Ep. 19: Stimulating the brain with Damien Fair
The MacArthur Foundation "genius" discusses his return to his home state of Minnesota and why it's important to protect the developing brain.
Feb 03, 2025•1 hr 8 min
Synaptic
Exploring the people, the science and the challenges in neuroscience.
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Episodes
Season 2 of 'Synaptic' draws to a close
Season 3 will begin next year.
Nov 01, 2024•2 min
Ep. 18: Timothy Ryan on his pivotal switch from studying particle physics to decoding synaptic transmission
Dissuaded from pursuing theoretical physics and deterred by the "long feedback loop" in experimental physics, the National Academy of Sciences member took inspiration from "polymath" Watt Webb and "visionary" Stephen Smith-and learned to work "completely outside his comfort zone."
Oct 01, 2024•1 hr 10 min
Ep. 17: Biosensors and being fearless with Lin Tian
Tian discusses protein function and structure, and the historic city in China where she was born.
Sep 01, 2024•1 hr 2 min
Ep. 16: Male and female brains, Proust, and Catherine Dulac
The 2021 Breakthrough Prize winner explains how reading widely shaped her worldview, and discusses the vomeronasal organ.
Aug 01, 2024•1 hr 21 min
Ep. 15: Diagnosing autism and teaching neurodiversity with So Hyun "Sophy" Kim
The Korea University professor on her path to autism research and studying in the United States.
Jul 01, 2024•1 hr 7 min
Ep. 14: Eve Marder, neural circuits and being heard
The National Medal of Science winner explains why she built her career around the crustacean and what it was like attending high school in a Hudson River town.
Jun 01, 2024•1 hr 19 min
Ep. 13: Brain connectivity and letting the data speak with Emily Finn
The Dartmouth College researcher talks about her quest to understand behavior and doing neuroscience "in the woods."
May 01, 2024•1 hr 10 min
Ep. 12: The value of math and spatial learning with Loren Frank
The Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator discusses what drew him to study the brain and his current work at the University of California, San Francisco.
Apr 01, 2024•1 hr 2 min
Ep. 11: Setting up a frog colony and pair bonding with Lauren O'Connell
To become a scientist, O'Connell first needed to leave the family farm.
Mar 01, 2024•1 hr 3 min
Ep. 10: Being uncomfortable and PKMzeta with André Fenton
The director of the Center for Neural Science shares a ghost story and talks about his collaboration with Todd Sacktor. (This podcast was updated on 26 February 2024 to clarify past work related to PKMzeta.)
Feb 01, 2024•1 hr 21 min
Ep. 9: Joseph LeDoux, the split brain and a traveling magic show
The director of the Emotional Brain Institute discusses the Cajun music scene in Louisiana and how memories change with time.
Jan 01, 2024•1 hr 13 min
Ep. 8: FORCE learning and finding an out with David Sussillo
The senior research manager at Meta Reality Labs talks about neural networks and his time at the Milton Hershey School.
Dec 01, 2023•1 hr 21 min
Ep. 7: Sensing touch, the immigrant life and Ardem Patapoutian
The Nobel Prize winner talks about PIEZO 1 and 2, proprioception and the viral photo of him and his son from the 2021 Nobel Prize announcement.
Nov 01, 2023•1 hr 2 min
Ep. 6: Brian Boyd, classroom-based interventions and the importance of representation
The leader of the Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute talks about what drew him into the autism field, and his departure from — and return to — the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Oct 01, 2023•1 hr 5 min
Ep. 5: Evdokia Anagnostou and the concept of a good life
The Holland Bloorview clinician and research director discusses how growing up on a small island shaped her career and the existential questions that keep her up at night.
Sep 01, 2023•1 hr 17 min
Ep. 4: Emotion dysregulation in autism with Carla Mazefsky
Carla Mazefsky is the Nancy J. Minshew endowed chair in autism research and professor of psychiatry, psychology, and clinical and translational science at the University of Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania. In this episode of “Synaptic,” Mazefesky talks about what she learned while volunteering with the Williamsburg, Virginia, police department; the insight that got her thinking about emotion regulation in autistic people; and why the people of Pittsburgh love their city.
Aug 01, 2023•59 min
Ep. 3: The sleep/wake cycle and autism with Ashura Buckley
Ashura Buckley is director of the Sleep and Neurodevelopment Core in the Office of the Clinical Director at the U.S. National Institute of Mental Health in Bethesda, Maryland. Her research focuses on sleep and autism, and the basics of the sleep/wake cycle. In this episode of “Synaptic,” she discusses the need to consider different perspectives when doing science, the connection between sleep and mental health, and the sacrifices her mother made for the family.
Jul 01, 2023•1 hr 12 min
Ep. 2: Social communication and developmental disorders with Connie Kasari
Connie Kasari is distinguished professor of human development and psychology at the University of California, Los Angeles, where she is also a founding member of the Center for Autism Research and Treatment. She is co-creator of JASPER, a play-based intervention for young autistic children. In this episode of “Synaptic,” Kasari talks about the need for inclusion in educating autistic children, what drew her into the autism research field, and growing up on the family farm.
Jun 01, 2023•56 min
Ep. 1: Diagnosing autism with Catherine Lord
Catherine (Cathy) Lord is distinguished professor of psychiatry at the University of California, Los Angeles. She co-developed the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule and the Autism Diagnostic Interview — key diagnostic tests for autism. In this inaugural episode of “Synaptic,” Lord discusses her entry into autism research, what the future of the field might look like and how drama club saved her in high school.
Apr 01, 2023•1 hr 3 min
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