June 29, 2013

"The Autistic Brain" by Temple Grandin (BSP 98)

June 29, 2013/ Ginger Campbell, MD

The Autistic Brain: Thinking Across the Spectrum by Temple Grandin (with Richard Panek), is a tremendous gift, not just to patients and their families, but also to teachers, mentors, friends, and everyone who is interested in understanding how our brains make us who we are.

I think that this is a book everyone should read because as we come to appreciate the fact that the strengths and challenges of autism occur across a broad spectrum, we may also realize that some of these issues actually affect people who aren't considered autistic. It is not the label that matters. What does matter is recognizing that each of us has his or her own strengths and weaknesses, but thanks to brain plasticity, we all have the potential to nurture our strengths and, when necessary, accommodate our weaknesses.

How to get this episode:

Buy audio mp3 for $2.

Buy Transcript for $1.
Premium Subscribers now have unlimited access to all old episodes and transcripts.
New episodes of the Brain Science Podcast are always FREE. All episodes posted after January 1, 2013, are free. See the individual show notes for links the audio files.

References and Related Episodes:

TempleGrandin.com
The Autistic Brain: Thinking Across the Spectrum by Temple Grandin, with Richard Panek; Also available from Audible.com.
Episodes about brain imaging: BSP 46 and BSP 83
Episodes about brain plasticity: BSP 10 and BSP 26
Paul Offit, MD reviews the evidence that autism is NOT caused by vaccines
Please see the episode transcript for additional links and references.

Announcements:

I am still trying to schedule an interview with Dr. Temple Grandin, but there is a possibility that the next episode of the Brain Science Podcast will not come out until August 2013.
The Deadline for listener submissions to Episode 100 is August 1, 2013.
Several products are not available directly on this website including the PDF version of Are You Sure? The Unconscious Origins of Certainty by Ginger Campbell, MD and a zip file contain BSP 1-10. Click here to learn more.
Be sure to sign up for the Brain Science Podcast Newsletter so that you can receive show notes automatically and NEVER miss a new episode. (But there was a glitch last month, so if you did not get the show notes for BSP 97, please click here.

March 28, 2013

Understanding Pain (BSP 95)

March 28, 2013/ Ginger Campbell, MD

In Understanding Pain: Exploring the Perception of Pain, Dr. Fernando Cervero does a wonderful job of condensing his 40+ years of research and immersion in the field of pain research into a concise but readable account. It's a great introduction, and it's bound to inspire a new generation of physicians and researchers.

I interviewed Dr. Cervero in BSP 93, and this month's podcast (BSP 95) is the promised second part of our discussion of pain. I focus on some of the topics that Dr. Cervero and I did not have time to discuss, including a look at how the mechanisms of acute pain differ significantly from those of chronic pain. The growing appreciation of these differences offers hope to the millions of people around the world who suffer from chronic pain, but the ongoing efforts of researchers like Dr. Cervero also offer hope of improved pain relief for everyone.

Unfortunately, for those of you who love audiobooks, Understanding Pain, is not available in audio; but it is a relatively short book (under 200 pages) that I recommend to everyone.

How to get this episode:

Buy Audio mp3 for $2.
Buy Transcript for $2.
Premium Subscribers now have unlimited access to all old episodes and transcripts.
New episodes of the Brain Science Podcast are always FREE. All episodes posted after January 1, 2013, are free. See the individual show notes for links the audio files.

Listen in your Favorite Audio app: Audible, Amazon music, Pandora, Spotify, YouTube and many more.

References and Links:

Understanding Pain: Exploring the Perception of Pain, by Fernando Cervero.
BSP 93: Interview with Dr. Cervero.
McGill Pain Questionnaire (Wikipedia). Note: there are many links to PDFs on the web.
BSP 77: Interview with Dr. Fabrizio Benedetti about the neurobiology of placebos.
Guitar Zero: The New Musician and the Science of Learning, by Gary Marcus (this month's Audible.com title).

Announcements:

Please complete the very short BSP audience survey.
Never miss a new podcast: sign up for the BSP Newsletter to get episode show notes automatically via email.
Your support of the Brain Science Podcast is greatly appreciated. Please consider making a donation, or visit the BSP Store to learn more.
I am traveling to South Africa from April 7-19 (2013), but I plan to post the next episode of the Brain Science Podcast on April 26. It will be an interview with Dr. Robert Burton about his new book, A Skeptic's Guide to the Mind: What Neuroscience Can and Cannot Tell Us About Ourselves.

