Respected neuroscientist Dr. Joseph Ledoux's new book is The Deep History of Ourselves: The Four-Billion-Year Story of How We Got Conscious Brains . In this episode we discuss Dr. Ledoux's ideas about the relationship between emotion and consciousness. His conclusions are controversial, but thought provoking. Please visit http://brainsciencepodcast.com for complete show notes with links and episode transcripts. Links and References: Please visit http://brainsciencepodcast.com for references and ...
Sep 27, 2019•1 hr 32 min•Season 13Ep. 161
This month's episode is the beginning a four part series about the Neuroscience of Consciousness. This month I am discussing and comparing the ideas from several recent books on the subject in preparation for several upcoming interviews on the subject. Many people consider consciousness to be the biggest mystery of all, but in this episode we explore how progress has been made in unraveling the ultimate "mystery of how our brain makes us human." Books featured in BS 160 (listed in the order cite...
Aug 23, 2019•1 hr 28 min•Season 13Ep. 160
BS 159 is an interview with Dr. Kevin Mitchell, author of Innate: How the Wiring of Our Brains Shapes Who We Are . We discuss the fact that our brain-based behavior is actually more innate than is commonly realized. Even identical twins are innately different despite having nearly identical genomes. This is because of events that occur during brain development. Listen now to learn more about what science is revealing about this fascinating topic. (PS: we also talk about the role of brain plastic...
Jul 26, 2019•1 hr 9 min•Season 13Ep. 159
This month marks the return of popular Brain Science guest Dr. Patricia Churchland ( BS 55 and BS 81 ). We talk about her new book, Conscience: The Origins of Moral Intuition . This book is a great combination of up to date neuroscience and critical thinking. It is recommended for listeners of all backgrounds. Please visit http://brainsciencepodcast.com for detailed show notes and episode transcripts. Links and References: Please visit http://brainsciencepodcast.com for references and episode tr...
Jun 28, 2019•1 hr 14 min•Season 13Ep. 158
This episode of Brain Science features Dr. Donald MacKay, author of Remembering: What 50 Years of Research with Famous Amnesia Patient H.M. Can Teach Us about Memory and How It Works . H.M. may have been the most studied patient in history, but Mackay's work uncovers some surprising discoveries about the role of the hippocampus in language, as well as important implications for the aging brain. Please go to http://brainsciencepodcast.com for complete show notes and episode transcripts. Announcem...
May 24, 2019•1 hr 19 min•Season 13Ep. 157
This month's episode of Brain Science is an interview with Stanford psychologist, Dr Russell A. Poldrack, author of The New Mind Readers: What Neuroimaging Can and Cannot Reveal about Our Thoughts . We discuss a brief history of the use of fMRI brain imaging with an emphasis on how to avoid the mistakes that plagued the field early on. Listeners will come away with an appreciation of both the promise and limitations of brain imaging, including an understanding of why it is NOT ready for use as a...
Apr 26, 2019•1 hr 6 min•Season 13Ep. 156
BS 155 is an interview with neuroscientist Paul Middlebrooks , host of the Brain-Inspired podcast . We explore the main theme of his show, which is the intersection between neuroscience and artificial intelligence. For complete show notes and episode transcripts please go to http://brainsciencepodcast.com . Announcements: Send email to brainsciencepodcast@gmail.com or post voice feedback at http://speakpipe.com/docartemis . To win an Amazon gift certificate: post a review of Brain Science in iTu...
Mar 22, 2019•1 hr 2 min•Season 13Ep. 155
BS 154 is an interview with Dr. Alan Castel , author of Better with Age: The Psychology of Successful Aging . In the past we have discussed how our brain changes as we age, but it turns out successful aging requires more than "good genes." Our attitudes and our behaviors have a huge impact. More importantly, it is never too early to begin preparing for successful aging. For detailed show notes and episode transcripts please visit http://brainsciencepodcast.com . Send you feedback to brainscience...
Feb 22, 2019•1 hr 1 min•Season 13Ep. 154
Episode 153 of Brain Science is an interview with Harvard neuroscientist John Dowling. We talk about his latest book Understanding the Brain: From Cells to Behavior to Cognition with a special focus on Vision. If you listen to this episode in the Free Brain Science mobile app you can also listen to BSP 4 , which featured one of Dowling's earlier books, The Great Brain Debate: Nature Or Nurture? . Just look under Extras. For complete show notes and episode transcripts please visit http://brainsci...
