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PODCAST

Brain Ponderings podcast with 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

01:12:00

Erik Musiek: Brain Cell Circadian Clock Proteins in...

Brain Ponderings podcast with Mark Mattson ·

2025/09/24

Health depends upon proper regulation of circadian rhythms of cell and organ functions. Disruption of circadian rhythms has detrimental consequences for brain function and resilience and abnormal circadian rhythms are a common feature of Alzheimer’s disease. In this episode neurology professor Erik Musiek talks about the roles of specific circadian clock proteins in neurons and glial cells in brain health and Alzheimer’s disease. His research is revealing the ways in which these circadian regulatory

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01:11:08

Georgia Hodes: Sex Differences in Responses to Stress...

Brain Ponderings podcast with Mark Mattson ·

2025/09/11

Chronic uncontrolled stress is a risk factor for many different diseases including mental and neurodegenerative disorders. The effects of such stress on the brain differ considerably between females and males. However, the vast majority of preclinical studies in animal models have included only males which in some cases has resulted in therapeutic interventions that are less effective in females compared to males. In this episode Georgia Hodes talks about sex differences in the effects of stress on

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01:14:54

Marian Joëls and Ron de Kloet: How the Brain Responds...

Brain Ponderings podcast with Mark Mattson ·

2025/09/01

In stressful situations the brain communicates with the adrenal glands stimulating them to release adrenaline and cortisol. This stress responsive neuroendocrine system plays important adaptive roles by regulating energy metabolism, attention, and learning and memory. However, without a recovery period chronic uncontrolled stress such as psychosocial stress can damage neural circuits in the brain and contribute to a range of mental disorders as well as Alzheimer’s disease. In this episode I have

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59:38

Josh Helman: Multipronged Approaches for Preventing...

Brain Ponderings podcast with Mark Mattson ·

2025/08/19

Clearly demonstrated as being effective for cardiovascular disease, lifestyle medicine is becoming an important discipline for the prevention and treatment of age-related brain disorders including Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases. In this episode I talk with Dr. Josh Helman about his experience working with patients at lifestyle medicine centers. He provides his views on what people can do now to reduce their risk for these brain disorders, and what the future holds in terms of therapeutic

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53:14

Grace (Beth) Stutzmann: Pivotal Role for Calcium in...

Brain Ponderings podcast with Mark Mattson ·

2025/08/14

The calcium ion controls neuronal network activity, synapse function and synaptic plasticity, and is a fundamental mediator of learning and memory. With aging and much more so in Alzheimer’s disease the ability of neurons to properly regulate their intracellular calcium levels becomes compromised. Evidence from human and laboratory animal studies have provided compelling evidence that excessive elevation of calcium levels in neurons results in their dysfunction and degeneration in Alzheimer’s

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49:00

Andrew Dillin – Stress and Aging: Mitochondria are...

Brain Ponderings podcast with Mark Mattson ·

2025/08/05

Long believed to function only as the cell’s powerhouse research is revealing that mitochondria actively control a cell’s response to various types of stress. Even more amazingly mitochondria send stress-related signals between cells. In this episode UC Berkeley Professor Andy Dillin has made major advances in understanding basic mechanisms of aging, how cells and animals respond to stress, and how the aging process can be influenced by mitochondrial responses to stress. In this episode I talk with

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01:18:41

Marc Freeman – How Astrocytes Control Neural Circuits...

Brain Ponderings podcast with Mark Mattson ·

2025/07/29

While neurons and the circuits the form have been the major focus of brain research the human brain contains at least as many cells that are not neurons of which astrocytes are by far the most abundant. During the past decade there have been numerous studies that reveal novel and very active roles for astrocytes in regulating the growth of neurons, the formation and modification of synapses, the activities of neural networks, and behaviors in laboratory animals. In this episode Marc Freeman talks

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01:03:05

Polina Shichkova: Metabolic and Biophysical Modeling...

Brain Ponderings podcast with Mark Mattson ·

2025/07/22

Because neurons in the brain are electrically excitable and active 24/7 the brain consumes relatively large amounts of energy and must adapt to varying demands on its neural networks. The cellular and molecular complexity of the brain presents a major challenge for understanding not only its second-by-second function but also how neural networks are affected by aging and disease. In this episode Dr. Polina Schichkova talks about how large datasets on cellular energy metabolism gene expression are

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01:07:26

Corinde Wiers: The Potential of Ketone-Based...

Brain Ponderings podcast with Mark Mattson ·

2025/07/15

Research on substance use disorders has largely focused on understanding the key neural circuits and neurotransmitter systems that are altered, and on behavioral and pharmacological interventions. However, emerging research findings suggest that alcohol use disorder (AUD) is associated with alterations in energy metabolism and can accelerate brain aging. In this episode I talk with Dr. Corinde Wiers about substance use disorders with a focus on her recent clinical trials which show that ketone

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56:52

Henning Fenselau – Neural Circuits Controlling...

Brain Ponderings podcast with Mark Mattson ·

2025/07/07

Appetite (hunger and satiety) is controlled by neural circuits in the brain – particularly in the hypothalamus – and their reciprocal connections to peripheral organs involved in energy metabolism (gut and liver). Understanding the structural organization of these circuits (their synaptic connections) and their neurochemistry (particularly which neurotransmitters are used at which synapses) is of fundamental importance for human health and developing new treatments for metabolic disorders such as

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01:09:01

Tessa Montague: Disappearing Act - How the Brain...