January 25, 2013

Pain is a Complex Emotional and Sensory Experience (BSP 93)

January 25, 2013/ Ginger Campbell, MD

Dr. Fernando Cervero of McGill University has been studying pain since the beginning of his career back in the 1960s. These decades have seen tremendous advances in our neuroscientific understanding of what causes different types of pain, as well as changing attitudes. Pain was once regarded as something that most people had to endure, but now most of us demand adequate pain relief, sometimes even to the point of not tolerating minor pain. Dr. Cevero's new book, Understanding Pain, provides an accessible account of both the history of pain research and a thoughtful consideration of the challenges facing the field.

The latest episode of the Brain Science Podcast (BSP 93) is an interview with Dr. Cervero. This is Part 1 of a planned two-part series.

How to get this episode:

Buy Audio mp3 for $2.
Buy Transcript for $2.
Premium Subscribers now have unlimited access to all old episodes and transcripts.
New episodes of the Brain Science Podcast are always FREE. All episodes posted after January 1, 2013, are free. See the individual show notes for links the audio files.

Listen in your Favorite Audio app: Audible, Amazon music, Pandora, Spotify, YouTube and many more.

References:

Understanding Pain: Exploring the Perception of Pain, by Fernando Cervero.
International Association for the Study of Pain.
Life Before Death (video)

Meet Dr. Campbell in Person:

Downtown Atlanta, Georgia February 19-21, 2013.
South by SouthWest: March 7-10, 2013 (Austin, TX, USA).
Johannesburg, South Africa April 8,9 2013.

I would love to some listener meetups, so please drop me an email at gincampbell at mac dot com, if you will be at any of these places on the right days.

Other Announcements:

Needed: at least 250 listeners to complete a VERY SHORT listener survey.
New: Brain Science Podcast listener campaign to get Dr. Campbell on Triangulation, which is an interview show on Leo Laporte's TWiT network: click here for contact information or send an email to pitches@twit.tv with BRAIN SCIENCE PODCAST in the subject line.
Next month's episode will be an interview with Benjamin Bergen, author of Louder Than Words: The New Science of How the Mind Makes Meaning; and I will be posting my follow-up interview with Jaak Panksepp on Books and Ideas.
Part 2 about Pain will be available in March.

Reminders:

Don't forget to get your copy of my eBook, Are You Sure? The Unconscious Origins of Certainty, from Amazon.com. If you don't have the Kindle app, just send me your Amazon receipt and I will send you the PDF.
The Brain Science Podcast is supported by listener donations. It also relies on your word of mouth, so don't forget to share it with others.
Join the Brain Science Podcast Fan Page on Facebook, Google+, and share your thoughts in our Discussion Forum on Goodreads. Of course, you can also send me email at brainsciencepodcast@gmail.com.
To get show notes automatically and never miss an episode of the Brain Science Podcast, sign up for the BSP Newsletter.

November 30, 2012

The Origin of Emotions with Jaak Panksepp (BSP 91)

November 30, 2012/ Ginger Campbell, MD

Dr. Jaak Panksepp

In his new book, The Archaeology of Mind: Neuroevolutionary Origins of Human Emotions, Jaak Panksepp set out to make his life's work more accessible to a general audience. To be honest, reading this book requires a significant commitment, but I think he does a wonderful job of updating his classic textbook, Affective Neuroscience. Anyone who is interested in this field will definitely want this book as a reference.

The other strength of Archeology of Mind is its evolutionary approach. The primary emotional processes that Panksepp has spent his career studying have their origins in the ancient parts of the brain that are shared by all mammals. This contradicts longstanding assumptions in neuroscience, but it has important implications for both humans and other animals.

In Episode 91 of the Brain Science Podcast, Dr. Panksepp and I talked about some of the new information contained in Archaeology of Mind, with a particular focus on FEAR, which, contrary to what many researchers claim, does NOT begin in the amygdala, but begins much lower. We do talk briefly about the experimental evidence, but this was covered in more detail during Dr. Panksepp's previous appearance on the Brain Science Podcast in BSP 65.

