Celebrating 4 Years of the Brain Science Podcast (BSP 71)

The latest episode of the Brain Science Podcast (BSP 71) is our 4th annual review episode.  As usual, I review highlights from this year's interviews, but this year I added a new feature: my personal reflections on how the Brain Science Podcast has impacted my life.  This episode also contains a special announcement for UK listeners.

How to get this episode:

• Buy mp3 for $1.

• Buy Transcript for $1.

• Premium Subscribers have unlimited access to ALL old episodes and transcripts, as well as extra content for selected episodes. All content is available browser or the free Brain Science mobile app.

• Patreon supporters have access to new transcripts ($3+/month) and ad-free audio files ($10+/month). You can also access your bonus content via the free Patreon mobile app.

  New episodes of Brain Science are ALWAYS FREE and remain FREE for approximately 6 years. See the individual show notes for more information

Listen in your Favorite Audio app: Audible, Amazon music, Pandora, Spotify, YouTube and many more.

Major Topics from Season 4:

• Emotions with Jaak Panksepp (BSP 65).

• Memory with Randy Gallistel (BSP 66).

• Consciousness with Thomas Metzinger (BSP 67).

• Alzheimer's Disease with Peter Whitehouse (BSP 68 and Books and Ideas 36).

• Glia Cells with R. Douglas Fields (BSP 69).

• Pop Psychology Myths with Scott Lilienfeld (BSP 70).

References:

• Affective Neuroscience: The Foundations of Human and Animal Emotions, by Jaak Panksepp (BSP 65).

• Memory and the Computational Brain: Why Cognitive Science will Transform Neuroscience, by C. R. Gallistel, Adam Philip King (BSP 66).

• The Ego Tunnel: The Science of the Mind and the Myth of the Self,by Thomas Metzinger (BSP 67)

• The Myth of Alzheimer's: What You Aren't Being Told About Today's Most Dreaded Diagnosis, by Peter J. Whitehouse and Daniel George (BSP 68 and Books and Ideas 36).

• The Other Brain: From Dementia to Schizophrenia, How New Discoveries about the Brain Are Revolutionizing Medicine and Science, by R. Douglas Fields (BSP 69).

• 50 Great Myths of Popular Psychology: Shattering Widespread Misconceptions about Human Behavior, by Scott O. Lilienfeld, Steven Jay Lynn, John Ruscio, Barry L. Beyerstein (BSP 70).

• For additional references: follow links to episode show notes.

Announcements:

• The Brain Science Podcast app is now available for both iPhone and ANDROID (NEW!)

• Be sure to subscribe to my Books and Ideas podcast. The next episode will come out in December.

• The next episode of the Brain Science Podcast will come out in January 2010. 

Send me feedback at brainsciencepodcast@gmail.com.

Alzheimer's Disease with Dr. Peter Whitehouse (BSP 68)

Brain Science Podcast 68 is an interview with Dr. Peter Whitehouse, co-author (with Daniel George) ofThe Myth of Alzheimer's: What You Aren't Being Told About Today's Most Dreaded Diagnosis.  Alzheimer's Disease originally referred to a relatively rare form of premature dementia, but in recent decades the diagnosis has been expanded to include patients of all ages. This change is not based on science, and in this interview we talk about why being labeled with with Alzheimer's may be doing older patients more harm than good.

Dr. Whitehouse is one of the pioneering researchers in this field, but advocates devoting resources to helping elders with with a wide range of age-related brain changes.  This interview should be of interest to physicians, scientists, as well as patients and their families.  I will be posting a supplemental interview with Daniel George, the co-author of The Myth of Alzheimer's later this month.  (Learn more at http://booksandideas.com)

How to get this episode:

• Premium Subscribers now have unlimited access to all old episodes and transcripts.

• Buy mp3 for $1.

• Buy Transcript for $1.

• New episodes of the Brain Science Podcast are always FREE.  All episodes posted after January 1, 2013, are free.  See the individual show notes for links the audio files.

Listen in your Favorite Audio app: Audible, Amazon music, Pandora, Spotify, YouTube and many more.

References:

• The Myth of Alzheimer's: What You Aren't Being Told About Today's Most Dreaded Diagnosis, by Peter J. Whitehouse, Daniel George.

• Dementia Reconsidered: the Person Comes First, by Tom Kitwood.

• Self, Senility, and Alzheimer's Disease in Modern America: A History, by Jesse F. Ballenger.

Links:

• Peter Whitehouse, MD: neurologist at Case Western Reserve School of Medicine.

• The Myth of Alzheimer's website (includes a discussion forum).

• The Intergenerational School in Cleveland, OH.

• Tom Kitwood: pioneered the "person-centered" approach to dementia.

• Dr. Alois Alzheimer: described  several cases of premature dementia (around 1901) that seemed to be associated with distinctive brain changes (discovered during autopsy).

• Emil Kraepelin: a contemporary and adversary of Sigmund Freud who introduced the term "Alzheimer's Disease" in his influencial textbook Psychiatry (1910).

• Robert Butler, MD: the first director of the National Institute on Aging.

• Drapetomania: an alleged mental illness invented in 1851 that supposedly caused slaves to run away.  As Dr. Whitehouse observed during his interview, "diseases are not discovered by doctors, they are invented."

Announcements:

• Subscribe to the Books and Ideas podcast to get the extra interview with Daniel George.

• The Brain Science Podcast iPhone application also works on the new iPad, but we are having to re-upload our old episode transcripts.

• Don't forget you can get show notes to each episode automatically if you subscribe to the Brain Science Podcast   Newsletter.

• This podcast is supported by listener donations.

Send feedback to brainsciencepodcast@gmail.com.