At the end of last month's episode I announced that it was the last regular episode of Brain Science. It has been 17 years since episode 1 was released on December 15, 2023 and I am extremely grateful to everyone who has listened and supported the show over all these years. I am also grateful that others have taken up the challenge of sharing neuroscience via podcasting. The main reason I have chosen to bring the show to an end is that I want to have the time and energy to immerse myself into my new life in New Zealand. I moved here from the US in August 2023. The main purpose of this post is ..read more

This is the FREE Transcript for BS 214: Seventeenth Annual Review. If you are a Premium (MyLibsyn) Subscriber LOGIN to access additional transcripts in your browser or in the free Brain Science mobile app. Click here if you are a Patreon supporter. Scroll up/down for the audio ..read more

This is the 17th Annual Review episode of Brain Science, celebrating the first episode which aired on December 15, 2006. We review the highlights of 2023, which included both new guests and the return of several favorites. Episodes Released in 2023: BS 204 (Encore) and BS 205 featured molecular biologist Guy Caldwell, PhD from the University of Alabama. Caldwell uses the tiny roundworm C. Elegans to search for potential treatments of Parkinson's Disease. BS 206: Paco Calvo, PhD, author of Planta Sapiens: The New Science of Intelligence. BS 207 (Encore): Luiz Pessoa, author of The Cognitive-Em ..read more

This is the Premium Transcript for BS 213 with Kevin Mitchell, author of Free Agents: How Evolution Gave Us Free Will. If you are a Premium (MyLibsyn) Subscriber LOGIN to access this transcript in your browser or the free Brain Science mobile app. Click here if you are a Patreon supporter. You may also buy this transcript separately at https://brainsciencepodcast.com. Scroll up/down for the audio ..read more

In the this episode of Brain Science we talk with neuroscientist Kevin Mitchell about his new book Free Agents: How Evolution Gave Us Free Will. While many neuroscientists and philosophers argue that free will is an illusion, Mitchell argues that the ability to make meaningful choices is part of our evolutionary heritage. He also addresses the important issue of determinism, siding with those physicists who argue that the fundamental nature of our universe is NOT deterministic. These issues are crucial to how we see ourselves and others. Links and References: Free Agents: How Evolution Gave U ..read more

This is the FREE Transcript for BS 212 with is an encore presentation of an interview with Thomas Metzinger, author of The Ego Tunnel: The Science of the Mind and the Myth of the Self. Additional transcripts are available to Premium (MyLibsyn) subscribers and some Patreon supports. Learn more at https://brainsciencepodcast.com/premium. Scroll up/down for the audio ..read more

This month's episode of Brain Science features Thomas Metzinger, author of "The Ego Tunnel: The Science of the Mind and the Myth of the Self." Metzinger is a philosopher with a longstanding interest in Philosophy of Mind with a focus on incorporating the findings of neuroscience. We discuss the implications of the discovery that consciousness is a biological process generated by the interaction of the brain, body, and external world. Metzinger also emphasized the importance of considering altered states including dreaming, out of body experiences, and even virtual reality. Links and References ..read more

This episode of Brain Science features the return of molecular biologist Seth Grant. We briefly review his decades of research into the complexity of the protein structure of the synapse and then we focus on his most recent paper, which describes how the life-span of synapse proteins appears to change as animals age. Grant reflects of the significance of this finding both for animal research and human medicine. Papers discussed in this episode:  Bulovaite, E., Qiu, Z., Kratschke, M., Zgraj, A., Fricker, D. G., Tuck, E. J., Gokhale, R., Koniaris, B., Jami, S. A., Merino-Serrais, P., Husi ..read more

This episode is our first review of neurotransmitters since episode 8 way back in 2007. We start with some basics of neuron function and brain anatomy, but the meat of the episode is a discussion of neurotransmitters and how they work. The key idea is that a simple molecule, such as dopamine, can have a wide variety of effects because of the existence of multiple receptors. This episode is appropriate for listeners of all backgrounds, but might be a little challenging for new listeners. It will be a review episode for longtime listeners and those with backgrounds in neuroscience. Links and Ref ..read more

This month's episode of Brain Science is an interview with Luiz Pessoa, author of The Entangled Brain: How Perception, Cognition, and Emotion Are Woven Together. This is Pessoa's first book aimed at a general audience and it provides a concise overview of our current understanding of basic brain function. However, he also explains the limitations of the traditional modular view of the brain. A key take home point is that emotion and cognition are deeply intertwined at every level. Links and References: The Entangled Brain: How Perception, Cognition, and Emotion Are Woven Together by Luiz Pess ..read more