Counting Neurons with Dr. Suzana Herculano-Houzel (BS 133)
Suzana Herculano-Houzel (photo by Joe Howell/Vanderbilt U) Click to Play
Dr. Suzana Herculano-Houzel and her colleagues developed a pioneering technique that has made it possible to accurately count the number of neurons in brains of all sizes. This has led to some big surprises including the fact that the human brain contains an average of 86 billion neurons rather than 100 billion as had long been assumed. She describes this work in her wonderful book The Human Advantage: How Our Brains Became Remarkable and I really enjoyed interviewing her for Brain Science 133.
While some neu...
Source: the Brain Science Podcast and Blog with Dr. Ginger Campbell - April 26, 2017 Category: Neuroscience Authors: Ginger Campbell, MD Tags: Books Brain Anatomy Brain Research Glial Cells Neuroscience Podcast Show Notes Interviews Source Type: podcasts
Honoring William Uttal's Contributions to Cognitive Neuroscience (BS 132)
William Uttal 1931-2017 (click to play)Dr. William Uttal, who died last month at the age of 86, had a very unusual career, going from physics and engineering to psychology and cognitive science. I think his unique background contributed to the refreshing skepticism that he brought to the growing use of imaging (especially fMRI) in the cognitive sciences.He was a prolific writer on the subject and back in 2012 I had the honor of talking with him about his bookMind and Brain: A Critical Appraisal of Cognitive Neuroscience. In addition to shedding light on the limitations of imaging (such as poor reproducibility), Dr. Uttal a...
Source: the Brain Science Podcast and Blog with Dr. Ginger Campbell - March 31, 2017 Category: Neuroscience Authors: Ginger Campbell, MD Tags: brain imaging Cognitive Science Interviews Neuroscience Podcast Show Notes Source Type: podcasts
What is Mind? (BS 131)
In part 2 of our look back at 10 years of Brain Science we consider the last 5 years from the perspective of What is Mind? This is a question that His Holiness the Dalai Llama asked several times during his historic visit to Alabama in November of 3014. (For highlights listen to BSP 113.)Brain Science was launched, as the Brain Science Podcast, in December 2006, making it one of the longest running shows among all genres. Our overriding goal has been to explore how recent discoveries in neuroscience are unraveling the mystery of how our brains make us human. BS 130 looked back at the first 5 years and this month BS 131 con...
Source: the Brain Science Podcast and Blog with Dr. Ginger Campbell - January 30, 2017 Category: Neuroscience Authors: Ginger Campbell, MD Tags: Books Brain Evolution Consciousness Embodiment Neuroscience Philosophy of Mind Podcast Show Notes Source Type: podcasts
Ten Year Anniversary Show, Part 1 - The Early Years
In this very special episode, we begin a two part celebration of the 10 year anniversary for Brain Science. The podcast began in December 2006, which makes it one of the longest running shows since the first podcasts were launched in 2004.Ten years is a lot of ground to cover, so for this episode we are only focusing on the early years from 2006 to 2011. Learn why the podcast began and get a peek into the format changes the show has had over the years. This episode contains something that you rarely see in the show - listener feedback! You'll get to hear what listeners think about the show, how they use the show to help th...
Source: the Brain Science Podcast and Blog with Dr. Ginger Campbell - December 21, 2016 Category: Neuroscience Authors: Christy Haussler Tags: Neuroscience Podcast Show Notes Source Type: podcasts
Brain Science 10th Anniversary Preview
Original 2006 LogoThe first episode of theBrain Science Podcast (nowBrain Science) was released on December 5, 2006. I am preparing a very special 10th Anniversary episode and I have just posted a brief audio asking for listener feedback.You can contribute either email or audio feedback.My Audible.com pick forNovember is Permanent Present Tense: The Unforgettable Life of the Amnesic Patient, H. M.by Suzanne Corkin. (Source: the Brain Science Podcast and Blog with Dr. Ginger Campbell)
Source: the Brain Science Podcast and Blog with Dr. Ginger Campbell - November 20, 2016 Category: Neuroscience Authors: Ginger Campbell, MD Tags: Podcast Show Notes Source Type: podcasts
Neuropsychology and the Study of Memory - Dr. Brenda Milner (BS 129)
Neuroscience Pioneer, Dr. Brenda Milner (Click image to play episode)
Dr. Brenda Milner, is a Canadian neuropsychologist who has contributed extensively to the research literature on various topics in the field of clinical neuropsychology, sometimes referred to as "the founder of neuropsychology". Milner is a professor in the Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery at McGill University and a professor of Psychology at the Montreal Neurological Institute. She currently holds more than 20 honorary degrees and continues to work in her nineties. Her current work explores the interaction between the brain’...
