This week on Brains & Bourbon, we share a Manhattan with H. Craig Heller who talk us through the "how" and "why" of sleep and explains what hibernating astronauts have in common with ground squirrels. Plus much more! Dr. Heller is a professor of biology and is the co-director of the Stanford Center for Down Syndrome Research.
Jul 23, 2014•1 hr 11 min
This week on Brains and Bourbon, we share whiskey sours with Daniel Hawes, a post-doctoral fellow studying the interplay between personality and decision making in Sam McClure’s lab. We ask Daniel about his journey from agricultural engineering student in Germany to psychologist at Stanford, and how the different perspectives of engineering, economics, psychology and neuroscience interact to influence his approach to understanding how individuals make decisions. Daniel tells us about how psychol...
Jul 02, 2014•58 min
This week on Brains & Bourbon, we share a cocktail with Rob Malenka, who describes his journey from party animal to world renowned scientist, and gives a beautiful and in-depth history of one of the most important fields in neuroscience. Plus much more! Dr. Malenka is a professor of psychiatry and behavioral science here at Stanford.
Jun 25, 2014•1 hr 48 min
This week on Brains and Bourbon, science journalist Greg Miller talks about the psychological cost of drone warfare, DIY brain stimulation, science journalism, and a lot more! Greg Miller spent 11 years as a reporter for Science magazine and is now a senior writer at WIRED magazine.
Jun 11, 2014•1 hr 4 min
This week on Brains and Bourbon, we talk with Maral Tajerian about brains and pain, secret experiments, and putting the "science" back in "scientifically accurate video games." Dr. Tajerian is a postdoc in David Clark’s lab here at Stanford, and the co-founder of Thwacke! science media consulting.
Jun 04, 2014•59 min
This week on Neurotalk, we chat with Daniel Colón-Ramos about how glia directs synapse formation, how synaptic positions are maintained as the body and brain grows, and how his science networking site Ciencia Puerto Rico has changed science education in Puerto Rico. Dr. Colón-Ramos is an associate professor of cell biology at Yale University, and is the founder of Ciencia Puerto Rico: http://www.cienciapr.org/
Jun 03, 2014•40 min
This week on Neurotalk, we chat with Li-Huei Tsai about her transition from cancer research to neuroscience, chromatin remodeling, Alzheimer's disease, and more! Dr. Tsai is a professor of neuroscience and the director of the Picower Institute for Learning and Memory at MIT. Note to listeners: we had a few technical difficulties with the audio quality, so some portions of the interview may be difficult to hear.
Jun 02, 2014•36 min
This week on Brains and Bourbon, we chat with Boris Heifets about anesthesia and the brain, treating Parkinson's disease with electrical stimulation, and why taking ecstasy might be a good idea if you suffer from depression*. Dr. Heifets is an anesthesiologist at Stanford Hospital, as well as a postdoctoral researcher in Rob Malenka's lab. *And you do it in your doctor's office.
May 21, 2014•1 hr 3 min
This week on Neurotalk, we chat with Kelsey Martin about the road from literature to neuroscience, tagging synapses, and what to do with all these PhDs. Dr. Martin is the Chair and professor of Biological Chemistry and professor of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences at University of California Los Angeles.
May 19, 2014•35 min
This week on Brains and Bourbon, we talk immunology with Mary Cavanagh, who explains how specialized cells recognizes self v. non-self to keep the body safe, and how loss of that recognition can lead to a whole host of problems. Dr. Cavanagh is a postdoc in Jorg Goronzy’s lab here at Stanford. "Brains and Bourbon" is a show about cocktails and neuroscience. Each week, we invite a neuroscientist to discuss the process and motivation behind their science, and to share their favorite cocktail with ...
May 14, 2014•59 min
This week on Neurotalk, we chat with Karel Svoboda about how studying the brain inspires invention, the development of two-photon microscopy, visualizing synaptic turnover, and more! Dr. Svoboda is a group leader at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute at Janelia Farms.
May 13, 2014•30 min
This week on Neurotalk, we chat with Loren Looger about the first calcium indicators, designer proteins, and how the self-described "worst talk in the history of the world" landed him his own lab. Dr. Looger is a group leader at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute at Janelia Farms.
May 08, 2014•36 min
Theme song for the radio show "Brains and Bourbon." Written and recorded by Josh Talbot.
May 07, 2014•52 sec
This week on "Brains and Bourbon," we share a glass of whiskey with Tony Ricci as we discuss hearing, rebuilding his lab after hurricane Katrina, and more! Dr. Ricci is a professor of otolaryngology and molecular and cellular physiology here at Stanford, as well as the director of the Stanford neurosciences PhD program. "Brains and Bourbon" is a show about cocktails and neuroscience. Each week, we invite a neuroscientist to discuss the process and motivation behind their science, and to share th...
