Past Episodes
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The 50 most recent episodes are FREE. Premium subscribers have unlimited access to all episodes and transcripts.
Episode 1-10 can now be purchased for download as a single zip file. Other episodes and transcripts may be purchased separately. Please see the episode show notes for links.
Mind Wide Open: A general introduction to why neuroscience matters, based on Mind Wide Open: Your Brain and the Neuroscience of Everyday Life, by Steven Johnson. [Buy BSP 1-10]
On Intelligence: A discussion of On Intelligence, by Jeff Hawkins. [Buy BSP 1-10]
In Search of Memory: Nobel laureate Eric Kandel's excellent introduction to neuroscience. [Buy BSP 1-10]
Nature Versus Nurture: A discussion of The Great Brain Debate: Nature Or Nurture? by John E. Dowling. [Buy BSP 1-10]
Consciousness: A very brief introduction to philosophy of mind. [Buy BSP 1-10]
†The First Idea: The role of emotional signaling in the development of language, based on The First Idea: How Symbols, Language, and Intelligence Evolved from our Primate Ancestors to Modern Humans, by Stanley I. Greenspan, MD and Stuart Shanker, PhD. [Buy BSP 1-10]
Stuart Shanker, PhD on bonobos: Explores what bonobos can teach us about communication. [Buy BSP 1-10]
How Neurons Communicate: A fairly detailed introduction to brain chemistry. [Buy BSP 1-10]
The Future of the Brain: A discussion of the book by Steven Rose. [Buy BSP 1-10]
Neuroplasticity: Exciting discovery that the brain continues to grow and change, based on Train Your Mind, Change Your Brain: How a New Science Reveals Our Extraordinary Potential to Transform Ourselves, by Sharon Begley. [Buy BSP 1-10]
Emotion: A discussion of Emotion: The Science of Sentiment, by Dylan Evans. [Buy mp3 for $1]
Memory: A discussion of Memory: From Mind to Molecules, by Larry R. Squire, PhD and Eric R. Kandel, MD. [Buy mp3 for $1]
Unconscious Decisions: A look at decision-making. [Buy mp3 for $1]
Our First Six Months: A brief review of the first six months. [Buy mp3]
**Read Montague, PhD: Author of Why Choose This Book?: How We Make Decisions. [Buy mp3 for $1]
The Pre-Frontal Lobes: A discussion of The Executive Brain: Frontal Lobes and the Civilized Mind, by Elkhonon Goldberg, PhD. [Buy mp3 for $1]
The Wisdom of the Aging Brain: A discussion of The Wisdom Paradox: How Your Mind Can Grow Stronger As Your Brain Grows Older, by Elkhonon Goldberg, PhD. [Buy mp3 for $1]
**Elkhonon Goldberg, PhD on aging and the brain: how our brain changes as we age, and what we can do about it. [Buy mp3 for $1]
Gut Feelings: A discussion of Gut Feelings: The Intelligence of the Unconscious, by Gerd Gigerenzer. [Buy mp3 for $1]
Louann Brizendine, MD: Author of The Female Brain. [Buy mp3 for $1]
Body Maps: A discussion of The Body Has a Mind of Its Own: How Body Maps in Your Brain Help You Do (Almost) Everything Better, by Sandra Blakeslee and Matthew Blakeslee. [Buy mp3 for $1]
Christof Koch, PhD on Consciousness: Author of The Quest for Consciousness: A Neurobiological Approach. [Buy mp3 for $1]
**Sandra Blakeslee (Follow-up of BSP 21): We discuss plasticity and body maps. [Buy mp3 for $1]
Reading and the Brain: A discussion of Proust and the Squid: The Story and Science of the Reading Brain, by Maryanne Wolf. [Buy mp3 for $2]
Rolf Pfeifer, PhD on embodied intelligence. [Buy mp3 for $1]
Norman Doidge, MD, on Neuroplasticity: Author of The Brain That Changes Itself: Stories of Personal Triumph from the Frontiers of Brain Science. [Buy mp3 for $1]
Edward Taub, PhD: Talks about his revolutionary approach to stroke rehabilitation. [Buy mp3 for $1]
