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PODCAST

Brain Ponderings podcast with Dr. Mark Mattson

Conversations with neuroscientists, neurologists, evolutionary biologists, anthropologists, computer scientists, and others that ponder the brain. Here are a few of the questions that BRAIN PONDERINGS will tackle: How have brains evolved to enable success in diverse environments? How does the brain develop in the womb and in early life? What are the mechanisms responsible for learning and memory, language, and emotions? How does the brain respond to life"s challenges? In what ways does the brain

science natural sciences

All Episodes

01:06:15

Daniel Schacter: The Fallibilities of Memory and the...

Brain Ponderings podcast with Dr. Mark Mattson ·

2024/06/13

The ability of the human brain to store and recall information, and particularly its ability to create new information, is remarkable. The research of Harvard University professor Daniel Schacter as revealed the fallibilities of memory which he categorizes into ‘the seven sins’: transience, absent-mindedness, blocking, persistence, misattribution, suggestibility, and bias. These are normal, are influenced by emotions, can have adaptive value, and may be exaggerated or absent in pathological

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01:31:06

Rajiv Ratan: The Power of Challenging Brain Cells to...

Brain Ponderings podcast with Dr. Mark Mattson ·

2024/06/05

The usual approach for developing treatments for brain disorders is to make a drug that acts on a specific molecular target. But this approach has largely failed. In this episode I talk with Professor Raj Ratan at Weill Cornell Medicine about ways to tap the intrinsic ability of brain cells to respond adaptively to challenges – metabolic, oxidative, and biosynthetic – in ways that protect them against pathological processes such as those occurring in stroke, traumatic brain injury, Alzheimer’s and

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51:38

Richie Davidson: The Science of Mindfulness...

Brain Ponderings podcast with Dr. Mark Mattson ·

2024/05/28

Anxiety, attention-deficit disorder, depression and loneliness have increased dramatically recently as a result, at least in part, of information overload and a relative lack of time for ‘slow thinking’ and self-reflection. In this episode I talk with University of Wisconsin Professor Richard (Richie) Davidson about his research on mindfulness meditation and the neuroscience of happiness. His research has shown that mental well being is a skill that can be learned. He describes the effects of

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01:06:48

Pamela Maher: Discovering Phytochemicals That May...

Brain Ponderings podcast with Dr. Mark Mattson ·

2024/05/21

Many of the drugs that are used recreationally or prescribed by physicians were originally isolated from plants. Increasing evidence suggest that in many instances the function of such phytochemicals is to communicate with insects and other organisms in ways that enhance the fitness of the plants. Pamela Maher at the Salk Institute has been working to identify phytochemicals that can protect neurons from being damaged in experimental models of neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s,

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01:12:13

Sandrine Thuret: How Diet and Factors in Blood Affect...

Brain Ponderings podcast with Dr. Mark Mattson ·

2024/05/14

In this episode I talk with Professor Sandrine Thuret at Kings College London about her research on how different molecules in the diet affect neuroplasticity in general and hippocampal neurogenesis in particular. She has shown in preclinical studies that certain dietary factor including omega-3 fatty acids can counteract the adverse effects of chronic psychological stress on neurogenesis. She has also shown that intermittent fasting enhances hippocampal neurogenesis and improves cognition. Thuret

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01:00:42

John Cryan: Gut Microbiome – Brain Communication in...

Brain Ponderings podcast with Dr. Mark Mattson ·

2024/05/07

Bacteria in the gut play essential roles in the metabolism of dietary nutrients. But a recent explosion of research has revealed influences of microbes in the gut on brain function in health and in anxiety disorders, depression, and possibly Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases. Professor John Cryan at University College in Cork Ireland is at the forefront of this research. In this episode I talk with John about how diet and lifestyle affect the gut microbiome and the mechanisms by which these

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01:12:50

David Nutt: The Drug Science – Drug Regulation...

Brain Ponderings podcast with Dr. Mark Mattson ·

2024/04/30

David Nutt has made major contributions to understanding mechanisms by which psychoactive drugs affect the brain and has conducted numerous clinical trials of a wide range of drugs in patients with various mental disorders. He has also been an outspoken critic of the disconnect between drug science and government drug policies. For example, alcohol is legal, widely available, and causes tremendous harm to individuals and society. On the other hand psychedelics are illegal and yet very safe and can

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01:07:32

Yaakov Stern: Cognitive Reserve and Individual...

Brain Ponderings podcast with Dr. Mark Mattson ·

2024/04/24

Some elderly individuals remain cognitively ‘sharp as a tack’ despite the accumulation of large amounts of amyloid in their brains, whereas others exhibit profound cognitive impairment with less amyloid pathology. In this episode Columbia University Professor Yaakov Stern talks about the concepts of ‘cognitive reserve’ and ‘brain maintenance’ and how he and others have elucidated factors that explain individual differences in cognitive trajectories during aging. The data show that regular exercise

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01:00:02

Anna Borghi: Embodied Cognition, Inner Speech,...

Brain Ponderings podcast with Dr. Mark Mattson ·

2024/04/18

What are the foundational principles by which acquired information is organized and processed in the human brain? In this episode University of Rome Professor Anna Borghi talks about several prominent working theories of cognition including embodied cognition (interactions with objects and other people), inner speech, and abstract concepts. She talks about how language is a prominent feature of these theories and the methods used to test these theories. We also touch on evolutionary and

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01:01:43

David Menon: Reducing the Burden of Traumatic Brain...

Brain Ponderings podcast with Dr. Mark Mattson ·

2024/04/12

Traumatic brain injuries (TBI) are a major cause of long-term disability and burden on families and health care systems. University of Cambridge Professor David Menon is a leader in global efforts to better understand and treat TBI. In this episode Dr. Menon talks about what happens to neurons, glial cells, and blood vessels in the brain after a TBI. He explains risk factors for TBI, how patients with TBI are currently evaluated and treated, and emerging therapeutic interventions to enhance their

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50:49

Martin Picard: Mitochondrial Psychobiology,...

