On this episode, Anthony spoke to Dr. Roderick MacKinnon (Professor, Rockefeller University, HHMI) about ion channels, studying what fascinates you, and the importance of thinking childishly.   The music on today's episode was by The Caretaker: thecaretaker.bandcamp.com

On this episode, Matt spoke to Dr. Richard Tsien (Professor & Chair, New York University). Dr. Tsien has a diverse career, contributing many important findings to the field of cellular and molecular neuroscience, with a primary focus on understanding how the brain meets the demands to process information. Matt delved primarily into Dr. Tsien's path to becoming a scientist, and his advice for anyone interested in becoming a neuroscientist. The music on today's episode was by Robby. Check...

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. Check it out at radiobio.net The music on...

On this episode of Brain Matters, we talked with Dr. Jon Pierce (University of Texas at Austin). Jon uses to C. elegans to study Alzheimer's, Down Syndrome, alcoholism, and more. Jon is currently raising money to fund undergraduate research and engagement in his lab. You can find more information at: https://hornraiser.utexas.edu/project/5559 This episode was brought to you by Maze Engineers. To get 10% off your quote visit: https://hornraiser.utexas.edu/project/5559. Thanks to Bridget and...

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 mazes and other neuroscience goodies so check...

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.

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...

On this episode of Brain Matters, Anthony and Caleb Kemere (Assistant Professor, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Rice University) talk about Caleb's path to studying real time neural engineering.

The Brain Matters team will be at the 2016 Society for Neuroscience convention in San Diego. Come say hey! We also got some exciting news - Brain Matters is now officially award-winning and Science-approved!

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.

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.

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.   Thank you for listening! We'd love it if you rated and reviewed us on iTunes. Those reviews mean more to us than you could ever imagine. We read each one and show them to strangers on the streets of Austin, Texas every time a new one appears. What would you like to hear on...

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.

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...

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. 

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

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

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.

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. You can find more information about The Steve Martin Album at https://thehumannatures.bandcamp.com/album/the-steve-martin-album Anthony's interview on WBEZ Chicago's Morning Shift can be...

Dr. Rick Aldrich (Professor, University of Texas at Austin) is a man who wears many hats - biophysicist, neuroscientist, molecular biologist, structural biologist. Throughout his career, he has contributed extensively to our understanding of mechanisms of ion channel function. Matt spoke to Dr. Aldrich about his diverse interests inside and outside the lab.

On this episode of Brain Matters, Anthony and Dr. Alex Huk (Associate Professor of Neuroscience and Psychology, University of Texas at Austin) talk about how our brains process vision and motion.

Creating new proteins is necessary for neurons to change the strength of their connections with each other. This process, known as translation, is controlled by a complex system of molecules and signlaing pathways. Anthony spoke with Dr. Eric Klann (Professor, New York University) about how understanding the minutiae of translational control in neurons can help us understand learning and memory, as well as developing potential therapeutics for cognitive disorders.

When we make a decision, we draw from our past experiences to guide our actions, but we are also willing to modify our behavior if we fail to predict the correct outcome. Anthony spoke with Dr. Yael Niv (Associate Professor, Princeton University) about this kind of trial and error learning, and how the brain learns how to learn.   Today's episode is sponsored by Audible.com. Pick up a free audiobook at audiblepodcast.com/brainmatters

On this episode of Brain Matters, Anthony and Dr. René Hen (Professor, Columbia University) talk about how mood and anxiety is regulated by serotonin and adult neurogenesis, and how Dr. Hen's molecular tools have helped us understand how emotions are processed.   Today's episode is brought to you by Audible.com. For a free audiobook, go to audiblepodcast.com/brainmatters