Brain Science With Ginger Campbell, Md: Neuroscience For Everyone

This is the 17th Annual Review episode of Brain Science, celebrating the first episode which aired on December 15, 2006. We review the highlights of 2023, which included both new guests and the return of several favorites. Episodes Released in 2023: BS 204 (Encore) and BS 205 featured molecular biologist Guy Caldwell, PhD from the University of Alabama. Caldwell uses the tiny roundworm C. Elegans to search for potential treatments of Parkinson's Disease. BS 206: Paco Calvo, PhD, author of Planta Sapiens: The New Science of Intelligence. BS 207 (Encore): Luiz Pessoa, author of The Cognitive-Emotional Brain: From Interactions to Integration. BS 208 Sander Van der Linden, author of Foolproof: Why Misinformation Infects Our Minds and How to Build Immunity. BS 209 Luiz Pessoa returned to talk about his new  The Entangled Brain: How Perception, Cognition, and Emotion Are Woven Together. BS 210 Basics of Neurotransmitters: a detailed introduction to neurotransmitters and the importance of receptor proteins. BS 211

In the this episode of Brain Science we talk with neuroscientist Kevin Mitchell about his new book Free Agents: How Evolution Gave Us Free Will. While many neuroscientists and philosophers argue that free will is an illusion, Mitchell argues that the ability to make meaningful choices is part of our evolutionary heritage. He also addresses the important issue of determinism, siding with those physicists who argue that the fundamental nature of our universe is NOT deterministic. These issues are crucial to how we see ourselves and others. Links and References: Free Agents: How Evolution Gave Us Free Will by Kevin J. Mitchell  Helgoland: Making Sense of the Quantum Revolution by Carlo Rovelli Innate: How the Wiring of Our Brains Shapes Who We Are by Kevin J. Mitchell Mitchell discusses this book in BS 159. Kevin Mitchell, PhD (Trinity College Dublin) Mitchell's blog Please visit http://brainsciencepodcast.com for additional references and episode transcripts. Announcements: Please note: there will be

This month's episode of Brain Science features Thomas Metzinger, author of "The Ego Tunnel: The Science of the Mind and the Myth of the Self." Metzinger is a philosopher with a longstanding interest in Philosophy of Mind with a focus on incorporating the findings of neuroscience. We discuss the implications of the discovery that consciousness is a biological process generated by the interaction of the brain, body, and external world. Metzinger also emphasized the importance of considering altered states including dreaming, out of body experiences, and even virtual reality. Links and References: The Ego Tunnel: The Science of the Mind and the Myth of the Self, by Thomas Metzinger. Being No One: The Self-Model Theory of Subjectivity, by Thomas Metzinger. Blanke, et al., "Stimulating Illusory Own-Body Perceptions," Nature, 419:269-270 (2002)   O. Blanke & T. Metzinger,"Full-Body Illusion and Minimal Phenomenal Selfhood," Trends in Cognitive Neuroscience 13(1):7-13 (2009). T. Metzinger, "Out of Body Experi

This episode of Brain Science features the return of molecular biologist Seth Grant. We briefly review his decades of research into the complexity of the protein structure of the synapse and then we focus on his most recent paper, which describes how the life-span of synapse proteins appears to change as animals age. Grant reflects of the significance of this finding both for animal research and human medicine. Papers discussed in this episode:  Bulovaite, E., Qiu, Z., Kratschke, M., Zgraj, A., Fricker, D. G., Tuck, E. J., Gokhale, R., Koniaris, B., Jami, S. A., Merino-Serrais, P., Husi, E., Mendive-Tapia, L., Vendrell, M., O'Dell, T. J., DeFelipe, J., Komiyama, N. H., Holtmaat, A., Fransén, E., & Grant, S. G. N. (2022). A brain atlas of synapse protein lifetime across the mouse lifespan. Neuron, 110(24), 4057–4073.e8. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuron.2022.09.009 Cizeron, M., Qiu, Z., Koniaris, B., Gokhale, R., Komiyama, N. H., Fransén, E., & Grant, S. G. N. (2020). A brainwide atlas of synapses acr

This episode is our first review of neurotransmitters since episode 8 way back in 2007. We start with some basics of neuron function and brain anatomy, but the meat of the episode is a discussion of neurotransmitters and how they work. The key idea is that a simple molecule, such as dopamine, can have a wide variety of effects because of the existence of multiple receptors. This episode is appropriate for listeners of all backgrounds, but might be a little challenging for new listeners. It will be a review episode for longtime listeners and those with backgrounds in neuroscience. Links and References: Essentials of Modern Neuroscience by Franklin Amthor, W. Anne Burton Theibert, David Standaert, and Erik Roberson; 1st ed. 2020 Molecular & Cell Biology For Dummies, 2nd Edition by Rene Fester Kratz BS 118: Beyond the Zonules of Zinn: A Fantastic Journey Through Your Brain (2008) by David Bainbridge BS 169: Glial Cells with Doug Fields BS 186: The Spike with Mark Humphries BS 197: Neuroscience Fo

