Both Sides of the Paranormal Debate?

Personally, I have very little interest in the paranormal or parapsychology, but I have to commend Alex Tsakiris of the Skeptiko podcast for presenting interviews from both sides of the debate.  Alex clearly does believe that parapsychology is a valid science, but his podcast is surprisingly balanced.  I think it is very valuable to listen to what those with different viewpoints have to say, and there are a surprising number of scientists devoted to trying to find replicable data in the field.

When we consider findings like those that show that meditation leads to measurable changes in the brain, we realize that current mechanistic models may be incomplete.  My focus is on mainstream neuroscience, but I think it is useful to try to be aware of other approaches.  For one thing, it helps us to see more clearly where the holes are and where we need to ask more questions.

Neuroplasticity: A Review of its Discovery (BSP 10)

In this episode of the Brain Science Podcast we explore the recent research that has established, contrary to long-standing dogma, that our brains our able to change throughout our lives, based on our experience.

How to get this episode:

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

• Buy BSP 1-10 (zip file of mp3 files)

• Transcripts: BSP 1-14

• 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.

Show Notes

The reference for this episode is Train Your Mind, Change Your Brain: How a New Science Reveals Our Extraordinary Potential to Transform Ourselves, by Sharon Begley.  This book describes the 2004 meeting between the Dalai Llama and several leading neuroscientists.  To learn more about these meetings, go to the Mind and Life Institute website.  All the studies that I mention in the podcast are referenced in the back of the book.

List of the some of the scientists and their work:

• Michael Meany- McGill University: He has shown that the way that a mother rat treats her babies determine which genes in the baby's brain are turned on and which are turned off.

• Fred Gage- the Salk Institute:  His work with lab animals showed that adult brains do change.  (more from Google)

• Helen Neville-University of Oregon: She has shown that the auditory and visual cortices are rewired in people who are born blind or deaf.

• Phillip Shaver-UC-Davis: He is a pioneer in attachment theory: how people's sense of emotional security, acquired in childhood, affects their adult behavior, including their response to other ethnic groups and their willingness to help others.

• Richard Davidson-Wisconsin:  He has done studies showing how the brain is changed by meditation.

• Edward Taub- University of Alabama in Birmingham:  He helped develop a revolutionary treatment for stroke victims.

• Jeffery Schwartz-UCLA:  He has used mindfulness meditation to treat obsessive compulsive disorder, showing that meditation can change the brain in beneficial ways.

• Jon Kabat-Zinn- University of Massachusetts:  He has done many years of work using mindfulness meditation to treat stress related diseases.

• Michael Merzenich:  Pioneer researcher who also founded FastForward™ and Posit Science™.

More Links of Interest:

• Fast Forword™ Treatment for Dsylexia.

• Imposed Constraint Treatment for Stroke.

• Auto CITE at the VA.

  1. Stroke Registry Clinical Trials.

  2. Taub Therapy at UAB.

• Treatment of anxiety disorders with Mindfulness Meditation.

• Dr. Jeffery Schwartz.

• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Depression.

• Brain Changes are different from those caused by medications.

  1. more Google links on how the brain changes.

I am sure this list is incomplete.  If you have a question or comment about a topic mentioned on the show, leave a comment below, or send me email at brainsciencepodcast@gmail.com.

Review: "The Future of the Brain" (BSP 9)

Show Notes for Episode 9

This episode is a discussion of The Future of the Brain: The Promise and Perils of Tomorrow's Neuroscience, by British neuroscientist, Steven Rose.  Unlike most episodes of the Brain Science Podcast, the emphasis of this episode is on asking what kind of ethical dilemmas might be posed by our increased knowledge of how the brain works.

Topics discussed:

• Why the mind is more than the brain.

• Why the mind is more than genetics and biochemistry.

• How we still have a long way to go before we can fully understand how the brain-body generates the mind.

• Problems and dangers of reductionism.

• Implications for freedom and personal responsibility.

• Examples from the history of science that demonstrate why these concerns are valid.

• The "Paradox of Memory."

• Some email from listeners.

One issue I only mention briefly on the podcast is Rose's attack on evolutionary psychology.  If you are interested in learning more about this, you might want to read the transcript of a debate between Steven Rose and Stephen Pinker, which was held in 1998.  It is on the Edge website, which is an interesting website even though it lacks an RSS feed.

How to get this episode:

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

• Buy BSP 1-10 (zip file of mp3 files)

• Transcripts: BSP 1-14

• 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.

The Sci Phi Show: Interview of David Chalmers about Consciousness

On the Brain Science Podcast #5 I talked about Consciousness and mentioned that David Chalmers is a proponent of a modern version of dualism and also quite concerned with what he calls the "hard problem;" which is explaining the subjective nature of consciousness, which he has called qualia.  If you would like to hear him explain some of these ideas himself, I suggest you listen to Jason Rennie's interview of David Chalmers on The Sci Phi Show  Outcast #36.

