The Brain Made Plain

Dr. Taraz Lee joins us to talk about cognitive control: that is, how we organize and execute actions throughout the day. In particular, although we often think about cognitive control as helping performance, this might not always be the case—for example, when choking under pressure. All of which provides insight into daily activities, complex motor activities found in sports and

We talk about the neuroscience of music with Dr. Jessica Grahn, with a special attention to rhythm and beat. Beat perception relies on both auditory and motor systems, including the basal ganglia, which may relate to effects of music in patients with Parkinson’s Disease. We also talk about beat perception in birds and other animals, and why some people might be better at beat per

Dr. Lauren Whitehurst joins us to talk about the critical role that sleep plays in cognition. The effects of sleep (and sleep loss) are seen in systems that span not only the brain, but the rest of the body, and understanding this can help us understand not only a host of cognitive processes, but encourage us to have good sleep habits. And, importantly, how some people have more fr

Dr. Morgan Barense joins us to talk about the close relationship between perception and memory. In particular, the hippocampus — a brain structure most often associated with memory — is also involved in high-level vision. Also discussed: the formative impact of undergraduate research experience and mentors, different kinds of perception and memory, and an app for your phone (Hi