How to get this episode:

Buy mp3 for $1.
Buy Transcript for $1.
Premium Subscribers now have unlimited access to all old episodes and transcripts.
New episodes of the Brain Science Podcast are always FREE. All episodes posted after January 1, 2013 are FREE. Please see individual show notes for links to audio files and transcripts.

Listen in your Favorite Audio app: Audible, Amazon music, Pandora, Spotify, YouTube and many more.

References:

The Archaeology of Mind: Neuroevolutionary Origins of Human Emotions, by Jaak Panksepp and Lucy Biven.
Affective Neuroscience: The Foundations of Human and Animal Emotions, by Jaak Panksepp.
Please see the episode transcript for additional links and references.

Related Episodes:

BSP 32: An introduction to brain anatomy.
BSP 47: A review of brain evolution.
BSP 65: Previous interview with Jaak Panksepp (click here for Premium version).
BSP 89 : Interview with Evan Thompson, author of Mind in Life: Biology, Phenomenology, and the Sciences of Mind.
BSP 90: Review of Self Comes to Mind: Constructing the Conscious Brain, by Antonio Damasio.

Announcements:

The earliest episodes of the Brain Science Podcast are now disappearing from iTunes but they remain freely available here. They are also available within the Brain Science Podcast app for mobile devices. By the way, the mobile app has been updated, and I need users to post new reviews.

Don't forget to get your copy of my eBook, Are You Sure? The Unconscious Origins of Certainty, from Amazon.com. You can also buy the PDF version HERE.

The Brain Science Podcast is supported by listener Donations. It also relies on your word of mouth, so don't forget to share it with others.

Next month's Brain Science Podcast will be our annual review episode. Meanwhile don't forget to check out my other podcast, Books and Ideas. The most recent episode is an interview with Emily Reese from Minnesota Classical Radio.

Join the Brain Science Podcast Fan Page on Facebook, Google+, and share your thoughts in our Discussion Forum on Goodreads. Of course, you can also send me email at gincampbell at mac dot com.

To get show notes automatically and never miss an episode of the Brain Science Podcast sign up for the BSP Newsletter.

November 02, 2012

Review of "Self Comes to Mind" by Antonio Damasio (BSP 90)

November 02, 2012/ Ginger Campbell, MD

Episode 90 of the Brain Science Podcast is a discussion of Self Comes To Mind: Constructing the Conscious Brain, by Antonio Damasio. Damasio's book focuses on the answer to two key questions: How does the brain generate the Mind? and, How does the Brain generate Consciousness? His approach is unusual because many scientists and writers treat the Mind and Consciousness as identical. In contrast, Damasio argues that Mind precedes Consciousness. Listen to this podcast to learn how the Mind becomes Conscious.

How to get this episode:

Buy audio mp3 for $1.
Buy Transcript for $1.
Premium Subscribers now have unlimited access to all old episodes and transcripts.
New episodes of the Brain Science Podcast are always FREE. All episodes posted after January 1, 2013, are free. See the individual show notes for links the audio files.

Listen in your Favorite Audio app: Audible, Amazon music, Pandora, Spotify, YouTube and many more.

References:

Self Comes to Mind: Constructing the Conscious Brain, by Antonio Damasio.
The Feeling of What Happens: Body and Emotion in the Making of Consciousness, by Antonio Damasio.
Affective Neuroscience: The Foundations of Human and Animal Emotions, by Jaak Panksepp.
The Archaeology of Mind: Neuroevolutionary Origins of Human Emotions, by Jaak Panksepp and Lucy Biven.
Mind in Life: Biology, Phenomenology, and the Sciences of Mind, by Evan Thompson
Psychology (10th Edition) by Carole Wade and Carol Tavris.
I of the Vortex: From Neurons to Self, by Rodolfo R. Llinas.
For more references see the episode transcript.

Related Episodes of the Brain Science Podcast:

BSP 21 and BSP 23 How the Brain Creates Maps of the Body
BSP 65: Jaak Panksepp talks about the subcortical origins of emotions
BSP 89: Evan Thompson talks about his book, Mind in Life

Announcements:

Next month's Brain Science Podcast will be a return interview with Jaak Panksepp to talk about his new book, The Archaeology of Mind: Neuroevolutionary Origins of Human Emotions.
Please check out my other podcast, Books and Ideas.
The earliest episodes of the Brain Science Podcast are no longer available from iTunes but you can get them here or by buying the Brain Science Podcast app, which is available for iPhone, iPad, and Android.
Get my eBook, Are You Sure? The Unconscious Origins of Certainty, from Amazon.com for only $3.99.
Social Websites for the Brain Science Podcast: Discussion Forum on Goodreads, Facebook Fan Page, Google+ page.
Don't forget to get some high quality Brain Science Podcast Logo gear from Printfection.
Sign up for the Brain Science Podcast Newsletter so you never miss a new episode.