Jan 25, 2019•1 hr 25 min•Season 13Ep. 153
BS 152 is our 12th annual review episode. In 2018 nine new books were featured and the subjects covered included memory, peri-personal cells, creativity, language, reading, the cerebral mystique, synapses, happiness, emotion and work of Eve Marder. We had 4 new guests and 4 returning guests along with an encore interview with Dr. Eve Marder. This episode includes highlights from all 11 episodes that were released between January and November 2018. Go to http://brainsciencepodcast.com for complet...
Dec 28, 2018•33 min•Season 12Ep. 152
BS 151 is a discussion of The Neuroscience of Emotion: A New Synthesis by Ralph Adolphs and David J. Anderson. We talk about key ideas from the book and relate them to several previous episodes about emotion including interviews with Jaak Panksepp , Lisa Feldman Barrett and Luis Pessoa . Details show notes and episode transcripts will be available in a few days. Please visit our sponsors: The Great Courses Plus Babbel promo code ginger Leave voice feedback via Speakpipe or send email to brainsci...
Nov 21, 2018•39 min•Season 12Ep. 151
This the Premium- Ad Free version of BS 151, which is a discussion of The Neuroscience of Emotion: A New Synthesis by Ralph Adolphs and David J. Anderson. Please visit our sponsors: The Great Courses Plus Babbel promo code ginger The complete show notes and episode transcript will be ready after Thanksgiving. Please scroll up/down for other versions. Send feedback to brainsciencepodcast@gmail.com....
Nov 21, 2018•36 min
This Premium episode was recorded on Facebook Live on November 1, 2018. It includes a look back at BS 146 , which was an interview with Alan Jasanoff, author of The Biological Mind: How Brain, Body, and Environment Collaborate to Make Us Who We Are . Our focus was on avoiding the "cerebral mystique," which includes the tendency to over emphasize neuroscience as a means of understanding the world. Ironically, I also included the presentation I gave at Sound Education the next day called Why Neuro...
Nov 11, 2018•21 min
BS 150 is my 4th interview with Dr. Seth Grant, the molecular biologist who has discovered surprising things about the evolution of the synapse, including the fact that vertebrates have much more complex synapses than invertebrates. In this interview we talk about his latest paper in Neuron in which his team has developed a method for mapping the synapses across the entire mouse brain. This is called a synaptome and reveals that there is surprising diversity depending on which part of the brain ...
Oct 26, 2018•1 hr 1 min•Season 12Ep. 150
This is the Premium ad-free version of BS 150 with Seth Grant, the molecular biologist who has discovered surprising things about the evolution of the synapse, including the fact that vertebrates have much more complex synapses than invertebrates. In this interview we talk about his latest paper in Neuron in which his team has developed a method for mapping the synapses across the entire mouse brain. This is called a synaptome and reveals that there is surprising diversity depending on which par...
Oct 26, 2018•57 min
This brief announcement is to correct a mistake I made in BS 148. For several months I have been talking about my trip to Australia in 2019. I have posted this brief audio to clarify that October 1 was the first day to put down your deposit for the trip (not the deadline). The dates in Australia will be May 20-30, 2018 and I have included the PDF with details with this announcement. There is room for 16 listeners. Please write to a brainsciencepodcast@gmail.com for more details. Also, I will be ...
Oct 13, 2018•2 min
In this month's Brain Science Live (recorded via Facebook Live) I talked about BS 145 with Dr. Maryanne Wolf who has spent her career studying what happens in the brain when we learn to read. I got a lot of feedback about this episode and I respond to it here. Please visit our sponsor http://thegreatcoursesplus.com/ginger and sign up for the free trial. Thanks so much for your support....
Oct 12, 2018•24 min
This is the premium-ad free version of BS 149, which is an interview with Dean Burnett, author of Happy Brain: Where Happiness Comes From, and Why . Please scroll (up/down) for other versions including the Premium episode transcript.
Sep 28, 2018•1 hr 5 min
Brain Science 149 is an episode for listeners of all backgrounds. It is an interview with Dr. Dean Burnett, author of Happy Brain: Where Happiness Comes From, and Why . We look beyond the hype about dopamine and consider how our social nature impacts our happiness. Complete show notes and episode transcripts are available at http://brainsciencepodcast.com . Please visit our sponsor: http://thegreatcoursesplus.com/ginger Send feedback to brainsciencepodcast@gmail.com....
Sep 28, 2018•1 hr 6 min•Season 12Ep. 149
This month's Facebook Live session was a discussion of BS 144 , which was about Language in the Brain. This audio is provided for Premium and Patreon supporters to show my appreciation for your support. Please visit our sponsor: http://thegreatcoursesplus.com/ginger CORRECTION: during the episode I talk about releasing the 2nd Edition of Are You Sure? The Unconscious Origins of Certainty. I announced September 15-30 as the time for this giveaway. Unfortunately, the book is not yet ready. I want ...