May 05, 2014•1 hr 2 min
This week on Neurotalk, we speak with Hey-Kyoung Lee about the first chemical LTD experiments, the role of phosphorylation in learning and memory, and how a happy accident increased our knowledge of mutimodal sensory plasticity! Dr. Lee is an associate professor of neuroscience at the Johns Hopkins Mind/Brain Institute.
Apr 28, 2014•27 min
This week on Brains & Bourbon, we sit down with Mariko Bennett to discuss the magic and mystery of glia, the future of gene therapy, and why clamato juice is a thing. Mariko is an MD/PhD student in Ben Barres's lab here at Stanford. "Brains and Bourbon" is a show about cocktails and neuroscience. Each week, we invite a neuroscientist to discuss the process and motivation behind their science, and to share their favorite cocktail with us. You have a brain and you like to drink, so come sit do...
Apr 25, 2014•47 min
In our inaugural radio version of "Brains and Bourbon," Astra Bryant shares a whiskey sour with us as we discuss brain oscillations and epilepsy, studying attention in birds, and the agony and ecstasy of the optochicken. Astra is a 5th year graduate student in Eric Knudsen and John Huguenard's labs here at Stanford. "Brains and Bourbon" is a show about cocktails and neuroscience. Each week, we invite a neuroscientist to discuss the process and motivation behind their science, and to share their ...
Apr 23, 2014•1 hr 12 min
This week on Neurotalk, we speak with Ryan Watts about axon guidance, developing new tools for treating Alzheimer's disease, and more! Dr. Watts is the director of the department of neuroscience at Genentech.
Apr 17, 2014•31 min
This week on Neurotalk, we speak with Tim Ryan about using voltage sensitive dyes to study synaptic transmission, how ATP is synthesized at the synapse, the value of teaching at Wood's Hole, and more! Dr. Ryan is a professor in the Department of Biochemistry at Weill Cornell Medical College.
Apr 02, 2014•27 min
This week on Neurotalk, we speak with Rainer Friedrich about information coding in the olfactory bulb, optogenetic stimulation of olfactory neurons in the zebrafish, and more! Dr. Friedrich is a Senior Group Leader and Professor at the Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research.
Mar 24, 2014•33 min
This week on Neurotalk, Nelson Spruston describes some of the first patch clamp recordings ever, shares the most exciting moment of his scientific career, and explains how a student in his lab discovered a new form of neural integration. Dr. Spruston is the Scientific Program Director, and a Laboratory Head at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute at the Janelia Farm Research Campus.
Mar 19, 2014•34 min
This week in Neurotalk, we speak with Chengua Gu about the molecules linking axon guidance, cardiovascular development, and synapse formation. Dr. Gu is an associate professor of neurobiology at Harvard Medical School.
Mar 12, 2014•27 min
This week on Neurotalk, we speak with Thomas Schwarz about the diversity of potassium channels, the link between mitochondria and Parkinson's disease, what young scientists can learn from Julius Caesar, and more! Dr. Schwarz is a professor of neurology and neurobiology at the Harvard Medical School.
Mar 03, 2014•41 min
In this week's episode of Neurotalk, Don Cleveland talks about the mechanisms underlying ALS and other motor neuron disorders, the shift in our basic understanding of how gene mutations lead to human disease, and more! Dr. Cleveland is professor of cellular and molecular medicine at UC San Diego.
Feb 11, 2014•25 min
This week on the Neurotalk podcast, we speak with Kamil Ugurbil about his interesting path into neuroscience, his deep involvement with the development of fMRI, how he runs his large 100+ group, and more! Dr. Ugurbil is the Director of the Center for Magnetic Resonance Research, and McKnight Presidential Endowed Chair Professor in the Departments of Radiology, Neuroscience, and Medicine at the University of Minnesota.
Feb 05, 2014•38 min
This week on Neurotalk, we speak with Caitlin O'Connell Rodwell about working with elephants, elephant communication, women in science, and more! Dr. O’Connell-Rodwell is an assistant professor in the department of otolaryngology at Stanford University.
Feb 04, 2014•30 min
This week, we talk to Suzanne Paradis about homeostatic plasticity, and the molecules that drive neuronal connectivity. Dr. Paradis is an assistant professor of biology at Brandeis University.
Jan 21, 2014•32 min
This week, we speak with Peter Crino about the balance between medicine and research science, and how dysregulation of the mTOR signaling pathway can lead to both cancer and cognitive disorders. Dr. Crino is a professor and Vice Chair of the Department of Neurology at Temple University and Shriners Hospital Pediatric Research Center.
Jan 13, 2014•29 min
This week we speak with Kathleen Cullen about how our brains control our eyes and head, why astronauts get sick in space, and more! Dr. Cullen is a professor of physiology, and the director of the Systems Neuroscience and Aerospace Medical Research Unit at McGill University.
Dec 09, 2013•30 min
This week, Marc Freeman talks to us about falling in love with biology, eating injured axons, and more! Marc Freeman is an assistant professor of neurobiology at the University of Massachusetts Medical School.
Nov 13, 2013•25 min