Maryanne Wolf, PhD talks about her book,Proust and the Squid: The Story and Science of the Reading Brain. [Buy mp3 for $2]
The Evolution of Language: A discussion of The First Word: The Search for the Origins of Language, by Christine Kenneally. [Buy mp3 for $1]
Brain Rhythms with György Buzsáki: A discussion of his book, Rhythms of the Brain. [Buy mp3 for $1]
A brief Introduction to Brain Anatomy: Based on Beyond the Zonules of Zinn: A Fantastic Journey Through Your Brain, by David Bainbridge. [Buy mp3 for $1]
John J Ratey, MD: Explains why exercise is essential to brain health. [Buy mp3 for $1]
Rachel Herz, PhD: Discusses her book,The Scent of Desire: Discovering Our Enigmatic Sense of Smell. [Buy mp3 for $1]
Mirror Neurons: A discussion of Mirrors in the Brain: How Our Minds Share Actions, Emotions, and Experience, by Giacomo Rizzolatti, MD and Corrado Sinigaglia, PhD. [Buy mp3 for $1]
Arthur Glenberg, PhD: Explores the role of embodied cognition in language and reading. [Buy mp3 for $1]
John Medina, PhD: Discusses his book, Brain Rules: 12 Principles for Surviving and Thriving at Work, Home, and School. [Buy mp3 for $1]
Jeff Hawkins: Author of On Intelligence, discusses his theory of how the cortex works. [Buy mp3]
Michael Arbib, PhD: Discusses the role of mirror neurons in imitation and language. [Buy mp3 for $1]
Interview with Linguist, Alice Gaby: On the relationship between neuroscience and linguistics. [Buy mp3 for $1]
Discussion of On Being Certain: Believing You Are Right Even When You're Not, by Robert Burton, MD. [Buy mp3 for $1]
**Part 2 of On Being Certain: Interview with Robert Burton, MD. [Buy mp3 for $1]
Interview with Daniel Siegel, MD: About meditation and the brain. [Buy mp3 for $1]
John Ratey, MD: Talks about ADHD. [Buy mp3 for $1]
Live from Dragon*Con 2008: Shella Keilholz, PhD and Jason Schneiderman, PhD discuss brain imaging. [Buy mp3 for $1]
Discussion of Principles of Brain Evolution: by Georg F. Striedter. [Buy mp3 for $1]
Gary Lynch, PhD: Discusses his book Big Brain: The Origins and Future of Human Intelligence. [Buy mp3 for $1]
Interview with Dr. Brenda Milner, pioneering neuroscientist. [Buy mp3 for $1]
Neuroscience 2008: Highlights from the Annual Meeting of the Society for Neuroscience. [Buy mp3 for $1]
Interview with Seth Grant, PhD: A discussion about how proteomics reveals synapse evolution. [Buy mp3 for $1]
Year 2 Review: A look back at Year 2 of the Brain Science Podcast. [Buy mp3]
Free will?: A discussion of Did My Neurons Make Me Do It?: Philosophical and Neurobiological Perspectives on Moral Responsibility and Free Will, by Nancey Murphy and Warren S. Brown. [Buy mp3 for $1]
Michael Merzenich, PhD: Pioneering neuroscientist talks about neuroplasticity. [Buy mp3 for $1]
Patricia Churchland, PhD: An interview about neurophilosophy. [Buy mp3 for $1]
Eve Marder, PhD: From the Society of Neuroscience. [Buy mp3 for $1]
Chris Frith, PhD: Author of Making up the Mind: How the Brain Creates Our Mental World. [Buy mp3 for $1]
Alva Noë, PhD: Author of Out of Our Heads: Why You Are Not Your Brain, and Other Lessons from the Biology of Consciousness. [Buy mp3 for $1]
Guy Caldwell, PhD, from the University of Alabama: Discusses the use of the tiny worm, C elegans, for studying movement disorders. [Buy mp3 for $1]
Stuart Brown, MD (National Institute for Play): Author of Play: How It Shapes the Brain, Opens the Imagination, and Invigorates the Soul. [Buy mp3 for $1]
Allan Jones, PhD (The Allen Institute for Brain Research): On mapping the mouse brain and the human cortex. [Buy mp3 for $1]
