Author: This Is Your Brain producer
Sound may be the least understood of the five senses, with music the most mysterious of all. Neuroscientist Nina Kraus of Northwestern University takes us on a tour of how the brain processes music, and explains the lifelong benefits of music education. Find out how music can help offset the effects of poverty, and how concussion distorts the perception of music in the brain. Plus… Why you really should make your child take piano lessons! Phil Stieg: Hello and welcome to Dr. Nina Kraus, professor of communication sciences, neurobiology and otolaryngology at Northwestern University and director of the Brainvolts Auditory…
(music under)Narrator: Let’s take a moment to see how the “Backyard Brains” program works with actual teenagers. Here’s Dr. Gage giving a TED talk in 2015…Greg Gage: (fade up) Alright, so I need a volunteer. What is your name? Sam, I’m going to record from your brain. Have you had this before? Okay, I need you to stick out your arm for science…. Narrator: Dr. Gage attaches two peel-and-stick electrodes to Samantha’s arm… Greg Gage: Go ahead and squeeze your hand. Alright… So this is your motor units are happening right here? Well, you have about 80 billion neurons inside…
Worried about dementia, depression, or the zombie apocalypse? Greg Gage, PhD, has a solution for all of these – teach more kids about neuroscience, stat. His company, Backyard Brains, makes do-it-yourself brain kits that wow students with robo-roaches, nerve takeovers, and the sounds of neurons popping. One of these aspiring neuroscientists just may save us from brain disorders (or zombies) some day. Plus… listen in as Gage demonstrates how to take over an unsuspecting audience member’s arm. Phil Stieg: Hello and welcome to Dr. Greg Gage, co-founder of Backyard Brains, a do it yourself neuroscience kit. One in five people…
True creative genius may well be the last frontier in human evolution – the only trait that can’t be replaced with technology. Dr. Robert Bilder, who directs the Tennenbaum Center for the Biology of Creativity at UCLA, reveals what his study of artists and scientists tell us about how creative brains work, and how some creative people manage to bring their brains to the very edge of chaos without crossing into madness. Plus… Are we educating the creative genius out of our kids? Phil Stieg: Hello and welcome to Professor Robert Builder, director of the Tennenbaum Center for the Biology…
A writer stuck on a script. An artist staring at a blank page. A composer who can’t quite figure out what the next notes should be. In this edition of This Is Your Brain – The Guided Tour, we ask; is there anything that helps creative types actually create? The question has probably been around for as long as human civilization. Through the ages, many artists have tried to answer it with mind-altering substances, from absinthe to LSD. Could hallucinogens be the ultimate muse for creative types? A study released in 2018 by researchers at Leiden University in the Netherlands…
Is there a “trust spot” in the brain? How do we balance the human desire to trust against the fear of betrayal? Dr. Frank Krueger, a psychologist, physicist, and neuroscientist at George Mason University, explains how our brain circuits teach us to navigate the social dilemma of who deserves our trust. Plus… why men are more trusting (and take more risks) than women, and why those with autism have so much trouble deciding whom to trust. Phil Stieg: Hello, I’d like to welcome Dr. Frank Krueger, professor of Systems neuroscience at George Mason University. He studies psychological functions and neurobiological…