Naked Neuroscience, from the Naked Scientists

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 trial in collaboration with UCL to help find new treatments... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

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 helping people who don't see an improvement from current gold standard therapies. James Tytko explores... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

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 step too far in mitigating the negative effects. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

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 present at the NeuroTrauma conference hosted in Cambridge, before Brain to Z, where the topic is electroencephalography, or EEG. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

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 podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

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 strategies that will ensure you maintain strong social bonds, the topic of his latest book, 'The Laws of Connection.' Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

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 the cultural convergence many psychologists predicted as a result of globalisation is not coming to fruition... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

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 wrote this book, it was a very personal thing for me to be able to write something that both tracked the development of my own ideas, but also my life in this field of science. Some people who are personally attached... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

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 interfaces... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

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 performance... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

This time on Naked Neuroscience, James Tytko explores the miracle of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with Stephanie Brown from the University of Cambridge, including a new innovation to decrease 'scan-xiety' amongst children. Then, we'll be investigating the complexities of the current youth mental health crisis, with the help of Susanne Schweizer and Camilla Nord... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Kicking off a new series of Naked Neuroscience, James Tytko serves up the latest research making waves in brain science with the help of Stephanie Brown and Francis Madden. This month, the brain networks linked with addiction, and why suppressing negative thoughts might be the best way to look after your mental health. Then, with Malinda McPherson and Alexander Jensenius, we dive deep into the rhythms and melodies from music of eclectic origins... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

This month we're pondering the mysterious mind - what is it? Are us humans unique in having one? And where does the brain fit in? Plus we chat over some of the latest neuroscience news with local experts... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

We all know that vegetables and fruits are good for us - high in fibre, lots of vitamins. But what good do they actually do the brain? Do certain foods really benefit our nervous systems? How does this work? Can food actually prevent neurological issues? Well that's what Katie Haylor wants to find out in this month's Naked Neuroscience... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

This month - we're boring into boredom! What does it mean to be bored? Should we embrace it? Should we avoid it? How do you get through it? Stick with us to find out... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

From internal vision to things that appear to go bump in the night, we're talking about hallucinations. Plus, as usual, we're joined by our local experts to digest some of the latest neuroscience news...https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/hallucinations Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

It's nearly Christmas! Grab a mince pie and get comfy as this month Naked Neuroscience navigates the relationships we have with our pets. What makes some cat noises so annoying? Why are we such suckers for a cute dog? Plus, of course, some of the latest neuroscience news from our Cambridge-based experts... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

This month, take a stroll outside as Naked Neuroscience hears about the brain benefits of exercise, and the ways in which the great outdoors can do us good. Plus, as usual, we're joined by our local experts to digest some of the latest neuroscience news... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Snacking, craving and the microbiome! This month Naked Neuroscience looks at what's going on in the brain when we're hungry and thirsty... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Last month, we considered animals at play. And this month, Katie Haylor is joined by a couple of guests to consider the importance of play in human animals - from little kids, right into adulthood... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

This month and the next, we're having a laugh! We'll be getting stuck in to the science of play. What exactly is play? Why bother? And are we playing enough? Plus some of the latest from the world of neuroscience news with our local experts... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

This month, we're digging deeper into the world of headaches, asking what's going on in the brain when a migraine occurs? And meet the stripes that can do your head in... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Nearly everyone has had one, with some merely a nuisance and others severely debilitating.... we're honing in on headaches in this and the next episode of Naked Neuroscience. Plus, we're talking about the latest neuroscience news with our local experts! Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

This month, we're lifting the lid on the mind under lockdown. What's going on in the brain when you're having a virtual conversation, compared to one face to face? Could teenagers' mental wellbeing relate to whether they adhere to social distancing? And how to look after your mental health, whatever your situation... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

This month, we're talking development and decisions. From some of the cellular decisions involved in actually making a brain, to delving into teenage decision making... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

This month - Naked Neuroscience continues its colourful journey! We're exploring amazing animal colour vision, colour perception and development, and how colour relates to emotion. Plus, some of the latest neuroscience news from our local experts... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Be it burnt orange, millenial pink, inky black, dusky, deep purple, colour is everywhere! Over the February and March 2020 episodes of Naked Neuroscience, we're opening up the paint box of colour. In this episode Katie Haylor will be putting her retinas to the test at the optometrists, and finding out about how we actually see colour in the first place. Plus, some neuroscience news from our local experts... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

This month - with about 1 in 10 people in the UK on antidepressant drugs, we're asking what's it like to come off of these medications? How well is this change managed? And how can this be improved? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

This month, we're getting to grips with gaming disorder. With the NHS's first specialist clinic to help people with gaming disorder now open, we're asking what's it like to be addicted to gaming, and what can be done to help? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Welcome to a bonus episode of Naked Neuroscience, the podcast exploring the workings of the brain and the nervous system, in our bodies and beyond. In this short show Katie Haylor chats to Anglia Ruskin University perceptual psychologist Helen Keyes and Cambridge University cognitive neuroscientist Duncan Astle about a few neuroscience news stories they looked at back in November 2019. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