Warren Brown, PhD (Fuller Theological Seminary): Co-author of Did My Neurons Make Me Do It? (also discussed in Episode 53). [Buy mp3 for $1]
David Bainbridge, PhD: Talks about his latest book, Teenagers: A Natural History. [Buy mp3 for $1]
Jaak Panksepp, PhD: Author of Affective Neuroscience: The Foundations of Human and Animal Emotions. [Buy mp3 for $1]
Randy Gallistel, PhD: Co-author of Memory and the Computational Brain: Why Cognitive Science Will Transform Neuroscience. [Buy mp3 for $1]
Thomas Metzinger, PhD: Author of The Ego Tunnel: The Science of the Mind and the Myth of the Self. [Buy mp3 for $1]
Peter Whitehouse, MD: Co-author of The Myth of Alzheimer's: What You Aren't Being Told About Today's Most Dreaded Diagnosis. [Buy mp3 for $1]
R. Douglas Fields, PhD: Author of The Other Brain: From Dementia to Schizophrenia, How New Discoveries about the Brain Are Revolutionizing Medicine and Science. [Buy mp3 for $1]
Scott Lilienfeld, PhD: Co-author of 50 Great Myths of Popular Psychology: Shattering Widespread Misconceptions about Human Behavior. [Buy mp3 for $1]
Interview with Stephen Macknik and Susana Martinez-Conde: Authors of Sleights of Mind: What the Neuroscience of Magic Reveals About Our Everyday Deceptions. [Buy mp3 for $1]
Lawrence Shapiro, PhD: Author of Embodied Cognition. [Buy mp3 for $1]
Olaf Sporns, PhD: Author of Networks of the Brain. [Buy mp3 for $1]
David Eagleman, PhD: Author of Incognito: The Secret Lives of the Brain. [Buy mp3 for $1]
Sian Beilock, PhD: Author of Choke: What the Secrets of the Brain Reveal About Getting It Right When You Have To. [Buy mp3 for $1]
Fabrizio Benedetti, MD: Author of Placebo Effects, and The Patient's Brain. [Buy mp3 for $1]
Discussion of Beyond Boundaries: The New Neuroscience of Connecting Brains with Machines---and How It Will Change Our Lives, by Miguel Nicolelis, MD, PhD. [Buy mp3 for $1]
Miguel Nicolelis, MD, PhD: Author of Beyond Boundaries: The New Neuroscience of Connecting Brains with Machines. [Buy mp3 for $1]
Patricia Churchland, PhD: Author of Braintrust: What Neuroscience Tells Us about Morality. [Buy mp3 for $1]
How Mind Emerges from Brain: A Discussion of Who's in Charge? Free Will and the Science of the Brain, by Michael Gazzaniga, PhD. [Buy mp3 for $1]
Mind and Brain, with William Uttal, PhD, Author of Mind and Brain: A Critical Appraisal of Cognitive Neuroscience. [Buy mp3 for $1]
Update on Consciousness Research with Christof Koch, PhD, Author of Consciousness: Confessions of a Romantic Reductionist.. [Buy mp3 for $1]
Sebastian Seung Explores the Brain's Wiring: Interview with Sebastian Seung, PhD, author of Connectome: How the Brain's Wiring Makes Us Who We Are. [Buy mp3 for $1]
Disgust, with Rachel Herz, PhD: Interview with Rachel Herz, PhD, author of That's Disgusting: Unraveling the Mysteries of Repulsion. [Buy mp3 for $1]
Brain Aging with Pamela Greenwood, PhD: Interview with Pamela Greenwood, PhD, co-author of Nurturing the Aging Brain and Mind. [Buy mp3 for $1]
The Self Illusion with Bruce Hood, PhD: Interview with Bruce Hood, PhD, author of The Self Illusion: How The Social Brain Creates Identity. [Buy mp3 for $1]
Mind in Life: Interview with Evan Thompson, PhD, author of Mind in Life: Biology. Phenomenology, and the Sciences of Mind. [Buy mp3 for $1]
Self Comes to Mind: Discussion of Self Comes to Mind, by Antonio Damasio, PhD. [Buy mp3 for $1]
The Origin of Emotions with Jaak Panksepp: Interview with Jaak Panksepp, PhD, Author of The Archaeology of Mind: Neuroevolutionary Origins of Human Emotion. [Buy mp3 for $1]
Sixth Annual Review: Neuroscience Highlights for 2012. FREE: audio mp3.
