The neuroscience of grief and grieving is a relatively new field, but one that offers practical discoveries for people of all backgrounds. This month we talk with Mary-Frances O’Connor, author of The Grieving Brain: The Surprising Science of How we Learn from Love and Loss. We talk about what has been learned from a variety of approaches, including both brain imaging and, surprisingly even from animal studies. We learn why it is so hard for our brains to accept the loss of a loved one and this work offers hope for helping those who struggle with prolonged or complicated grief. The incredible loss of life cause by the COVID pandemic makes this work especially timely. Links and References: The Grieving Brain: The Surprising Science of How We Learn from Love and Loss by Mary-Frances O'Connor Author website Please visit http://brainsciencepodcast.com for additional references and episode transcripts.   Please Visit Our Sponsors: TextExpander at textexpander.com/podcast The Minor Podcast Announcements: Please visit brainsciencepodcast.com and let me know what you think of the updated website. Get free gift "5 Things You Need to Know about YOUR Brain when you sign up for the free Brain Science Newsletter to get show notes automatically every month. You can also text brainscience to 55444 to sign up. Check out the Brain Science podcast channel on YouTube for episode excerpts and summaries. Support Brain Science by buying Are You Sure? The Unconscious Origins of Certainty by Virginia "Ginger" Campbell, MD. (Autographed copies are available) Check out the free Brain Science Mobile app for iOS, Android, and Windows. (It's a great way to get both new episodes and premium content.) Learn more ways to support Brain Science at http://brainsciencepodcast.com/donations Connect on Social Media: Twitter: @docartemis Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/brainsciencepodcast Contact Dr. Campbell: Email: brainsciencepodcast@gmail.com

In this month's episode of Brain Science I explore two big picture questions: What does it mean to claim that the Mind is "embodied?" and How does this change our understanding of our place in the world? The conversation was inspired by the book "Out of the Cave: A Natural Philosophy of Mind and Knowing" by Mark L Johnson and Donald M Tucker. This episode builds on several previous discussions of "embodied cognition" so it might be challenging to newer listeners. I have included a list of these earlier episodes below. Links and References: Out of the Cave: A Natural Philosophy of Mind and Knowing by Mark L Johnson and Donald M Tucker Embodied Cognition  (2nd. ed) by Lawrence Shapiro (BSP 73) Metaphors We Live By by George Lakoff and Mark Johnson Previous episodes about Embodied Cognition BSP 25 with Rolf Pfeifer, co-author of How the Body Shapes the Way We Think BSP 36 with Arthur Glenberg BSP 73 with Lawrence Shapiro, author of Embodied Cognition BSP 89 with Evan Thompson, author of Mind in Life: Biology. Phenomenology, and the Sciences of Mind Please visit http://brainsciencepodcast.com for additional references and episode transcripts.     Please Visit Our Sponsors: TextExpander at textexpander.com/podcast GreenChef at greenchef.com/ginger130 Announcements: Join me for my induction into the Podcast Hall of Fame on March 25, 2022. Attendance is free. If you live in Los Angeles I hope you will attend the live event, but I hope everyone else will attend online. Click here to learn more. Please visit brainsciencepodcast.com and let me know what you think of the updated website. If you are a teacher please check out the new page for Educators and let me known what you think. Get free gift "5 Things You Need to Know about YOUR Brain when you sign up for the free Brain Science Newsletter to get show notes automatically every month. You can also text brainscience to 55444 to sign up. Check out the Brain Science podcast channel on YouTube for episode excerpts and summaries. Support Brain Science by buying Are You Sure? The Unconscious Origins of Certainty by Virginia "Ginger" Campbell, MD. (Autographed copies are available) Check out the free Brain Science Mobile app for iOS, Android, and Windows. (It's a great way to get both new episodes and premium content.) Learn more ways to support Brain Science at http://brainsciencepodcast.com/donations Connect on Social Media: Twitter: @docartemis Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/brainsciencepodcast Contact Dr. Campbell: Email: brainsciencepodcast@gmail.com