This month's episode of Brain Science is an interview with Luiz Pessoa, author of The Entangled Brain: How Perception, Cognition, and Emotion Are Woven Together. This is Pessoa's first book aimed at a general audience and it provides a concise overview of our current understanding of basic brain function. However, he also explains the limitations of the traditional modular view of the brain. A key take home point is that emotion and cognition are deeply intertwined at every level. Links and References: The Entangled Brain: How Perception, Cognition, and Emotion Are Woven Together by Luiz Pessoa The Cognitive-Emotional Brain: From Interactions to Integration by Luiz Pessoa: BS 207 (encore) Luiz Pessoa, PhD: Professor of Psychology,University of Maryland Twitter: @PessoaBrain Mastadon: @PessoaBrain Please visit http://brainsciencepodcast.com for additional references and episode transcripts.   Please Visit Our Sponsors: Announcements: Please take a few minutes to complete this audience survey. The mobil

This month's episode is an interview with Cambridge Psychology professor Sander van der Linden, author of "Foolproof: Why Misinformation Infects Our Minds and How to Build Immunity." We discuss the important topic of how techniques like appealing to emotion contribute to the spread of misinformation. Dr. Campbell reflects on why this topic is important. Links and References: Foolproof: Why Misinformation Infects Our Minds and How to Build Immunity by Sander van der Linden Sander van der Linden, Phd (University of Cambridge) Learn more via video games at https://inoculation.science/ Please visit http://brainsciencepodcast.com for additional references and episode transcripts.   Announcements: Please take a few minutes to complete this audience survey. The mobile app has been updated and is now called Brain Science Podcast. The app is free and MyLibsyn Premium subscribers can use it to access transcripts and other premium content. Dr. Campbell's move to New Zealand has been delayed, but she hopes to be in A

This month's episode is an encore presentation of an interview with neuroscientist Luiz Pessoa discussing his fascinating book "The Cognitive-Emotional Brain: From Interactions to Integration." We explored the surprising role of the amygdala in decision making and learned that cognition and emotion are deeply intertwined at every level. Links and References: The Cognitive-Emotional Brain: From Interactions to Integration by Luiz Pessoa Luiz Pessoa, PhD (University of Maryland) Please visit http://brainsciencepodcast.com for additional references and episode transcripts. Announcements: Please take a few minutes to complete this audience survey. Dr. Campbell is moving to New Zealand and would love to connect with listeners from New Zealand and Australia. Please subscribe or follow Brain Science in your favorite audio app and please share it with others. Get free gift "5 Things You Need to Know about YOUR Brain when you sign up for the free Brain ScienceNewsletter to get show notes automatically every month

This month we have an intriguing interview with Dr. Paco Calvo from the Minimal Intelligence Laboratory at the University of Mercia in Spain. We talk with him about his new book Planta Sapiens: The New Science of Intelligence. We discuss the scientific evidence for plant intelligence while acknowledging that intelligence and consciousness are not the same. It is interesting to think of plants as demonstrating embodied cognition in contrast to the "intelligence" demonstrated by computer software. We also consider the pioneering work of Charles Darwin, who actually studied plant behavior before the invention of time lapse photography. Links and References: Planta Sapiens: The New Science of Plant Intelligence  by Paco Calvo Paco Calvo (University of Mercia, Spain) Gagliano, M., Vyazovskiy, V. V., Borbély, A. A., Grimonprez, M., & Depczynski, M. (2016). Learning by Association in Plants. Scientific reports, 6, 38427. https://doi.org/10.1038/srep38427 Please visit http://brainsciencepodcast.com for additio

In this follow-up interview with molecular biologist Dr. Guy Caldwell we learn more about how the tools of molecular biology are used to unravel questions in neurobiology and provide hope for better treatments for problems like Parkinson's Disease. Links and References: Guy Caldwell, PhD (University of Alabama) LinkedIn  BS 204 Encore of 2009 interview The Worm Shack Mew, M., Caldwell, K. A., & Caldwell, G. A. (2022). From bugs to bedside: functional annotation of human genetic variation for neurological disorders using invertebrate models. Human molecular genetics, 31(R1), R37–R46. https://doi.org/10.1093/hmg/ddac203 Please visit http://brainsciencepodcast.com for additional references and episode transcripts. Announcements: Please take a few minutes to complete this audience survey. Dr. Campbell  is moving to New Zealand, probably in May 2023. Please subscribe or follow Brain Science in your favorite audio app and please share it with others. Get free gift "5 Things You Need to Know about YOUR