Pain (Part 1) with Dr. Fernando Cervero, author of Understanding Pain. [Buy mp3 for $2]
How the Brain Makes Meaning: Interview with Benjamin Bergen, PhD, author of Louder Than Words: The New Science of How the Mind Makes Meaning. [Buy mp3 for $2]
Understanding Pain; Part 2 of Discussion begun in Episode 93. [Buy mp3 for $2]
A Skeptic's Guide to the Mind: Interview with Dr. Robert Burton, author of A Skeptic's Guide to the Mind: What Neuroscience Can and Cannot Tell Us About Ourselves. [Buy mp3 for $2]
Neuroanthropology: Interview with Dr. Daniel H. Lende and Dr. Greg Downey, authors of The Encultured Brain: An Introduction to Neuroanthropology. [Buy mp3 for $2]
The Autistic Brain: Discussion of The Autistic Brain: Thinking Across the Spectrum, by Temple Grandin. [Buy mp3 for $2]
Interview with Dr.Temple Grandin, author of The Autistic Brain: Thinking Across the Spectrum. [Buy mp3 for $2]
Brain Fitness with Alvaro Fernandez, co-author of The SharpBrains Guide to Brain Fitness: How to Optimize Brain Health and Performance at Any Age. [Buy mp3 for $2]
Synapse Evolution with Seth Grant: Interview with Dr. Seth Grant. [Buy mp3 for $2]
Dangers of Diagnostic Inflation: Interview with Dr. Allen Frances, Author of Saving Normal: An Insider's Revolt Against Out-of-Control Psychiatric Diagnosis, DSM-5, Big Pharma, and the Medicalization of Ordinary Life . [Buy mp3 for $2]
Connectome Update: Interview with Dr. Olaf Sporns, Author of Discovering the Human Connectome. [Buy mp3 for $2]
Seventh Annual Review: 2013 Neuroscience Highlights. [On sale for $0.50]
Brain Plasticity with Michael Merzenich: Interview with Dr. Michael Merzenich. [Buy mp3 for $2]
The Cognitive-Emotional Brain; Interview with Dr. Luiz Pessoa, author of The Cognitive-Emotional Brain: From Interactions to Integration. [Buy mp3 for $2]
Sleep Science with Penny Lewis: Interview with Dr. Penny Lewis, author of The Secret World of Sleep: The Surprising Science of the Mind at Rest. [Buy mp3 for $2]
Consciousness as Social Perception: Interview with Dr. Michael Graziano, author of Consciousness and the Social Brain. [Buy mp3 for $2]
Avoiding Neuromania: Discussion of the hazards of neuromania, based upon several books, including Brainwashed: The Seductive Appeal of Mindless Neuroscience. Buy mp3 for $2.
Neurobiology for Dummies: Interview with Dr. Frank Amthor, author of Neuroscience for Dummies and Neurobiology for Dummies. Buy mp3 for $2.
Exercise Promotes Plasticity: Interview with Dr. John Ratey, author of Spark: The Revolutionary Science of Exercise and the Brain. FREE audio mp3.
What Do Mirror Neurons Really Do? Interview with Dr. Gregory Hickok, author of The Myth of Mirror Neurons: The Real Neuroscience of Communication and Cognition. FREE audio mp3.
Neuroplasticity and Healing: Discussion of The Dalai Lama's visit to UAB for the scientific symposium on Neuroplasticity and Healing. FREE audio mp3.
Eighth Annual Review Episode: 2014 Neuroscience Highlights. FREE audio mp3.
Eastern Philosophy and Western Neuroscience: Interview with Dr. Evan Thompson, author of Waking, Dreaming, Being: Self and Consciousness in Neuroscience, Meditation, and Philosophy. FREE audio mp3.
