WaterCooler Neuroscience

Latest Episodes:

Think Fast S2, EP25 – Drugs, sex hormones and memory with Dr Raul Andero Gali Jun 23, 2021

Show notes

Say you are the kind of person who is trustworthy enough to be given a lab with dozens of research mice. Also, say that you are the kind of person who does good science and tests male and female rats in equal measure to test if chromosomes and sex hormones might cause a difference in how the brain works. Then say you were smart enough to realise some drugs may alter memory. Well if all of those things are true then you are Dr Raul Andero Gali and the guest of this episode talking about how to better understand why certain drugs change the behaviour of mice when it comes to forming memories. This episode in particular talks about neurodiversity, that through these drugs we can understand how male and female brains are different in their structure but that doesn't mean they are different in how they function in everyday life. Curious, then tune in.

BTAB S1, EP8 – Are you mind blind? Jun 20, 2021

Show notes

Mindblindness, or aphantasia, is the neurological inability to visually imagine anything really. People with mindblindness can imagine and as far as we know have no other cognitive deficits, that being a scientific deficit which just means something is missing not wrong. In this episode, we delve into the topic of mindblindness, why it has only recently been studied and how mindblindness can be seen in everyday life. most importantly we talk about why as psychologists we are totally ok with it.

Think Fast S2, EP24 – How we can use AI to understand Alzheimer’s with Dr Jacob Vogel Jun 16, 2021

Show notes

Alzheimer's is a form of dementia known around the world for its powerful ability to remove personality, cognitive function and your sense of time and space based on the information around you. Alzheimer's has been studied for decades and now with incredible datasets we are using modern AI techniques to better understand that Alzheimer's isn't just one disease, it has many forms and many different progressions through the brain. As part of the toolbox of neuroscientists and psychologists around the world, let's see what AI has to say about Alzheimer's.

BTAB S1, EP7 – All the ways to control a robot with your mind Jun 13, 2021

Show notes

Brain-Computer Interface, or using the older term cybernetics, is a field now that doesn't care about implants but instead uses safe machines like EEG and fMRI to study patterns of brain activity that computers can interpret into commands. In this episode, we talk about cutting edge research that wants to know if imaging motor movement the best way to control a machine or can we use our memories and emotions to better effect? If you haven't listened to Episode 6 of Brains Talking about Brains I would recommend it because it provides an introduction to this subject, also see Think Fast Season 2 Episode 21 with Michiel Spape for his work on teaching machines to understand human brains.

Think Fast S2, EP23 – Females around the world and dopamine with Dr Zach Freyberg Jun 09, 2021

Show notes

Before you think I am talking about human females and this is a discussion of gender or culture, no. This is about females of almost any species around the world from insects to us. Dr Freyberg delves into how the brain uses dopamine and makes sure it doesn't turn into a poison in our brains. Females, however, handle this process very differently from males and we go into what that means for our brains, and why that doesn't mean we see totally different cognition.

BTAB S1, EP6 – The thin line between imagining and doing Jun 06, 2021

Show notes

In 1997 Cognitive Neuroscience was in its infancy and there was much more about the brain we didn't understand than we do. The goal of understanding how brain waves and neural function linked was the dream of neuroscientists around the world. In this paper, we look at the odd finding which is that when you use EEG it can be very hard to tell if someone is moving their arm or just imagining moving their arm. We talk about how this is a foundational study in the world of neuroscience, its applications even today and how it paved the way for the future.

Think Fast S2, EP22 – Treating Anxiety in 2021 with Professor Bethany Teachman Jun 02, 2021

Show notes

Bethany Teachman is this episode's guest bringing her expertise in both teaching people how to treat anxiety and her research into the different ways our brain processes anxiety. Along with her, research Bethany talks to our host Wilf Nelson about the differences in anxiety disorders, introspection and health worries. If you ever wanted to know how modern-day clinics view anxiety and what inspires them to try to help then this is the interview you've been waiting to hear. Spoiler alert, the goal is always to make you be the best version of yourself that you want to be.

BTAB S1, EP5 – Dreaming according to Neuroscience May 30, 2021

Show notes

In this episode, we delve into a topic that is very discussed by Psychology but rarely discussed by Neuroscience. What is dreaming when we are not concerned about the reports of people dreaming, what can we understand from studying the brain instead of the mind and how is memory involved in the contents of our dreams? Ultimately what parts of dreaming are available to scientific study, and what parts aren't and here we talk about how psychologists are ok with that.

Think Fast S2, EP21 – Modern-day cyborgs with Dr Michiel Spape May 26, 2021

Show notes

Michael Spape is returning but not to talk about deep fakes. Instead, his work on teaching machines how to read EEG data is now being used to allow people to control machines in real-time. Spape walks us through the earliest definitions of cybernetics all the way to the modern Brain-Computer-Interface technologies that are letting people move things with their mind. This episode however highlights the limits of the technology. Spape's work is cutting edge but you might be more than a little surprising what we can do and all the things we can't.

BTAB S1, EP4 – How your brain cells grow to handle anxiety May 23, 2021

Show notes

In this episode of Brains Talking about Brains we are talking about state and trait anxiety, are you anxious as a person or just going through an anxious period? What does that do to the brain in the long term and this week Jordana and Wilf are talking about a paper that studies the areas in the brain that develop more brain cells and which develop more connections.

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