Sep 14, 2018•17 min
BS 148 is the interview with pioneering neuroscientist Dr. Eve Marder, which I originally recorded back in 2009. I am reposting it now as a follow-up to last month's review of Charlotte Nassim's excellent biography Lessons from the Lobster: Eve Marder's Work in Neuroscience . The topics discussed in this interview are just as relevant as they were back then. A highlight of this interview is Dr. Marder's insights into what it was like to be part of the first large cohort of women entering science...
Aug 24, 2018•1 hr 4 min•Season 12Ep. 148
For this month's session on Facebook Live I did a brief recap of BS 143, which was an interview with Elkhonon Goldberg about his new book Creativity . There is some listener feedback but I hope to have more next month. Remember next month we will be talking about BS 144, which was about Language in the Brain. You have until September 1 to submit questions or comments and of course, you can join me LIVE on September 6 at 8PM Central and submit comments then.
Aug 15, 2018•16 min
This is the Premium ad-free version of BS 147, which is a discussion of Lessons from the Lobster: Eve Marder's Work in Neuroscience by Charlotte Nassim. Learn more about my 2019 trip to Australia at http://brainsciencepodcast.com/australia2019 . Send me feedback at gincampell@mac.com.
Aug 15, 2018•43 min
BS 147 is a discussion of the new biography Lessons from the Lobster: Eve Marder's Work in Neuroscience by Charlotte Nassim. This is an intellectual biography of one of neuroscientists least know pioneers. Dr. Marder was interviewed on this podcast back in BSP 56 , which is also now free to download. In this episode I take you through some of Dr. Marder's key discoveries. Her work is unique because even as a graduate student she was challenging long held assumptions in her field. Although Nassim...
Jul 27, 2018•47 min•Season 12Ep. 147
This premium episode is the audio file taken from our Facebook Live session recorded on July 5, 2018. It is a brief recap of BS 142 , which was an interview with Michael Graziano about Peripersonal neurons. The next Live recording is scheduled for August 2 at 8PM Central Time. Please submit questions and comments about BS 143 (Elkhonon Goldberg on Creativity) by August 1, for inclusion in that session. Your feedback is greatly appreciated....
Jul 15, 2018•16 min
This is the Premium ad-free version of BS 146 with Alan Jasanoff, author of The Biological Mind: How Brain, Body, and Environment Collaborate to Make Us Who We Are . Please note that the transcript will be posted separately to avoid confusion. Learn more about Premium and Patreon options at http://brainsciencepodcast.com/donations .
Jun 21, 2018•55 min
This is an interview with MIT neuroscientist, Dr. Alan Jasanoff about his book The Biological Mind: How Brain, Body, and Environment Collaborate to Make Us Who We Are . We talk about what he calls the "cerebral mystique" and why it is important to remember because the brain is embodied it is not autonomous. The Mind is the result of the interaction of the brain, body, and its environment. Please visit http://brainsciencepodcast.com for full show notes and episode transcripts. Try a free month of...
Jun 21, 2018•56 min•Season 11Ep. 146
BS 145 celebrates the return of Dr. Maryanne Wolf who was featured back in BSP 29 when we talked about her bestseller Proust and the Squid: The Story and Science of the Reading Brain . In this episode we talk about her recent book Tales of Literacy for the 21st Century . Our focus is two-fold. First we consider the implications of the fact that while language is acquired naturally, reading is a cultural invention that must be taught. Second, we explore how the brain is changed by reading and con...
May 25, 2018•58 min•Season 11Ep. 145
This is an interview with Dr. Angela Friederici, author of Language in Our Brain: The Origins of a Uniquely Human Capacity . Her book is an extensive review of decades of research, but this interview provides an accessible introduction to listeners of all backgrounds. Don't miss our new monthly Facebook live sessions where listeners can submit questions about past episodes. Learn more at our Facebook Fan Page . Full episode show notes and episode transcripts are available at brainsciencepodcast....
Apr 27, 2018•51 min•Season 11Ep. 144
This is the audio of our first Facebook Live session recorded on April 5, 2018. It is a brief review of BS 141, which was a interview with Dr. Rodrigo Quian Quiroga, author of "The Forgetting Machine: Memory, Perception, and the "Jennifer Aniston Neuron." Next month's FB Live session will be recorded on May 3rd, 2018. Please submit questions or comments about BS 142 with Michael Graziano anytime before hand and I will include them in the next effort. Feedback and suggestions are greatly apprecia...
Apr 20, 2018•21 min