Norman Doidge on Brain Plasticity: Interview with Dr. Norman Doidge, author of The Brain's Way of Healing: Remarkable Recoveries and Discoveries from the Frontiers of Neuroscience.
Michael Gazzaniga, Father of Cognitive Neuroscience: Interview with Dr. Michael Gazzaniga, author of Tales from Both Sides of the Brain: A Life in Neuroscience. FREE audio mp3.
Brain Anatomy Revealed: A whirlwind tour of brain anatomy based on the book, Beyond the Zonules of Zinn, by David Bainbridge. FREE audio mp3.
Dr. Ed Taub Revolutionizes Stroke Rehab: The first half of an inteview with Dr. Edward Taub, creator of contraint-induced movement therapy. FREE audio mp3.
More on CI therapy with Dr. Ed Taub: The second half of an interview with Dr. Edward Taub, creator of constraint-induced movement therapy. FREE Audio mp3.
How Do You Feel? with Bud Craig: Interview with Dr. Bud Craig, author of How Do You Feel?: An Interoceptive Moment with Your Neurobiological Self. FREE Audio mp3.
Neurobiology of Placebos: Interview with Dr. Fabrizio Benedetti, author of Placebo Effects: Understanding the Mechanisms in Health and Disease. FREE Audio mp3.
Phenomenology and Embodied Cognition: Interview with Dr. Anthony Chemero, co-author of Phenomenology: An Introduction. FREE Audio mp3.
Neural Reuse and Embodied Cognition: Interview with Dr. Michael Anderson, author of After Phrenology: Neural Reuse and the Interactive Brain. FREE Audio mp3.
9th Annual Review of Neuroscience: Review of some key ideas of each of the 10 episodes released in 2015. FREE Audio mp3.
Andy Clark on Prediction, Action, and the Embodied Mind: Interview with Dr. Andy Clark, author of Surfing Uncertainty: Prediction, Action, and the Embodied Mind. FREE Audio mp3.
Placebo Research Update with Fabrizio Benedetti: Interview with Dr. Fabrizio Benedetti, author of Placebo Effects and The Patient's Brain. FREE Audio mp3.
Primary Consciousness and Experience with Jon Mallatt: Interview with Dr. Jon Mallatt, Co-author of The Ancient Origins of Consciousness. FREE Audio mp3.
Neuropsychology and the Study of Memory: Interview with pioneering neuroscientist, Dr. Brenda Milner. FREE audio mp3.
Ten Year Anniversary, Part One: The Early Years. FREE audio mp3.
Ten Year Anniversary, Part Two: What Is Mind? FREE audio mp3.
Honoring William Uttal's Contributions to Cognitive Neuroscience. FREE audio mp3.
Counting Neurons with Dr. Suzana Herculano-Houzel: Interview with the author of The Human Advantage: How Our Brains Became Remarkable. FREE audio mp3.
Remembering Jaak Panksepp: We remember Jaak Panksepp, pioneer of affective neuroscience. FREE audio mp3.
Lisa Barrett on How Emotions Are Made: Interview with Dr. Lisa Barrett, author of How Emotions Are Made. FREE audio mp3.
Why Reading Science Matters: Discussion of the book, Language at the Speed of Sight, by Dr. Mark Seidenberg. FREE audio mp3.
Seth Grant's Latest Research: Interview with Dr. Seth Grant. FREE audio mp3.
John Medina on Aging Well: Interview with Dr. John Medina, author of Brain Rules for Aging Well: 10 Principles for Staying Vital, Healthy, and Sharp. FREE audio mp3.
Jeff Hawkins explores a new theory of cortical function: Interview with Jeff Hawkins. FREE audio mp3.
Brain Science Review of 2017: Highlights from 2017 and a few ideas from this years annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience. FREE audio mp3.
Memory and Perception: Interview with Dr. Rodrigo Quian Quiroga, author of The Forgetting Machine: Memory, Perception, and the "Jennifer Aniston Neuron." FREE audio mp3.
Michael Graziano explains peripersonal neurons: Interview with Dr. Michael Graziano, author of The Spaces Between Us: A Story of Neuroscience, Evolution, and Human Nature. FREE audio mp3.
