Memory, Learning, the Self

Have you ever stopped to ponder what it means to be a human, or what is human being? We might look to certain cognitive abilities, from Memory, and language, to the self, or personality. There seem to be a number of unique human abilities. In my own research on memory and language, I'm amazed by how the line for what qualifies as autobiographical memory or language production changes as animals like scrub jays seem to show, what, where and when knowledge, or bonobos learn hundreds of lexigrams. These fundamental aspects of human thought and cognition have been pondered and explored since antiquity. Beginning with philosophers and more recently neuroscientists, researchers have been probing the mind and now the brain for answers. Today I speak with Calvin Trisolini about "humanness" and what it means "to be".

Ten Facts You Didn’t Know About Learning And Brains! #5 Will Literally Make Your Head Explode!

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Haverford Ultimate

Music is provided by http://freemusicarchive.org/ - Scott Gratton - "A Way to Get By" and offered by the Creative Commons License

Neuroscience of Love

What is love? Baby don't hurt me, don't hurt me no more. While that song may not have been written with the purpose of describing love and the brain, it appears that Haddaway wasn't far off. Love is addictive, love is obsessive, love is prone to poor decision-making, and love seems to come down to a particular mix of chemicals in your brain. While it seems odd to pull love out of the heart and put it in the brain, recent research from neuroscience is indicating an integral role of the brain in different types of love. Today I speak with Allie Gibbons about how the brain changes as you fall both into and out of love.

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What Neuroscience Says: 7 Things That Happen In Your Brain When You Fall In Love

Music is provided by http://freemusicarchive.org/ - Snake Oil Salesmen - "Lungs, Ribs and Heart" and offered by the Creative Commons License

Love Potion #10

Trouble in the dating world? Oxytocin is a naturally occurring hormone that is strongly linked to facilitating human bonding and relationships. Dubbed the “cuddle” or “love” hormone by the popular press, it has recently even earned attention for its role in promoting trust. Rather than struggle through the dating scene unjuiced, try Love Potion Number 10. Our unique chemical formula is the strongest, most effective and enhanced version of the hormone.

So, hold your nose, close your eyes, and take a drink of Love Potion Number 10, 9, 10, 10, no it's 10, not 9, its 10 because it's better. It's not Number 9, it's 10 and its based on SCIENCE. Love Potion Number 10.

Disclaimer: This is a work of satire. In the tradition of A Prairie Home Companion, this ad, among others, will form the backbone of the underwriting and sponsorship of my podcast.

Music and the Brain 2

Few experiences are as immersive as listening to music. You can listen to music and get completely lost in time and space as it washes over your body. At the same time, music can transport you back through time and space to a previous experience and re-live it as if it were the present. Today I'm speaking with Brandon Valentin about the power of music and music's effect on the brain.

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The Power of Music

Buzzfeed ASRM

BVAL Soundcloud

Music is provided by Brandon Valentin - Brandon Valentin - "Viva La Vienna (BVAL Mashup)"

Bilingualism

Somewhere around 20% of the US population is bilingual and that number is steadily increasing. Besides being able to speak more than one language, years of research has indicated that bilingualism has a number of other advantages, from understanding and appreciating cultural references, to opening up new job opportunities, and even being able to express yourself in a number of different forms or personalities. Language and thought are so closely intertwined, it raises the question of how the brains of monolingual speakers and bilingual speakers are different. Today, I speak with Shantal Taveras about bilingualism, the brain and both the advantages, and generally unrecognized disadvantages of bilingualism.