This month's episode of Brain Science is an interview with Nina Kraus, author of "Of Sound Mind: How Our Brain Constructs a Meaningful Sonic World." Dr. Kraus has spent 30 years exploring how the brain processes sound. We explore why sound processing involves much more that just the auditory cortex as well how the sounds we experience change our brains, both for better and for worse. Links and References: Of Sound Mind: How Our Brain Constructs a Meaningful Sonic World by Nina Kraus Nina Kraus, PhD, Northwestern University BrainVolts website Please visit http://brainsciencepodcast.com for additional references and episode transcripts.   Please Visit Our Sponsors: TextExpander at textexpander.com/podcast Announcements: Please visit brainsciencepodcast.com and let me know what you think of the updated website. Get free gift "5 Things You Need to Know about YOUR Brain when you sign up for the free Brain Science Newsletter to get show notes automatically every month. You can also text brainscience to 55444 to sign up. Check out the Brain Science podcast channel on YouTube for episode excerpts and summaries. Support Brain Science by buying Are You Sure? The Unconscious Origins of Certainty by Virginia "Ginger" Campbell, MD. (Autographed copies are available) Check out the free Brain Science Mobile app for iOS, Android, and Windows. (It's a great way to get both new episodes and premium content.) Learn more ways to support Brain Science at http://brainsciencepodcast.com/donations Connect on Social Media: Twitter: @docartemis Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/brainsciencepodcast Contact Dr. Campbell: Email: brainsciencepodcast@gmail.com

This is our 15th annual review episode, which highlights the guests and key ideas we have shared in 2021. Interviews included return visits from Jeff Hawkins and David Eagleman. New guests including Anil Seth and Antonio Damasio, who both emphasized the importance of our bodies (not just our brains) in understanding Consciousness. Available soon: Free Transcript! Full Episode List: BS 180 Bruce Goldstein, author of The Mind: Consciousness, Prediction, and the Brain BS 181 Sir Simon Baron-Cohen, author of The Pattern Seekers: How Autism Drives Human Invention BS 182 Iris Berent, author of The Blind Storyteller: How We Reason About Human Nature BS 183 Jeff Hawkins, author A Thousand Brains: A New Theory of Intelligence BS 184 Mark Solms, author The Hidden Spring: A Journey to the Origins of Consciousness BS 185 Stephen Fleming, author of Know Thyself: The Science of Self-Awareness BS 186 Mark Humphries, author of The Spike: An Epic Journey Through the Brain in 2.1 Seconds BS 187 David Eagleman, author of Livewired: The Inside Story of the Ever-Changing Brain BS 188 Anil Seth, author of Being You: A New Science of Consciousness BS 189 Antonio Damasio, author of Feeling & Knowing: Making Minds Conscious BS 190 David Badre, author of On Task: How Our Brain Gets Things Done Please Visit Our Sponsors: Text Expander at textexpander.com/podcast Storyworth at storyworth.com/brain The Neurology Podcast in your favorite audio app Announcements: Check out the Brain Science podcast channel on YouTube for episode excerpts and summaries. Support Brain Science by buying Are You Sure? The Unconscious Origins of Certainty by Virginia "Ginger" Campbell, MD. (Autographed copies are available) Sign up for the free Brain Science Newsletter to get show notes automatically every month. You can also text brainscience to 55444 to sign up. Check out the free Brain Science Mobile app for iOS, Android, and Windows. (It's a great way to get both new episodes and premium content.) Learn more ways to support Brain Science at http://brainsciencepodcast.com/donations Connect on Social Media: Twitter: @docartemis Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/brainsciencepodcast Contact Dr. Campbell: Email: brainsciencepodcast@gmail.com

This month's episode of Brain Science features David Badre, author of "On Task: How Our Brain Gets Things Done." He gives us an overview of recent research in the field of cognitive control, which has has actually overturned some popular assumptions about things like willpower. Our focus is on the practical implications of this research. Links and References: On Task: How Our Brain Gets Things Done by David Badre David Badre, PhD, Professor at Brown University Please visit http://brainsciencepodcast.com for additional references and episode transcripts.   Please Visit Our Sponsors: AAN: Neurology Minute Podcast Storyworth at storyworth.com/brain TextExpander at textexpander.com/podcast Announcements: Check out the Brain Science podcast channel on YouTube for episode excerpts and summaries. Support Brain Science by buying Are You Sure? The Unconscious Origins of Certainty by Virginia "Ginger" Campbell, MD. (Autographed copies are available) Sign up for the free Brain Science Newsletter to get show notes automatically every month. You can also text brainscience to 55444 to sign up. Check out the free Brain Science Mobile app for iOS, Android, and Windows. (It's a great way to get both new episodes and premium content.) Learn more ways to support Brain Science at http://brainsciencepodcast.com/donations Connect on Social Media: Twitter: @docartemis Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/brainsciencepodcast Contact Dr. Campbell: Email: brainsciencepodcast@gmail.com