This month's episode is an encore presentation of an interview with Dr. Guy Caldwell from the University of Alabama. Dr. Caldwell explains how tools from molecular biology make it possible to use the famous C. Elegans roundworm to improve our understanding of neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson's disease. Dr. Caldwell will return to Brain Science next month to give us an update on his work. Links and References: Visit the Wormshack at the University of Alabama Molecular neurodegeneration, 14(1), 29. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13024-019-0329-1 C. elegans Alpha-Synuclein Models of Parkinson's Disease. Brain sciences, 9(4), 73. https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci9040073 See show notes for BSP 59 for additional references. Scroll up or click here for the free episode transcript.     Listener Support is greatly appreciated:   brainsciencepodcast.com/donations  Announcements: Please take a few minutes to complete this audience survey. Contact Dr. Campbell if you are interested a listener meet-up or spon

This month's episode (BS 203) celebrates the 16th Anniversary of Brain Science with the annual review episode. This is a listener favorite providing highlights and key ideas from the episodes of Brain Science that were posted in 2022. Topics included hearing, grief, emotion, embodied cognition, consciousness and more. Note: This month's episode transcript is FREE.  Please Visit Our Sponsors: MasterClass at masterclass.com/ginger TextExpander at textexpander.com/brain-science 2022 Episodes of Brain Science: BS 192 Nina Kraus, author of Of Sound Mind: How Our Brain Constructs a Meaningful Sonic World BS 193 The Embodied Mind: exploring the implications of embodied cognition BS 194 Mary-Frances O’Connor, author of The Grieving Brain: The Surprising Science of How We Learn from Love and Loss BS 195 David J Anderson, author of The Nature of the Beast: How Emotions Guide Us BS 196 Hakwan Lau, author of In Consciousness we Trust: The Cognitive Neuroscience of Subjective Experience BS 197 Frank Amth

The idea that meditation is a "mind science" is popular, but in this interview Canadian philosopher Evan Thompson argues that this claim does not stand up to either scientific or philosophical scrutiny. As one of the pioneers of the Embodied Cognition movement Thompson reminds us that the Mind is not restricted to the Brain and we must also consider how other recent discoveries in neuroscience fail to support the claim that meditation provides neutral scientific insight into how the Mind really works. Links and References: Evan Thompson's website Why I am not a Buddhist by Evan Thompson Cosmopolitanism: Ethics in a World of Strangers by Kwame Anthony Appiah The Embodied Mind: Cognitive Science and Human Experience by Francisco J. Varela, Evan T. Thompson, Eleanor Rosch Mind in Life: Biology, Phenomenology, and the Sciences of Mind by Evan Thompson discussed in BS 198 Waking, Dreaming, Being: Self and Consciousness in Neuroscience, Meditation, and Philosophy by Evan Thompson discussed in BS 115 Please v

This month's episode of Brain Science is an interview with WA (Bill) Harris, author of Zero to Birth: How the Human Brain Is Built. We explore how the human brain develops from the fertilized egg up until birth. There are some surprises along the way, including the fact that we actually have more neurons before we are born than we will ever have again! Links and References: Zero to Birth: How the Human Brain Is Built by William A Harris Please visit http://brainsciencepodcast.com for additional references and episode transcripts. Click here for free transcript excerpt.   Please Visit Our Sponsors: MasterClass at masterclass.com/ginger Text Expander at textexpander.com/podcast BettterHelp at betterhelp.com/ginger Announcements: Please take a few minutes to complete this audience survey. Contact Dr. Campbell if you are interested a listener meet-up or sponsoring a talk by Dr. Campbell during her trip to Europe in April 2023. Get free gift "5 Things You Need to Know about YOUR Brain when you sign up for t

This month's episode is a discussion with the editors of a fascinating new book Movement Matters: How Embodied Cognition Informs Teaching and Learning. We explore how embodied cognition challenges long standing dualist approaches to both cognition and learning. Sheila Macrine and Jennifer Fugate also share some of the innovative approaches that improve both how we teach and how we learn. Links and References: Movement Matters: How Embodied Cognition Informs Teaching and Learning edited by Sheila L. Macrine and Jennifer M.B. Fugate Recent episodes about Embodied Cognition: BS 193 What does it mean to say the Mind is Embodied? BS 198 Encore of interview with Evan Thompson Please visit http://brainsciencepodcast.com for additional references and episode transcripts.   Please Visit Our Sponsors: TextEpander at textexpander.com/podcast BetterHelp at betterhelp.com/ginger Announcements: Please take a few minutes to complete this audience survey. Contact Dr. Campbell if you are interested a listener meet-u

