Podcast appearances and mentions of carla shatz

Hi friends! We're taking a much-needed August pause—we'll have new episodes for you in September. In the meanwhile, enjoy this pick from our archives! _____ [originally aired February 8, 2024] Where do memories live in the brain? If you've ever taken a neuroscience class, you probably learned that they're stored in our synapses, in the connections between our neurons. The basic idea is that, whenever we have an experience, the neurons involved fire together in time, and the synaptic connections between them get stronger. In this way, our memories for those experiences become minutely etched into our brains. This is what might be called the synaptic view of memory—it's the story you'll find in textbooks, and it's often treated as settled fact. But some reject this account entirely. The real storehouses of memory, they argue, lie elsewhere.  My guest today is Dr. Sam Gershman. Sam is Professor of Psychology at Harvard University, and the director of the Computational Cognitive Neuroscience Lab there. In a recent paper, he marshals a wide-ranging critique of the synaptic view. He makes a compelling case that synapses can't be the whole story—that we also have to look inside the neurons themselves.  Here, Sam and I first discuss the synaptic view and the evidence that seems to support it. We then talk about some of the problems with this classic picture. We consider, for example, cases where memories survive the radical destruction of synapses; and, more provocatively, cases where memories are formed in single-celled organisms that lack synapses altogether. We talk about the dissenting view, long lurking in the margins, that intracellular molecules like RNA could be the real storage sites of memory. Finally, we talk about Sam's new account—a synthesis that posits a role for both synapses and molecules. Along the way we touch on planaria and paramecia; spike-timing dependent plasticity; the patient H.M.; metamorphosis, hibernation, and memory transfer; the pioneering work of Beatrice Gelber; unfairly maligned ideas; and much, much more. Before we get to it, one important announcement: Applications are now open for the 2024 Diverse Intelligences Summer Institute (or DISI)! The event will be held in beautiful, seaside St Andrews, Scotland, from June 30 to July 20. If you like this show—if you like the conversations we have and the questions we ask—it's a safe bet that you'd like DISI. You can find more info at disi.org—that's disi.org. Review of applications will begin on Mar 1, so don't delay.  Alright friends, on to my conversation about the biological basis of memory with Dr. Sam Gershman. Enjoy!   Notes and links 4:00 - A general audience article on planarian memory transfer experiments and the scientist who conducted them, James V. McConnell.  8:00 - For more on Dr. Gershman's research and general approach, see his recent book and the publications on his lab website.  9:30 - A brief video explaining long-term potentiation. An overview of “Hebbian Learning.” The phrase “neurons that fire together wire together” was, contrary to widespread misattribution, coined by Dr. Carla Shatz here. 12:30 - The webpage of Dr. Jeremy Gunawardena, Associate Professor of Systems Biology at Harvard University. A recent paper from Dr. Gunawardena's lab on the avoidance behaviors exhibited by the single-celled organism Stentor (which vindicates some disputed, century-old findings).   14:00 - A recent paper by C. R. Gallistel describing some of his views on the biological basis of memory.   19:00 - The term “engram” refers to the physical trace of a memory. See recent reviews about the so-called search for the engram here, here, and here.   20:00 - An article on the importance of H.M. in neuroscience.  28:00 - A review about the phenomenon of spike-timing dependent plasticity. 33:00 - An article, co-authored by former guest Dr. Michael Levin, on the evidence for memory persistence despite radical remodeling of brain structures. See our episode with Dr. Levin here. 35:00 - A study reporting the persistence of memories in decapitated planarians. A popular article about these findings.  36:30 - An article reviewing one chapter in the memory transfer history. Another article reviewing evidence for “vertical” memory transfer (between generations). 39:00 - For more recent demonstrations of memory transfer, see here and here. 40:00 - A paper by Dr. Gershman, Dr. Gunawardena, and colleagues reconsidering the evidence for learning in single cells and describing the contributions of Dr. Beatrice Gelber. A general audience article about Gelber following the publication of the paper by Dr. Gershman and colleagues. 45:00 – A recent article arguing for the need to understand computation in single-celled organisms to understand how computation evolved more generally.  46:30 – Another study of classical conditioning in paramecia, led by Dr. Todd Hennessey. 49:00 – For more on plant signaling, see our recent episode with Dr. Paco Calvo and Dr. Natalie Lawrence.  56:00 – A recent article on “serial reversal learning” and its neuroscientific basis.  1:07:00 – A 2010 paper demonstrating a role for methylation in memory.   Recommendations The Behavior of the Lower Organisms, by Herbert Spencer Jennings Memory and the Computational Brain, by C. R. Gallistel and Adam Philip King Wetware, by Dennis Bray   Many Minds is a project of the Diverse Intelligences Summer Institute, which is made possible by a generous grant from the John Templeton Foundation to Indiana University. The show is hosted and produced by Kensy Cooperrider, with help from Assistant Producer Urte Laukaityte and with creative support from DISI Directors Erica Cartmill and Jacob Foster. Our artwork is by Ben Oldroyd. Our transcripts are created by Sarah Dopierala. Subscribe to Many Minds on Apple, Stitcher, Spotify, Pocket Casts, Google Play, or wherever you listen to podcasts. You can also now subscribe to the Many Minds newsletter here! We welcome your comments, questions, and suggestions. Feel free to email us at: manymindspodcast@gmail.com. For updates about the show, visit our website or follow us on Twitter (@ManyMindsPod) or Bluesky (@manymindspod.bsky.social).