Neurologist and best-selling author Antonio Damasio is one of our most requested guests. This month we finally had the opportunity to talk about his newest book "Feeling & Knowing: Making Minds Conscious," which he explained is somewhat different from his previous efforts. His goal was to write something "briefer" and more accessible. Thus it is definitely a book that requires no background in neuroscience. The key theme is that feelings and emotions are foundational aspects of Consciousness. Links and References: Feeling & Knowing: Making Minds Conscious by Antonio Damasio Self Comes to Mind by Antonio Damasio (BS 90) Antonio Damasio, MD, PhD, Professor USC Twitter: @damasiousc Please visit http://brainsciencepodcast.com for additional references and episode transcripts.   Please Visit Our Sponsors TextExpander at textexpander.com/podcast Announcements: Autographed copies of Are You Sure? The Unconscious Origins of Certainty  by Virginia "Ginger" Campbell, MD are now available. Email Dr. Campbell to learn more Check out the Brain Science podcast channel on YouTube for episode excerpts and summaries. Sign up for the free Brain Science Newsletter to get show notes automatically every month. You can also text brainscience to 55444 to sign up. Check out the free Brain Science Mobile app for iOS, Android, and Windows. (It's a great way to get both new episodes and premium content.) Learn more ways to support Brain Science at http://brainsciencepodcast.com/donations Connect on Social Media: Twitter: @docartemis Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/brainsciencepodcast Contact Dr. Campbell: Email: brainsciencepodcast@gmail.com

BS 188 features neuroscientist Anil Seth discussing his new book "Being You: A New Science of Consciousness." We have had many guests talk about consciousness, but Seth represents the newer generation who have actually been able to devote their careers to this fundamental question: How does the brain generate conscious experience. His perspective is both practical and illuminating. Links and References: Being You: A New Science of Consciousness by Anil Seth Making up the Mind: How the Brain Creates Our Mental World by Chris Frith (BSP 57) See also the recent Brain Science series on Consciousness: BS 160-163. AnilSeth.com Please visit http://brainsciencepodcast.com for additonal references and episode transcripts.   Please Visit Our Sponsors: TextExpander at textexpander.com/podcast HelloFresh at hellofresh.com/14ginger Announcements: Check out the Brain Science podcast channel on YouTube for episode excerpts and summaries. Support Brain Science by buying Are You Sure? The Unconscious Origins of Certainty by Virginia "Ginger" Campbell, MD. (Autographed copies are available) Sign up for the free Brain Science Newsletter to get show notes automatically every month. You can also text brainscience to 55444 to sign up. Check out the free Brain Science Mobile app for iOS, Android, and Windows. (It's a great way to get both new episodes and premium content.) Learn more ways to support Brain Science at http://brainsciencepodcast.com/donations Send email to brainsciencepodcast@gmail.com.  Connect on Social Media: Twitter: @docartemis Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/brainsciencepodcast Contact Dr. Campbell: Email: brainsciencepodcast@gmail.com Voicemail: http://speakpipe.com/docartemis

