Brain Science Podcast #48: Interiew with Gary Lynch, PhD

Episode 48 of the Brain Science Podcast is an interview with Gary Lynch, PhD, co-author (with Richard Granger) of Big Brain: The Origins and Future of Human Intelligence. Dr. Lynch has spent decades studying memory at the level of the synapse. His work with computer simulations based on how the brain really works led him [...]

Brain Science Podcast #47: Introduction to Brain Evolution

Episode 47 of the Brain Science Podcast is a discussion of Principles of Brain Evolution by Georg F. Striedter. My goal is to highlight the main ideas of this complicated, and often controversial subject. Understanding the principles of brain evolution is an important element in our multidisciplinary attempt to understand how our brains make [...]

Brain Science Podcast #46: Recorded LIVE at Dragon*Con 2008

Brain Science Podcast #46 is a discussion of brain imaging with Dr. Shella Keilholz and Dr. Jason Schneiderman. The focus of our discussion is functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), which is revolutionizing neuroscience. We talked about both the strengths and weaknesses of this technique. Both of my guests agree that mainstream coverage of this technique [...]

Brain Science Podcast #45: John Ratey, MD discusses ADD

Have you ever wondered why a child with ADD can play videos games for hours but can’t concentrate on his homework for a few minutes? This is one of the paradoxes of attention-deficit disorder thatĀ  John J Ratey, MD, co-author of Driven To Distraction : Recognizing and Coping with Attention Deficit Disorder from Childhood Through [...]

Brain Science Podcast #44: Meditation and the Brain

Daniel Siegel, MD
In Episode 44 of the Brain Science Podcast I talk with Daniel Siegel, MD about meditation and the brain. Dr. Siegel is the author of several books including The Mindful Brain: Reflection and Attunement in the Cultivation of Well-Being. In this interview we review the scientific evidence about how mindfulness meditation changes [...]

Brain Science Podcast #43: Part 2 of “On Being Certain”

Episode 43 of the Brain Science Podcast is an interview with Robert A Burton, MD, author of On Being Certain: Believing You Are Right Even When You’re Not, which I discussed in Episode 42. Dr. Burton tells us what inspired him to write this book and we explore some of the implications of the [...]

Brain Science Podcast #42: “On Being Certain”

Episode 42 of the Brain Science Podcast is a discussion of On Being Certain: Believing You Are Right Even When You’re Not by Robert Burton, MD. This part 1 of a two part discussion of the unconscious origins of what Dr. Burton calls “the feeling of knowing.” In Episode 43 I will interview Dr. [...]

Brain Science Podcast #41: Alice Gaby talks about Linguistics

Episode 41 of the Brain Science Podcast is an interview with Alice Gaby, PhD, from the University of California-Berkeley. Dr. Gaby is a linguist who studies the role of language in cognition as well as the aboriginal languages of Australia. In this episode Dr. Gaby introduces some of the basic areas of linguistics. We [...]

Brain Science Podcast #40: Third Semi-Annual Review

Episode 40 of the Brain Science Podcast is a look back at the highlights from the last six months. We have talked about numerous topics including brain plasticity, mirror neurons, language, brain rhythms, and the sense of smell. We talked with 9 guests and we have also explored the practical implications of neuroscience, including [...]

Brain Science Podcast #39: Michael Arbib on Mirror Neurons

Episode 39 of the Brain Science Podcast is an interview with Dr. Michael Arbib from the University of Southern California. Dr. Arbib’s work with functional brain imaging has established the presence of mirror neurons in the human brain. In our interview we focused on the role of mirror neurons in imitation and language. In [...]