Brain Science with Ginger Campbell, MD: Neuroscience for Everyone

BS 147 is a discussion of the new biography Lessons from the Lobster: Eve Marder's Work in Neuroscience by Charlotte Nassim. This is an intellectual biography of one of neuroscientists least know pioneers. Dr. Marder was interviewed on this podcast back in BSP 56, which is also now free to download. In this episode I take you through some of Dr. Marder's key discoveries. Her work is unique because even as a graduate student she was challenging long held assumptions in her field. Although Nassim never mentions it, I strongly believe that Marder deserves a Nobel Prize and I explain why in this episode. This episode is more technical than usual and will be of special interest to students and working neuroscientists. For complete show notes and transcripts please visit http://brainsciencepodcast.com. Please visit our sponsors at http://thegreatcoursesplus.com/ginger and http://babbel.com. (An ad free version of this episode is available to Premium and Patreon supporters.)

This is an interview with MIT neuroscientist, Dr. Alan Jasanoff about his book The Biological Mind: How Brain, Body, and Environment Collaborate to Make Us Who We Are. We talk about what he calls the "cerebral mystique" and why it is important to remember because the brain is embodied it is not autonomous. The Mind is the result of the interaction of the brain, body, and its environment. Please visit http://brainsciencepodcast.com for full show notes and episode transcripts. Try a free month of The Great Courses Plus at http://thegreatcoursesplus.com/ginger.  

BS 145 celebrates the return of Dr. Maryanne Wolf who was featured back in BSP 29 when we talked about her bestseller Proust and the Squid: The Story and Science of the Reading Brain. In this episode we talk about her recent book Tales of Literacy for the 21st Century. Our focus is two-fold. First we consider the implications of the fact that while language is acquired naturally, reading is a cultural invention that must be taught. Second, we explore how the brain is changed by reading and consider the consequences of the shift toward digital media. This is a thought provoking conversation that will interest listeners of all backgrounds. For complete show notes and episode transcripts, please visit http://brainsciencepodcast.com. This episode of Brain Science is sponsored by Audible. Please show your support this podcast by visiting http://audible.com/ginger.

This is an interview with Dr. Angela Friederici, author of Language in Our Brain: The Origins of a Uniquely Human Capacity. Her book is an extensive review of decades of research, but this interview provides an accessible introduction to listeners of all backgrounds. Don't miss our new monthly Facebook live sessions where listeners can submit questions about past episodes. Learn more at our Facebook Fan Page. Full episode show notes and episode transcripts are available at brainsciencepodcast.com.

BS 143 is an interview with Dr. Elkhonon Goldberg, author of Creativity: The Human Brain in the Age of Innovation. We explore the roles of both the pre-frontal lobes and the right cerebral hemisphere, and we consider how the rapid rate of change may actually be decreasing the incidence of dementia by forcing older people to learn new skills rather than getting stuck in the rut of years of "auto-pilot." Show notes and episode transcripts are available at http:brainsciencepodcast.com. Important new announcement: Starting on the first Thursday in April (April 5, 2018) at 8PM Central Time, Dr. Campbell will be hosting a monthly Facebook Book Live session which will be available on her profile page and the Brain Science podcast Fan Page. Questions and comments can be submitted ahead of time or during the session. A recorded version will be available for Premium subscribers and Patreon supporters. Send email to brainsciencepodcast@gmail.com.

BS 142 is an interview with neuroscientist Michael Graziano about his latest book The Spaces Between Us: A Story of Neuroscience, Evolution, and Human Nature. We explore the discovery of peripersonal neurons and discover how deeply they are imbedded in our daily lives. For show notes and complete transcripts go to http://brainsciencepodcast.com Send email to brainsciencepodcast@gmail.com or submit audio feedback at http://speakpipe.com/docartemis. This episode will be discussed on the Brain Science Podcast Fan Page via Facebook live on  Thursday April 12 at 8PM Central Time.

BS 141 is an interview with Rodrigo Quian Quiroga, author of The Forgetting Machine: Memory, Perception, and the "Jennifer Aniston Neuron."  We explore how our brains construct both perception and memory, with an emphasis on meaning over exact detail. We also explore why this is important and how it makes humans very different from artificial intelligence. For detailed show notes and episode transcripts please visit http://brainsciencepodcast.com.   Send feedback to brainsciencepodcast@gmail.com This show relies on listener support. Please click here to learn how you can support the show.

BS 140 is our 11th Annual Review episode. We look back at the highlights from 2017. New listeners will get a good feel for the ideas and guests that appeared, while regular listeners will have a chance to review a few key ideas. This year I also include a few highlights from the 2017 annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience. Please visit http://brainsciencepodcast.com for detailed show notes and episode transcripts. Listeners can get a free month of access to The Great Courses at http://thegreatcourses.com/ginger Send email feedback to brainsciencepodcast@gmail.com.

Jeff Hawkins founded Numenta in 2005, shortly after publishing his best seller "On Intelligence." Numenta's goal is to create a computer model of how the human cortex functions and more importantly advance our theoretical understanding of why it has the structure that it does. In BS 139 Hawkins describes some of his team's latest research and some exciting new ideas. Complete show notes and transcripts are available at http://brainsciencepodcast.com.   Send feed back to brainsciencepodcast@gmail.com or via Speakpipe.

Neuroscientist John Medina discusses Brain Rules for Aging Well, covering genetic lifespan, social relationships, holistic approaches like dancing, gratitude, mindfulness, nutrition, Mediterranean diet, aerobic exercise, video games, and reminiscing for cognitive health in seniors.