Robert Plomin is a prominent behavioural geneticist known for his pioneering work in the field of psychology and genetics. His research has significantly advanced our understanding of how genetic and environmental factors contribute to individual differences in behaviour, personality, and cognitive abilities.

Timestamps:

0:00 Introduction to Behavioral Genetics

08:47 The DNA Revolution: Studying Genetic Influence

18:57 The Nature of Nurture: Non-Shared Environment

30:34 Recognizing the Biological Component

39:36 Predicting Behavior with DNA

44:40 The Interaction of Genetics and Environment

53:23 Cultural Variations in Heritability

01:01:17 The Development of Similarity in Twins

01:14:03 The Overlap of Genetic Factors in Psychiatric Disorders

01:20:34 Understanding Traits as Quantitative Rather Than Qualitative

01:54:16 The Influence of Parents in Child Development

01:59:35 The Limited Control of Parents

02:08:23 DNA Dating and DNA Augmentation

02:16:59 Concerns about Data Breaches and Genetic Caste Systems

02:32:27 Equal Opportunity and Social Mobility in Genetics

Dr. Mark Humphries is a computational neuroscientist, researcher, and author exploring the fascinating world of how our brain cells communicate and how reality itself can be rewired.Your brain isn't fixed—it's a flexible, powerful learning machine. Understanding how your neurons adapt, how sensory substitution can unlock entirely new perceptions, and the profound ethical implications of brain-machine interfaces like Neuralink could redefine what it means to be human. So, what happens when we hack our neural code and expand our sensory horizons?Expect to learn why your brain can be trained to experience entirely new senses, how Neuralink’s plans might cross dangerous ethical lines, what happens to your neurons when they’re deprived of stimulus, how sensory substitution can help blind people "see," why reality is far more hackable than you think, how your brain can literally adapt to see through vibrations, why each neuron acts like a tiny computer, how to protect your brain from cognitive decline, what dark neurons could tell us about hidden brain potential, and much more…...00:00 Why Neuroscientists Are Obsessed with Brain "Spikes"07:43 How Do Neurons Understand Language? (We Have No Clue!)13:39 What Happens if Your Brain Gets No Stimulus?17:00 Sensory Substitution: Seeing Through Your Skin20:28 Neuralink: The Scary Future of Brain Augmentation31:33 Could Your Brain Learn to Feel Twitter Notifications?34:07 Rewarding the Brain: How to Train Humans Like Monkeys38:16 The Romanian Orphanage Tragedy: Brains Without Love48:09 How Your Environment Physically Rewires Your Brain56:21 Designing the Ultimate Retirement Home (According to Neuroscience)1:00:23 Your Neurons Are Tiny Computers (How They Compute Logic)1:05:45 The Dark Side of Neural Augmentation (Why Neuroscientists Worry)1:09:13 Could Humans Echolocate and Gain New Super-Senses?1:13:25 Sensory Augmentation: Can We See Infrared Like Snakes?1:25:40 Why Neuroscientists Still Don’t Understand Consciousness1:29:08 The Mystery of Dark Neurons: Your Brain’s Hidden Wiring...Follow My Neuroscience Podcast - The Giants Shoulder Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/5m3Gta5MtIYdk59pb2GJ7M?si=b33232eae67b4126Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/ie/podcast/brief-enquiry-to-the-brain/id1752486249Get the Comfiest Sleep Mask on the Planet at https://bit.ly/4ilzfBL (use Code GIANTSMANTA10)

Luke O'Neill is a renowned Irish immunologist whose groundbreaking research and charismatic public engagement have made significant contributions to the field of immunology and science communication. Born in Dublin, Ireland, O'Neill has become a prominent figure in both the academic world and the public eye, known for his expertise in inflammation, infectious diseases, and innate immunity.

Timestamps:

00:00 Intro

04:13 - The Role of Scientific Communication During the Global Pandemic

07:25 - Providing Hope and Reassurance in Times of Fear and Uncertainty

17:39 - Lessons Learned: Ventilation, Masks, and Vaccines in Controlling Pandemics

22:49 - Bridging the Gap: Communicating Research Papers to a General Audience

29:26 - The Importance of Education in Science Communication

34:06 - Country Responses to the COVID-19 Pandemic

36:21 - The Impact of the Pandemic on Mental Health

43:13 - Understanding Long COVID

46:21 - The Success Story of Inflazome

54:36 - The Fascinating World of Scientific Communication and Origins of Life

...

Luke's is an Incredible Author:

To Boldly Go Where No Book Has Gone Before: A Joyous Journey Through All of Science: https://amzn.to/4dxd5Kx

The Great Irish Science Book: https://amzn.to/3WOQWSb

Humanology: A Scientist's Guide to our Amazing Existence: https://amzn.to/3SyAenA

Never Mind the B#ll*cks, Here's the Science: https://amzn.to/3SXOTZZ

Keep Calm and Trust the Science: An Extraordinary Year in the Life of an Immunologist: https://amzn.to/3WOReIL

Show Me the Science: Life’s Biggest Questions and How Science Answers Them: https://amzn.to/3Ywyxeq

Dr Laura Andreae is a Developmental Neuroscientist from King’s College London. She has conducted pioneering research into how our synaptic circuits are laid down during development, basically how we are wired from childhood how our neuron’s link up in specific critical ways at critical times to make us, us. She is also a world foremost expert in the development of autism and intellectual disorders at a synapse level.

00:00:00 Intro00:04:17 Understanding Brain Development and Wiring00:09:31 Debunking Misconceptions about Autism00:12:30 The Uncertain Impact of Social Media on Brain Development00:16:41 Exploring the Differences in Male and Female Brain Development00:28:00 Identifying Specific Circuits and Pathways in Autism00:38:06 The Importance of Collaboration in Autism Research00:50:48 The Manifestation of Autism in Males and Females00:58:23 The Role of Genetic Changes in Autism01:01:12 Improving Integration and Support for Individuals with Autism01:08:52 Understanding the Link Between Genetic Changes and Behavior01:12:42 The Potential of Brain-Machine Interfaces and Gene Therapy01:17:56 Concerns about AI and Employment01:23:27 The Need for Collaboration and Understanding in Neuroscience

In this podcast we discuss the neural mechanisms of autism, how autism is a superpower in many and what our society can do better to support people with developmental disorders, and how we can best leverage their brilliance for the benefit of humanity.

Dr Hugo Spiers is a cognitive Neuroscientist from University College London. He has spent over 25 years studying our spatial navigation system and memory. He has published over 160 research papers on whats actually happening in the brain when we are moving from one place to another, something we all take for granted but is quite remarkable brain system that we all use every day.

I learned personal things in this podcast about what my awful sense of direction means for me, why I should try to improve and just an incredible amount about the incredible brain systems we employ to navigate around our world.

00:00 Intro03:44 Introduction to Spatial Navigation and Brain Structure06:19 The London Taxi Driver Study and Brain Structure11:13 The Relationship Between Hippocampus Size and Navigation16:34 The Role of Different Brain Regions in Spatial Memory19:50 Habits and Autopilot Behavior in Spatial Memory35:19 Genetic Factors and Spatial Navigation39:11 Visualization and Motor Cortex Interaction43:21 Genetic Components of Spatial Navigation48:37 The Health Benefits of Challenging Spatial Navigation Skills54:10 The Future of Neuroscience and Technology

Dr. Hugo Spears discusses the neuroscience of spatial navigation and the correlation between brain structure and spatial navigation abilities. While there is still much we don't know, studies have shown that individuals with larger hippocampi tend to be better navigators. The famous London taxi driver study demonstrated that licensed taxi drivers have larger posterior hippocampi, suggesting that training and experience can impact brain structure. However, there is still debate about the extent to which brain structure influences spatial navigation abilities. Additionally, the brain's spatial memory system involves the parietal cortex for organizing the structure of the world, the hippocampus for allocentric processing, and the striatum for forming habits and autopilot behavior. The conversation explores the topic of spatial navigation and its neural mechanisms. It discusses how the brain maps space and the role of the hippocampus in creating a map of our surroundings. The conversation also touches on the genetic components of spatial navigation and the potential health benefits of actively improving our navigation skills. The conversation concludes with a discussion on the future of neuroscience and technology, highlighting the potential dangers of automated drones and the exciting possibilities of simulating environments for research and design purposes.

Andrew Cooper Sansone otherwise known as SenseofMind on his popular youtube channel is a prolific Neuroscience content creator and communicator. He runs the social brain podcast where he delves into fascinating topics like the Evolution of the brain the Neuroscience of emotions and everything in between. With a biochemistry background he’s incredibly knowledgable about different brain systems and current Neuroscience research that help you improve your life. This knowledge made for a fascinating conversation which I really enjoyed.

00:00 Intro03:30 Unraveling the Mystery of the Brain13:13 The Challenges of Neuroscience Communication36:11 Finding Peace and Perspective through Gratitude38:19 The Challenges of Meditation40:18 Cultivating Awe in Nature42:32 The Impact of Social Media53:27 The Psychology of Intrinsic Motivation58:51 The Potential and Ethical Considerations of Neurotechnology01:10:38 The Exciting and Uncertain Future of Neuroscience and Neurotechnology

In this conversation, Andrew, a neuroscience communicator, discusses his most interesting findings about the brain and the challenges of understanding it. He highlights the mystery of consciousness and the difficulty in explaining emotions. The conversation then shifts to the importance of neuroscience communication and Andrew's goal of providing accurate information to help people live better lives. They discuss the complexity of neuroscience and the challenges of simplifying it for a general audience. Andrew shares practical takeaways from neuroscience, including strategies for emotion regulation, enhancing positive emotions, and taking care of physical health. The conversation explores the topics of meditation, the psychology of awe, the impact of social media on mental health, the rewiring of Gen Z, intrinsic motivation, and the future of neuroscience and neurotechnology. The guests discuss their personal experiences with meditation and how it can be challenging to maintain a consistent practice. They also delve into the benefits of experiencing awe in nature and the negative effects of constant social media exposure. The conversation touches on the potential impact of social media and mobile phones on future generations, particularly in terms of their development and well-being. They explore the neuroscience of intrinsic motivation and how it can be cultivated. The guests also discuss the potential of neurotechnology, such as brain-computer interfaces, and the ethical considerations surrounding its development. They express both excitement and concern about the future of neuroscience and neurotechnology, highlighting the potential for positive advancements as well as the risks and trade-offs involved.

Be sure to follow the podcast on spotify and check out the channel on Youtube!

Dr Redmond O’ Connell is a cognitive neuroscientist from Trinity College Dublin, the college where I received my degree.

He has spent decades studying our decision making systems in the brain, how we build evidence in a manner shaped by our experience and perceptions and ultimately how we make heavily biased decisions.

Dr Redmond has won many awards and is a brilliant researcher and scientific communicator. Subscribe on youtube and follow on Spotify so you don’t miss the next neuroscience podcast, I hope you enjoy!

00:00 Intro03:23 The Brain's Decision-Making Process04:56 The Evidence Accumulation Process11:58 Overcoming Biases through Education and Critical Thinking15:15 Effective Communication to Address Biases39:52 Introduction and Free Will55:50 Limitations of Large Language Models01:02:42 Mimicking the Human Brain in AI01:10:31 Understanding Consciousness in AI01:16:29 Exciting Advances and Concerns in the Next Decade of Science

The brain's decision-making process is still not fully understood, but there are some guiding principles that have been established. One principle is the evidence accumulation process, where the brain samples and weighs different pieces of information before making a decision. Expectations and biases also play a role in decision making, as they shape the thresholds for accepting evidence. Biases can be difficult to overcome, but education and critical thinking can help. Effective communication is crucial in addressing biases and promoting a better understanding of complex issues. The concept of free will is subjective and depends on individual definitions and perspectives.

