A Podcast that Explores how neuroscience is unraveling the mystery of how our brain makes us human
Brain Science is a monthly podcast Brain Science, hosted by Ginger Campbell, MD. We explore how recent discoveries in neuroscience are helping unravel the mystery of how our brain makes us human. The content is accessible to people of all backgrounds.
Episode 186 features Mark Humphries, author of The Spike: An Epic Journey Through the Brain in 2.1 Seconds. We explore how the brain uses electrical signaling in surprising ways, beginning with a look at how an action potential (aka. "the spike") is produced. This episode is for listeners of all backgrounds.
Read MoreEpisode 185 features Stephen Fleming , author of Know Thyself: The Science of Self-Awareness.
Read MoreIn this month's episode of Brain Science, neuroscientist Mark Solms talks about his new book "The Hidden Spring: A Journey to the Origins of Consciousness." Solms was inspired by the pioneering work of Jaak Panksepp who argued that the origins of consciousness can be traced to the brainstem. In his new book Solms presents the evidence for this viewpoint and explains how the work of computational neuroscientist Karl Friston has provided additional support. We consider the implications for our understanding of both human consciousness and our appreciation for the consciousness of other animals.
Read MoreBS 183 features the return of Jeff Hawkins and we talk about his new book A Thousand Brains: A New Theory of Intelligence, which shares the results of nearly two decades of research.
Read MoreBrain Science 182 features an interview with Iris Berent, author of The Blind Storyteller: How We Reason About Human Nature. We explore how our inborn biases toward dualism and essentialism influence our response to both science and mental illness.
Read MoreBS 181 features Sir Simon Baron-Cohen who was recently knighted for his contributions to autism research. We talk about his new book The Pattern Seekers: How Autism Drives Human Invention.
Read MoreBS 180 features E Bruce Goldstein, author of The Mind: Consciousness, Prediction, and the Brain. It is a great episode for listeners of all backgrounds and highly recommended to share with potential new listeners.
Read MoreBrain Science 178 features Peter Sterling, author of What Is Health?: Allostasis and the Evolution of Human Design. We explore the importance of the brain’s ability to predict the body’s needs (allostasis) and its role in human health and disease.
Read MoreBS 177 is an interview with Dr. Bernard Baars, creator of the Global Workspace Theory that lead to many contemporary theories about how the brain generates conscious experience. He is joined by his colleague Dr. David Edelman.
Read MoreBS 176 is my fifth interview with molecular biologist and neuroscientist Dr. Seth Grant from The University of Edinburgh. Dr. Grant was recently recognized for his pioneering work by the Federation of European Neuroscientists. He continues to make fundamental discoveries about the structure and function of the synapse and this month we discuss the discovery that synapse complexity and diversity is greater than expected, along with the implications of these discoveries.
Dr. Grant first appeared on Brain Science back in 2008. So in this interview, I also asked him to take us back through some of the key discoveries of his career. These include the discovery that the synapse is much more complex than previously assumed and the fact that this complexity preceded the evolution of animals with brains. More recently he has discovered that synapses are also more diverse than expected and that those in some parts of the brain are more complex than others.
Buy Episode Transcript for $3. (Premium link; also available to Patreon supporters)
Premium Subscribers have unlimited access to ALL old episodes and transcripts, as well as extra content for selected episodes. All content is available browser or the free Brain Science mobile app.
Patreon supporters have access to new transcripts ($3+/month) and ad-free audio files ($10+/month). You can also access your bonus content via the free Patreon mobile app.
New episodes of Brain Science are ALWAYS FREE. The most recent 50+ episodes are also free. See the individual show notes for links to the audio files.
Patreon supporters need to go to Your Memberships to update their tiers (>$3/month for transcripts or >$10/month for ad-free audio).
Seth Grant: University of Edinburgh
FENS EJN Award 2020
Cizeron M, Qiu Z, Koniaris B, et al. A brainwide atlas of synapses across the mouse life span. Science. 2020;369(6501):270-275. doi:10.1126/science.aba3163
Additional references are available in the episode transcript and in the show notes for previous episodes (Listed below)
BSP 51: our first introduction to synapse complexity and evolution
BS 101: The role of the synapse in learning and disease
BS 137: How synapses change through out the lifespan
BS 150: Introducing the Synaptome and why it matters
GreenChef: at http://greenchef.com/ginger80
TextExpander at http://textexpander.com/podcast
Coming November 17, 2020: Webinar: "Embracing Uncertainty: How to Thrive in Uncertain Times." Listen to closing announcements to learn more.
