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

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When Brain Matters interviewed Dr. David Fitzpatrick from the Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience, they talked all about how the visual cortex functions. Watch David’s postdoctoral fellow (and Brain Matters listener) Dr. Ben Scholl talk all about the fascinating research in the Fitzpatrick Lab.

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Dr. Marina Wolf talked with the National Institute on Drug Abuse about her research in 2012. To hear our in depth interview with Marina, check out the podcast for free!

Studying how the brain gets meaning from sound

The Pulse profiled the work of recent Brain Matters guest Maria Geffen.

“Based on the context under which you hear some sounds, you need to respond to it in a different way,” Geffen said. “I can hear the honking — that’s probably more important, because I don’t want to die right now.”

Episode 21 - Encoding the Auditory Environment with Dr. Maria Geffen

Anthony and Dr. Maria Geffen (Assistant Professor, University of Pennsylvania) talk about how the brain encodes the auditory world. Maria has had a very interesting career studying many of the senses including the somatosensory and visual systems before starting her auditory lab. Anthony got all the details and more in this fascinating interview.

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Episode 18 - The Negative Impacts of Stress with Dr. David Morilak

Is stress good or bad? Do the negative impacts of a stressful life outweight the benefits of the adaptive physiological response? Matt and Dr. David Morilak (Professor of Pharmacology, UT Health Science Center, San Antonio) talk about what defines a stress response and why we have them to begin with. We also find out if stress researchers have the secret to beating anxiety.

Thanks to Audible for supporting Brain Matters efforts in science outreach and education. Get a free audiobook of your choice at audiblepodcast.com/brainmatters.

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One of our favorite guests, Dr. Amelia Eisch, gave a great lecture at Quinnipiac University. If you’re still craving more about adult neurogenesis, listen to our interview with Amelia for free on iTunes.