In this conversation, Redmond O'Connell discusses the concept of free will and its relationship to neural activity and decision-making. He challenges the idea that neural activity preceding conscious decisions negates free will, arguing that it is a matter of quantity rather than a binary concept. O'Connell also explores the limitations of large language models like ChatGPT, highlighting their inability to reason and their reliance on statistical associations. He suggests that mimicking the human brain and incorporating embodied cognition may be key to developing more intelligent AI.

O'Connell emphasizes the importance of understanding consciousness and the potential ethical concerns surrounding AI and misinformation.

Dr. Christof Koch is a leading neuroscientist who has dedicated his life to unraveling the secrets of consciousness. As the Chief Scientist of the MindScope Program at the Allen Institute for Brain Science, his work has transformed our understanding of how our minds work.

00:00 Intro

02:27 The Nature of Consciousness

05:41 Practical Implications of Consciousness Research

09:54 Boundaries of Consciousness in Organisms

32:08 Exploring Consciousness and the Experience of Flow

37:32 The Impact of Psychedelics on the Brain and Mental Health

51:00 AI and the Future of Human Meaning and ValueDr. Koch's career is nothing short of extraordinary. He's authored influential books like "The Quest for Consciousness", "Consciousness: Confessions of a Romantic Reductionist," and most recently Then I Am Myself the World: What Consciousness Is and How to Expand It. His groundbreaking research with Nobel Laureate Francis Crick has also helped shape modern neuroscience.Dr. Christoph Koch discusses the nature of consciousness, its research, and the boundaries of consciousness in various organisms. He also delves into the philosophical and metaphysical aspects of consciousness, including physicalism, idealism, and panpsychism. Additionally, he shares personal insights on how his study of consciousness has impacted his life and ethical choices. The conversation delves into the nature of consciousness, the experience of flow, the impact of psychedelics on the brain, and the potential role of psychedelics in mental health therapies. It also explores the implications of AI on human meaning and value. We also both recount our personal psychedelics experiences and the profound effects they have had on us.

Dr Shane O' Mara is a Neuroscientist and professor of Experimental Brain Research in Trinity College Dublin.

Dr O' Mara's academic research concerns the brain systems supporting learning and memory, and how they are affected by stress and depression; He has also explored the intersection of psychology and neuroscience with policy, evidence-based policy-making and related areas.

• 04:11 The Under-Walking Epidemic
• 11:26 The Impact of Standing Desks
• 13:52 Walking Treadmills vs. Outdoor Walking
• 30:08 Long-Distance Endurance Walking
• 32:44 Walking and All-Cause Mortality
• 34:40 Walking and Mental Health
• 47:51 The Link Between Walking and Creativity
• 55:44 The Role of the Default Mode Network in Creative Thinking
• 59:30 The Importance of Preparation and Incubation in Problem-Solving
• 01:03:37 The Power of Experimentation in Finding Innovative Solutions
• 01:08:24 Balancing Task Focus and End-State Focus for Effective Problem-Solving
• 01:10:32 Creating Space for Creative Thinking
• 01:13:55 Challenging Attention Span Claims
• 01:17:33 Adaptability to New Technologies
• 01:23:44 The Complex Relationship with Social Media
• 01:36:52 The Power of Walking
• 01:44:03 Tips for Walking More

Kevin Mitchell is an associate professor of Genetics and Neuroscience at Trinity College Dublin. His research is aimed at understanding the genetic program specifying the wiring of the brain and its relevance to variation in human faculties, especially to psychiatric and neurological disease and to perceptual conditions like synaesthesia.

00:00 Intro01:08 Introduction and Background

22:02 Debunking Brain Myths: The Truth About Neuroplasticity

39:04 The Importance of Critical Thinking and Skepticism

52:32 Questioning Claims about the Gut Microbiome

01:08:22 The Limitations of Brain Connectivity and the Complexity of the Brain

01:18:16 Synesthesia and the Diversity of Perception

01:32:01 The Myth of Growth Mindset: Lack of Solid Evidence

Dr. Kevin Smith studies the biology and psychology of individual-level differences in political attitudes and behaviour. In this conversation, Dr. Kevin Smith discusses the intersection of psychophysiology and political behavior, exploring how individuals respond to political stimuli and the physiological and psychological impacts of political stress.

Timestamps:

00:00 Intro

02:23 Introduction to Psychophysiology and Political Responses

05:22 The Impact of Political Stimuli on Mental Health

08:19 The Role of Social Media in Political Stress

11:23 Political Stress Across Different Countries

14:17 Evolutionary Perspectives on Political Stress

17:27 Differences in Stress Responses: Left vs. Right

20:15 Physiological Measurements in Political Psychology

23:21 Genetics and Political Ideology

26:24 The Neuroscience of Emotion in Politics

29:23 Causality: Genetics vs. Environment in Political Beliefs

45:03 The Connection Between Olfaction and Political Orientation

47:51 Biological Markers and Political Engagement

54:57 Neuro-Politics: Brain Differences in Ideology

01:43 Understanding Polarization and Tribalism

01:11:50 Changing Minds: The Psychology of Belief

01:20:21 Politics as a Process: A Perspective on Stress

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Dr. Tony Zador is a neuroscientist at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, known for pioneering work on the connectome and computational neuroscience.In this episode, we dive into one of the most urgent frontiers of science — the intersection of neuroscience and artificial intelligence. As AI races ahead, what can the brain teach us about building better machines? And could the secrets of our neural circuits unlock the next revolution in AI?Expect to learn why our current understanding of the brain might be as limited as understanding a city by staring at blueprints, why it’s essential to create a new generation of ‘bilingual’ scientists fluent in both neuroscience and AI, how the brain’s sparse firing patterns and spike-based computation could shape the next era of machine learning, and why fundamental research into worms and flies could hold the key to curing depression. We also explore how the failure to communicate science may threaten its future, what scares Zador most about AI, why we still don’t teach coding in neuroscience, and how science communication could be our best hope — plus so much more....00:00 Intro01:36 - Introduction to Connectomics05:00- The Ambitious Goal of Mapping Neural Circuits11:20 - Insights into the Human Brain from Connectomics27:58 - Delivery of Barcoded Viruses to Neurons34:11 - Output and Findings of Connectomics Research41:24 - Discovering the Randomness of Brain Wiring47:35 - Randomness in Brain Development52:18 - The Third Component in the Nature-Nurture Debate57:06 - The Impact of Language Deprivation01:07:15 - Understanding Emotions as Persistent States01:16:13 - Exploring the Intersection of Neuroscience and AI01:20:44 - The Challenge of Energy Efficiency in AI Systems01:31:23 - Unraveling the Principles of Neural Circuits01:34:45 - Key Differences between Biological and Artificial Neural Networks01:38:39 - The Limitations of Data and Compute01:42:36 - The Answer Isn't More Data01:44:55 - The Exciting Potential of Neuroscience and AI Collaboration01:48:23 - The Importance of Making the Same Mistakes01:55:18 - The Evolutionary Curriculum Approach...Follow My Neuroscience Podcast - The Giants Shoulder Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/5m3Gta5MtIYdk59pb2GJ7M?si=b33232eae67b4126Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/ie/podcast/brief-enquiry-to-the-brain/id1752486249Get the Comfiest Sleep Mask on the Planet at https://bit.ly/4ilzfBL (use Code GIANTSMANTA10)

Dr Tara Spires Jones is one of the leading Alzheimers disease researchers in the entire world and is the current president of the British Neuroscience Association and Director of the Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences at the University of Edinburgh.

Timestamps

00:00 Intro04:15 Understanding Alzheimer's Disease and Dementia

08:52 The Role of Amyloid and Tau Pathology

10:46 Advancements in Alzheimer's Research

23:43 Promoting Brain Resilience through a Healthy Lifestyle

30:21 The Influence of Genetics on Alzheimer's Risk

35:07 Genome-wide Association Studies and Alzheimer's Risk Genes

42:44 The Role of Tau in Alzheimer's Pathology

47:51 Early Detection and Intervention in Alzheimer's

53:22 Current Treatments and the Need for Funding

Donate to my Paypal. Thank you so much!https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=L38HCUYY5TDTGSadie Dingfelder, also known online as the Faceblind Journalist is a Scientific Communicator and lives with one of the most severe cases of prosopagnosia ever recorded. Sadie lived for 38 years without any idea she was born with this remarkable brain until she came across prosopagnosia at her work.

02:13 Introduction to Sadie and Prosopagnosia
03:15 The Neuroscience of Facial Processing
10:18 Learning to See in 3D
15:59 The Journey of Training and Progress
19:59 Funny Mistakes and Bizarre Incidents
31:49 Loneliness and Coping Strategies
38:26 Discovering Face Blindness and Humorous Moments
41:38 Living in the Present: Mental Time Travel and Cognitive Differences
45:15 The Experience of Aphantasia: Inability to Visualize
48:43 Understanding Different Types of Thinking: Inner Monologue and Abstract Relations
51:36 Diagnosing Prosopagnosia: Face Memory Tests and Behavioral Observations
55:01 Accepting the Diagnosis: Coming to Terms with Cognitive Differences
59:51 Emotional Impact: Processing the Diagnosis and Its Implications
01:05:07 Neurodiversity and Individuality: Recognizing the Spectrum of Cognitive Differences
01:11:34 Steve Wozniak's Journey: Acquired Prosopagnosia and Pursuit of Neuroscience
01:17:08 Creating an Inclusive Society: Empathy and Acceptance of Neurodiversity

In this episode Sadie brilliantly educates me on the underlying Neuroscience of facial recognition. She goes deep on the difficulties she faced growing up, unable to make any friends as she couldn't recognise anyone. Her story is truly remarkable and this was without a doubt one of the most amazing episodes I've ever recorded. If you enjoyed please remember to Subscribe to the Channel. It really helps me out. To Support the Channel- Get 56% off your first subscription to MAGIC MIND. The health shot to help you enter flow - https://www.magicmind.com/evanmc Follow My Neuroscience Podcast - The Giants Shoulder Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/5m3Gta5MtIYdk59pb2GJ7M?si=b33232eae67b4126Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/ie/podcast/brief-enquiry-to-the-brain/id1752486249My Startupweeve - https://www.weeve.ie/My Socials X - https://twitter.com/evan_mcglLinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/evan-mcgloughlin/Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/evan_mcgloughlin/

Dr. Brian Levine is a senior scientist at the Rotman Research Institute at Baycrest Health Sciences, professor in the Departments of Psychology and Medicine (Neurology), University of Toronto, and a clinical neuropsychologist. He is interested in the function and dysfunction of large-scale neural systems as expressed in complex human behaviours, including episodic and autobiographical memory and executive functioning.

