factors help better predict future violence? And how can we improve the brain to reduce violence?

The brain is the most complex machine in the known universe. More than any other organ, it defines our destiny – and delivers our future. It is humanity’s last and greatest science frontier. The time is ripe for a bold Australian ambition: backed by strategy, driven by technology and achieved through collaboration. Join Australia’s Chief Scientist Dr Alan Finkel for a perspective on Australia’s place in the brain’s golden age, as he gives the annual Merson Lecture at QBI.

Professor Elliott Sherr is a Professor in Neurology and Pediatrics at the Institute of Human Genetics at the University of California, San Francisco. He directs the Brain Development Research Program, a group that studies the genetics and biology of autism and epilepsy. He is also a member of the Simons Foundation Autism Research Initiative. His public lecture given on 8 May 2017, covers the latest research insights into autism, epilepsy, intellectual disabilities and other key neurodevelopment disorders in children.