One thing that surprised me in the interview was that he actually defined consciousness as subjective awareness.

I  don't share Chalmers' views on these issues, but I think is a good interview, because Jason always lets his guest speak for themselves.

Futures in Biotech: MS and the Myelin Repair Foundation

Futures in Biotech

On the latest episode (#14, posted on 3/23/07) of Futures in Biotech, host Marc Pelletier talks with the founder and scientists from the Myelin Repair Foundation.  The MRF is pioneering a new collaborative form of research aimed at developing treatments for multiple sclerosis, which is a disease where the myelin insulation of neurons is destroyed in an intermittent and unpredictable manner.

As of March 24, there are no show notes on the website; but I will mention that although this podcast appears fairly irregularly,  it often has interviews with leading-edge scientists in the biotech field.  One of my favorite interviews was Episode 10 with Harvard neurobiologist, Dr. Carla Shatz.

I Need Some Feedback About Books and Ideas

This post is a request for listener feedback.  When I started podcasting in December, 2006, I started two podcasts simultaneously, the Brain Science Podcast and Books and Ideas.  My original intention was to use Books and Ideas as a more personal podcast, and as a place to put material that didn't fit into the Brain Science Podcast.

However, Books and Ideas has evolved into discussion of  non-fiction books.  Needless, to say this requires significant preparation time.  Meanwhile as the Brain Science Podcast has grown, I am struggling to find the time to prepare both shows, since I do everything (including audio editing and web design) myself.

So, I am forced to admit that I can't continue to put out Books and Ideas twice a month.  Yet I still want to keep the feed alive since I think there is already some good stuff there and I still need an outlet for non-brain content.

I would appreciate your feedback and ideas.

How Neurons Communicate: A Detailed Introduction (BSP 8)

When I started preparing for this week's episode I realized that before I could discuss neurotransmitters (brain chemicals) I would need to discuss some basic information about how neurons work. Thus this episode is rather long and technical, but hopefully understandable to those who are new to the field. I am including more detailed show notes than I usually do, along with the approximate times for the main sections, in case there is a particular topic you want to go back and review.

How to get this episode:

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

• Buy BSP 1-10 (zip file of mp3 files)

• Transcripts: BSP 1-14

• 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.

The main source for this episode was the textbook, From Neuron to Brain: A Cellular and Molecular Approach to the Function of the Nervous System, Fourth Edition (2001)

Topic Outline:

2:39-11:33 Neuronal signaling-the basics of electrical and chemical signaling types of signaling-electrical and chemical introducing the synapse the importance of membrane proteins

11:55 - 13:03   A bried discussion of how the brain differs from a  digital computer

13:3 3-13:50   Definition of neurotransmitters-

13:56 -22:10   How neurotransmitters interact with receptors in the synapse

-direct and indirect  chemical synapses-why they are important

-neuromuscular junction-an example of a direct chemical synapse

-the importance of synaptic delay

-the role of second messengers in indirect chemical synapses

-release and recycling of neurotransmitters

22:25 -29:42 Types of Neurotransmitters and how they work-with examples

-how neuropeptides differ from low molecular weight neurotransmitters

-a little about how drugs work

29:58 - 41:54  How Neurotransmitters function in the Central Nervous System-with examples

-Glutamate is the key excitatory neurotransmitter in the brain

-an aside about Nutrasweet™ (30:33)

-glycine and GABA are inhibitatory

-acetycholine (33:32-34:34)

-discussion of Molecules of Emotion by Candace Pert (35:30-36:55)

-serotonin

-histamine

-dopamine and Parkinson's disease

42:07 - 43:36  Closing Summary

Why Quantum Mechanics Can't Explain Consciousness

Quantum mechanics can't explain consciousness, and I am going to explore why.

The reason I bring this up is that many people seem to be worried that the mounting evidence that the brain generates the mind implies that free will can not exist.  Of course, most of us feel strongly that we do have free will.  Various arguments are put forth to "save" free will. (I am not going to tackle the claim that it needs saving in this post.)  One recent approach has been to use the uncertainty inherent in quantum mechanics as a potential location for free will.  John Searle has observed that this only gives us randomness, not free will, but that doesn't seem to reduce the appeal of such an approach.

Today I wish to argue against using quantum mechanics to explain any aspect of consciousness by considering and entirely different point of view.  My argument is simple: I think trying to use quantum mechanics is taking the argument in the wrong direction.

Consciousness is clearly an emergent property.  The latest evidence is that there is no master site of consciousness or control in the brain.  If that is the case looking to the subatomic level is clearly a move in the wrong direction.  It makes as much sense as trying to understand the properties of water by studying hydrogen and oxygen.  Because water emerges from the combination of the two, studying its components tells us little about water.