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00:00 Intro 02:15 Introduction to Memory Deficits

08:15 The Role of Clinical Experience in Research

13:18 Understanding Memory Storage in the Brain

22:15 Factors Influencing Memory Consolidation

25:14 Differences in Memory Systems: Procedural vs. Semantic

45:10 Case Study: Clive Wearing and Memory Loss

53:27 Understanding Amnesia and Memory Function

56:16 The Complexity of Memory Retrieval

59:19 Storage vs. Retrieval: The Memory Dilemma

01:03:15 Confabulation: The Mind's Attempt to Make Sense

01:07:55 The Impact of Memory Deficits on Reality

01:12:35 Memory Disorders and Mental Health

01:14:45 The Dual Nature of Memory: Benefits and Drawbacks

01:20:17 Exploring Aphantasia and Cognitive Abilities - Get 56% off your first subscription to MAGIC MIND. The health shot to help you enter flow - https://www.magicmind.com/evanmc Follow My Neuroscience Podcast - The Giants Shoulder Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/5m3Gta5MtIYdk59pb2GJ7M?si=b33232eae67b4126 Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/ie/podcast/brief-enquiry-to-the-brain/id1752486249 My Startup weeve - https://www.weeve.ie/ My Socials X - https://twitter.com/evan_mcgl LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/evan-mcgloughlin/ Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/evan_mcgloughlin/

Scott Carney is a New York Times Best Selling Author, Youtuber and Investigative Journalist. He's risen online from his popular investigations into the ethics and business dealings of popular health influencers like Andrew Huberman, Peter Attia, David Sinclair and Wim Hof.

Timestamps

00:00 Intro 03:30 Introduction to Scott Carney's Journey

09:27 The Rise of Wim Hof and Ice Bathing

15:26 The Science Behind Cold Exposure

21:18 The Ethics of Health Influencing

40:39 The Influence of Joe Rogan

50:19 The Ethics of Health Influencers

01:04:50 The Power of Placebo and Hawthorne Effect

01:09:55 Misinformation in Health and Politics Donate to my Paypal. Thank you so much! https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=L38HCUYY5TDTG Subscribe for more Neuroscience: ?sub_confimation=1 Follow My Neuroscience Podcast - The Giants Shoulder Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/5m3Gta5MtIYdk59pb2GJ7M?si=b33232eae67b4126 Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/ie/podcast/brief-enquiry-to-the-brain/id1752486249 My Startup weeve - https://www.weeve.ie/ My Socials X - https://twitter.com/evan_mcgl LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/evan-mcgloughlin/ Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/evan_mcgloughlin/

Dr. Will Ratcliff is an evolutionary biologist, professor, and researcher pioneering groundbreaking experiments in evolutionary biology and synthetic biology.

Understanding how complex life evolved from single-celled organisms is one of biology's greatest mysteries. By evolving yeast from simple single cells into increasingly complex multicellular forms in his laboratory, Dr. Ratcliff is unlocking the fundamental rules that govern evolution itself. So how does life go from microscopic simplicity to stunning complexity, and what secrets are hidden within evolutionary leaps?

Expect to learn how scientists forced yeast to evolve multicellularity, why evolution doesn't always mean increasing complexity, how yeast astonishingly evolved from fragile clusters into structures as strong as wood, why synthetic biology can create solar-powered yeast using whale DNA, how evolution can surprisingly move backward from multicellular to unicellular, why group selection is a misunderstood and vital concept, how the evolution of cooperation and altruism actually works, what myths about evolution we should abandon, and much more…...

00:00 Meet the Scientist Evolving Life in a Lab

01:01 How Single Cells Became Complex Life

02:35 The 50,000-Generation Evolution Experiment

05:12 Why Evolution Is Shockingly Unpredictable

08:33 Could Yeast Evolve into Something Unrecognizable?

11:25 Why Evolution Keeps Creating Similar Species

14:03 What Most People Get Wrong About Evolution

17:31 Ordering DNA Online Like an Amazon Package

20:20 How Whale DNA Created Solar-Powered Yeast

23:18 Why Most Genetic Mutations Fail

27:52 The Strange Truth About Human Uniqueness

31:15 How Multicellularity Evolved Over and Over

34:10 Why Cells Sacrifice Themselves for the Group

37:45 Does Evolution Ever Go Backwards?

41:17 Defining Life: What Really Makes an Individual?

45:09 Cancer: When Cells Rebel Against the Body

49:34 Group Selection: Evolution’s Misunderstood Concept

53:22 Why Evolution Doesn't Always Mean Progress

57:30 How Complex Organisms Can Lose Complexity

1:01:07 Why Animals Don't Return to Single-Cell Life (But Fungi Do)

1:05:14 Mycelium Networks: Intelligence Underground

1:08:26 LUCA: Searching for Life’s Universal Ancestor

1:12:50 Could Complex Life Exist on Other Planets?

1:16:03 Synthetic Biology: Redesigning Life from Scratch

1:19:45 What Evolution Teaches Us About Cooperation

1:23:20 Why Some Organisms Are Evolutionary Dead Ends

1:27:05 Could Humans Engineer Entirely New Forms of Life?1:31:33 The Future of Lab-Grown Evolution

1:36:10 Could Lab Evolution Create Consciousness?

1:40:02 The Most Surprising Results from Evolution Experiments

1:45:15 Why Predicting Evolution is Almost Impossible

1:50:06 How Synthetic Organisms Could Solve Global Problems

1:54:20 The Philosophical Implications of Creating Life...

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Dr. Daniel Z. Lieberman is a clinical professor of psychiatry and author of *The Molecule of More*, one of the most influential neuroscience books of the last decade.Dopamine drives our ambition, creativity, addictions, obsessions, and even our experience of love — but it’s not the pleasure molecule you think it is. It’s the molecule of *desire*. And understanding how it works could change your life.

Expect to learn why wanting and liking are completely different systems in the brain, how dopamine tricks us into chasing goals that never satisfy, the difference between desire and control dopamine circuits, how these circuits shape addiction, success, relationships and motivation, why social media and porn hijack our brains, how to rewire your dopamine system for self-control and meaning, why falling in love doesn’t last — and what real long-term love looks like, how to cultivate contentment, and much more…

...

00:00 Why Dopamine Is the Most Misunderstood Molecule in Neuroscience

02:00 How One Neurotransmitter Controls Love, Ambition, Creativity & Addiction

06:04 The Secret Role of Dopamine in Mental Time Travel

08:46 Crows, Pebbles, and the Origins of Imagination

11:26 The Two Dopamine Circuits Controlling Your Life

13:39 The Dopamine Trap: Wanting vs Liking

16:52 Why Mick Jagger Slept With 4,000 Women (and Wasn’t Happy)

19:43 Buzz Aldrin and the Dopamine Crash After the Moon

22:11 Elon Musk’s Mind: Obsession, Achievement, and the Dopamine Storm

25:05 Why Love Feels So Good (and Why It Fades)

27:06 The Projection Illusion: You Don’t Fall in Love With People

30:00 The Real Reason You Want the Donut (and Hate Yourself After)

33:04 The War Between Impulse and Identity in the Brain

36:13 Why People Self-Sabotage: The Conflict Inside the Desire Circuit

39:07 How to Rewire Your Brain with Meaning, Not Just Happiness

41:30 Dopamine Detoxing: Science or Scam?

44:45 How Long It *Really* Takes to Break Dopamine Addictions

47:39 What Most People Get Totally Wrong About Dopamine

49:46 Two Kinds of Pleasure: Why You're Missing One of Them

52:18 Is It Possible to Work Hard *and* Be Present?

55:05 The Hard Truth: Growth Isn’t Easy and Life Hacks Don’t Work

57:45 The Neuroscience of Doing Hard Things Daily

1:01:00 Can Cold Showers Boost Dopamine? Separating Myth from Science

1:03:15 Supplements, Biohacking & Dopamine: What Actually Works?

1:05:34 The Final Takeaway: Know Thyself — or Dopamine Will Know You Better

...

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Dr. Paul Cisek is a professor of neuroscience at the University of Montreal, and focuses on understanding how the brain controls behaviour. Particularly through the lens of motor control and decision-making. His interdisciplinary approach combines neurophysiological recordings, computational modelling, and evolutionary biology to explore how the brain mediates interactions with the world. This type of knowledge makes for an incredibly interesting conversation!

Timestamps:

00:00 The Evolutionary Lens on Neuroscience

06:56 Understanding the Brain as a Control System

13:14 The Historical Context of Nervous System Development

20:30 Key Evolutionary Transitions in Brain Development

31:00 The Role of Reinforcement Learning in Evolution

45:52 Evolutionary Leaps: From Water to Land

54:41 Consciousness and Its Emergence

01:03:47 The Complexity of Brain Function and Evolution

01:24:29 Debunking Myths: Understanding Evolution's Nature

01:26:43 Engineering vs. Evolutionary Solutions

01:28:36 AI Models and Evolutionary Insights

01:35:09 The Grounding Problem in AI

01:42:52 The Role of Motion in AGI

01:54:55 Future of AI: Optimism vs. Pessimism

Donate to my Paypal. You're Supporting Bootstrapped Science Communication! https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=L38HCUYY5TDTG Follow My Neuroscience Podcast - The Giants Shoulder Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/5m3Gta5MtIYdk59pb2GJ7M?si=b33232eae67b4126 Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/ie/podcast/brief-enquiry-to-the-brain/id1752486249

In this episode, we dive into the revolutionary field of ecological psychology with Dr. Luis Favela, author of The Ecological Brain. What if the brain isn't a computer, but part of a dynamic system that includes your body and the world around you? Discover how this paradigm shift challenges traditional cognitive psychology and neuroscience, and why it could redefine how we understand perception, action, and intelligence.Dr. Favela shares compelling insights from his work, exploring key concepts like affordances, the perception-action loop, and how our minds evolved to interact with a complex environment. From World War II bomber pilots to the development of cutting-edge robotics, learn how this interdisciplinary approach connects psychology, neuroscience, and philosophy to tackle age-old questions about the nature of the mind.

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00:00 Dr. Louis Fevela's Academic Interests

07:48 Introduction to Ecological Psychology

13:10 Experimental Paradigms in Ecological Psychology

20:05 Differences from Cognitive Psychology

25:23 Meaning and Perception in Ecological Psychology

35:15 Defining Perception in Ecological Psychology

41:44 The Differences Between Cognitive Psychology and Ecological Psychology

46:15 Why Ecological Psychology is Less Known and Taught

50:09 Integrating Ecological Psychology and Neuroscience with the Neuro-Ecological Nexus Theory (NEXT)

53:35 The Mutuality of Interaction and the Role of Information in Ecological Psychology

57:02 The Importance of Ecological Validity in Ecological Psychology

01:20:48 Understanding Ecological Psychology

01:22:45 Exploring Affordance and Pass-Through Ability

01:29:24 Comparing Cognitive Psychology and Ecological Psychology

01:32:26 Soft-Assembled Systems: Flexibility and Adaptability

01:39:56 Advancements in Technology for Naturalistic Experiments

01:43:21 The Future of Neuroscience: Discovering New Types of Brain Cells

01:51:47 Moving Beyond the Brain-Centric View

Donate to my Paypal. You're Supporting Bootstrapped Science Communication!https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=L38HCUYY5TDTGSubscribe for more Neuroscience: ?sub_confimation=1Follow My Neuroscience Podcast - The Giants Shoulder Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/5m3Gta5MtIYdk59pb2GJ7M?si=b33232eae67b4126Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/ie/podcast/brief-enquiry-to-the-brain/id1752486249

Giant Moment taken from Dr Christof Koch - Consciousness, Psychedelics and Mental Health

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Kevin Mitchell is an associate professor of Genetics and Neuroscience at Trinity College Dublin. His research is aimed at understanding the genetic program specifying the wiring of the brain and its relevance to variation in human faculties, especially to psychiatric and neurological disease and to perceptual conditions like synaesthesia.

