A tribute to Ben Barres

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A tribute to Ben Barres

It was the day of my defense, and as I prepared to give the biggest talk of my life thus far, I looked out into the audience, and saw Ben Barres walk into the room. Normally, this would have been a totally unremarkable event. Ben was one of the members on my committee. Except these circumstances were not normal. Ben was diagnosed with terminal cancer just over a year earlier.

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Neurotalk S5E15: Paola Arlotta

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Today, our guest is Prof. Paola Arlotta, Professor of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology at Harvard University, and principal Faculty Member at the Harvard Stem Cell Institute. In this episode, we will talk about the wonderful diversity of neurons in the cortex, reprogramming neurons to help treat disease, and the joys of living in both Boston and Italy.

 

 

 

Check out the latest podcast on communication and the brain from our friends at UCSF's Carry the One Radio!

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Our friends at UCSF's Carry the One Radio have put together an awesome podcast, with a fresh new format.  The podcast team explores a single theme in Neuroscience, in this case, the brain and communication, and interviews three neuroscientists with diverse approaches to exploring this essential topic.  Check it out here:

“Brain Meets Word: The Neuroscience Behind Communication” Tongues, songbirds and perfect fifths, oh my! Seemingly disparate subjects yes, but remarkably similar nonetheless. In this episode, we investigate some of the far corners of the neuroscience behind communication! We start with a simple question: how does the human brain coordinate all of the muscles that allow us to speak? In part 2, we learn how male songbirds perfect their mating calls and how all the single birds respond. And finally, a neuroscientist/professional opera-singer tells us about the mystery of musicality, and the science behind becoming a great musician. Part One: “On the Tip of My Tongue” The human brain precisely controls numerous muscles when we speak, but scientists know very little about how exactly this happens... Our producers Ryan Jones and Kate Woronowicz talk with David Conant, a doctoral student in Dr. Edward Chang’s lab at the University of California - San Francisco, about how patients with epilepsy are helping us unravel this great mystery. Part Two: “A Bird Song to Remember” Spring is in the air and with it, a cacophony of bird songs. But these birds aren’t born knowing how to sing. It’s only after the brain goes through complex chemical dances that these males can attract their perfect mates. Listen to Peter Chisnell talk with Dr. Gregory Ball, neuroscientist at the University of Maryland, about how hormones refine male bird songs and in turn, how these songs change birds’ brains. Part Three: “The Sound of Music(ality)” Practice makes perfect, but is that all it takes to become a great musician? Lynn Wang talks to Dr. Indre Viskontas, neuroscientist and professional musician, about her research studying how musicality works. At the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, Indre teaches “Training the Musical Brain,” a class where students learn how to practice basic music perceptual skills. In addition, she’s interested in understanding how elements such as emotion and expression make us better musicians.

Neurotalk S4E13 Carl Hart

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Today, our guest is  Carl Hart, associate professor of psychology and psychiatry at Columbia University and author of the 2013 book, High Price: A neuroscientist’s Journey of Self Discovery That Challenges Everything you Know about drugs and society. We’ll be speaking with him about surprising discoveries about psychoactive drug use, and how neuroscience can better inform policy