Latest Episode of Books and Ideas Posted in Brain Science Podcast Feed

This week's episode of Books and Ideas is a discussion of the book, Challenging Nature: The Clash of Science and Spirituality at the New Frontiers of Life , with author Lee M. Silver of Princeton University.  I have inserted it into the Brain Science Podcast feed so that listeners can sample my second podcast. If you are already subscribed to both podcasts this will be a duplicate, which you can delete.

Highlights from Other Science Podcasts

I recently posted a list of some of my favorite science podcasts.  Today I want to mention a few recent episodes that I think are worth listening to.

First, on March 8th, the BBC 4 podcast, In Our Time, did an excellent review of the history of microbiology.  Host Melvyn Bragg is joined by John Dupré, Professor of Philosophy of Science and Director of Egenis, the ESRC Centre for Genomics in Society, at Exeter University, Anne Glover, Chief Scientific Adviser for Scotland and Professor of Molecular and Cell Biology at Aberdeen University, and Andrew Mendelsohn, Senior Lecturer in the History of Science and Medicine at Imperial College, University of London.

Jason Rennie ofThe Sci Phi Show has a reputation for getting interviews with many diverse people, usually on subjects related to philosophy.  This week he posted two episode on the philosophy of science.  Outcast #33 is an interview with Steve Fuller about Thomas Kuhn and Sir Karl Popper, who made important contributions to the philosophy of science during the 20th century.  Outcast #34 is a discussion with Dr. Del Ratzsch about the philosophy of science.  His viewpoint on the conflict between science and religion is different from mine, but it is still an interesting interview.

Has Science Made Metaphysics Obsolete?

Alan Saunders of the Philosopher's Zone

Ever since the logical positivists in the early 20th century, there has been a debate over whether science has made metaphysics obsolete.  Is science all we need to describe and understand the ultimate meaning of reality?  Even those who consider themselves philosophers of science can't agree on the answer to this question.

Metaphysics and its relation to science is the starting point for the discussion on this week's Philosophers Zone​ podcast.  This is an excellent podcast, that is enjoyable no matter what your level of knowledge is of philosophy.  It is put out by the Australian version of public radio and the website includes full transcripts of each episode.

Review of "The First Idea" by Shanker & Greenspan (BSP 6)

Episode 6 of the Brain Science Podcast is a discussion of The First Idea: How Symbols, Language, And Intelligence Evolved from Our Primate Ancestors to Modern Humans, by Stanley I. Greenspan, MD and Stuart G. Shanker, DPhil.

I wanted to talk about emotion, but I generally base the Brain Science Podcast on my current reading; which is why I chose this rather difficult book that touches on psychology, child development, evolution, and theories about the emergence of language and intelligence.

The basic premise which is discussed in the podcast is that emotional signaling is the basis for the emergence of language and intelligence.  Evidence supporting this hypothesis is discussed, as is how the theory challenges long-standing theories about language and intelligence.

How to get this episode:

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

• Buy BSP 1-10 (zip file of mp3 files)

• Transcripts: BSP 1-14

• 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.

Consciousness: A Brief Introduction to Philosophy of Mind (BSP 5)

Show Notes for BSP 5

Until the last few decades the question of consciousness fascinated philosophers, but was considered off-limits to science; but the discoveries of the last few decades have brought consciousness into the realm of neuroscience.  Scientists such as Nobel Prize Winner, Francis Crick, have proposed that the brain has “neural correlates of consciousness.”  (Francis Crick,  Astonishing Hypothesis, 1994.)  This episode is an introduction to the topic.

After considering the definition of consciousness, I introduce some of the classical questions of the philosophy of the mind:

• The "hard problem" (proposed by David Chalmers):  How does the physical brain create subjective experience.
• Dualism: Is there some aspect of mind that is not physical?
• Free will: If the brain creates consciousness, can we still have free will?

I also introduce several famous thought experiments:

• Mary the color scientist (Frank Jackson,1982).  Chalmers has argued that the subjective qualities of experience, which he calls qualia, can not be explained by what the brain does.
• What is it like to be a bat?    (Thomas Nagel)  Do qualia exist?
• The philosopher’s zombie:  Chalmers argues that a robot could exist that looks and acts just like us but that is “dark inside.”
• John Searle’s Chinese Room:  An argument against what he calls “strong” artificial intelligence."  Listen to John Searle argue against dualism onThe Philosopher's Zone.

Philosopher Daniel Dennett rejects the existence of both qualia and zombies, and argues that the hard problem does not exist.  To me, the interesting question is whether these arguments will be answered or made obsolete by scientific discoveries.