Get the Comfiest Sleep Mask on the Planet at https://bit.ly/4ilzfBL (use Code GIANTSMANTA10)Dr. Guy Leschziner is a neurologist, world-renowned sleep expert, and acclaimed author specialising in the fascinating complexities of sleep disorders and their extraordinary impact on human behaviour.Sleep is not just an 'on or off' state—it's a complex spectrum where different parts of our brains can independently switch between waking and sleeping. From sleepwalkers who cook meals, drive cars, or even commit crimes without memory, to the phenomenon of 'local sleep' occurring even when we're wide awake, sleep continues to surprise scientists.Expect to learn why some people can function on shockingly little sleep without health consequences, what sleepwalking reveals about our subconscious minds, whether we should trust sleep supplements, the truth behind blue light and circadian rhythms, how insomnia might indicate deeper neurological issues, why some people experience paradoxical insomnia, the mysteries behind dreaming and Parkinson's disease, and the shocking extremes of what can happen when parts of your brain are awake while you sleep....00:00 - Sleepwalking Murders & Midnight Motorbike Rides01:04 - Dr. Guy Leschziner: Inside the Mind of a Sleep Expert02:58 - When Sleep Disorders Reveal the Secrets of Your Brain05:36 - What Actually Happens in the Brain During Sleepwalking?13:12 - Insomnia vs. Sleep Deprivation: What's the Real Difference?30:31 - Why Your Bedroom Might Be Ruining Your Sleep35:08 - Mastering Your Mind: Reducing Sleep Anxiety and Reactivity39:46 - Blue Light Controversy: Myth or Real Sleep Threat?43:17 - Should You Try Blue-Light Blocking Glasses?49:05 - Eating Late: Does It Really Ruin Your Sleep?51:29 - The Truth About Sleep Medication & Supplements54:19 - Can Sleeping Pills Cause Dementia?56:53 - How Parkinson’s Disease Reveals Itself Through Sleep59:30 - Melatonin: Miracle or Myth?01:06:18 - Craziest Sleep Disorders Dr. Leschziner Has Ever Seen...Follow My Neuroscience Podcast - The Giants Shoulder Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/5m3Gta5MtIYdk59pb2GJ7M?si=b33232eae67b4126Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/ie/podcast/brief-enquiry-to-the-brain/id1752486249

Dr Taylor Guthrie is a social neuroscientist, researcher, and one of the leading experts in how our sense of self emerges from our relationships, our goals, and the powerful social forces around us

We all assume we know what’s happening inside our own minds. But what if the way you describe your identity—your inner narrative, your motivations, your beliefs—turns out to be incomplete?

What if you’ve spent your entire life overlooking how deeply social context shapes you? Taylor’s research suggests that most people don’t truly understand the hidden processes guiding how they think, feel, and behave

Expect to learn why the self is far more malleable than you might believe, how close friendships literally alter the brain’s activity, why dopamine is more about drive than pleasure, how the default mode network weaves your memories into a cohesive story, whether so-called “quick brain hacks” truly live up to the hype, and the fascinating ways that shared group identity can both unify and polarise us

This episode will make you question everything you thought you knew about your own mind.

...

00:00 Intro: The Most Social Species On Earth

01:54 Why Should Anyone Care About Social Neuroscience?02:57 How Our Brains Evolved For Social Interaction

03:43 Language & Cooperation: The Human Advantage

05:04 Abstract Thinking & The Evolving Frontal Lobe

08:40 What Does It Mean To Have a “Self”?

10:47 How the Self Impacts Motivation & Memory

15:15 Seeing Others as Extensions of Ourselves

20:10 Shifting Selves Across the Lifespan

27:10 Redefining Goals: The Neuroscience of Change

34:55 Dopamine vs. Serotonin: A Complex Interaction

39:00 Intrinsic Motivation & Identity

42:50 Overcoming Bad Habits & Building New Paths

49:04 Mental Illness & the Self: Depression, Anxiety & Identity

56:00 Myths About Dopamine & “Quick Brain Hacks”

01:01:30 Cannabis, Psychedelics & Ego Dissolution

01:07:52 The Default Mode Network: A Master Conductor

01:13:10 Daydreaming, Self-Talk & Integrating Experience

01:21:59 Group Identity, Polarization & Belief Systems

01:30:25 Neuralink, AI & Real-Time Brain Data

01:40:52 The Potential & Risks of Brain-Tech Integration

01:48:45 Leaving Self-Limiting Beliefs Behind

01:56:15 Practical Takeaways for Changing Your Self-Concept

02:03:10 Final Reflections & Where Neuroscience Is Headed

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Dr. Will Bulsiewicz is a board-certified gastroenterologist, bestselling author, and a leading expert on the microbiome.

Understanding your gut is a lifelong journey. Repairing a troubled microbiome, fueling your “second brain,” and harnessing the power of short-chain fatty acids are all part of the process. So how do we move beyond the confusing myths around gut health to support our mood, energy, and overall well-being?

Expect to learn how gut microbes influence motivation and ambition, how to use fiber to boost brain power, what cutting-edge science says about fecal transplants, how chronic stress damages your digestion, why we crave certain foods (and how to manage those cravings), how simple daily habits like morning sunlight can reset your microbiome—and dive into strange, wonderful insights Dr. Will has never shared before.

Check out Fibre Fueled - https://amzn.to/41qnV0q

...

00:00 Intro01:44 The Misunderstood Science of Gut Health

07:46 The Impact of Diet on the Microbiome

13:35 The Role of Microbiomes in Pregnancy and Child Development

19:34 The Microbiome's Influence on Disease and Health

36:58 The Gut-Brain Connection and Neuroinflammation

42:41 The Role of Diet and Supplements in Gut Health

48:29 Human Connection and Microbiome Health

56:44 Microbial Influence on Behavior

01:06:00 Sleep, Circadian Rhythms, and the Microbiome

01:11:25 Understanding Prebiotics and Probiotics

01:17:48 The Importance of Dietary Variety

01:25:49 The Role of Red Meat in Gut Health

01:30:55 The Impact of Antibiotics on the Microbiome

01:36:52 Fecal Transplants: A Revolutionary Approach

01:43:23 Exploring Postbiotics and Their Benefits

01:49:30 The Role of Genetics vs. Microbiome

01:56:50 Skepticism in Microbiome Research

02:07:32 Practical Takeaways for a Healthy Microbiome...

Follow My Neuroscience Podcast - The Giants Shoulder Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/5m3Gta5MtIYdk59pb2GJ7M?si=b33232eae67b4126Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/ie/podcast/brief-enquiry-to-the-brain/id1752486249

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This first giant moment is from episode #20 with inner experience expert Dr Russell Hurlburt. In this clip Dr Hurlburt talks about the clinical case that shaped his 50 year career in the field of Inner Experience research. It blew my mind.

Dr Russell Hurlburt is a psychologist, researcher, and one of the leading experts in the study of inner experience.

We all assume we know what’s happening inside our own minds. But what if the way you describe your inner thoughts—your inner monologue, mental images, emotions—isn’t accurate? What if you’ve spent your entire life mischaracterizing your own experience? Russell’s research suggests that most people don’t truly understand how their minds work.

Check out the full episode after watching this Giant Moment!

Dr Russell Hurlburt is a psychologist, researcher, and one of the leading experts in the study of inner experience.We all assume we know what’s happening inside our own minds. But what if the way you describe your inner thoughts—your inner monologue, mental images, emotions—isn’t accurate? What if you’ve spent your entire life mischaracterizing your own experience? Russell’s research suggests that most people don’t truly understand how their minds work.Expect to learn why you might not actually have an inner monologue, the five core phenomena of inner experience, why most psychological self-reports are unreliable, the surprising differences in how people experience thought, how experience sampling can reveal the hidden structure of your mind, whether meditation really increases self-awareness, and the astonishing story of a woman whose perception of reality was forever altered by this method.This episode will make you question everything you thought you knew about your own mind.---01:26 Exploring Inner Experiences06:31 The Five Frequent Phenomena of Inner Experience11:27 Understanding Experience Sampling Methodology16:12 The Role of Meditation in Inner Awareness21:23 The Challenge of Self-Reporting Inner Experiences26:23 The Prevalence of Inner Monologue31:19 Case Study: Lena's Inner Monologue36:16 Insights from Sadie's Aphantasia43:49 Exploring Aphantasia and Inner Experience49:06 Understanding Descriptive Experience Tests56:49 The Importance of Inner Experience01:08:37 The Impact of Trauma on Inner Experience01:20:54 Reflections on Inner Experience and Relationships---Donate to my Paypal. You're Supporting Bootstrapped Science Communication!https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=L38HCUYY5TDTGFollow the Podcast on other Platforms Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/5m3Gta5MtIYdk59pb2GJ7M?si=b33232eae67b4126Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/ie/podcast/brief-enquiry-to-the-brain/id1752486249

Dr William Li is a medical doctor, internet personality with over a million combined followers and author of Eat to Beat Disease. His viral Ted Talk “Can we Eat to Starve Cancer” has been viewed over 11* million times where he lays out his pioneering work in the field of angiogenesis. The process by which our body forms new blood vessels. Correction from video as I state only 5 Million times. In 1994 he co-founded the Angiogenesis Foundation with the mission of using advances in angiogenesis to tackle the worst plagues of society like cancer and Dementia.Buy His Book that is Changing Lives:Eat to Beat Disease: The New Science of How Your Body Can Heal Itself - https://amzn.to/3Q4y65fWe really went above and beyond on this episode so please show some love and Subscribe to the Channel. Timestamps: 00:00 Introduction to Angiogenesis and the Brain06:31 The Interconnection of Blood Flow and Cognitive Function13:42 Developmental Disorders and Vascular Issues19:40 Stem Cells and Brain Regeneration25:52 The Brain Microbiome and Its Implications36:20 Practical Tips for Maintaining Healthy Blood Vessels45:12Optimising Your Diet for Blood Vessel HealthFollow My Neuroscience Podcast - The Giants Shoulder Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/5m3Gta5MtIYdk59pb2GJ7M?si=b33232eae67b4126Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/ie/podcast/brief-enquiry-to-the-brain/id1752486249

This Giant Moment was taken from #10 Behavioural Geneticist Dr Robert Plomin - How DNA impacts Personality and the Future of Genetic Testing and Manipulation

Check out the full episode here - https://open.spotify.com/episode/0vIhY07qFBNms01I1yJvc2?si=InaapK9iTWKHJJU4me8TJQ

Dr. Joel Pearson is a psychologist, neuroscientist, and founder of Future Minds Lab at UNSW — a cutting-edge research group exploring consciousness, intuition, mental imagery, and the psychology of decision-making in the age of AI.

He’s the world’s leading expert on aphantasia — the inability to visualize mental images — and author of The Intuition Toolkit, a science-backed guide to harnessing the power of the subconscious mind.

Expect to learn how intuition really works in the brain, the 5 science-based rules for trusting your gut, how to train intuition like a skill, the surprising link between interoception and unconscious decision-making, the neuroscience of flow and instinctive action, what aphantasia reveals about emotion and memory, how visual imagery amplifies anxiety, why some people are immune to mental pictures, how AI companions are already warping human psychology, and what happens when we start outsourcing love to machines.