Bilingualism

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Music is provided by http://freemusicarchive.org/ - Dinosaur Jugnot - "Don't Look Too Much" and offered by the Creative Commons License

Neuroscience and Hitting a Baseball

As you step up to the plate you're not only entering a batter's box, but you're entering a mental chess match with the pitcher. He's studied your tendencies, you've watched his and in less than half a seconds time you have to try to figure out where to put your bat in order to hit the ball. The best baseball players in the world fail at a rate between 60 and 70 percent of the time. That's why some of the quotes by players on hitting sound almost magical:
You can't think and hit at the same time - Yogi Berra
Its's a round ball and a round bat, and you got to hit it square. - Pete Rose
Hitting is timing. Pitching is upsetting time. - Warren Spahn
The more pitches you see, the more dangerous you become. - Hawk Harrelson

Today I speak with Spencer Sohmer about baseball, hitting and the brain. We discuss how findings from neuroscience and cognitive psychology may provide insight into how a baseball player should approach the plate.

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Neuroscience of Hitting

Haverford Baseball - April 2nd @Johns Hopkins and April 5th Home against Swarthmore

Music is provided by http://freemusicarchive.org/ - Michael Howard - "Raven King" and offered by the Creative Commons License

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

In the emotion and memory episode we learned about the boost in consolidation and recall that emotion can give to memories. But what happens when that process goes awry and the emotional boost becomes a runaway positive feedback loop of a negative memory, an emotional state and physical arousal. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a very common mental health condition triggered by experiencing or seeing a terrifying event affecting over 3 million people a year. PTSD so far has no cure and can last many months or years with triggers bringing back a memory to the present along with the intense emotional and physical experiences that accompanied the original experience. Today I speak with Madison Skerritt, about PTSD and the brain.

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PTSD, Triggers, and Treatments

Daniela Palombo - Twitter, Website

Music is provided by http://freemusicarchive.org/ - Audiobinger - "Memory Lane" and offered by the Creative Commons License

Music and the Brain

Music seems to be one of the oldest and most fundamental actions of human beings. Music plays a part in almost every important function or gathering that we take part in across our lives from celebrations to graduations, to weddings and finally funerals. Music doesn't just happen in isolation though, it can be used to affect us in many ways. Today I speak with Heather Robinson about music and the brain.

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10 Things You Probably Didn't Know about Music and the Brain

The Elephant Pants

Amy Belfi - Website, Twitter

Music is provided by http://freemusicarchive.org/ - Jazz at Mladost Club - "Song for Bilbao" and offered by the Creative Commons License

Post-Decisional Dissonance

Apple or Samsung? Chevy or Ford? Everyday we make dozens of choices, often times between two almost equivalent options. But after we make our choices, we'll sometimes start to wonder if we actually made the right choice. In order to stop feeling bad, we'll look to all the positives of the thing we did buy and all the negatives of the thing we didn't choose. If we don't follow this process and stay stuck in the bad feelings then we experience post-decisional dissonance. Today on the podcast I speak with Hassan Ahamed about decision-making, the brain and what happens after we make a decision.

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The Neuroscience of Decision-Making

Maintool - Making all watches smart

Music is provided by http://freemusicarchive.org/ - Gabriel Vigliensoni - "Animaux" and offered by the Creative Commons License

Concussions on Your Mind

Concussion and mild traumatic brain injuries have been playing a huge role in the news cycle recently. From Will Smith's movie Concussion about Bennet Omalu and his work on chronic traumatic encephalopathy to the NFL's announcement that concussions are tied to brain damage, to most recently the finding that the NFL has missed 100s of concussions in their own studies, we've been seeing concussion work everywhere. Concussions are one of the most prevalent injuries and they do not discriminate by age, sex, occupation or any other demographic. Today I speak with Alissa Valentine about recent concussion research.

Cincinnati Children's Hospital

Scientific American

What Do You Really Know About Concussions?


Music is provided by http://freemusicarchive.org/ - CuzOh - "Out to Win" and offered by the Creative Commons License

Color Perception

Last year, the dress that blew up the internet was a shining moment for vision researchers and others who study color perception. Finally, the general public was asking, "Why do I see colors differently from my friends" and the scientists were more than happy to oblige them. Today, Claudia Amaral and I speak about color perception, its similarities and differences across individual people and cultures.

"The Dress" wired.com

Around the one year anniversary of the dress, a new phenomenon started to sweep the internet, with "The Jacket." We also disscuss the BBC documentary, Do you See What I See, from the BBC. You can test your color perception for color blindness here and color hue test here.