This month - we're riffing around the concept of "gut feelings". In a digestive sense, an emotional sense, and asking whether these concepts overlap at all... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

This month, we're dipping our toes into addiction. What exactly is addiction? Who is likely to become addicted? And what's going on in the brain? Plus, stimulating better short term memory, and linguistic tricks that might make us more susceptible to fake news... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

This month - what's going on in the brain that allows us to move? How might control over our movements change as we age? And why do armies march in time with each other? We're mulling over the neuroscience of movement. Plus, we'll be taking a stroll through the latest neuroscience news, with the help of local experts. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

This month, we're unpicking the neuroscience of loneliness, asking: Why do so many of us get lonely, what's happening in the brain when we are lonely, and what can be done to help? Plus, we'll be peeling back the science on some of the latest neuroscience research, with the help of local experts Helen Keyes and Duncan Astle. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

This month, we're talking smelly neuroscience! Can how we smell, and what we smell like, say anything about our health? Plus, we pick apart some of the latest neuroscience papers with the help of local experts... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

This month - are we taking sleep seriously enough? Should we be changing the way we view it? We're talking sleep and mental health, body clocks and genes, and sleep's impact on learning and memory. Plus, we'll be diving into some neuroscience news with the help of some local experts... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

This month - from digging into dementia, to asking "are bigger brains always better?", we've had a glut of neuroscience news harvested in the naked scientists office, so prepare for a neuroscience news round up. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

This month, Naked Neuroscience is putting music therapy under the microscope. We're tuning into the therapeutic properties of tunes, asking - what actually is music therapy? What health conditions can music therapy treat? And what's it actually doing to the brain? Plus, we'll be picking apart some of the latest neuroscience research, with the help of our local experts. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

This month, Naked Neuroscience is delving into the curious concept of consciousness - asking what exactly is it? Why should scientists study it? And what has the unconscious mind got to do with generating ideas? We speak to Cambridge University's Tristan Bekinschtein and scientist, screenwriter and author Leonard Mlodinow. Plus, we take a slice of the latest neuroscience news and digest it, with the help of local experts Duncan Astle from Cambridge University and Helen Keyes from Anglia Ruskin University... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

This month, Naked Neuroscience is back at the Rosenthal Symposuim conference on changing behaviour for the healthier, organised by the UK Academy of Medical Sciences and the US National Academy of Medicine. How can healthy behaviour changes be implemented in individuals and across a whole population? Plus, we're plucking out a couple of papers from the latest neuroscience research, with the help of some local experts. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

This month we're lifting the lid on health-related behaviour at the UK Academy of Medical Sciences and USA National Academy of Medicine's Rosenthal Symposium. We're asking what neuroscience can tell us about why we tend to overdo it on the cake, despite knowing we shouldn't, and looking at how understanding behaviour can help us change it for the healthier. Plus, we'll discover what's hot off the neuroscience newsreel with the help of some local experts. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

This month, we're peeling back the science of the peripheral nervous system, looking at some of the injuries it can sustain, and taking a closer look at exciting new developments on the horizon for treatment. Plus, we'll be digging into the latest neuroscience news with the help of some local experts. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

This month - what exactly is a memory? How does the brain suppress unwanted memories, and what can we do to improve our own memory? Plus, news hot off the press, and do our brains have their wires crossed? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

This month, we're peaking out from behind the sofa at the science of fear. Why are some of us so scared of seemingly harmless things? What's going on in the brain when we're frightened? And does cheese really give you nightmares? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

What power does science have? We explore the influence of neuroscience in the courtrooms. Could brain scans shape prison sentences? Can it predict who will re-offend? We put the brain on trial with Cambridge University's Neuroscience and Public Policy Research Initiatives. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Botox injections in the nervous system, keeping brain tissue alive, and the shifting axis of scientific influence... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

From rags to riches: how a fruit stall selling boy became a brain surgeon and, inspired by the NHS, built a community hospital and neuroscience institute back in his homeland of Kolkata. We meet the President of India who opened the institute, and speak with the patients being treated there... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

This month we'll be trotting the globe to open our minds! We soak up some naked brain wanderings, including visiting the banja, a Russian sauna, to be whipped by birch leaves. Plus, from the States, we'll meet the caring Robot trio, designed to help look after our increasingly elderly population, we'll visit a Brain Bank in New Zealand, keep fruit flies awake in Milan AND back in the UK meet a rocking professor who's addressing scientific gender inequality with music. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Putting the brain on trial: did your brain make you do it? Neuroscience in the courtroom exposed. Plus the dark side of new neurotechnologies and do we have free will or are our actions pre-determined? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Meet Brian, the robot programmed to help look after the elderly. Plus we explore the role of robots in combat and in the classroom and we explore the ethics of how science shapes society. This special Naked Neuroscience podcast series, supported by the Wellcome Trust, reports from the International Neuroethics Society annual meeting at the AAAS headquarters in Washington DC and features guest robots Brian, Casper and Tangy, as well as human contributors Goldie Nejat, Barbara Sahakian, Paul Root Wolpe and James Giordano. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Millions invested in brain research across the globe. It's the decade of the brain. But how will the results shape our future societies? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists