Take a break, quit piling on life’s suffering, and join Amielle and guest co-host Kate Sherman for an exploration of the neuroscience behind mindfulness meditation. They discuss some unexpected results from Bang et al. (2023) that mindfulness programs makes a major difference on white matter tracks and panic disorder recovery. Allow this audio stimulus—brimming with inspirational jingles and messages of self-compassion—to slam into who you are as a person. Also, your sister isn’t always right. Links On the beauty of sadness: it’s okay to say, I am sad, thank you, Tobore (2023) 5 W ..read more

So that hot paper at the end of the bar shot you down. What are you going to do, activate your mammillary bodies in conjunction with your anterior hypothalamus (Wang et al., 2021)? Are you going to let your microglia activate in your anterior cingulate cortex (Cao, Chen, Liu, et al., 2021)?! No! You’re going to make some goat curry and join the journal club as we discuss microglia munchies and mouse obstacle courses! Also, NC-17 drawings. Links 7:40 – Goat accelerometer! 16:15 – Early-life inflammation promotes depressive symptoms in adolescence via microglial engulfment of dendritic spines ..read more

Tom and Amielle are back for Part II of their two-part series on alcohol. They’re getting real by sharing their alcohol use dependency scores and spilling pie juice. We learn the importance of keeping your anterior cingulate cortex clear of metabolites and sharing skull pictures on dates. Finally, our two co-hosts discuss a drug that not only helps you lose weight but curbs alcohol cravings. Also, Richard Simmons. Links Hangovers: Q&A with Dr. Stephen Harding – Shalchi (2022) Dental Cone Beam CT- RadiologyInfo.org (2022) Semiglutide: EurekAlert! Significant Decrease in Alcohol Use Diso ..read more

Fill up your beer jars and join the club as we discuss the latest research on alcohol. In part 1 of this two-part series, Tom is bringing songs, accents, and x-mas disapproval, as well as a study on the effect of booze on sperm. Amielle discusses how shutting off a stress-related molecule can change drinking behavior. Guaranteed to be high proof, 21+ science comedy. Links Notable News: Alterations in sperm RNAs persist after alcohol cessation and correlate with epididymal mitochondrial dysfunction- Roach, Golding et al. (2023) Notable News: Preconception paternal ethanol exposures induce ..read more

  On this Journal Club, things get candid really fast. Rachel and Amelle launch into the latest and not-so-greatest in a special type of depression: postpartum depression. While attempts at humor are more scant than usual, this episode is full of drugs, hormones, and body leakage. Also, Gatorade. Links Altered functional connectivity density and couplings in postpartum depression with and without anxiety, Cheng et al., (2021) Background on postpartum depression Prevalence and Risk Factors of Postpartum Depression in Women: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis, Liu et al., (2021) S ..read more

This episode is the third in our three part series on consciousness. While we do figure out that it’s a brain process, more importantly, we learn how to succeed in neuroscience. The Churchland method of scientific husbandry will have you breeding A-class neuroscientists! You might not get published, but your DNA will. Alternatively, you can try splitting your brain and accomplish twice as much. If you get hungry, just pop some pup brains in your mouth. And finally, don’t forget to make one of the figures in your next manuscript just a picture of two middle fingers. Also, go beg for me, baby ..read more

It’s part two in our series on consciousness. We keep this journal club short and sweet, discussing ancient alien philosophers, personal wenuses, Phil Collins stutters, Ginsberg Golloba, koala qualia, and a gentle reminder that we’re stuff doing stuff made of stuff. Also, Dumpties. Links Evolution of the Sensitive Soul: Learning and the Origins of Consciousness Ginsburg & Jablonka, (2019) Ep 37: Loading the Dice (Eva Jablonka and Moncy Ginsburg), Big Biology podcast, (2020) Is Consciousness a Brain Process?, Place, (1956)Learn more about his death, and his life here. Contribute to ..read more

Do us a big favor and rate the show. Although we know that if you’re a dominant male mouse, you probably already have. After learning what the heck that means, stick around for an off-the-wall game show exposing the flawed logic of scientists, including the hosts! Also, Watershit Downs. Links Around 15:00 min – Reciprocal cortico-amygdala connections regulate prosocial and selfish choices in mice. Scheggia et al. (2022) Structure and function differences in the prelimbic cortex to basolateral amygdala circuit mediate trait vulnerability in a novel model of acute social defeat stress in male ..read more

  It’s all cats, alcohol, and death this week at the Journal Club. In this Halloween hangover episode, Leah and Amielle are exploring irrational mistakes in cognition by exploring the behavior of believing superstitions. There’s big discussions about the movie Cats, the god Frya, curses, and packing cellulite. Even though your tonsils are safe, keep your fingers crossed and avoid redheads. Also, Japanese baseball players. Links Superstition Citations:  Around 21 min: Superstition and post-tonsillectomy hemorrhage. Kumar et al., (2004) Malinowski Goes to College: Factors Influe ..read more

  October spooky fun continues on this zoonotic disease packed episode. Amielle terrifies with a story of a man who can’t stop ejaculating, retrograde transmission, and imbalanced Ying and Yang. Leah is having trouble driving due to philosophy and is dazzled by infrasonic sounds. Also, penguin necrophilia Links Design and generation of recombinant rabies virus vectors, Osakada and Callaway (2013). Clinical features of rabies patients with abnormal sexual behaviors as the presenting manifestations: a case report and literature review, Tian et al. (2019) Diabolical effects of rabies e ..read more