6 Things You Didn't Know About Color Perception

Music is provided by http://freemusicarchive.org/ - Trevor Flowers and Iheka Chama - Mandingo Tribe

Emotional Memories

How many of your past memories are neutral, just boring old everyday memories? Probably not that many. Researchers have found a so called emotional bump or boost to memories that help encode memories better and aid in recall as well. Today I'll speak with Caroline Bach who is studying how emotion and memory interact in the brain.

The Science Behind Emotional Memories

Background music is A New Beginning by Ben Sound and offered by the Creative Commons License

Because I'm Happy

What makes you truly happy? Are you generally a happy person? Happiness is one of the oldest emotions to be studied but was long ignored by the scientific community. Maybe it was because of its frivolousness, or maybe it was because its difficult to find happiness in animal models? Recently, happiness research has entered a renaissance as researchers turn to functional imaging and other new techniques to look inside the brain while we experience pleasantness, pleasure and everything this side of happy. I speak with Dita Cavdarbasha about happiness and the brain.

Happiness and the Brain

Music is provided by Ben Sound and called, "Country Boy" and offered through the Creative Commons License 

Bird Brains Helmet

Bird Brains! No one want to have bird brains, well, now maybe you do. Research on woodpeckers has found that slight restriction of the jugular vein keeps a little more brain in your skull so your brain doesn't slosh around so much. Without this sloshing, clinical trials has found a significant reduction in the number and severity of concussion like syndromes. With bird brains helmet, you'll be able to be like a woodpecker out on the field and hit your head against hard objects all day, everyday.

Disclaimer: This is a work of satire. In the tradition of A Prairie Home Companion, this ad, among others, will form the backbone of the underwriting and sponsorship of my podcast.

Fear, Phobias and the Amygdala

Almost everyone is afraid of something and almost everyone has had a frightening experience. Of all the emotions we experience, none feel quite as primordial as the breath catching, heart-rate rocketing, muscle tensing moment of fear. In today's show I talk to Yannick Villaneuva who is researching the brain and its role in fears and phobias.

How Phobias Hack Your Brain

Music is provided by The Amygdaloids - Brainstorm - The Amygdaloids are lead by fear researcher Joe Ledoux

Color Tinted Glasses

Are you color blind? How do you know? Well search for the Ishihara Color Test plates right now and then come back. Alright, so did you get a lot of questions wrong, then these glasses are for you. Color Tinted Glasses filter visible light to compensate for your deficient photoreceptors. It doesn't matter if your green or M-cones are shifted to the right or your red L-cones are shifted to the left, our glasses use patent pending technology to filter out light between where your L and M-cones are close to overlapping to give you more distinct green and red perception. With Color Tinted Glasses you'll be able to use more than the brightness and positioning of the lights at a stoplight. Color Tinted Glasses, see the whole spectrum.

Disclaimer: This is a work of satire. In the tradition of A Prairie Home Companion, this ad, among others, will form the backbone of the underwriting and sponsorship of my podcast.

Lie to Me - Facial Recognition and Emotion Detection

Do you have trouble reading others' emotions? Can you not see into their soul through their eyes. Well worry no more. Lie to Me, based on the fundamental work of Paul Eckman, recognizes facial expressions and emotions and even tells you whether the emotion on the face matches their emotion that their feeling with over 50% accuracy. This technology will revolutionize the business world, the dating scene and everything in between. Don't get lost in emotions again and dare people to Lie to Me.


Disclaimer: This is a work of satire. In the tradition of A Prairie Home Companion, this ad, among others, will form the backbone of the underwriting and sponsorship of my podcast.

PC - Pocket Computer

PC you ask, personal computer? No one uses those any more with phones, phablets, tablets, 2 in 1s, and laptop. Well, the pocket computer is all of those and none of those. Its an AI in your pocket and in your ear. Pocket computer is constantly listening and remembering. "Do you remember what we're doing on Friday?" You don't, but PC does and it lets you know instantaneously! Do you need help speaking with someone in another language, PC translates their speech and tells you how to speak back to them! Who needs a brain in your head, when you have one in your pocket, the PC, pocket computer.