BS 187 features bestselling author and neuroscientist David Eagleman. We talk about his latest book "Livewired: The Inside Story of the Ever-Changing Brain." It is a great overview of the current science of brain plasticity appropriate for both new listeners and longtime fans.  Links and References: Livewired: The Inside Story of the Ever-Changing Brain by David Eagleman More from David Eagleman author website at https://eagleman.com Incognito: The Secret Lives of the Brain by David Eagleman (interviewed in BSP 75: see extras in the mobile app) The Brain (PBS, DVD) The Brain: The Story of You by David Eagleman (companion to TV series) Please visit http://brainsciencepodcast.com for additonal references and episode transcripts.   Please Visit Our Sponsors: Green Chef greenchef.com/ginger100 TextExpander at text expander.com/podcast NordVPN at NordVPN.com/brainscience Announcements: Check out the free Brain Science Mobile app for iOS, Android, and Windows. (It's a great way to get both new episodes and premium content.) Extras for this episode include access to BSP 75. Brain Science comes out on 4th Friday each month. Support Brain Science by buying Are You Sure? The Unconscious Origins of Certainty by Virginia "Ginger" Campbell, MD. (Autographed copies are available) Learn more ways to support Brain Science at http://brainsciencepodcast.com/donations Sign up for the free Brain Science Newsletter to get show notes automatically every month. You can also text brainscience to 55444 to sign up. Connect on Social Media: Twitter: @docartemis Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/brainsciencepodcast Contact Dr. Campbell: Email: brainsciencepodcast@gmail.com

This month's episode features Mark Humphries, author of "The Spike: An Epic Journey Through the Brain in 2.1 Seconds." We explore how the brain uses electrical signaling in surprising ways, beginning with a look at how an action potential (aka. "the spike") is produced. Then we consider what Humphries calls "the dark neurons," which are neurons that rarely generate spikes. We explore their role and also how it relates to the brain's spontaneous activity. One of the more surprising recent discoveries in neuroscience is that most of the brain's activity does not appear to be caused by external stimuli. It is not a passive receiver of information and this has profound implications for our understanding of things like how the brain generates conscious experience. This episode is for listeners of all backgrounds. Links and References: The Spike: An Epic Journey Through the Brain in 2.1 Seconds by Mark Humphries Humphries Lab at the University of Nottingham Please visit http://brainsciencepodcast.com for additonal references and episode transcripts. Please Visit Our Sponsors: TextExpander at textexpander.com/podcast NordVPN at nordvpn.com/brainscience Announcements: Brain Science comes out on 4th Friday each month. Support Brain Science by buying Are You Sure? The Unconscious Origins of Certainty by Virginia "Ginger" Campbell, MD. (Autographed copies are available) Learn more ways to support Brain Science at http://brainsciencepodcast.com/donations Sign up for the free Brain Science Newsletter to get show notes automatically every month. You can also text brainscience to 55444 to sign up. Check out the free Brain Science Mobile app for iOS, Android, and Windows. (It's a great way to get both new episodes and premium content.) Send email to brainsciencepodcast@gmail.com or post voice feedback at http://speakpipe.com/docartemis. Connect on Social Media: Twitter: @docartemis Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/brainsciencepodcast Contact Dr. Campbell: Email: brainsciencepodcast@gmail.com Voicemail: http://speakpipe.com/docartemis

This month's episode of Brain Science is an interview with Dr. Stephen Fleming, author of "Know Thyself: The Science of Self-Awareness." We explore the concept of metacognition and learn that while explicit metacognition (thinking about thinking) may be unique to humans, it is built on building blocks shared with other species. We also explore what can go wrong and why it matters. Special Offer: sign up for free newsletter and get a Free Gift Links and References: Know Thyself: The Science of Self-Awareness by Stephen M Fleming Making up the Mind: How the Brain Creates Our Mental World by Chris Frith (2007). Frith was interviewed in BSP 57 Cognitive Gadgets: The Cultural Evolution of Thinking by Cecilia Heyes (2018). Heyes was interviewed in BS 168. Please visit http://brainsciencepodcast.com for additonal references and episode transcripts.   Please Visit Our Sponsors: TextExpander at textexpander.com/podcast NordVPN at NordVPN.com/brainscience Announcements: Brain Science comes out on 4th Friday each month. Support Brain Science by buying Are You Sure? The Unconscious Origins of Certainty by Virginia "Ginger" Campbell, MD. (Autographed copies are available) Learn more ways to support Brain Science at http://brainsciencepodcast.com/donations Sign up for the free Brain Science Newsletter to get show notes automatically every month. You can also text brainscience to 55444 to sign up. Check out the free Brain Science Mobile app for iOS, Android, and Windows. (It's a great way to get both new episodes and premium content.) Send email to brainsciencepodcast@gmail.com  Connect on Social Media: Twitter: @docartemis Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/brainsciencepodcast Contact Dr. Campbell: Email: brainsciencepodcast@gmail.com Voicemail: http://speakpipe.com/docartemis