On this (50th!) episode of Brain Matters, Anthony talks to Dr. Fred Wolf (Assistant Professor, UC Merced). Dr. Wolf is interested in how alcohol and other drugs of abuse change our genes when we take them. Using the fruit fly as a model organism, he is able to use powerful techniques to delve into the complex relationship between drugs, genes, and behavior.

Dr. Wolf helps run his own biology podcast, RadioBio, with graduate students at UC Merced.

The music on today’s podcast was by koleżanka.

Listen and subscribe on iTunes

Episode 48 - Space and Time with Dr. Mayank Mehta

On this episode of Brain Matters, Matt and Mayank Mehta (Professor, UCLA) talk about how rodents and human perceive space and time. Mayank has always been obsessed with time and merges physics and neuroscience to understand how the brain deals with these abstract concepts.

This episode was brought to you by Maze Engineers. Get 10% off your quote by visiting mazeengineers.com/brainmatters and enter the offer code: brain. They have some incredible behavioral neuroscience mazes and other neuroscience goodies so check them out.

Music on today’s episode by Equip and Sangam. Both are artists on the Dream Catalogue label

Listen and Subscribe on iTunes.

Episode 47 - Becoming A Curious Scientist with Dr. André Fenton

What’s the most important thing about being a scientist? According to Dr. André Fenton: Curiosity. Anthony and André talked about how André tinkered his way to researching learning and memory at NYU.

André mentioned this famous article by Jerry Lettvin - What the Frog’s Eye Tells the Frog’s Brain

Here’s an article about the interesting story of PKMzeta, a molecule André has been studying for over a decade.

Music on today’s episode by Sure

Listen and Subscribe on iTunes.

Episode 46 - The Nature of Nature (and the brain too) with Dr. David McCormick

This week on Brain Matters, Matt and Dr. David McCormick (Professor of Neuroscience and Psychology, Yale) start off 2017 right. On this episode you’ll get a quick briefing on the early history of neuroscience, information about Frankenstein’s monster, a look at neural circuits, and perspective from the Buddhist Monks of Tibet. You’re gonna want your cochleas ready for this one. 

David mentioned a ton of people and books. Here’s a list in case you wanna dive in.

Major Figures in the Early History of Neuroscience:
Luigi Galvani, Giovanni Aldini, René Descartes, Jan Swammerdam, Alessandro Volta, Emil de Bois-Reymond

Texts David Referenced:
1. Animal Electricity (Galvani, 1791)
2. Essay on Galvanism: “Précis des expériences galvaniques faites récemment à Londres et à Calais“ (Aldini, 1803)
3. Frankenstein (Mary Shelley, 1818)
4. The Cerebellum as a Neuronal Machine (Eccles, 1967)

 Further Reading (if you’re into it like we are):
1. Early History of Neuroscience, Charles Gross
2. Giovanni Aldini: From Animal Electricity to Human Brain Stimulation, André Parent
3. History of Psychology, Ideas and Context (Chapter 8) King et al.


We partnered with Wiley Neuroscience on this one. Follow them on twitter! Shout out to their team for getting the twitter handle coveted most by neuroscientists.

The music on this episode was by Noveller. The first track was “Trails and Trials” from the soon to be released album “A Pink Sunset for Noone”, the second track was “Rubicon” from the Fantastic Planet LP. Go check out and purchase her music on bandcamp, or at her current label, Fire Records.

Listen and Subscribe on iTunes.

Episode 44 - Neurons, Mitochondria, and Human Evolution with Dr. Franck Polleux

On this episode of Brain Matters, Matt and Dr. Franck Polleux (Professor, Department of Neuroscience at Columbia University and the Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute) cover a lot of ground. Franck talks about his work as a graduate student and the topics his lab is working on now. The Polleux lab is studying topics like neural progeneration, mitochondria in dendrites of neurons, and what makes the human brain special. This is an episode you won’t want to miss.

Music on today’s episode by Jefre Cantu-Ledesma

Listen and Subscribe on iTunes.