Disclaimer: This is a work of satire. In the tradition of A Prairie Home Companion, this ad, among others, will form the backbone of the underwriting and sponsorship of my podcast.

Dopa-MINE

Do you feel down or maybe blue, then this drug is for you. Don't waste your time with traditional anti-depressants, because this isn't one. This the the happy pill for everyone, everyday. Think of your happiest moments in life. How often do they occur? Every few weeks, months, maybe years. Well take those times and make them everyday. Targeting your brain's hedonic and eudaimonic networks, out pill makes everyday a happy day.

Disclaimer: This is a work of satire. In the tradition of A Prairie Home Companion, this ad, among others, will form the backbone of the underwriting and sponsorship of my podcast.

Viral and Translational Neuroscience

As my classes work continues to be shared across the internet we have to ponder what we've done. What is the role of science communication? Are we making something that is both entertaining and educational or are we losing one at the cost of the other? In the few days since we started sharing our posts the videos, infographics and buzzfeed materials have been accessed and shared hundreds of times. Probably our biggest lesson is that these creations are not static, on part of our job as scientists and creators is to continue to interact with those who consume our "viral" infotainment. Below are questions that students are considering as their work continues to be shared.

Do you think that you’ve accurately translated your research for the public? Is there any nuance that was left out or glossed over? In the process of translation, what was easy for you and what was difficult for you?

Did you include citations like you would in a research article or did you link to the research or did you leave off citations completely? Do you think there will be a difference in what is shared between how much “evidence” is included?

How much writing is a part of your project? Did you try to communicate through what you wrote, the media you incorporated or a mixture of both? Do you think the message that you tried to communicate is more easily understood through the media or what you wrote?

The most viral content in neuroscience usually is about a neuromyth (e.g., are you left- or right-brained) or attempting to explain how some part of the brain contributes to an entertaining behavior (e.g., your brain when you look at Facebook). Is your topic something that people want to share? Are we limited in what people want to learn about neuroscience?

Do you think there are any copyright issues we have to be aware of when creating these projects? Falling under the umbrella of education everything should be considered fair use, however by using sites like buzzfeed, imgur, and youtube, if we created truly viral content and sent people to these sites, I would assume they would make advertising money, is that a problem?

Considering how our brain plays a role in almost everything we do, should we require a minimal understanding of neuroscience across all fields? As we’re considering in our debates on education and law, what role does neuroscience play in your topic? Did it feel like a stretch trying to find a neuroscientific explanation?

Viral Neuroscience

This semester in Cognitive Neuroscience at Haverford College we're exploring the role of neuroscience in society. On the first day of class we participated in two experiments that had previously demonstrated that neuroscience can be seductively appealing and affect our perceptions of the quality of the explanation provided. With that as a backdrop, we then explored the history of neuroscience, in particular paying attention to a few of the major revolutions in how we understand brain functioning. These two days together tell us that our current understanding of brain functioning is tenuous and likely ready for revising once we gather more information or develop new measurement techniques. This puts neuroscientists in an odd position of explaining what we know best for now and trying to do so in as understandable or approachable way as possible.

I asked the students this semester to write a term paper on a topic of their choice within cognitive neuroscience, but for a midterm checkin to make sure that they had gathered much of their background research as early as possible, I asked them to produce viral content that took their topic and made it both entertaining and informative. Their projects took the form of Buzzfeed Quizzes, Buzzfeed Listicles, Infographics and Videos and can be found gathered on our Tumblr page. Once we get back from spring break we'll discuss the impact of our work and what it meant or did for the public. In the act of translating research to be entertaining did we lose anything? Is it the responsibility of scientists to make work approachable or the public to work to try to understand science at a high-school or college level?

Help us make neuroscience go viral by sharing our work!