Timestamps:

00:02:03 Exploring the Unconventional Lab of Dr. Joe Pearson

00:08:05 Understanding Intuition: Definitions and Mechanisms

00:13:50 The Role of Context in Intuition

00:17:00 The Neural Mechanisms of Intuition

00:19:59 Intuition in Decision Making

00:22:54 Practical Applications of Intuition

00:26:03 Intuition in Sports and Motor Skills

00:32:38 Intuition and Career Choices

00:34:47 The Role of Intuition in Decision Making

00:38:20 Agency and Mental Health

00:39:52 The Science of Intuition

00:41:31 Real-Life Applications of Intuition

00:45:30 Honing Intuition in Daily Life

00:48:39 Flow State and Intuition

00:54:13 Improving Intuition in the Lab

01:00:31 Measuring the Mind: Psychophysical Technologies

01:02:11 Intuition and Learning: Understanding Decision-Making

01:05:15 Aphantasia: The Inability to Visualize

01:09:34 The Journey into Mental Imagery Research

01:12:44 Personal Experiences with Aphantasia

01:21:26 Memory and Aphantasia: How Do They Interact?

01:29:28 Adaptive Advantages of Aphantasia: A New Perspective

01:30:33 Diverse Cognitive Approaches to Mathematics

01:31:32 The Emotional Impact of Imagery

01:32:57 Risk Perception and Empathy in Aphantasia

01:35:09 Understanding Aphantasia Prevalence

01:36:28 The Limits of Understanding Aphantasia

01:38:38 Exploring Multisensory Aphantasia

01:40:23 Future Directions in Aphantasia Research

01:43:55 The Psychological Impact of AI

01:49:00 The Future of Human-AI Relationships

01:51:41 Exciting Developments in Neuroscience..

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Dr. Robert Prentner is a philosopher of mind and consciousness researcher working alongside Donald Hoffman, co-authoring the *Conscious Agent Theory* — a radical scientific framework that challenges our deepest assumptions about reality.

Buy The Case Against Reality: How Evolution Hid the Truth from Our Eyes - https://amzn.to/42uSB11

According to their work, we don’t perceive the world as it truly is. Our brains evolved not for truth, but for *useful illusion*. Space and time? Icons. Objects? Interface elements. And what you think of as “reality” may be nothing more than a simplified desktop, hiding the chaotic code beneath.

Expect to learn why consciousness may be more fundamental than physics, how your brain isn’t conscious — but is simply a representation *within* consciousness, why evolution selected for perception that hides the truth, how AI may already be tapping into conscious patterns, the mind-bending evidence from game theory and mathematics that suggest reality is a constructed hallucination, the key differences between access and phenomenal consciousness, why psychedelics might tear open the interface, what it really means to say “space and time aren’t real,” how the Big Bang fits into this illusion — and much more…

...

Timestamps:

02:08 Perception and Reality: An Introduction

05:05 The Interface Theory of Perception

07:59 Evidence for the Interface Theory

11:15 Complexity of Perception

14:01 Consciousness: Fundamental or Emergent?

17:07 Distinctions in Consciousness

20:05 Panpsychism and Consciousness

23:12 Icons and Their Meaning

25:58 Consciousness in the Animal Kingdom

29:16 Measuring Consciousness

32:10 Space and Time as Constructs

35:12 The Nature of Reality

38:03 Consciousness and the Big Bang

41:02 Experimental Paradigms in Consciousness Research

43:58 Consciousness and Biology

47:10 The Future of Consciousness Research

51:54 The Computability of Consciousness

54:28 Quantum Mechanics and Consciousness

58:25 Psychedelics and Consciousness

01:04:29 The Language of Consciousness

01:10:57 Living with Consciousness

01:17:22 AI and Consciousness

...

Follow My Neuroscience Podcast - The Giants Shoulder

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Dr. Paul Cisek is a professor of neuroscience at the University of Montreal, and focuses on understanding how the brain controls behaviour. Particularly through the lens of motor control and decision-making. His interdisciplinary approach combines neurophysiological recordings, computational modelling, and evolutionary biology to explore how the brain mediates interactions with the world. This type of knowledge makes for an incredibly interesting conversation!

Check out the Full Podcast with the amazing Dr Paul Cisek - https://youtu.be/C6frE6nj1tY

Mike Long is a playwright, speechwriter, and co-author of Taming the Molecule of More — the practical sequel to the bestselling neuroscience book The Molecule of More.Dopamine doesn’t bring happiness — it brings anticipation. It’s the molecule that keeps us scrolling, swiping, craving, and chasing. But when understood and tamed, it can also drive purpose, focus, and deeply fulfilling lives.

Expect to learn why dopamine isn’t about pleasure at all, how it hijacks our relationships, sex lives, and attention spans, the true science behind dopamine fasting and cold plunges, how porn and dating apps rewire the brain’s reward system, the difference between craving and contentment, why “boosting dopamine” is a myth, how to inject novelty into long-term love, how GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic are changing the science of addiction, and how to finally align your brain’s pursuit system with long-term meaning

Timestamps:

00:01:55 – Understanding Dopamine: The Molecule of More

00:04:56 – The Misconceptions of Dopamine and Happiness

00:07:55 – Taming the Molecule of More: Motivations and Insights

00:10:56 – Dopamine's Role in Human Evolution and Modern Life

00:13:58 – Rewiring the Brain: Valuing the Present vs. Future

00:17:07 – The Impact of Technology on Dopamine Levels

00:19:49 – Finding Meaning in a Dopamine-Driven World

00:23:03 – The Importance of Self-Reflection and Belief Systems

00:25:50 – Dopamine Fasting: Myths and Realities

00:28:56 – Boosting Dopamine: Exercise and Lifestyle Choices

00:43:07 – The Power of Small Daily Actions

00:45:25 – Dopamine and Relationships

00:51:07 – Understanding Expectations in Relationships

00:52:13 – Mindfulness and Reaction to Stimulation

00:56:35 – Injecting Novelty into Relationships

01:02:26 – Navigating Attraction and Cravings

01:07:59 – The Importance of Meaning in Life

01:12:27 – Finding Meaning and Purpose

01:25:08 – Practical Steps to Manage Impulses.

...

Follow My Neuroscience Podcast - The Giants Shoulder

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Tom Ebeyer is the founder of the Aphantasia Network, the world’s largest organisation dedicated to understanding the invisible differences in how people experience mental imagery — or in some cases, don’t experience it at all.

Aphantasia is the inability to visualise images in the mind’s eye — a condition that affects how we remember, dream, feel emotion, and even plan for the future. Most people who have it don’t even realise it.

Expect to learn how Tom discovered he couldn’t picture anything in his head, how aphantasia can protect people from PTSD, why some artists and scientists thrive without mental imagery, how memories and dreams are fundamentally different in people with aphantasia, why it might make you a better thinker, how it shapes creativity, attention, and emotion, what’s actually happening in the brain — and why most people have no idea what their own inner experience is really like.

Timestamps:

00:00 Intro

01:55 Understanding Aphantasia: The Basics

04:59 The Spectrum of Consciousness

07:52 Mental Health and Aphantasia

10:48 Coping with Aphantasia

13:57 Memory and Aphantasia

16:55 The Creative Process

19:51 The Impact of Labels

22:53 Dreams and Inner Experience

25:43 Diversity of Conscious Experience

42:42 Exploring Inner Experiences and Prosopagnosia

45:40 Attention and Sensory Awareness

50:23 Understanding Aphantasia and Brain Activity

54:03 Current Research and Future Directions in Aphantasia

58:26 The Mission of the Aphantasia Network

01:02:15 Training and Adapting to Aphantasia

01:07:03 Navigating Life with Aphantasia

01:12:15 The Future of Aphantasia Research

01:19:30 Advice for Those Discovering Aphantasia.

..

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_Follow My Neuroscience Podcast - The Giants Shoulder_

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Check out the Full Podcast with leading consciousness researcher Dr Anil Seth here - https://youtu.be/lOSA06K0l1o

Anil Seth is a neuroscientist, author, and one of the world's leading experts in consciousness research. His TED talk Your Brain Hallucinates Your Conscious Experience has captivated over 17 million viewers, and his groundbreaking book Being You explores the incredible mystery of perception and consciousness.Buy Being You (It's Genuinely Great) - https://amzn.to/4ccATngYour brain is constantly hallucinating your reality—it's predicting, guessing, and making mistakes every moment of your life. Understanding these hallucinations can radically alter your view of what’s real, what’s illusion, and how your emotions are truly made.Expect to learn why the famous ‘dress illusion’ broke the internet, how your brain invents colors that don't objectively exist, why emotions aren't reliable signals but brain-generated best guesses, whether your kitchen exists when no one’s observing it, why AI might never experience true consciousness, how optical illusions reveal the brain’s hidden mechanisms, and much more

Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor is a Harvard-trained neuroanatomist and author of My Stroke of Insight, one of the most powerful and widely viewed neuroscience stories of all time.

At 37, Dr. Taylor suffered a catastrophic hemorrhagic stroke that shut down the entire left hemisphere of her brain. As a brain scientist, she watched her mind unravel from the inside out—losing language, identity, memory, and self. But what she found on the other side wasn’t just silence—it was peace, euphoria, and a profound sense of oneness with the universe.

Expect to learn what it feels like to lose your ego, why the present moment can be pure bliss, how the brain builds our sense of self, how trauma and recovery reshape neural circuits, the shocking difference between left and right hemisphere consciousness, what happens when the fear and judgment centers go offline, how Jill rebuilt her brain through neuroplasticity, why she believes anyone can choose peace at any moment, how the Four Characters of the brain drive our behavior, the surprising neuroscience behind “enlightenment,” why psychedelics and stroke are not the same, and much more

Timestamps:

02:00 Introduction to Jill's Fascination with Brains

04:51 Understanding Brain Differences: A Personal Journey

08:01 Stroke vs. Schizophrenia: Exploring Connections

10:56 The Day of the Stroke: A Life-Changing Experience

14:05 The Fascination of the Stroke Experience

17:10 Cognitive Dissonance During the Stroke

19:52 The Aftermath: Recovery and Insights

23:02 Comparing Experiences: Stroke and Psychedelics

26:08 The Impact of Brain Trauma on Spirituality

28:53 Neuroanatomy and Recovery Strategies

32:45 The Complexity and Consistency of the Brain

34:47 Understanding Neuroplasticity and Learning

36:42 The Blessing of a Stroke Experience

39:40 Awakening in the Hospital

44:23 Choosing Recovery Over Surrender

47:10 The Intersection of Science and Spirituality

51:44 Motivation to Rewire the Brain

58:22 The Journey of Neurogenesis and Recovery

01:05:16 The Journey of Recovery and Consciousness

01:12:58 Understanding Whole Brain Living

01:26:12 Differentiation and Control of Brain States.

📚 RECOMMENDED READING

My Stroke Of Insight: https://amzn.to/3GsU8gz

Whole Brain Living: https://amzn.to/4lV3Ngd

...

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_Follow My Neuroscience Podcast - The Giants Shoulder_

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Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/ie/podcast/brief-enquiry-to-the-brain/id1752486249

Dr. Nick Enfield is a linguistic anthropologist and author of Language vs. Reality: Why Language Is Good for Lawyers and Bad for Scientists, a mind-bending exploration of how words shape — and distort — the world we live in.

Language isn’t just a tool for communication. It’s a tool for persuasion, manipulation, and coordination. It rewires our perception, memory, emotions, and beliefs — often without us even realizing it.

Expect to learn why describing a face can make you forget it, how language evolved not to describe reality but to influence others, why humans are unmatched in social cognition, how categories reshape perception and strip away detail, why smell is nearly impossible to describe in English, how different cultures use language to sculpt emotions and relationships, why learning new languages expands the self, how words create in-groups and out-groups, the dark art of branding and political messaging — and why your sentences might be gaslighting your senses.