Source: the Brain Science Podcast and Blog with Dr. Ginger Campbell - October 5, 2016 Category: Neuroscience Authors: Ginger Campbell, MD Tags: Brain Research Cognitive Science Interviews Memory Neuroscience Podcast Show Notes Source Type: podcasts
Primary Consciousness and Experience with Jon Mallet (BSP 128)
Evolutionary Biologist, Jon Mallatt has always been interested in science, and early on became interested in vertebrates, and on a more granular level, the development of jaws in vertebrates. By understanding how insects, plants, and vertebrates are inter-related, we can better understand consciousness.The type of consciousness we are talking about today is Primary Consciousness (Basic Sensory Consciousness). The feeling of something that it’s like to be! Being aware of stimuli and objects in the environment but without any processing or judging of the stimuli. The hard problem comes into play with subjectivity. In his b...
Source: the Brain Science Podcast and Blog with Dr. Ginger Campbell - September 1, 2016 Category: Neuroscience Authors: Ginger Campbell, MD Source Type: podcasts
Primary Consciousness and Experience with Jon Mallatt (BSP 128)
Jon Mallatt (click picture to play interview)
Evolutionary Biologist, Jon Mallatt has always been interested in science, and early on became interested in vertebrates, and on a more granular level, the development of jaws in vertebrates. By understanding how insects, plants, and vertebrates are inter-related, we can better understand consciousness.The type of consciousness we are talking about today is Primary Consciousness (Basic Sensory Consciousness). The feeling of something that it’s like to be! Being aware of stimuli and objects in the environment but without any processing or judging of the stimul...
Source: the Brain Science Podcast and Blog with Dr. Ginger Campbell - September 1, 2016 Category: Neuroscience Authors: Ginger Campbell, MD Source Type: podcasts
Brain Science returns on September 1
Ginger Campbell, MD
Brain Science (formerly the Brain Science Podcast) has been on hiatus since March. To celebrate its return on September 1st, I am posting a brief audio that contains information for both new listeners and longtime fans. Its about 10 minutes long.Topics covered include a brief history of the show and its goals, information about how to access the older episodes that are no longer in the FREE feed, how to get more out of the website, and options for supporting the show via Premium, Paypal or Patreon.I also include a sneak preview of next month's episode. (Source: the Brain Science Podcast...
Source: the Brain Science Podcast and Blog with Dr. Ginger Campbell - August 23, 2016 Category: Neuroscience Authors: Ginger Campbell, MD Tags: Announcements Podcast Show Notes Source Type: podcasts
Placebo Research Update with Fabrizio Benedetti (BSP 127)
I have just posted a new interview with Dr. Fabrizio Benedetti, one of the world's leading researchers of the neurobiology of placebos. Dr. Benedetti emphasized that there is no such thing as THE placebo effect, because there are multiple placebo EFFECTS with widely varying mechanisms. For example, in pain relief there are at least two different mechanisms: one involving endogenous opioids while the other involves endogenous cannaboids (marijuana-like compounds).We also talked about some his latest research into placebo effects in the context of high altitude headaches. Here again, multiple pathways have been discovered. W...