Coming soon! episode compilations based on topic or guest. Look for all Seth Grant's interviews next month.
Brain Science comes out on 4th Friday each month.
Support Brain Science by buying Are You Sure? The Unconscious Origins of Certainty by Virginia "Ginger" Campbell, MD
Learn more ways to support Brain Science at http://brainsciencepodcast.com/donations
Sign up for the free Brain Science Newsletter to get show notes automatically every month. You can also text brainscience to 55444 to sign up.
Check out the free Brain Science Mobile app for iOS, Android, and Windows. (It's a great way to get both new episodes and premium content.)
Send email to brainsciencepodcast@gmail.com or post voice feedback at http://speakpipe.com/docartemis.
Twitter: @docartemis
Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/brainsciencepodcast
Email: brainsciencepodcast@gmail.com
Voicemail: http://speakpipe.com/docartemis
BS 175 is an interview with Carol Tavris, co-author of Mistakes Were Made (but Not by Me) Why We Justify Foolish Beliefs, Bad Decisions, and Hurtful Acts by Carol Tavris and Elliot Aronson. We originally talked back in 2011, but in this interview we talk about why Dr. Tavris felt that it was essential to publish a 3rd edition that includes recent political events in the United States.
Read MoreBS 174 is an interview with Georg Northoff about his book The Spontaneous Brain: From the Mind–Body to the World–Brain Problem. We explore the surprising discovering that much of the brain’s activity is entirely independent of inputs from the senses, how this spontaneous activity interacts with stimuli, and the implications of these discoveries on our understanding of how the brain generates conscious experience.
Read MoreIn BS 172 we talk with neuroscientist György Buzsáki about his new book The Brain from Inside Out . Several key ideas emerge including the importance of the brain’s spontaneous activity and the implications for learning and memory.
Read MoreBS 171 is an interview with neuroscientist Matthew Cobb about his latest book The Idea of the Brain. We explore how culture and the history of ideas has influenced the history of neuroscience. We also talk about why the current computer metaphor provides an inadequate framework for understanding what the brain actually does.
Read MoreBS 169 is an encore presentation of my interview with R. Douglas Fields, author of The Other Brain: The Scientific and Medical Breakthroughs That Will Heal Our Brains and Revolutionize Our Health. Ten years ago these discoveries about glial cells were controversial, but now they are mainstream neuroscience. Listen to learn why glial cells are essential to our health.
Read MoreBS 168 is an interview with psychologist Cecilia Heyes from Oxford University in the UK. We talk about her fascinating book "Cognitive Gadgets: The Cultural Evolution of Thinking." Our focus is on exploring the evidence that several cognitive skills that appear to be unique to humans are learned from other people rather than being inherited genetically as is often assumed. The proposal that language is a cognitive gadget NOT a cognitive instinct is controversial and has very important implications.
Read MoreBrain Science 166 is an interview with neuroscientist Stephen Macknik about recent efforts to development a new visual prosthesis based on recent discoveries about vision. His technique also involves tools like optogenetics. This week’s episode is more technical than usual but Dr. Macknik makes his work accessible to all listeners.
Read MoreBrain Science 165 is an encore presentation of my interview with neuroscientists Stephen L. Macknik and Susana Martinez-Conde. We talk about their international bestseller "Sleights of Mind: What the Neuroscience of Magic Reveals about Our Everyday Deceptions."
Read MoreIn BS 163 renowned neuroscientist Christof Koch discusses is latest book, The Feeling of Life Itself: Why Consciousness Is Widespread but Can't Be Computed. He explains why he doesn’t think the neural correlates of consciousness (NCC) are enough to explain experience. This is the 4th in our 4 part series on the neuroscience of consciousness.
Read MoreAny amount is appreciated.
Pledge $4/month or more with Patreon and get all new episode transcripts.
Supporters who pledge $10+ per month also get ad-free versions of each new episode.
Copyright 2013 - 2023 | Virginia Campbell, MD. All Rights Reserved.
