Brain Ponderings podcast with Dr. Mark Mattson

Professor Mike Merzenich of the University of California San Francisco has spent over six decades working to elucidate how sensory inputs – particularly sounds, sights, and touch – affect the structure and function of neuronal networks. In this episode he recounts his major discoveries and contributions to the understanding of neuroplasticity and to the development of tools for restoring and enhancing neuroplasticity including the invention of the cochlear implant and the brain training software 'Brain HQ'. The book 'Soft-Wired' by Michael Merzenich: https://www.amazon.com/Soft-Wired-Science-Brain-Plasticity-Change/dp/0989432823 Review articles by Merzenich: Development of the cochlear implant: https://reader.elsevier.com/reader/sd/pii/S037859551400207X?token=498168B45106A73637B08A11326B439B9DDCC769094D0CFA2A42CFAB19A3E1175A415223059084038220ABBB4266E8FA&originRegion=us-east-1&originCreation=20220909122717 Neuroplasticity-based therapeutics: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4072971/pdf/fnhum-08-00385.pdf 'BrainHQ' website: https://v4.brainhq.com/?v4=true&fr=y#survey/ftux

Stroke and dementia are major causes of long-term disability. Unfortunately, there are currently no treatments that are effective in restoring brain function in these disorders. In this episode neurologist and neuroscientist Tom Carmichael at UCLA describes research that aims to restore brain function using regenerative medicine approaches that stimulate the formation of new neuronal connections or replace neurons that have died. Links: https://www-nature-com.proxy1.library.jhu.edu/articles/s41583-020-00396-7.pdf https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5916498/pdf/nihms950783.pdf

Adaptations that enhanced the abilities to acquire, store, and efficiently utilize the energy in foods were of fundamental importance in brain evolution. In this episode professor Alan Watts of the University of Southern California describes the complicated elegant ways in which the brain regulates food intake including neuroendocrine systems, feedback signaling from the body to the brain, and neuronal networks involved in reward, learning and memory, and decision-making. Advances in understanding the neural systems that control appetite and energy balance are providing avenues for interventions to combat the epidemic of obesity. Links: Review article on the control of eating by professor Watts and colleagues: file:///Users/markmattson/Downloads/physrev.00028.2020%20(1).pdf

What was; what is; what if, what might be? Imagination pervades our daily lives as we think about the past and envision the future. Importantly, we use our imagination to create new and meaningful things – works of art to books, buildings, automobiles, computers, scientific discoveries, etc. Creativity can be fostered in children and enhanced throughout life. Here I talk with Anna Abraham whose research is elucidating the neurobiology of imagination and creativity. She is currently a professor of educational psychology, and director of the Torrance Center for Creativity and Talent Development at the University of Georgia. Links Book: The Neuroscience of Creativity: https://www.amazon.com/Neuroscience-Creativity-Cambridge-Fundamentals-Psychology/dp/1316629619 Review article: The Imaginative Mind: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6867574/pdf/HBM-37-4197.pdf Torrance Center webpage: https://coe.uga.edu/directory/torrance-center

Rehana Leak who is an Associate Professor of Pharmacology at Duquesne University and I discuss how cells respond adaptively to various types of mild stress by processes that fall under the umbrella of "hormesis". During evolution organisms acquired many different ways of coping with and even using to their advantage of potentially damaging environmental factors such as exposures to metals, toxic gases, extreme temperatures, food scarcity, etc. Research findings show that various means of engaging adaptive stress response signaling pathways can be deployed to enhance brain performance and protect neurons against various neurological disorders. Book: Hormesis: A Revolution in Biology, Toxicology, and Medicine: https://www.amazon.com/Hormesis-Revolution-Biology-Toxicology-Medicine/dp/1627038515 Lecture on hormesis: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZpcVku45hFY Review articles on hormesis: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6096685/pdf/10.1177_1559325818784501.pdf https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2248601/pdf/nihms39393.pdf Scientific American article: 'What doesn't kill you…': https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5841445/pdf/nihms946635.pdf

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a debilitating condition triggered by experiencing or witnessing a terrifying event. The symptoms of PTSD include severe anxiety, flashbacks, nightmares, and panic. Kerry Ressler who is a Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School describes recent findings of neuroscientists and clinicians that have advanced an understanding what goes wrong in the brain in PTSD and how people with PTSD are benefiting from emerging therapies. Links: Lectures on PTSD by Dr. Ressler: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TRHBMI7r-xM&t=2057s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=51zkpRuvpQY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=51zkpRuvpQY Review article on PTSD: https://www-nature-com.proxy1.library.jhu.edu/articles/s41582-022-00635-8.pdf

There are as many astrocytes in the human brain as there are neurons, but the functions of astrocytes in brain function, health, and disease are unclear. Professor Maiken Nedergaard of the University of Rochester and the University of Copenhagen describes recent discoveries that are revealing roles of astrocytes in processes such as learning and memory and how abnormalities in astrocytes may contribute to diseases such as Alzheimer's disease and mental disorders. About 10 years ago Nedergaard discovered that astrocytes control the movement of fluids throughout the brain in a system she has dubbed the brain's "glymphatic system". An important function of the glymphatic system is to remove potentially toxic molecules from the brain such as those that accumulate in the brain in Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases. Sleep and exercise enhance the glymphatic system which likely contributes to the beneficial effects of sleep and exercise on brain health. Links: Professor Nedergaard's Lab page: https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/labs/nedergaard.aspx Review on the brain's glymphatic system: https://journals-physiology-org.proxy1.library.jhu.edu/doi/epdf/10.1152/physrev.00031.2020 Glymphatic system and Alzheimer's disease: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8186542/pdf/nihms-1707936.pdf

Christof Koch is a computational neuroscientist who is currently the chief scientist at the Allen Institute for Brain Science in Seattle. Here he talks about the cellular complexity of the brain and how neuroscientists are working to understand how brain's process information and the biological basis of consciousness. Links: Allen Institute for Brain Science: https://alleninstitute.org/

Ron Petersen is a neurologist at the Mayo Clinic where he has devoted his career to research aimed at understanding what happens to the brain in Alzheimer's disease and to the development of new approaches for early diagnosis and treatment of this common neurodegenerative disorder of aging. He discusses the genetics of Alzheimer's disease and how diet and lifestyle choices during midlife may influence one's likelihood of developing this disorder later in life. Links: https://www.mayo.edu/research/faculty/petersen-ronald-c-m-d-ph-d/bio-00078363 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8574196/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9005347/

Professor Judy Illes of the University of British Columbia talks about ethical considerations that have arisen from rapid advances in neurotechnologies such as genetic engineering, brain implants, and brain-computer interfaces. Everyone has a stake in neuroethics – scientists, policy-makers, the media, information technology companies, and individual citizens. Professor Illes has been working to identify major issues in neuroethics and to facilitate interactions amongst the different stakeholders. Links: Neuroethics Canada: http://www.neuroethicscanada.ca