Perhaps the hard problem will disappear.  I consider how the discovery of neurotransmitters has changed our understanding of the role of emotions in consciousness.  We now know that neurotransmitters provide two-way signaling between our brains and the rest of our bodies, producing our experiences of emotions and feelings.  Though there is still a tendency to regard logic as superior to emotion, researchers like Antonio Damasio are showing that emotions play an essential part in decision-making and other aspects of intelligence.

Philosophers are not the only ones unwilling to let go the idea that consciousness is a mystery that can’t be explained; but those philosophers who keep up with the science can help science ask new questions.

How to get this episode:

• Premium Subscribers now have unlimited access to all old episodes and transcripts.
• Buy BSP 1-10 (zip file of mp3 files)
• Transcripts: BSP 1-14
• 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.

References:

I will continue to introduce books about consciousness on future podcasts.  Susan Blackmore writes books for general audiences, so I have listed a few of hers below.

• Consciousness: A Very Short Introduction,  by Susan Blackmore:  I haven’t read this yet, but it looks like a good first book if you want something short.
• Consciousness: An Introduction, by Susan Blackmore:  This is actually a textbook, but it was one of the first books I read.  It is a very thorough introduction, with a good mix of philosophy and science.
• Conversations on Consciousness: What the Best Minds Think about the Brain, Free Will, and What It Means to Be Human, by Susan Blackmore:  Here Blackmore interviews almost everybody in the field, including Francis Crick shortly before he died.  Here you can read a great diversity of views on the questions brought up in this episode.
• Astonishing Hypothesis: The Scientific Search for the Soul, by Francis Crick.

Review of "The Great Brain Debate" (BSP 4)

The debate about the relative contributions of nature versus nurture has probably been going on as long as humans have wondered about the origins of human behavior.  In his 2004 book, The Great Brain Debate: Is it Nature or Nurture?, Harvard neuroscientist, John E Dowling, describes how recent discoveries about brain development shed light on this controversy.  Episode 4 of the Brain Science Podcast discusses the main ideas of Dowling’s book.

How to get this episode:

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

• Buy BSP 1-10 (zip file of mp3 files)

• Transcripts: BSP 1-14

• 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.

Send me feedback at brainsciencepodcast@gmail.com.

Review of Eric Kandel's "In Search of Memory" (BSP 3)

Show Notes for Episode 3:  In Search of Memory, by Eric R Kandel

Dr. Eric R. Kandel won the Nobel Prize for Medicine in 2000 for his work with the giant marine snail Aplysia.  His work helped uncovered the molecular mechanisms of short- and long-term memory.

In this episode, I talk about Dr. Kandel’s autobiography, In Search of Memory: The Emergence of a New Science of Mind.  The focus of the podcast is what has been learned about how memory works.  A key principle is that the molecular mechanisms of memory are the same in all animals, including people.

There is lots of good information on the web about Aplysia’s role in understanding learning and memory.  If you know of a particularly good website for non-specialists, please leave a comment on this page.  

How to get this episode:

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

• Buy BSP 1-10 (zip file of mp3 files)

• Transcripts: BSP 1-14

• 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.

Send me feedback at brainsciencepodcast@gmail.com.

Review of "On Intelligence" by Jeff Hawkins (BSP 2)

I first reviewed On Intelligence by Jeff Hawkins for The Sci Phi Show.  I am including that review here.  Also in this episode, I consider some of the topics I hope to discuss in future episodes.  Besides intelligence, we will be considering consciousness, emotions and feelings, the role of vision in brain research, and what we can learn from people with brain damage and memory.

Please send me email or leave comments suggesting what topics you want to here about.

How to get this episode:

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

• Buy BSP 1-10 (zip file of mp3 files)

• Transcripts: BSP 1-14

• 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.

Review of "Mind Wide Open" (BSP 1)

This episode is a review of Mind Wide Open: Your Brain and the Neuroscience of Everyday Life (2005) by Steven Johnson.

How to get this episode:

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

• Buy BSP 1-10 (zip file of mp3 files)

• Transcripts: BSP 1-14

• New episodes of the Brain Science Podcast are always FREE.  See the individual show notes for links the audio files.

• Click here to learn more about Premium content.

Here are some other podcasts worth listening to:

• Futures in Biotech Episode 10: Dr. Carla Shatz on the Human Brain: Interview with Dr. Carla Shatz, Department Chair and Nathan Marsh Pusey, Professor of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School.

• Antonio Damasio, University of Southern California: “Advances on the Neurobiology of Emotion: Taking Stock”   Recorded for the Princeton University Podcasts 2006 on 11/16/2006.

Send me feedback at brainsciencepodcast@gmail.com.

Introducing the Brain Science Podcast with Ginger Campbell, MD

Episode 0 is a brief introduction to the Brain Science Podcast.

I have removed this episode from my feed. The Brain Science Podcast feed is available here.