Timestamps:

00:00 Intro

02:10 The Origins of Language

05:07 The Evolution of Communication

08:17 Language as a Tool for Action

11:16 The Role of Social Cognition

14:19 Language and Tool Use

17:23 The Brain and Language Development

20:11 Language and Memory

23:05 The Subjectivity of Language

25:57 Language Distorting Reality

42:39 Cultural Perception of Smells

44:25 Color Vocabulary and Its Importance

46:45 The Influence of Language on Perception

51:54 Kinship Terms and Cultural Context

58:58 Language and Social Accountability

01:03:46 Emotions and Language Framing

01:12:34 Marketing Language and Brand Identity

01:14:48 The Aesthetic of Branding

01:17:14 The Power of Narrative in Language

01:18:46 The Social Function of Stories

01:22:45 The Role of Stories in Identity Formation

01:30:59 Language as a Tool for Group Identity

01:36:37 The Impact of Language on Perception

01:40:50 Learning Languages to Expand Perspectives

...

📚 RECOMMENDED READING

Why Language Is Good for Lawyers and Bad for Scientists: https://amzn.to/4cHQImj

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Dr. Chris Summerfield is a neuroscientist, cognitive scientist, and author of These Strange New Minds — a groundbreaking exploration of whether machines like ChatGPT are starting to think, and what that reveals about human intelligence itself.

Summerfield has spent his career studying how the brain perceives, predicts, abstracts, and decides — and now he's using that knowledge to decode how artificial systems are learning to do the same, often without being told how.

Expect to learn why your brain might just be doing autocomplete on reality, how AI systems are starting to mirror human thought through pure prediction, why large language models can form meaning without understanding, how intelligence might just be compression, why abstraction is the secret weapon of both humans and machines, how AIs trained on language are learning the structure of the world, what it means that they’re beginning to talk to each other, whether these systems could develop agency, and why the most profound insights about our own minds may come from the machines we’ve built — and no longer fully understand.

Timestamps:

01:40 The Evolution of Deep Learning

04:41 Language Generation Breakthroughs

07:43 Human vs AI Language Production

10:49 Neuroscience and Language Models

13:45 The Journey to Computational Neuroscience

16:26 Neuro-AI: Bridging Two Fields

19:52 Understanding Neural Networks and the Brain

22:46 Neural Manifolds and Their Significance

25:36 The Impact of AI on Neuroscience

28:43 Future Directions in Neuro-AI

32:31 Exploring Foundation Models in Behavioral Science

37:49 Understanding and Misunderstanding AI Outputs

42:42 The Rise of Multimodal AI Models

46:36 AI Safety and Ethical Considerations

59:11 Aligning AI with Human Values

...

📚 RECOMMENDED READING

These Strange New Minds: https://amzn.to/4jKowBO

...

_Follow My Neuroscience Podcast - The Giants Shoulder_

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5m3Gta5MtIYdk59pb2GJ7M?si=b33232eae67b4126

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Dr. Mark Williams is a cognitive neuroscientist, author of The Connected Species, and one of the world’s leading experts on how we learn, connect, and perceive reality — and why modern life may be rewiring our brains in ways we don’t fully understand.

Your brain is not showing you the world as it is — it’s hallucinating a version that helps you survive. And that illusion is breaking down. Especially for children.

Expect to learn why reality itself is a convincing hallucination created by your brain, how technology is disrupting emotional development and attention in kids, why screen time is linked to lower empathy and memory, how facial expressions are learned (and what happens when they aren’t), why multitasking ruins learning, how AI could both help and harm education, why sleep is critical for memory, why writing is better than typing, and how to reimagine schools based on what the brain actually needs.

Plus — the incredible story of how Dr. Williams went from high-school dropout to MIT neuroscientist, and what it taught him about human potential.

Timestamps:

00:02:55 The Illusion of Reality: How Our Brain Constructs Perception

00:09:26 Mark Williams: A Journey from Struggles to Neuroscience

00:16:46 Reimagining Education: Connection Over Curriculum

00:20:58 The Role of AI in Education: Opportunities and Challenges

00:29:45 Neuroscience Insights: Learning, Memory, and Effective Education

00:36:16 The Role of Ancillary Learning in Neuroscience

00:37:25 Effective Learning Strategies and Common Mistakes

00:40:29 The Impact of AI on Learning

00:42:47 Engagement vs. Entertainment in Education

00:42:58 The Distraction of Mobile Devices in Classrooms

00:45:52 The Importance of Handwriting and Note-Taking

00:48:25 The Value of Effort in Learning

00:51:05 Teaching Neuroscience to Educators

00:54:51 The Importance of Social Interaction for Learning

00:57:06 Attention Spans and Mental Health Concerns

01:02:21 The Loneliness Epidemic Among Youth

01:03:39 Applying Neuroscience to Daily Life

...

📚 RECOMMENDED READING

The Connected Species: How the Evolution of the Human Brain Can Save the World: https://amzn.to/44gSTcv…

_Follow My Neuroscience Podcast - The Giants Shoulder_

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Peter Godfrey-Smith is a philosopher of biology, diver, and author of Other Minds and Metazoa — two of the most important works on animal consciousness ever written.

His research explores the octopus not just as an animal, but as an alien intelligence that evolved a complex mind entirely separate from our own.

Octopuses have distributed brains in their arms, no cultural learning, no social lives — and yet they solve problems, play, and even throw objects in rage. They live just 1 to 2 years, mate once, and die — raising a profound question: why would evolution build a mind this sophisticated, only to delete it almost immediately?

Expect to learn why octopus intelligence forces us to rethink consciousness, how their nervous system creates agency without central control, what their bizarre lifespan reveals about the trade-offs of intelligence, why cultural learning might not be necessary for sentience, whether octopuses might dream, and what this means for how subjective experience evolved on Earth. You'll also learn how consciousness may have emerged from sensory integration, how language reshaped the human mind, why inner speech might be the key to unified awareness, whether arms can think, if AI can ever feel — and why octopuses might be the only creatures smart enough to understand what they are, but not live long enough to tell us.

Timestamps:

03:25 The Puzzling Lifespan of Octopuses

06:26 Evolutionary Strategies and Reproductive Behavior

09:24 Intelligence and Learning in Octopuses

12:15 Exploratory Behavior and Individual Learning

15:38 Social Interactions and Octopus Communities

18:36 Diving Adventures and Empathy for Octopuses

21:12 The Nervous System of the Octopus

24:23 Consciousness and Subjective Experience in Octopuses

45:22 Exploring Subjectivity in Non-Human Animals

48:16 The Role of Nervous Systems in Consciousness

53:51 The Evolution of Subjectivity

59:32 Language as a Transformative Tool

01:03:56 The Complexity of Human Consciousness

01:12:47 Challenges in Consciousness Research

01:17:39 Ethics in Neuroscience Research

...

📚 RECOMMENDED READING

Other Minds: The Octopus, the Sea, and the Deep Origins of Consciousness: https://amzn.to/466QILh

Metazoa: Animal Life and the Birth of the Mind: https://amzn.to/3SXBSiD

Living on Earth: Forests, Corals, Consciousness, and the Making of the World: https://amzn.to/3T2QMUJ

Theory and Reality: An Introduction to the Philosophy of Science, Second Edition: https://amzn.to/3SZpiPK

…

_Follow My Neuroscience Podcast - The Giants Shoulder_

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Professor David Nutt is the neuro­psychopharmacologist who built the world’s first science-based drug-harm scale, led the pioneering LSD brain-scan, and lost his post as the UK government’s chief drug adviser after declaring that alcohol is deadlier than LSD.

He’s the author of Drugs Without the Hot Air, Drink, Cannabis, and Psychedelics, and he’s now engineering a hangover-free alternative to booze.

Drug policy isn’t broken by accident—it’s broken by design. From kids denied life-saving cannabis to a global war on psychedelics that stalled mental-health breakthroughs for half a century, Professor Nutt reveals how politics trumped evidence, how psychedelic science is staging a comeback, and why the next revolution in public health might be an alcohol you can enjoy without poisoning your liver.

Expect to learn why alcohol tops the real league table of harm, how the famous drug-harm chart was built (and banned), what happened inside the MRI during the first LSD scan, the truth about cannabis and schizophrenia, how MDMA treats PTSD and ketamine tackles addiction, why prohibition breeds deadlier drugs like fentanyl, how hangover-free “Alcarelle” targets GABA without the toxic fallout, the regulatory red tape still strangling psychedelic research, practical advice for safer drug policy, and much more.

Timestamps:

00:00 Intro

02:35 The Truth About Drugs: A Controversial Revelation

05:32 The Political Landscape of Drug Policy

08:23 The Evidence vs. Beliefs: A Scientific Approach

11:36 The Role of Alcohol in Drug Policy

14:32 The Impact of Political Decisions on Drug Legislation

17:27 The Historical Context of Drug Bans

20:34 The Case of Medical Cannabis: A Heartbreaking Story

30:59 The Politics of Cannabis Legislation

33:06 Medical Cannabis: A Health Scandal

36:25 The Role of Medical Professionals

38:35 Neuroscience and Cannabis: Risks and Benefits

42:36 The Consequences of Drug Prohibition

50:47 Successful Drug Policies: Lessons from Portugal

55:38 The Case for Recreational Cannabis Legalization

…

📚 RECOMMENDED READING

Buy Nutt's Books Drink?: The New Science of Alcohol and Your Health: https://amzn.to/4dZTP9Z

Psychedelics: The Revolutionary Drugs That Could Change Your Life―A Guide from the Expert: https://amzn.to/3SJXAX6

Drugs without the hot air: Making sense of legal and illegal drugs: https://amzn.to/4kyu7eS

Cannabis (Seeing Through the Smoke): The New Science of Cannabis and Your Health: https://amzn.to/3FOiLo2

...

_Follow My Neuroscience Podcast - The Giants Shoulder_

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...

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Dr. David Hone is a paleontologist, evolutionary biologist, and author of How Fast Did T. rex Run?, a myth-busting investigation into the surprising behavior, intelligence, and complexity of dinosaurs.

Forget the lumbering monsters of Jurassic Park — dinosaurs were social, strategic, and sometimes even spectacularly weird. From display structures and pack hunting to nesting behaviour and brain evolution, Dr. Hone’s work reveals the dynamic lives these creatures once lived.

Expect to learn why T. rex might not have been the top predator we imagine, how dinosaurs used feathers and horns to flirt rather than fight, whether some species cared for their young, what fossils can really tell us about intelligence, what Netflix’s Life on Our Planet got wrong and why de-extinction efforts like those by Colossal Biosciences may be based on misleading science — plus much more.

Timestamps:

00:00 Intro

02:23 The Journey into Paleontology

03:39 A Day in the Life of a Reader in Zoology

05:20 Motivations Behind Writing on Dinosaur Behavior

06:06 Understanding Dinosaur Behavior: Methods and Evidence

10:05 The Public Perception vs. Scientific Reality

11:27 Group Behaviour in Dinosaurs: Myths and Facts

12:38 Reliability of Current Knowledge on Dinosaur Behavior

20:13 Learning from Modern Animals

26:37 Lifespan and Mortality of Dinosaurs

36:08 Common Misconceptions About Dinosaurs

38:32 The Evolution of Dinosaur Representation in Media

41:16 Groundbreaking Discoveries in Paleontology

45:15 The Role of AI in Paleontological Research

58:43 The Quest for Dinosaur DNA and Soft Tissue

01:08:04 Taxonomy and the Ethics of De-Extinction

01:13:36 Defining Species and Genetic Manipulation

01:16:12 The Ethics of De-extinction

01:18:58 The Tasmanian Tiger: A Case for De-extinction?