Source: the Brain Science Podcast and Blog with Dr. Ginger Campbell - March 1, 2016 Category: Neuroscience Authors: Ginger Campbell, MD Tags: Interviews Neuroscience Podcast Show Notes Source Type: podcasts
Andy Clark on Prediction, Action, and the Embodied Mind (BSP 126)
Andy Clark (Click image to play interview)
The idea that our brains are prediction machines is not new, but in his latest book, Surfing Uncertainty: Prediction, Action, and the Embodied Mind, Andy Clark explores how this idea can be integrated with embodied cognition. The key idea is that while our brains are constantly predicting sensory input, this is intimately tied to action. Perception is active, not passive, and there is an ongoing loop between perception, attention and action. I explore these ideas with Dr. Clark in the latest episode of the Brain Science Podcast. Thanks to Dr. Clark these pote...
Source: the Brain Science Podcast and Blog with Dr. Ginger Campbell - January 28, 2016 Category: Neuroscience Authors: Ginger Campbell, MD Tags: Cognitive Science Consciousness Interviews Mind and Body Neuroscience Podcast Show Notes Philosophy of Mind Source Type: podcasts
9th Annual Review of Neuroscience (BSP 125)
I have just posted the 9th Annual Review episode of the Brain Science Podcast, which is now called Brain Science with Dr. Ginger Campbell. It has been a difficult year for me because my husband died unexpectedly in July. This was only a few weeks after I completed my one-year fellowship in Palliative Medicine. I was also out of work for several months, but not in any mental state to produce new podcasts. Even so, I did release 10 episodes featuring 8 different books and guests that included philosophers, clinicians and basic scientists.I want to thank all the guests who appeared on the show in 2015 and also...
Source: the Brain Science Podcast and Blog with Dr. Ginger Campbell - December 23, 2015 Category: Neuroscience Authors: Ginger Campbell, MD Tags: Brain Plasticity Cognitive Science Embodiment Interviews Podcast Show Notes Source Type: podcasts
Neural Reuse and Embodied Cognition (BSP 124)
Michael Anderson: Click image to play interview
The Embodied Cognition movement has challenged the standard cognitive science approach to understanding brain function, but philosopher turned neuroscientist Michael Anderson realized that while recognizing the importance of our embodied interaction with the world around us is essential, we also need to discover how the brain is actually organized. His new book After Phrenology: Neural Reuse and the Interactive Brain represents 10-15 years of research into these questions. The title reflects two key ideas of the book: "After Phrenology" highlights the impo...
Source: the Brain Science Podcast and Blog with Dr. Ginger Campbell - November 24, 2015 Category: Neuroscience Authors: Ginger Campbell, MD Tags: Brain Research Cognitive Science Embodiment Language Neuroscience Podcast Show Notes Source Type: podcasts
Phenomenology and Embodied Cognition (BSP 123)
Anthony Chemero (click photo to hear interview)
Many researchers working in Embodied Cognitive Science (ECS) are unaware that the philosophical approach known as Phenomenology has made important contributions to their field. In their new book Phenomenology: An Introduction philosophers Stephan Käufer and Anthony Chemero make a convincing case, not just for the historical importance of phenomenology, but more importantly, for its ongoing contributions to cognitive science.In BSP 123 I talk with Anthony Chemero about phenomenology and its contributions to embodied cognitive science. We start with a brief di...
Source: the Brain Science Podcast and Blog with Dr. Ginger Campbell - October 28, 2015 Category: Neuroscience Authors: Ginger Campbell, MD Tags: Books and ideas Podcast Cognitive Science Embodiment Interviews Philosophy of Mind Podcast Show Notes Source Type: podcasts
Neurobiology of Placebos (BSP 122)
Understanding the neurobiology of placebos could have a huge impact on the lives of both patients and physicians, but it remains a relatively under appreciated area of research. This month I am reposting the interview I conducted with Dr. Fabrizio Benedetti (University of Turin). Dr. Benedetti is the recognized leader in this field and his has published two highly readable books: The Patient's Brain: The neuroscience behind the doctor-patient relationship and Placebo Effects: Understanding the mechanisms in health and disease (now in its 2nd edition).First, it is critical to appreciate the difference between the ...
Source: the Brain Science Podcast and Blog with Dr. Ginger Campbell - September 29, 2015 Category: Neuroscience Authors: Ginger Campbell, MD Tags: Books Brain Research Neuroscience Podcast Show Notes Interviews Source Type: podcasts