Send me feedback at brainsciencepodcast@gmail.com or follow me on Twitter (@docartemis).

September 07, 2012

"The Self Illusion" with Bruce Hood (BSP 88)

September 07, 2012/ Ginger Campbell, MD

Bruce Hood, PhD

The Self Illusion: How the Social Brain Creates Identity, by Bruce Hood, is a fascinating look at how our brains create both our experience of the world and our sense of being a single, coherent self. As the word "illusion" in the title indicates, neither is exactly what it seems. When I interviewed Dr. Hood (BSP 88), he explained that The Self Illusion is a broad introduction to this somewhat surprising idea. TheSelf Illusion was written with a general audience in mind. For those already familiar with the topic, he also puts a new emphasis on the role of development. All readers should come away with a new appreciation for the critical role social interactions play through out human life.

How to get this episode:

Buy Audio mp3 for $1.
Buy Transcript for $1.
Premium Subscribers now have unlimited access to all old episodes and transcripts.
New episodes of the Brain Science Podcast are always FREE. All episodes posted after January 1, 2013, are free. See the individual show notes for links the audio files.

Related Podcasts:

Books and Ideas #34: Bruce Hood talks about his first book, SuperSense. (mp3)
BSP 29: Dr. Maryanne Wolf, author of Proust and the Squid: The Story and Science of the Reading Brain. (mp3)
BSP 57: Dr. Chris Frith, author of Making up the Mind: How the Brain Creates Our Mental World. (mp3)
BSP 67: Thomas Metzinger, PhD, author of The Ego Tunnel: The Science of the Mind and the Myth of the Self. (mp3)
Books and Ideas #43: Dr. Carol Tavris explains the basics of cognitive dissonance. (mp3)
BSP 72: The Neuroscience of Magic. (Listen Now)
BSP 75: Dr. David Eagleman, author of Incognito: The Secret Lives of the Brain. (mp3)
Books and Ideas #48: Jonathan Gottschall, author of The Storytelling Animal: How Stories Make Us Human. (mp3)

Additional References:

SuperSense: Why We Believe in the Unbelievable, by Bruce M. Hood. (Audible link)
The Self Illusion: How the Social Brain Creates Identity, by Bruce Hood (Audible link)
Willpower: Rediscovering the Greatest Human Strength, by Roy F. Baumeister & John Tierney (Audible link)
Please see the FREE episode transcript for many additional references, including references to the scientific studies discussed in this podcast.

Announcements:

I will be in Philadelphia, PA October 16-21 to attend the AAFP annual meeting. Listeners who live in the area and physicians who are attended this meeting are invited to drop me an email if interested in getting together in person.
The latest episode of Books and Ideas is an interview with Jonathan Gottschall, author of The Storytelling Animal: How Stories Make Us Human. This episode continues some of the same themes explored in BSP 88.
Upcoming episodes: Discussion of Self Comes to Mind, by Antonio Damasio, and interviews with Evan Thompson (Mind in Life) and Jaak Panksepp (The Archaeology of Mind).
Sign up for the Brain Science Podcast Newsletter: You will get the show notes automatically and never miss a new episode.
Don't forget to post your review of my eBook, Are Your Sure? The Unconscious Originis of Certainty, on Amazon.com, Goodreads.com or your favorite website. (Send me your Amazon receipt to get a free PDF.)
Connect with other BSP fans: BSP Facebook Fan Page, Google +, Discussion Forum on Goodreads.com.
Follow me on Twitter: @docartemis.
Send me feedback at brainsciencepodcast@gmail.com

June 28, 2012

Disgust with Rachel Herz (BSP 86)

June 28, 2012/ Ginger Campbell, MD

Disgust is an universal emotion, but unlike emotions like fear and anger, disgust must be learned. This is the main conclusion of Dr. Rachel Herz's latest book, That's Disgusting: Unraveling the Mysteries of Repulsion. In a recent interview (BSP 86), Dr. Herz told me why she spent the last several years studying this rather unusual subject. We also discussed what the study of disgust can tell us about how our brains process emotion.