Brain Ponderings podcast with Mark Mattson ·

2025/07/01

One of the most remarkable feats of biological ‘wizardry’ in the animal kingdom is the ability of some cephalopods (octopuses, squids, and cuttlefish) to rapidly change the color, patterning, and texture of their skin so as to blend in with their background. They accomplish these feats through the linking of neural circuits in the visual system and brain to muscle cells that control the dispersion of pigment in specialized skin cells called chromatophores. But the details of the neural circuitry and

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01:02:26

Jonathan Long: Lactate-Phe and Ketone-Phe: Exerkines...

Brain Ponderings podcast with Mark Mattson ·

2025/06/24

During vigorous exercise lactic acid (lactate) levels increase in the blood and during fasting and extended exercise the levels of the ketone BHB (b-hydroxybutyrate) increase. In this episode I talk with Stanford University professor Jonathan Long about his recent discovery that lactate and BHB in the blood are bound to the amino acid phenylalanine and that they (Lac-Phe and BHB-Phe) have beneficial effects on metabolic and brain health. Lac-Phe levels increase markedly in response to exercise in

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01:17:20

Carlos Matute: Brain White Matter in Health,...

Brain Ponderings podcast with Mark Mattson ·

2025/06/17

White matter consists of bundles of long axons that convey information between neural circuits between different brain regions within and between brain hemispheres. These long axons are wrapped with many layers of lipid-rich membranes of oligodendrocytes (a type of glial cell) and it is this ‘insulation’ that enables rapid propagation of signals over long distances. The axons in white matter consume high amounts of energy and their energy demand increases during extended physical exercise. In this

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01:01:28

Michael Kreutz: Amazing Nanomachines in Synapses that...

Brain Ponderings podcast with Mark Mattson ·

2025/06/10

Michael Kreutz is Head of the Neuroplasticity Research Group at the Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology in Magdeburg Germany. Using powerful high resolution microscopy and molecular biology tools his laboratory has shown that autophagy occurs within synapses. Synaptic autophagy is stimulated by neural network activity and is critical for their maintenance and for learning and memory. Moreover, evidence suggests that conventional autophagy and exocytic autophagy prevent the abnormal accumulation of

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01:11:17

Jordan Grafman: Neural Circuits of Religiosity: ‘The...

Brain Ponderings podcast with Mark Mattson ·

2025/06/03

Belief in supernatural agents and other religious myths arose as a means of ‘explaining’ the unknown and as a tool for social cohesion and hierarchical control of civilizations. Their religiosity is major feature of a ‘believers’ self identity as well as their group identity. Compelling evidence from multiple types of studies have revealed the neurobiological foundations of beliefs in imaginary deities, an afterlife, and other religious myths. In this episode neuropsychologist Jordan Grafman talks

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52:43

Sridevi Sarma: Using DSM and Neuro-engineering to...

Brain Ponderings podcast with Mark Mattson ·

2025/05/29

Neurological disorders involve aberrant neural network activity. New technologies are needed for establishing at a fine spatial and temporal resolution the nature of the altered network activity – and for restoring activity to or towards a healthy state. Professor Sri Sarma is an electrical engineer and neuroscientist who is at the forefront of this research field. Her research combines learning theory and control systems with neuroscience to develop novel approaches for understanding normal brain

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Richard Johnson: How High Fructose Intake Induces...

Brain Ponderings podcast with Mark Mattson ·

2025/05/20

Compelling evidence shows that consumption of high fructose corn syrup in soft drinks and ultraprocessed foods has contributed to the increases in obesity, diabetes, fatty liver disease, and dementia that has occurred during the past 50 years. Professor Richard Johnson’s research has been at the forefront of establishing how fructose adversely affects cellular energetics and function, and what happens to various organ systems with chronic consumption of fructose. Interestingly, cells can convert to

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01:20:19

Brian Kennedy: Decoding Metabolic Aging Clocks to...

Brain Ponderings podcast with Mark Mattson ·

2025/05/13

Major progress has recently been made in understanding the aging process at the molecular, cellular, and organ system levels. This knowledge is now being applied in preventative and interventional health care. Moreover, because of the severe burden of age-related diseases on societies governments are increasingly developing strategies to extend health span throughout their populations. In this episode Professor Brian Kennedy at the National University of Singapore provides a broad perspective on the

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01:36:52

Anton Maximov – The Synaptic Signatures of a Memory:...

Brain Ponderings podcast with Mark Mattson ·

2025/05/06

Remarkable progress has been made towards understanding of the molecular control of neurotransmitter release from presynaptic axon terminals and the responses of the postsynaptic neuron by neurotransmitters. We know that synaptic activity is required for learning and memory but the structural basis of a memory (an engram) remains unknown. Anton Maximov has made major contributions to understanding the molecular control of synaptic plasticity associated with learning and memory. Here he talks about

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01:30:42

Allan Butterfield: Cell Membrane Lipid Peroxidation...

Brain Ponderings podcast with Mark Mattson ·

2025/04/29

The outer membrane of cells is comprised of a lipid bilayer consisting of phospholipids, cholesterol, arachidonic acid, omega-3 fatty acids, and others. Embedded in the membrane are various proteins that play roles critical to the survival and function of the cell. Examples of membrane proteins of particular importance for neurons are: ion channels and ion ‘pumps which control neuron excitability; glucose and ketone transporters which are critical for energy metabolism, and receptors for a myriad of

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