Episode 43- Sensorimotor Circuits in Zebrafish with Dr. Tod Thiele

On this episode of Brain Matters, Matt and Dr. Tod Thiele (Assistant Professor, University of Toronto Scarborough) talk about a model organism we haven’t featured on the podcast yet- zebrafish. In his new lab, Tod is continuing his work on neural circuits in the zebrafish using all the latest imaging and optogenetic techniques.

Music on today’s episode by Dude Elseberry

Listen and Subscribe on iTunes.

Episode 42 - Enhancing Cognition with Video Games with Dr. Adam Gazzaley

On this episode of Brain Matters, Anthony talked with Adam Gazzaley (Professor, UCSF) about his work on cognition. Adam develops and designs video games that are fun to play and also have enhancing cognitive effects.

Music on today’s episode by Anthony Lacagnina

Listen and subscribe on iTunes.

Episode 41 - The Vestibular System with Dr. Dora Angelaki

On this episode of Brain Matters, Anthony talked with Dr. Dora Angelaki (Professor & Chair of the Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine) about her work in the vestibular system. Dora refers to the vestibular system as ‘the sixth sense’ and her passion for studying this under-appreciated sensory system is clear as talks about her research. Dora is also working on a computational understanding of Autism. She discusses her approach to understanding this complicated disorder.

Music on today’s episode by Lawrence English

Listen and Subscribe on iTunes.

Episode 40 - Molecular Mechanisms of Depression with Dr. Lisa Monteggia

On this episode of Brian Matters, Anthony and Dr. Lisa Monteggia (Professor, UT Southwestern Medical Center) talked about depression and the molecular mechanisms underlying the efficacy of antidepressants. They also talked about Lisa’s work on MeCP2, the gene linked to the autism spectrum disorder. Towards the end, Lisa opens up about how important mentorship is in the career of a young scientist.

Ride the Tiger: A Guide Through the Bipolar Brain premiers April 13, 2016 at 10/9c. It features neuroscience experts Thomas Insel, Paul Keck, Kafui Dzirasa, Karl Deisseroth, and Helen Mayberg.

Music on today’s episode by Diamondstein and Immune

Listen and subscribe on iTunes

Episode 39 - The Resting Brain with Dr. Gagan Wig

On this episode of Brain Matters, Matt talked with Dr. Gagan Wig (Assistant Professor of Behavioral and Brain Sciences, University of Texas at Dallas) about his research on brain networks. Gagan studies the brain using functional magnetic resonance imaging or fMRI and investigates a multitude of interesting questions about the human brain.

Music from today’s episode by Moe Meguro

Listen and subscribe on iTunes

Episode 38 - Stroke and Aphasia with Dr. Argye Hillis

Anthony and Dr. Argye Hillis (Professor of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University) talk about a medical perspective on neuroscience research. Argye’s research focuses on understanding how language and emotional functions recover after stroke.

Music on today’s episode by Jade Statues and Remember

Listen and Subscribe on iTunes.

Episode 37 - Sleep Circuits with Dr. Yang Dan

On This episode of Brain Matters, Anthony talked with Dr. Yang Dan (Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator and Professor of Neurobiology, UC Berkeley). Yang studies the circuits in the brain that control sleep. Perk up your cochlea and jump into this great conversation.

Music on today’s episode by PERSONA LA AVE, death’s dynamic shroud.wmv, and HKE

Listen and Subscribe on iTunes.

Episode 36 - Cortical Columns with Dr. David Fitzpatrick

On this episode of Brain Matters, Matt and Dr. David Fitzpatrick (Chief Executive Officer & Scientific Director, Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience) chat about the cortex. They talked about the visual system and David’s research on his friend the column.

Music on today’s episode by death’s dynamic shroud.wmv and HKE

Listen and Subscribe on iTunes.

Episode 35 - Contextualizing Fear with Dr. Michael Fanselow

On this episode of Brain Matters, Anthony interviewed Dr. Michael Fanselow (Distinguished Professor, Psychology, UCLA). They talked about Michael’s contributions to our understanding of fear memories and how the context of an event can impact learning.

The music featured in this episode is by Steve Beres. Check out The Steve Martin Album.

Thanks to Audible for supporting our podcast. Get a free 30 day trial at audiblepodcast.com/brainmatters

Listen and Subscribe on iTunes.