This is Dr. Herz's second visit to the Brain Science Podcast. Back in BSP 34 we talked about her first book, The Scent of Desire: Discovering Our Enigmatic Sense of Smell.

How to get this episode:

Buy mp3 for $1.
Buy Transcript for $1.
Premium Subscribers now have unlimited access to all old episodes and transcripts.
New episodes of the Brain Science Podcast are always FREE. All episodes posted after January 1, 2013, are free. See the individual show notes for links the audio files.

Announcements:

The episode transcript contains additional links and references.
My new eBook, Are You Sure? The Unconscious Origins of Certainty, is now available at Amazon.com. If you want the PDF version, just send me a copy of your Amazon receipt and I will send you the PDF for no additional cost.
Please post reviews of Are You Sure? on Amazon, Goodreads, or on your blog.

May 25, 2012

Sebastian Seung Explores the Brain's Wiring (BSP 85)

May 25, 2012/ Ginger Campbell, MD

Dr. Sebastian Seung (MIT) is an ambitious young scientist; his goal is to unravel the entire wiring diagram of the human brain. Considering that it took over a decade to determine the wiring diagram for the roundworm C elegans, which has a mere 302 neurons, it is clear that scientists can't leap directly to the 80 billion neuron human brain. Even so, in his new book Connectome: How the Brain's Wiring Makes Us Who We Are, Seung makes a very good argument for the value of this long-term project. In Episode 85 of the Brain Science Podcast I talked with Dr. Seung both about the challenges and potential benefits of this work.

How to get this episode:

Buy audio mp3 for $1.
Buy Transcript for $1.
Premium Subscribers now have unlimited access to all old episodes and transcripts.
New episodes of the Brain Science Podcast are always FREE. All episodes posted after January 1, 2013, are free. See the individual show notes for links the audio files.

Listen in your Favorite Audio app: Audible, Amazon music, Pandora, Spotify, YouTube and many more.

References and Links:

Connectome: How the Brain's Wiring Makes Us Who We Are, by Sebastian Seung.
Sporns O, Tononi G, Kötter R (2005) The Human Connectome: A Structural Description of the Human Brain. PLoS Comput Biol 1(4): e42. doi:10.1371/journal.pcbi.0010042.
White, J. G., E. Southgate, J. N. Thomson and S. Brenner. (1986) The Structure of the Nervous System of the Nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. B, Biological Sciences, 314 (1165) 1-340. doi: 10.1098/rstb.1986.0056.
EyeWire.org: where you can help unravel the wiring diagram of the human retina.

Send me feedback at brainsciencepodcast@gmail.com.

December 30, 2011

Brain Science Podcast Turns Five Years Old (BSP 80)

December 30, 2011/ Ginger Campbell, MD

I launched the Brain Science Podcast in December 2006, so to celebrate I am posting my Fifth Annual Review Episode (BSP 80). This podcast includes a review of the highlights from this year's episodes along with my reflections on what we have learned about brain health over the last few years. I also take a look ahead to 2012 when I hope to continue to produce a Brain Science Podcast every month.

How to get this episode:

Premium Subscribers now have unlimited access to all old episodes and transcripts.
Buy mp3 for $1.
Buy Transcript for $1.
New episodes of the Brain Science Podcast are always FREE. All episodes posted after January 1, 2013, are free. See the individual show notes for links the audio files.

Listen in your Favorite Audio app: Audible, Amazon music, Pandora, Spotify, YouTube and many more.

This Year's Episodes:

BSP 72: Stephen L. Macknik and Susana Martinez-Conde, authors of Sleights of Mind: What the Neuroscience of Magic Reveals about Our Everyday Deceptions.
Extra: Books and Ideas with Dr. Paul Offit, author of Deadly Choices: How The Anti-Vaccine Movement Threatens Us All.
BSP 73: Lawrence Shapiro, author of Embodied Cognition.
BSP 74: Olaf Sporns, author of Networks of the Brain.
BSP 75: David Eagleman, author of Incognito: The Secret Lives of the Brain.
BSP 76: Sian Beilock, author of Choke: What the Secrets of the Brain Reveal About Getting It Right When You Have To.
BSP 77: Fabrizio Benedetti, author of Placebo Effects and The Patient's Brain
Extra: Books and Ideas with Carol Tavris, co-author of Mistakes were Made (But Not By Me).
BSP 78: Review of Beyond Boundaries: The New Neuroscience of Connecting Brains with Machines---and How It Will Change Our Lives by Miguel Nicolelis.
BSP 79: Interview with Miguel Nicolelis.

