WaterCooler Neuroscience

Latest Episodes:

WCNeuro S5 – What does it mean to do a PhD? Jan 25, 2022

Show notes

This episode is a special one because it is the first part of a five-episode series of WaterCooler Neuroscience on Wilf Nelson's, the host's, PhD. In this episode, Jordana Adler from BTAB is the host and interviewing Wilf on his PhD from starting through to all of the experimental chapters of his thesis. The first episode covers a lot of the questions that scientists get asked when they start their PhD and probes what it means to be trained as a scientist. Listen now to learn about Wilf Nelson going from Wilf Nelson to Wilf Nelson, PhD.

Think Fast S2, EP41 – A deep dive into an anxiety lab: part 2 Dec 30, 2021

Show notes

Think Fast is continuing its deep dive into Prof. Teachman’s lab to better understand how multiple different research projects are run at the same time and give you a better look at what a proper academic lab is like. In this episode we are talking about some of the data analysis that goes on behind the scenes looks like. For any lab, the analysis of data is just as important as acquiring it but instead of having a set pipeline up and running data analysis can take many forms. We talk with one of the lab’s researchers to see what their day-to-day looks like and how they turn anonymised data into useable findings.

BTAB S1, EP28 – Why artificial intelligence doesn’t mean a robot or computer Dec 27, 2021

Show notes

Over December Jordana and Wilf have been talking about what science fiction and more specifically last episode SOMA can show about modern psychology and neuroscience. In this episode, we wrap up this mini-series and talk about how an organic AI would work. What are the bounds of an AI and how in SOMA do begin to see what a very non-human, very hard to understand AI looks like? On top of this Wilf thinks this is one of the best representations of AI to date.

Think Fast S2, EP40 – A deep dive into an anxiety lab: part 1 Dec 23, 2021

Show notes

Think Fast is doing a deep dive into the lab of Professor Bethany Teachman who has been on the show before and we are talking about how her lab studies anxiety. Normally on Think Fast, we will talk about only one research project or one show but labs regularly work on multiple projects at a time once they are established. The next four episodes are going to be an expose on what Prof. Teachman’s lab is doing and how it is really very similar to a large commercial lab in its day-to-day running.

BTAB S1, EP27 – Why mind-uploading is terrifying no matter how you talk about it Dec 20, 2021

Show notes

Mind-uploading has been one of the great visions of science ever since the boom of cyberpunk science fiction and with it has been the belief that since 'brains are like computers' (they aren't) that moving our consciousness from our brains to a computer is just a matter of moving some software around. In this episode, Wilf and Jordana continue to talk about science fiction throughout December but this time focusing on a game called SOMA. SOMA is a video game that provides an in-depth discussion into mind uploading and according to the hosts is one of the best representations of where it can go right, and very very wrong.

Think Fast S2, EP39 – Why do we have so many different types of neurons? Dec 16, 2021

Show notes

Today’s episode brings you more from the world of computational neuroscience or trying to recreate parts of the brain in a computer. Brains were once thought of as just as a pile of jelly and neurons were neurons, blood was blood and support cells were called glial (for glue). Modern neuroscience has a much more advanced understanding of how the brain is composed of many different types of neurons, glial and microglial as well as complex systems to provide oxygen and nutrients and remove waste. One question however does keep popping up, why do we have so many different types of neurons? Why isn’t one all-purpose neuron the way our brains evolved? In this episode, we talk about how computer models allow us to test tests that would take millions of years through evolution in the lab but a computer can do it in a few days.

BTAB S1, EP26 – Psychologists unapologetically talk about science fiction part 2 Dec 13, 2021

Show notes

Our two-part discussion about how psychologists view science fiction continues and this part is where it gets really weird. Wilf and Jordana talk about how to rank different kinds of AI, how well do movie AI match real-world AI and what happens to psychology when we try to apply it to totally non-human minds?

BTAB S1, EP25 – Psychologists unapologetically talk about science fiction part 1 Dec 06, 2021

Show notes

Brains Talking About Brains is a show where two psychologists/neurosciences talk about science papers in our virtual conference. This week however we are expanding into the other great love that all scientists have, that is talking about science fiction as if it was real. In this two-part discussion, Wilf and Jordana talk about movies and games to discuss what they see as psychologists when they watch some of the most popular science fiction around and what science-based wanderings does that lead to?

Think Fast S2, EP38 – Team Flow with Dr Mohammad Shehata Dec 02, 2021

Show notes

Being in the zone is called a flow state in Psychology/Neuroscience, it is the state of focusing on one task to the point that information from the outside world can not even reach our conscious awareness. Team Flow is the very specific circumstance where we are in the zone or in a state of flow but we can specifically not ignore our teammates and integrate the information from other people while keeping that high level of focus. We also learn how professional video gamers are a perfect population for testing this phenomenon which is only a new field to academic study.

Think Fast S2, EP37 – How the brain makes stop signals with Dr Corette Wierenga Nov 26, 2021

Show notes

Inhibition is a fundamental function of the brain, our brain can't always be on. In this episode we talk with our guest, Dr Corette Wierenga, to better understand how our neurons can be activated in a way that starts to promote the growth of inhibitory connections. This is how our brains balance themselves, it is a method for the brain to work in real-time to alter the strength of different signals and ensure that no one signal gets too strong in the brain.

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