Naked Neuroscience, from the Naked Scientists

Feb 19 2025 83 ep. 33 mins 17.7k
Naked Neuroscience, from the Naked Scientists Podcast artwork

Open your mind with Naked Neuroscience, the spine-tingling, interactive monthly exploration of the workings of the nervous system from the Naked Scientists.

  Science  Health & Fitness
RSS feed Share
Copy RSS


Subscribe on Podcast Addict


Managing multiple sclerosis

Feb 19 2025 27 mins  
This episode of Naked Neuroscience is co-published on the Naked Scientists Podcast. James Tytko examines one of the largest causes of disability amongst the young: multiple sclerosis. We hear from Lara Kingsman who is living with MS, doctors at the University of Cambridge take us inside the brain to help guide interventions, and the MS Society tell us about their innovative drug tr

New ideas about OCD pave the way for alternative treatments

Dec 09 2024 27 mins  
Pervasive misconceptions about what OCD is may have stood in the way of making progress towards better treating the condition. Keeping your room tidy is not necessarily a sign that you have a psychiatric condition, despite what someone might claim in passing. Now, new theories about the way this anxiety disorder affects the brain are leading to new possibilities with regards to hel

Are smartphones bad for children?

Nov 10 2024 30 mins  
In this episode of Naked Neuroscience, James Tytko is investigating what harms smartphones might be inflicting on adolescents. He hears from a collective action group seeking to delay giving phones to their children, neuropsychologist Richard Cytowic describes the autism-like symptoms which arise from too much screen time, and we hear why a ban on smartphones in schools might be a

Head injuries: Reducing risk and improving treatment

Oct 08 2024 36 mins  
In this episode of Naked Neuroscience, James Tytko takes us in depth on traumatic brain injuries: assessing the risks of repeat head knocks, and shining a light on key developments in treating them. We hear from Dawn Astle, daughter of former England footballer Jeff Astle, on his dementia following a career of heading footballs. Then, we hear from the doctors and researchers presen

Extremist brains, and expelling traumatic memories

Aug 15 2024 25 mins  
On Naked Neuroscience, James Tytko learns about the traits shared by extremist individuals with the help of political neuroscientist Leor Zmigrod. Also, how the genetic predispositions of your peers could change your risk of developing certain psychiatric conditions. Plus, how a new sleep therapy could be about to revolutionise how we help people recover from PTSD... Like this podc

Fruit fly vision, sensing sarcasm, and social connection

Jul 17 2024 24 mins  
In the latest Naked Neuroscience, James Tytko brings you two new pieces of research involving the use of AI. First, how machine learning has been deployed to map out the visual system of a fruit fly in all its complexity, and how feeding a neural network a diet of quips from popular TV shows has produced the most effective sarcasm detector yet. Plus, David Robson outlines the strat

Neuro highlights: SNAP, tickles, and unpopular beliefs

Apr 30 2024 30 mins  
For April's episode, James Tytko brings you the latest and greatest in neuroscience news and views. First, we're probing a touchy subject, finding out whether our tactile sense might be the most underappreciated of all. Then, the sequence of genes responsible for cognitive impairment in those with schizophrenia and ageing reveals new avenues for research. And a bit later on, how th

'Nostalgia ain't what it used to be,' with Charan Ranganath

Mar 27 2024 26 mins  
This episode is an extended interview with Dr Charan Ranganath, director of the Memory and Plasticity Program and a Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience at the University of California at Davis. He's also the author of the book, 'Why we remember.' James Tytko started by asking him about his love of popular music...Charan - Yes, music is a very big part of my life and, when I wr

Brain chips: 'Moral imperative' or a danger to liberty?

Feb 12 2024 27 mins  
This month, James Tytko explores the dangers of debunking fake news online with Francis Madden, and discusses ongoing developments in the neuroscience of Long COVID with Stephanie Brown. Then, following on from Elon Musk's news that his brain chip company Neuralink have successfully implanted their device into a human, we explore what this means for the field of computer brain inte

Traumatic brain injuries: Invisible wounds of war

Jan 11 2024 36 mins  
Today, we're taking a closer look at traumatic brain injuries, TBIs. We'll be hearing from the doctors who are treating them, and a former soldier who is suffering from a host of mental health conditions as a consequence of his military service.And a bit later on, we'll find out how scientists are harnessing the incredible efficiency of our brains to break new ground in computing p