Announcements:

Check out the new BSP page on Google+
We also have a BSP Fan Page on Facebook and a Discussion Forum at Goodreads.com.
Please check out the new Brain Science Podcast T-shirts.
Read episode transcripts on your iPhone, Ipad, or Android device with the BSP app.
Your iTunes reviews are greatly appreciated.
See the episode transcript for additional links and more information about 2012.

Send your feedback to Dr. Campbell at brainsciencepodcast@gmail.com.

July 08, 2011

David Eagleman on The Secret Lives of the Brain (BSP 75)

July 08, 2011/ Ginger Campbell, MD

David Eagleman, PhD

In his new book, Incognito: The Secret Lives of the Brain, neuroscientist, David Eagleman, describes consciousness as "the smallest player in the operations of the brain" (page 5) because most of what the brain does is outside conscious awareness (and control). In a recent interview (BSP 75), Dr. Eagleman reviews some of the evidence for this startling position, as well as the implications both for the average person and for social policy.

How to get this episode:

Premium Subscribers now have unlimited access to all old episodes and transcripts.
Buy mp3 for $1.
Buy Transcript for $1.
New episodes of the Brain Science Podcast are always FREE. All episodes posted after January 1, 2013, are free. See the individual show notes for links the audio files.

Listen in your Favorite Audio app: Audible, Amazon music, Pandora, Spotify, YouTube and many more.

References:

Incognito: The Secret Lives of the Brain, by David Eagleman.
Eagleman, D. "The Brain on Trial," the Atlantic Monthy; July/Aug 2011 ONLINE.

Related Episodes of BSP:

BSP 13: Our first discussion of unconscious decisions.
BSP 15: Interview with Read Montague, PhD, author of Why Choose This Book?: How We Make Decisions.
BSP 19: Review of Gut Feelings: The Intelligence of the Unconscious, by Gerd Gigerenzer.
BSP 42: Review of On Being Certain: Believing You Are Right Even When You're Not, by Robert Burton.
BSP 43: Interview with Robert Burton, MD.

Send me feedback at brainsciencepodcast@gmail.com.

May 31, 2011

Brain Networks with Olaf Sporns (BSP 74)

May 31, 2011/ Ginger Campbell, MD

Networks of the Brain by Olaf Sporns is an excellent comprehensive introduction to the use of Network Theory to study both the brain and the nervous systems of invertebrates.

In Episode 74 of the Brain Science Podcast, I interviewed Dr. Sporns (Indiana University) about some of the key ideas in his book. Network Theory is becoming increasingly important as a tool for dealing with the massive amounts of data being generated by current techniques, such as brain imaging. It is also a valuable tool for dealing with the fact that nervous systems consist of multiple scales (from the molecular level up to billions of neurons), which can not be reduced to a single scale.

While Networks of the Brain will be of greatest interest to those working in neuroscience and to those with a background in fields like engineering, mathematics, and computer science, this interview provides an introduction for listeners of all backgrounds.

How to get this episode:

Premium Subscribers now have unlimited access to all old episodes and transcripts.
Buy mp3 for $1.
Buy Transcript for $1.
New episodes of the Brain Science Podcast are always FREE. All episodes posted after January 1, 2013, are free. See the individual show notes for links the audio files.

Listen in your Favorite Audio app: Audible, Amazon music, Pandora, Spotify, YouTube and many more.

Links:

Olaf Sporns, PhD (Indiana University): website, email: osporns at indiana.edu.
Brain Connectivity Toolbox.
Human Connectome Project.

References:

Networks of the Brain, by Olaf Sporns (MIT Press, 2011).
Rhythms of the Brain, by György Buzsáki.
Watts, DJ, Strogatz SH. "Collective Dynamics of 'small-world' networks." Nature 393: 440-442 (1998).
Fodor, JA. The Modularity of the Mind. (1983).