This month's episode is an interview with Batja Mesquita, author of "Between Us: How Cultures Create Emotions." This is an important book because it describes the evidence that Emotions are not just something people experience "from the inside out," but they also occur between people, which means that culture plays a critical role. We also explore why it is important to appreciate why people from  from different cultures may experience emotions in surprisingly different ways. Links and References: Between Us: How Cultures Create Emotions by Batja Mesquita Follow her on Twitter: @batjamesquita How Emotions Are Made: The New Science of the Mind and Brain by Lisa Feldman Barrett (BS 135) Please visit http://brainsciencepodcast.com for additional references and episode transcripts.   Please Visit Our Sponsors: TextExpander at textexpander.com/podcast BetterHelp at betterhelp.com/ginger Announcements: Please take a few minutes to complete this audience survey. Contact Dr. Campbell if you are interested in or

This month's episode of Brain Science is a free encore playing of my interview with Evan Thompson about his book Mind in Life: Biology, Phenomenology, and the Sciences of Mind. We discuss how the enactive approach to embodied cognition offers potential clues to the mystery of how the brain can generate Consciousness. A free episode transcript is also available. This is the 2nd of two free encore episodes that are being shared to give listeners a taste of the diverse content available to Premium subscribers. Premium subscribers have access to over 100 additional episodes of Brain Science along with episode transcripts. The embodied cognition movement is an approach within cognitive neuroscience that includes philosophers, neuroscientists, psychologists and computer scientists. The key idea is that cognition, which includes thinking and decision-making, is inseparable from embodiment. This is not just because it requires sensory inputs to the brain, but also because moving in the world is a key component. Thus

This month's episode of Brain Science features an encore playing of my interview with Dr. Frank Amthor, author of Neuroscience for Dummies and Neurobiology for Dummies. It is a great episode for newbies and will be a good review for longtime listeners. This is a FREE sample of my Premium content and the episode transcript is also FREE. Links and References: Essentials of Modern Neuroscience by Franklin Amthor, W. Anne Burton Theibert, David Standaert, and Erik Roberson Neurobiology For Dummies by Frank Amthor Neuroscience For Dummies, 2nd Ed. by Frank Amthor Please visit http://brainsciencepodcast.com for additional references and episode transcripts.   Please Visit Our Sponsors: TextExpander at textexpander.com/podcast Announcements: Want to be part of BS 200? Just email me at brainsciencepodcast@gmail.com to learn more. 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 brainsc

This month's episode of Brain Science is an interview with Hakwan Lau, author of In Consciousness we Trust: The Cognitive Neuroscience of Subjective Experience. Lau talks about shortcomings in current theories about how the brain generates consciousness, but he also introduces something he calls perceptual reality monitoring.  Although this is a somewhat technical discussion it is accessible to listeners who are new to the neuroscience of consciousness. Links and References: In Consciousness we Trust: The Cognitive Neuroscience of Subjective Experience by Hakwan Lau Hakwan Lau's Lab at UCLA Please visit http://brainsciencepodcast.com for additional references and episode transcripts.     Please Visit Our Sponsors: TextExpander at textexpancer.com/podcast Announcements: Check episode extras for free transcript excerpt! Episode 200 is coming in September 2022! Listener feedback is invited. Email brainsciencepodcast@gmail.com to learn more. Please visit brainsciencepodcast.com and let me know what you thi

This month's episode is an interview with David J Anderson from Cal Tech. We talk about his new book The Nature of the Beast: How Emotions Guide US. We talk about how emotion CAN be studied in animals by using methods that focus on brain states rather than verbal descriptions. Dr. Anderson also explains why this experimental work is essential to developing more effective treatment of mental illnesses. This episode is a follow up to my discussion of The Neuroscience of Emotion: A New Synthesis by Ralph Adolphs and David J. Anderson in BS 151 (2018) Links and References: The Nature of the Beast: How Emotions Guide US by David J Anderson David Anderson,PhD. , California Institute of Technology Please visit http://brainsciencepodcast.com for additional references and episode transcripts.   Please Visit Our Sponsors: The Minor Consult podcast at theminorconsult.com TextExpander at textexpander.com/brain-science Announcements: Watch Dr. Campbell's induction into the Podcast Hall of Fame on Youtube. Please vis