Brain Ponderings podcast with Dr. Mark Mattson ·

2024/04/09

Mitochondria are best known as the powerplants within cells. But recent research is revealing that mitochondria play fundamental roles in regulating the structure and function of neuronal networks and the behaviors that those networks control. Martin Picard directs the Mitochondrial Psychobiology Group at Columbia University. In this episode I talk with Dr. Picard about: the biogenesis and movement of mitochondria within cells, the disposal of damaged mitochondria, the diversity of mitochondria

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53:29

Charles Nemeroff: Understanding, Preventing, and...

Brain Ponderings podcast with Dr. Mark Mattson ·

2024/04/03

Approximately 20 percent of people in the USA will experience clinical depression during their lifetime and there has been a recent surge in depression and suicide among teenagers and young adults. The early life environment plays a major role in one’s vulnerability to depression with childhood maltreatment greatly increasing the risk. Recent research suggests that use of social media is a risk factor. In this episode I talk with psychiatrist/neuroscientist Charles Nemeroff about the neurobiology of

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01:08:08

Long-Jun Wu: Microglia and Their Roles in...

Brain Ponderings podcast with Dr. Mark Mattson ·

2024/03/26

Historically, microglia were viewed only as the brain’s immune cells that respond to brain injury or infections. While this is true, recent research has shown that microglia play important roles in responding to and regulating neuronal network activity, and adaptations of the brain to physiological challenges such as exercise and intellectual challenges. Microglia are increasingly recognized for their roles in neuroplasticity including learning and memory and regulation of emotions. Professor

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51:27

Alvaro Pascual-Leone: Transcranial Magnetic...

Brain Ponderings podcast with Dr. Mark Mattson ·

2024/03/20

Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is a non-invasive technology that enables stimulation (or inhibition) of specified neuronal networks in the brain. In this episode Alvaro Pascual-Leone, a Professor in Neurology at Harvard Medical School, talks about the principle and practice of TMS and its use for the treatment of a range of brain disorders including depression, stroke, and cognitive impairment, chronic pain, and traumatic brain injuries. The technology has advanced to a point where

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01:03:14

Dena Dubal: Longevity Factor Klotho, Cognition, Brain...

Brain Ponderings podcast with Dr. Mark Mattson ·

2024/03/13

In 1997 Makoto Kuro-o and his colleagues reported that they had accidentally discovered a gene that encodes a protein that slows aging and extends the lifespan of mice. They named the protein ‘Klotho’ after the Greek goddess that ‘spins the thread of life’. During the past decade University of California San Francisco professor Dena Dubal has shown that Klotho can enhance learning and memory and protect neurons and synapses aging dysfunction and degeneration in mouse models of Alzheimer’s disease

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01:21:04

Marija Kundakovic: Epigenetics, Brain Sex...

Brain Ponderings podcast with Dr. Mark Mattson ·

2024/02/29

The brains of males and females are different and it is important to understand how these differences give rise to different behavioral traits of men an women. These sex differences arise during brain development, manifest throughout life and are controlled in part by estrogen and testosterone. The brains of females and males, and their differential vulnerability to mental and other neurological disorders may be influenced by prenatal and early life environmental factors including stress or

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57:37

Eduard Vieta: Bipolar Disorder: Genes, Environment,...

Brain Ponderings podcast with Dr. Mark Mattson ·

2024/02/20

Bipolar disorder is a mental illness that causes often dramatic shifts in a person’s energy and activity levels, and concentration. It affects approximately 1 in every 50 people worldwide and 6 million Americans. Many people with bipolar disorder exhibit remarkable creativity and productivity. This relationship between creativity and mania was noted by the Greek philosopher Aristotle who wrote: “no great genius has ever existed without a strain of madness”. In this epidose Spanish psychiatrist

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01:10:10

Tanya Paull: ‘AT’: How Studies of a Rare Genetic...

Brain Ponderings podcast with Dr. Mark Mattson ·

2024/02/08

Ataxia Telangiectasia (AT) is a rare inherited disorder in which young children develop severe ataxia (inability to control body movements) as a result of degenration of ‘Purkinje neurons’ in the cerebellum. AT children are highly prone to cancers and usually die before the age of 20. In this episode Professor Tanya Paull talks about research that has revealed a remarkably broad array of functions of ‘ATM’ the gene mutated in AT. The disorder is inherited in a recessive manner such that both

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01:17:20

Bandy Lee: Case Study USA: A Combustible Mixture of...

Brain Ponderings podcast with Dr. Mark Mattson ·

2024/02/02

In this episode I talk with Dr. Bondy Lee, a psychiatrist who has devoted her life to advancing an understanding the causes of violence and developing ways to reduce violence. As a psychiatrist she is particularly interested in the behavioral features of people who are a danger to society, particularly those with psychopathic traits and behaviors such as lack of empathy and remorse, egocentricity, conning and manipulative behaviors, taking pleasure in other people’s hardships and pain, and criminal

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55:36

Thomas Sudhof: Molecular Codes for Synapse Formation...

Brain Ponderings podcast with Dr. Mark Mattson ·

2024/01/24

In this episode I talk with Stanford Professor and Nobel laureate Thomas Sudhof about his work that has advanced an understanding of the molecular machinery for neurotransmitter release, a remarkable process that is compex, occurs rapidly (milliseconds) and is highly localized (1 micrometer or less). We then talk about the even more difficult problem of the molecular mechanisms that control the formation, maintenance and plasticity of synapses. The current model of the molecular code for synapse

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200 results

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