Related Episodes:

BSP 31: Interview with György Buzsáki, author of Rhythms of the Brain.
BSP 46: Discussion of Brain Imaging, including Diffusion Imaging.
BSP 56: Interview with Dr. Eve Marder about the use of circuit theory in neuroscience.
BSP 61: Mapping the Brain (and generating huge amounts of data).

Announcements:

The Brain Science Podcast will be returning to a monthly schedule on July 1, 2011.
Please join the new Brain Science Podcast Discussion Forum at GoodReads.com.
Dr. Campbell gave a talk in London last month entitled "Why Neuroscience Matters." (Available here.)
Dr. Campbell will be a speaker at The Amazing Meeting 9, July 14-17,2011 in Las Vegas, NV.
Don't forget to check out the Books and Ideas podcast and SCIENCEPODCASTERS.ORG.

The Brain Science Podcast app is available for iPhone, Android, and iPad. If you have purchased the iPhone version, it will now work on your iPad (no additional purchase needed). The iPad is the perfect device for reading episode transcripts, especially if you want to read along as you listen.

Contact Dr. Campbell:

Send Dr. Campbell email at brainsciencepodcast@gmail.com.

November 26, 2010

Celebrating 4 Years of the Brain Science Podcast (BSP 71)

November 26, 2010/ Ginger Campbell, MD

The latest episode of the Brain Science Podcast (BSP 71) is our 4th annual review episode. As usual, I review highlights from this year's interviews, but this year I added a new feature: my personal reflections on how the Brain Science Podcast has impacted my life. This episode also contains a special announcement for UK listeners.

How to get this episode:

Buy mp3 for $1.
Buy Transcript for $1.
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 and remain FREE for approximately 6 years. See the individual show notes for more information

Listen in your Favorite Audio app: Audible, Amazon music, Pandora, Spotify, YouTube and many more.

Major Topics from Season 4:

Emotions with Jaak Panksepp (BSP 65).
Memory with Randy Gallistel (BSP 66).
Consciousness with Thomas Metzinger (BSP 67).
Alzheimer's Disease with Peter Whitehouse (BSP 68 and Books and Ideas 36).
Glia Cells with R. Douglas Fields (BSP 69).
Pop Psychology Myths with Scott Lilienfeld (BSP 70).

References:

Affective Neuroscience: The Foundations of Human and Animal Emotions, by Jaak Panksepp (BSP 65).
Memory and the Computational Brain: Why Cognitive Science will Transform Neuroscience, by C. R. Gallistel, Adam Philip King (BSP 66).
The Ego Tunnel: The Science of the Mind and the Myth of the Self,by Thomas Metzinger (BSP 67)
The Myth of Alzheimer's: What You Aren't Being Told About Today's Most Dreaded Diagnosis, by Peter J. Whitehouse and Daniel George (BSP 68 and Books and Ideas 36).
The Other Brain: From Dementia to Schizophrenia, How New Discoveries about the Brain Are Revolutionizing Medicine and Science, by R. Douglas Fields (BSP 69).
50 Great Myths of Popular Psychology: Shattering Widespread Misconceptions about Human Behavior, by Scott O. Lilienfeld, Steven Jay Lynn, John Ruscio, Barry L. Beyerstein (BSP 70).
For additional references: follow links to episode show notes.

Announcements:

The Brain Science Podcast app is now available for both iPhone and ANDROID (NEW!)
Be sure to subscribe to my Books and Ideas podcast. The next episode will come out in December.
The next episode of the Brain Science Podcast will come out in January 2010.

Send me feedback at brainsciencepodcast@gmail.com.

May 12, 2010

Exploring Glial Cells with R. Douglas Fields (BSP 69)

May 12, 2010/ Ginger Campbell, MD

Recent research has discovered that glial cells (the non-neuronal cells that make up about 85% of the cells in the human nervous system) actually do more than just support neurons. In Episode 69 of the Brain Science Podcast, I explore some of these recent discoveries with pioneering researcher, R. Douglas Fields, PhD. Dr. Fields is the author of The Other Brain: From Dementia to Schizophrenia, How New Discoveries about the Brain Are Revolutionizing Medicine and Science. The Other Brain provides a compelling introduction to this exciting new field. It is aimed at general readers, but it should also be on the must-read list for all students of neuroscience.