01:21:06 The Role of Venture Capital in Genetic Projects

01:23:43 Media Representation of Scientific Advances

01:25:30 Dinosaur Recreation in Media: Accuracy vs. Entertainment 01:37:37 Understanding Animal Behaviour and Rituals

01:45:07 The Future of Paleontology and Technological Advances 01:53:07 The Value of Paleontology in Society and Science

...

📚 RECOMMENDED READING

Uncovering Dinosaur Behavior: What They Did and How We Know: https://amzn.to/4kU3a5G

The Tyrannosaur Chronicles: The Biology of the Tyrant Dinosaurs: https://amzn.to/4k0Ph4y

How Fast Did T. rex Run?: Unsolved Questions from the Frontiers of Dinosaur Science: https://amzn.to/3T0guJu

…

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Erica Komisar is a psychoanalyst, clinical social worker, and author of Chicken Little, The Sky Isn’t Falling, a fiercely debated book about raising resilient adolescents in an anxious world.

With over three decades of clinical experience, Erica argues that the roots of childhood mental illness—depression, anxiety, even ADHD—can be traced back to emotional stress in the earliest years of life, especially when children are deprived of consistent, attuned caregiving. And yes, that means daycare is in the firing line.

Expect to learn why Erica believes ADHD is not a disorder but a stress response, how early separation affects a child’s ability to regulate emotions, the neuroscience of attachment and the mother-infant bond, how economic realities clash with developmental needs, what Erica thinks most studies on daycare get wrong, how fathers and same-sex couples fit into the attachment equation, why many modern parenting myths are dangerous, and much more.

Correction: I state in the guest intro that Erica is a doctor, this is an error. Erica Komisar is not a PhD, MD or doctor of any kind. My mistake.

Timestamps:

00:00

02:50 Myths of Parenting

08:47 The Role of the Primary Attachment Figure

14:59 Consequences of Distributed Attachment

20:50 Economic Realities and Parenting Choices

22:51 The Dangers of Daycare

28:52 Understanding ADHD and Stress Responses

30:15 The Genetic Debate on ADHD

32:09 Sensitive Children and Environmental Impact

34:38 Daycare: The Controversial Effects

37:32 Alternatives to Daycare

40:45 Community Solutions for Childcare

51:30 The Role of Parents in Same-Sex Partnerships

…

📚 RECOMMENDED READING

Chicken Little, The Sky Isn’t Falling: https://amzn.to/4dvh8YX

_Follow My Neuroscience Podcast - The Giants Shoulder_

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5m3Gta5MtIYdk59pb2GJ7M?si=b33232eae67b4126

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/ie/podcast/brief-enquiry-to-the-brain/id1752486249

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Dr. Anina Rich is a cognitive neuroscientist and one of the world’s foremost experts on synesthesia — the rare phenomenon where senses merge, allowing people to see music, taste shapes, or feel touch by sight alone.But synesthesia isn’t a neurological glitch — it’s a window into how all of our brains construct reality.

In this conversation, we explore how synesthesia reveals the brain’s hidden architecture: how we fuse the senses, how attention shapes perception, and why reality itself might just be a controlled hallucination.

Expect to learn what it’s like to taste triangles, why some people feel physical pain when watching someone else get hurt, whether psychedelics can trigger temporary synesthesia, the strange science of sound-color associations, how the brain decides what to notice (and what to ignore), what synesthesia tells us about consciousness, why your brain doesn’t just perceive the world but predicts it, and how understanding this might make us more compassionate, focused, and self-aware.This is one of the most mind-bending explorations of perception and consciousness ever recorded.

Timestamps:

00:00 Introduction

01:56 Exploring Reality and Perception

03:57 Understanding Synesthesia

12:54 The Subjectivity of Experience

14:44 The Complexity of Conscious Experience

18:00 Developmental Theories of Synesthesia

22:17 Personal Experiences and Synesthetic Associations 30:30 Common Patterns in Synesthetic Experiences

30:36 Exploring Synesthesia and Its Mechanisms

31:56 Brain Connectivity and Synesthetic Experiences

33:44 Innovative Research Methods in Synesthesia

38:58 Understanding Perception Through Synesthesia

42:56 Implications of Synesthesia on Consciousness

47:42 Attention and Its Role in Perception

52:53 Synesthesia and Psychedelics

56:00 Creativity and Synesthesia

57:52 The Subjectivity of Conscious Experience

01:00:05 Future Directions in Synesthesia Research

...

_Follow My Neuroscience Podcast - The Giants Shoulder_

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5m3Gta5MtIYdk59pb2GJ7M?si=b33232eae67b4126

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/ie/podcast/brief-enquiry-to-the-brain/id1752486249

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Dr. Nicholas Fabiano is a psychiatrist, researcher, and rising star in the world of mental health who’s challenging the foundations of how we diagnose and treat mental illness.

He believes depression isn’t just in your head — it’s in your whole body. From prescribing exercise as medicine to exploring the role of creatine in mood and cognition, Dr. Fabiano is pioneering a new, evidence-based psychiatry that breaks free from outdated diagnostic boxes and recognizes the deep connection between mental and physical health.

Expect to learn why the DSM fails to capture the complexity of depression, how exercise can match or exceed the effects of antidepressants, what creatine actually does in the brain, whether it could work as a standalone treatment, how psychiatry can benefit from AI and wearable data, why gait speed might predict IQ, whether cats really increase your risk of schizophrenia, and what it means to treat a person — not a label.

Plus, we dissect Dr. Fabiano’s most viral science threads, viewed by millions, and end with one big question:Could creatine save your personality?

Timestamps:

00:02:08 The Interconnection of Mental and Physical Health

00:04:59 Redefining Diagnostic Criteria in Mental Health

00:08:12 Challenges in Integrating Mental and Physical Health

00:11:15 The Role of AI in Diagnostics and Treatment

00:14:10 The Future of Prophylactic Care and Wearable Technology

00:17:08 The Importance of Exercise in Mental Health Treatment

00:31:09 The Importance of Proper Exercise Prescription

00:34:17 Reframing Exercise for Mental Health

00:40:23 Understanding the FIT Principle for Exercise

00:48:09 Creatine: A New Frontier in Mental Health

00:57:46 The Case for Universal Creatine Supplementation

01:00:06 Creatine and Sleep Deprivation

01:02:08 Creatine's Mechanism in Cognitive Function

01:04:06 Creatine and Depression: Exploring the Connection

01:05:57 Dietary Creatine and Mental Health

01:08:10 Forms of Creatine: What You Need to Know

01:10:04 Dosage and Timing of Creatine Supplementation

01:12:05 Creatine and Bipolar Disorder: A Cautionary Tale

01:14:03 Creatine's Role in Schizophrenia

01:18:15 Caffeine and Creatine: The Interaction

01:20:05 Exercise, Creatine, and Depression

01:22:04 Future Research Directions for Creatine

01:23:56 Creatine for Vegetarians and Vegans

01:29:47 Exploring the Efficacy of Creatine

01:30:14 Neuroscientific Insights on Emotional Bonds

01:32:28 Dietary Impacts on Brain Cancer Survival Rates

01:36:07 The Ketogenic Diet and Mental Health Applications

01:39:18 The Connection Between Pet Ownership and Mental Health

01:42:22 Coffee's Role in Aging and Cognitive Function

01:45:29 Daytime Napping and Brain Volume

01:47:55 Dog Ownership, Physical Activity, and Dementia Risk

01:49:57 Walking Speed as a Proxy for Cognitive Function

...

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Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/ie/podcast/brief-enquiry-to-the-brain/id1752486249

_Neuroscience Products I Swear By (Supports the Channel)_

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Follow Dr Fabiano on X (He Posts Awesome Content) : https://x.com/NTFabianoCreatine as a treatment for depression: A brain bioenergetics perspective - https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40215588/

Nick Lane is a biochemist, Professor of Evolutionary Biochemistry at University College London, and author of Transformer, The Vital Question, and Power, Sex, Suicide — books that have revolutionised how we think about the origin of life, complexity, and the deep chemistry powering consciousness.

Life, Lane argues, didn’t begin in a soup but in the cracks of the seafloor — powered not by sunlight, but by geochemical gradients, ancient electricity, and the quiet inevitability of metabolism. And astonishingly, those same forces still flow through your cells — and possibly your mind.

Expect to learn how life may have started in alkaline hydrothermal vents, why proton gradients might be more fundamental than DNA, how ATP synthase works like a microscopic motor powered by a field strength equal to a bolt of lightning, why mitochondria changed everything for complex life, how consciousness could emerge from electrical charge flow, whether bacterial cells might have feelings, why Lane rejects panpsychism but entertains “cellular sentience,” how the structure of life reflects planetary energy flow, and what this all means for AI, aging, and the nature of being alive.

Timestamps:

00:00 A Deep Dive into the Origins of Life

03:57 The Cathedral of Life: Hydrothermal Vents as the Cradle

09:45 Thermodynamics, CO₂, and the Secret of Organic Chemistry

13:40 From Geochemistry to Biochemistry

18:32 The First Energy Systems and Proton Gradients

24:00 ATP Synthase and the Universal Energy Machine

28:57 Why Life Isn’t Just Chemistry—It’s System Design

32:34 Life Beyond Carbon? The Case for Biochemical Inevitability

39:04 Mitochondria, Endosymbiosis, and the Rise of Complexity

46:02 Why Mitochondria Hold the Key to Eukaryotic Life

51:28 The Real Reason Complex Life Took So Long to Emerge

56:21 Scaling Energy: How Big Cells Became Possible

01:02:30 Death, Aging, and the Bioelectric Clock

01:08:04 Why Mitochondria Can Be a Double-Edged Sword

01:14:25 Are We Overrating Neural Complexity?

01:20:48 Bioelectricity and the Architecture of Development

01:27:13 Could Consciousness Emerge Without a Brain?

01:34:00 Mitochondria, Voltage Maps, and the Future of Bioelectric Science

01:39:03 Feelings as Electric Readouts of Metabolic State

01:44:12 Can Anesthetics Unlock the Mystery of Consciousness?

01:50:00 A Spectrum of Consciousness—Even Bacteria Feel?

01:56:15 Karl Friston, Free Energy, and the Bayesian Cell

02:02:15 The Neural Correlates of Consciousness — A Failed Bet?

02:07:04 Metabolism-First Consciousness: Nick’s Radical Hypothesis

02:08:38 Is It ATP or Electrical Fields That Matter Most?

02:13:20 Why Studying Fruit Flies Could Answer the Consciousness Question

02:20:54 How Naming Genes Distorts Scientific Thinking

02:23:45 Making Science Poetic — Lane’s Legacy

02:24:17 Nick Lane’s Next Book: From CO₂ to Cells

02:28:52 Final Reflections on the Story of Life and Consciousness

...

📚 RECOMMENDED READING

Vital Question: Energy, Evolution, and the Origins of Complex Life: https://amzn.to/4lrrBb6

Power, Sex, Suicide: Mitochondria and the meaning of life: https://amzn.to/4nVV6DB

Transformer: The Deep Chemistry of Life and Death: https://amzn.to/3IbT69Q

Life Ascending: The Ten Great Inventions of Evolution: https://amzn.to/4eF3v9S…

_Follow My Neuroscience Podcast - The Giants Shoulder_

Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/5m3Gta5MtIYdk59pb2GJ7M?si=b33232eae67b4126

Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/ie/podcast/brief-enquiry-to-the-brain/id1752486249_

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Dr. Evelina Fedorenko is a cognitive neuroscientist at MIT and one of the world’s leading experts on how the brain processes language.