Creativity with Dr. Elkhonon Goldberg: Interview with Dr. Elkhonon Goldberg, author of Creativity: The Human Brain in the Age of Innovation. FREE audio mp3.
Language in the brain: Interview with Dr. Angela Friederici, author of Language in Our Brain: The Origins of a Uniquely Human Capacity. FREE audio mp3.
The reading brain with Maryanne Wolf: Interview with Dr. Maryanne Wolf, author of Tales of Literacy for the 21st Century. FREE audio mp3.
Biological Mind with Alan Jasanoff: Interview with Dr.. Alan Jasanoff, author of The Biological Mind: How Brain, Body and Environment Collaborate to Make Us Who We Are. FREE audio mp3.
Lessons from the Lobster: Eve Marder's Work in Neuroscience: Discussion of a biography by Charlotte Nassim. Free audio mp3.
Eve Marder interview (encore from 2009). Free audio mp3.
Dean Burnett on the happy brain: Interview with Dr. Dean Burnett, author of Happy Brain: Where Happiness Comes From, and Why. Free audio mp3.
Explore the synaptome with Seth Grant: Interview with Dr. Seth Grant, author of the new paper, “Architecture of the Mouse Brain Synaptome.” Free audio mp3.
Neuroscience of Emotion: A discussion of The Neuroscience of Emotion: A New Synthesis, by Ralph Adolphs and David J. Anderson. Free audio mp3.
Twelfth Annual Review Episode: A look back at topics covered in 2018. Free mp3.
Understanding the Brain with John Dowling: Interview with Dr. John Dowling, author of Understanding the Brain: From Cells to Behavior to Cognition. Free mp3.
Successful Aging with Psychologist Alan Castel: Interview with Dr. Alan Castel, author of Better with Age: The Psychology of Successful Aging. Free mp3.
Neuroscience and AI with Paul Middlebrooks: Interview with Dr. Paul Middlebrooks, creator and host of the Brain Inspired podcast. Free mp3.
Can fMRI Read Your Mind?: Interview with Dr. Russell Poldrack, author of The New Mind Readers: What Neuroimaging Can and Cannot Reveal about Our Thoughts. Free mp3.
Donald G MacKay, author of Remembering: What 50 Years of Research with Famous Amnesia Patient H.M. Can Teach Us about Memory and How It Works. Free mp3.
Patricia Churchland discusses her latest book Conscience: The Origins of Moral Intuition. Free mp3.
Kevin J Mitchell, author of Innate: How the Wiring of Our Brains Shapes Who We Are. Free mp3.
Neuroscience of Consciousness (part 1). Free mp3.
Joseph LeDoux, author of The Deep History of Ourselves: The Four-Billion-Year Story of How We Got Conscious Brains. Free mp3.
Michael Graziano, author of Rethinking Consciousness: A Scientific Theory of Subjective Experience. Free mp3.
Christof Koch, author of The Feeling of Life Itself: Why Consciousness Is Widespread but Can't Be Computed. Free mp3.
Thirteenth Annual Review Episode: Free mp3.
Encore of interview with Stephen Macknik and Susana Martinez-Conde about the neuroscience of magic. Free mp3.
Stephen Macknik describes a new visual prosthesis. Free mp3.
Stanislas Dehaene, author of How We Learn: Why Brains Learn Better Than Any Machine . . . for Now; Free mp3.
Cecilia Heyes, author of Cognitive Gadgets: The Cultural Evolution of Thinking; free mp3.
Encore of interview with Doug Fields about glial cells and his book The Other Brain: The Scientific and Medical Breakthroughs That Will Heal Our Brains and Revolutionize Our Health; Free mp3.
Andreas Nieder, author of A Brain for Numbers: The Biology of the Number Instinct; Free mp3.
Matthew Cobb, author of The Idea of the Brain: The Past and Future of Neuroscience; Free mp3.
György Buzsáki, author of The Brain from Inside Out; Free mp3.
The most recent 50 episodes are FREE. Premium subscribers have unlimited access to all episodes and transcripts.
Episode 1-10 can now be purchased for download as a single zip file. Other episodes may be purchased for $1-3 each.