She’s mapped the brain’s language system more precisely than anyone, proving it’s a specialized network — not shared with general thought — and that our inner monologue? It might be an illusion. Now, her lab is using large language models like GPT to predict and even control neural activity in human language regions, revealing uncanny parallels between artificial and biological intelligence.

Expect to learn why you don’t actually think in words, how language and thought are distinct systems in the brain, why GPT-style models light up the same brain regions as human speech, what “drive” and “suppress” sentences reveal about how we process meaning, how hyperpolyglots learn 20+ languages using the same neural real estate, how bilingualism changes your brain, what language does that other mammals never evolved, how AI could reshape neuroscience research, whether machines could ever be conscious — and much more…

Timestamps:

03:05 The Surprising Rise of LLM Technology

08:06 Neuroscience and AI: Uncovering the Brain's Mysteries 13:01 Exploring Model and Brain Similarities

18:06 Functional Specialization in AI and Human Brains

23:04 Convergence of Models: Approximating Reality

26:01 Future Directions in Neuroscience and AI

34:24 Exploring Innateness in Cognitive Development

35:58 Driving and Suppressing Sentences in Language Processing

39:54 Super Stimuli: Language System Preferences

42:37 Language Processing Across Development

46:16 Aphantasia and Inner Speech

52:57 Subjectivity of Inner Experience

57:57 The Brains of Hyperpolyglots

58:32 The Language Processing of Polyglots

01:01:49 Comparing Early Multilinguals and Late Language Learners

01:03:21 Understanding Language Activation in the Brain 01:05:24 Implications for Language Learning and Education 01:08:49 The Intersection of Language and Self-Identity 01:13:27 Consciousness and AI: A Philosophical Inquiry

01:18:18 Human Behavior vs. AI: The Greater Concern

01:19:48 Future Research Directions in Language and Reasoning

...

Follow My Neuroscience Podcast - The Giants Shoulder

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Johnjoe McFadden is a molecular geneticist, consciousness theorist, and best-selling co-author of Life on the Edge — the book that brought quantum mechanics into biology and shattered how we think about life itself.

He pioneered the first fully electronic rapid diagnostic test for deadly diseases like meningitis and COVID, and his groundbreaking work helped create the field of quantum biology — showing how enzymes, photosynthesis, even bird migration rely on quantum weirdness to function.

His bold CEMI Field Theory claims that your consciousness isn’t locked in your neuron's at all — it’s broadcast through your brain’s electromagnetic field. If true, it could finally solve the binding problem and change everything we know about the mind.

Expect to learn why life depends on quantum particles dancing through your cells, how robins literally see the Earth’s magnetic field, why DNA mutations may be driven by quantum tunnelling, why quantum biology might hold the key to free will, and how the brain’s invisible field could be the seat of your conscious experience — plus what that means for AI, evolution, and the very nature of reality...

Timestamps:

00:00 Intro

02:50 Introduction to Quantum Biology

04:49 Bird Navigation and Quantum Mechanics

16:47 The Spark of Interest in Quantum Biology

24:38 Quantum Mechanics in Biological Processes

26:48 Challenges of Quantum Mechanics in Biology

32:34 Consciousness and Quantum Mechanics

50:00 The Nature of Light and Time

50:30 Photon Journey: From Sun to Retina

51:27 Consciousness and Electromagnetic Fields

53:18 Unified Information in the Brain

54:47 The Brain's Electromagnetic Field and Consciousness

56:16 Fields vs. Matter: Understanding Consciousness

57:39 Quantum Mechanics and Consciousness

58:50 The Interaction of Neural Circuits and EM Fields

61:06 Conscious Behaviour and EM Field Dynamics

01:03:25 Neuron's as Receivers of Electromagnetic Information

01:05:42 The Relationship Between Brain and EM Field

01:06:40 Unconscious Information and EM Field Integration

01:13:53 Non-Conscious vs. Conscious Processing

01:17:25 Intuition and Unconscious Integration

01:22:46 The Role of EEG in Consciousness Research

01:23:36 Consciousness in Bacteria and Animals

01:28:16 Panpsychism and the Nature of Consciousness

01:28:23 The Future of AI and Consciousness

...

📚 RECOMMENDED READINGLife on the Edge: The Coming of Age of Quantum Biology: https://amzn.to/4lQQey0

Life is Simple: How Occam's Razor Set Science Free And Unlocked the Universe: https://amzn.to/3IMuCEk

Quantum Evolution: Life in the Multiverse: https://amzn.to/450UvsR…

_Follow My Neuroscience Podcast - The Giants Shoulder_ Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/5m3Gta5MtIYdk59pb2GJ7M?si=b33232eae67b4126

Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/ie/podcast/brief-enquiry-to-the-brain/id1752486249

_Neuroscience Products I Swear By (Supports the Channel)_

Manta Sleep Mask: Get the Comfiest Sleep Mask on the Planet (Use Code GIANTSMANTA10 https://bit.ly/4ilzfBL )[Brain.FM](http://brain.fm/): Music Entrainment for Focused Deep Work (30 Day Free Trial: https://www.brain.fm/giantsshoulder)[Consensus.AI](http://consensus.ai/): AI Powered Research (Use Code THEGIANTSSHOULDER for 1 Year Free Premium Sub)

Dr. Joanna Moncrieff is a psychiatrist, researcher, and author of The Myth of the Chemical Cure and Chemically Imbalanced, whose work has radically challenged one of the most powerful ideas in modern psychiatry — that depression is caused by a serotonin imbalance. Her landmark 2022 review in Molecular Psychiatry dismantled the serotonin hypothesis, exposing how Big Pharma turned a shaky theory into a multi‑billion‑dollar industry.

Read the review: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41380-022-01661-0

Expect to learn why the serotonin “chemical imbalance” story became the biggest myth in mental health, how SSRIs actually work — and why their benefits may be no greater than placebo, the shocking prevalence of emotional blunting and sexual dysfunction, why nearly 1 in 4 women in the UK are now on antidepressants, how Big Pharma engineered one of the most influential disinformation campaigns in medicine, what depression really is if not a brain disorder, why environmental factors far outweigh genes, the overlooked power of placebo, and why Joanna believes SSRIs may be doing more harm than good.

Timestamps:

00:03:10 The Serotonin Hypothesis of Depression

00:06:13 Challenging Conventional Psychiatric Narratives

00:09:08 The Role of Big Pharma in Mental Health

00:12:02 Public Reaction to New Findings

00:15:14 The Impact of Misinformation on Patients

00:18:10 Understanding SSRIs and Their Effects

00:21:07 The Pharmaceutical Industry's Influence

00:23:40 The Relationship Between Healthcare and Pharma

00:26:28 Current State of Antidepressant Research

00:29:26 Efficacy and Side Effects of SSRIs

00:32:19 Emotional Blunting and Sexual Dysfunction

00:35:45 Long-term Effects of Antidepressants

00:43:57 Concerns Over Antidepressants and Sexual Dysfunction

00:49:01 Understanding Depression: A Complex Emotional Reaction

0:54:33 The Role of Serotonin in Mood Disorders

01:00:11 Genetic Influences on Depression

01:13:25 Rethinking Treatment Approaches for Depression

01:19:27 Psychedelics: Potential and Pitfalls in Mental Health Treatment

...

_Follow My Neuroscience Podcast - The Giants Shoulder_ Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/5m3Gta5MtIYdk59pb2GJ7M?si=b33232eae67b4126

Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/ie/podcast/brief-enquiry-to-the-brain/id1752486249

_Neuroscience Products I Swear By (Supports the Channel)_Manta Sleep Mask: Get the Comfiest Sleep Mask on the Planet (Use Code GIANTSMANTA10 https://bit.ly/4ilzfBL )[Brain.FM](http://brain.fm/): Music Entrainment for Focused Deep Work (30 Day Free Trial: https://www.brain.fm/giantsshoulder)[Consensus.AI](http://consensus.ai/): AI Powered Research (Use Code THEGIANTSSHOULDER for 1 Year Free Premium Sub)

Dr. Dean Haycock is a neuroscientist and author of Murderous Minds and Tyrannical Minds, two of the most compelling books ever written on psychopathy and the biology of evil.

From serial killers to world leaders, Dean has spent his career uncovering how the brains of psychopaths differ from the rest of us — and what that means for free will, justice, and the future of society.

Expect to learn what brain scans reveal about the minds of psychopaths, why fear and empathy circuits often go silent in their brains, how genetics and childhood environments combine to create violent personalities, why some psychopaths end up in prison while others rise to power, what separates a manipulative CEO from a serial killer, whether science can predict who will kill again, the moral dilemmas of using neuroscience in the courtroom, whether psychopaths truly have free will, and much more…

Timestamps:

00:00 Intro

03:30 Understanding Psychopathy: Definitions and Controversies

06:30 Cultural Perspectives on Psychopathy

09:16 Psychopathy in Business and Leadership

12:21 The Nature of Psychopathy: Traits and Misconceptions

15:25 Psychopathy and Violence: Myths vs. Reality

18:22 Self-Awareness and Psychopathy

20:55 Gender Differences in Psychopathy

24:15 Neuroscience of Psychopathy: Brain Function and Emotion

39:24 Understanding Psychopathy and Its Biological Basis

42:46 The Role of Genetics and Environment in Psychopathy

45:35 Brain Imaging and Predicting Psychopathic Traits

48:44 Neuroethics and the Future of Brain Scanning

51:15 Dopamine, Serotonin, and Psychopathic Behaviour

54:34 Gene-Environment Interactions in Behaviour

56:56 The Complexity of Genes and Behaviour

01:00:33 The Influence of Genetics on Political Ideology

01:03:54 Consciousness and Its Biological Underpinnings

01:07:04 Psychopathy and Romantic Relationships

01:10:31 Dissociative Identity Disorder and Psychopathy

01:12:15 Exploring Dissociative Identity Disorder

01:13:52 Legal Implications of Psychological Disorders

01:16:13 Understanding Psychopathy and Responsibility

01:17:33 Ethical Culpability and Biological Predispositions

01:20:10 Sentencing and Biological Considerations

01:23:32 Case Study: The Teacher with a Tumor

01:28:18 The Complexity of Free Will

01:30:20 Learning from Criminal Behavior

01:34:20 The Importance of Understanding History

01:36:07 Future Research Directions in Psychopathology

📚 RECOMMENDED READING

Murderous Minds: https://amzn.to/4mnWgG5

Tyrannical Minds: Psychological Profiling, Narcissism, and Dictatorship: https://amzn.to/4ogPBPI

…

Follow My Neuroscience Podcast - The Giants Shoulder Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/5m3Gta5MtIYdk59pb2GJ7M?si=b33232eae67b4126

Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/ie/podcast/brief-enquiry-to-the-brain/id1752486249

Neuroscience Products I Swear By (Supports the Channel)Manta Sleep Mask: Get the Comfiest Sleep Mask on the Planet (Use Code GIANTSMANTA10 https://bit.ly/4ilzfBL )

[Brain.FM](http://brain.fm/): Music Entrainment for Focused Deep Work (30 Day Free Trial: https://www.brain.fm/giantsshoulder)

[Consensus.AI](http://consensus.ai/): AI Powered Research (Use Code THEGIANTSSHOULDER for 1 Year Free Premium Sub)