-- We're re-releasing our conversation with Carla Shatz, one of our favorites from the archive, which comes up all the time on the show in the context of brain plasticity and aging. Enjoy, and see you next time! -NW -- When we're kids, our brains are amazing at learning. We absorb information from the outside world with ease, and we can adapt to anything. But as we age, our brains become a little more fixed. Our brain circuits become a little less flexible. You may have heard of a concept called neuroplasticity, our brain's ability to change or rewire itself. This is of course central to learning and memory, but it's also important for understanding a surprisingly wide array of medical conditions, including things like epilepsy, depression, even Alzheimer's disease. Today's guest, Carla Shatz, is a pioneer in understanding how our brains are sculpted by our experiences. She's credited with coining the phrase neurons that fire together, wire together. Her work over the past 40 years is foundational to how we understand the brain today. So I was excited to talk to Shatz about our brain's capacity for change, and I started off by asking about this sort of simple question, why exactly do we have this learning superpower as kids to do things like pick up languages and why does it go away?Shatz is Sapp Family Provostial Professor of Biology and of Neurobiology and the Catherine Holman Johnson director of Stanford Bio-X. Learn MoreIn conversation with Carla Shatz (Nature Neuroscience)Carla Shatz, her breakthrough discovery in vision and the developing brain (Stanford Medicine Magazine)Making an Old Brain Young | Carla Shatz (TEDxStanford)Carla Shatz Kavli Prize Laureate LectureStanford scientists discover a protein in nerves that determines which brain connections stay and which go (Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute)Episode CreditsThis episode was produced by Webby award-winning producer Michael Osborne, with production assistance by Morgan Honaker, and hosted by Nicholas Weiler. Art by Aimee Garza.Send us a text!Thanks for listening! If you're enjoying our show, please take a moment to give us a review on your podcast app of choice and share this episode with your friends. That's how we grow as a show and bring the stories of the frontiers of neuroscience to a wider audience. Learn more about the Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute at Stanford and follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

Between them these two neuroscientists changed the way we think of our brains. Their insights are now opening new ways to tackle the problems our brains face as they age, including neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's. 

When we're kids, our brains are amazing at learning. We absorb information from the outside world with ease, and we can adapt to anything. But as we age, our brains become a little more fixed. Our brain circuits become a little less flexible. You may have heard of a concept called neuroplasticity, our brain's ability to change or rewire itself. This is of course central to learning and memory, but it's also important for understanding a surprisingly wide array of medical conditions, including things like epilepsy, depression, even Alzheimer's disease. Today's guest, Carla Shatz, is a pioneer in understanding how our brains are sculpted by our experiences. She's credited with coining the phrase neurons that fire together, wire together. Her work over the past 40 years is foundational to how we understand the brain today. So I was excited to talk to Shatz about our brain's capacity for change, and I started off by asking about this sort of simple question, why exactly do we have this learning superpower as kids to do things like pick up languages and why does it go away?Shatz is Sapp Family Provostial Professor of Biology and of Neurobiology and the Catherine Holman Johnson director of Stanford Bio-X. Learn MoreIn conversation with Carla Shatz (Nature Neuroscience)Carla Shatz, her breakthrough discovery in vision and the developing brain (Stanford Medicine Magazine)Making an Old Brain Young | Carla Shatz (TEDxStanford)Carla Shatz Kavli Prize Laureate LectureStanford scientists discover a protein in nerves that determines which brain connections stay and which go (Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute)Episode CreditsThis episode was produced by Webby award-winning producer Michael Osborne, with production assistance by Morgan Honaker, and hosted by Nicholas Weiler. Art by Aimee Garza.Thanks for listening! Learn more about the Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute at Stanford and follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

The Kavli Prize Laureate on her research suggesting it may be possible to return aging and damaged brains to a state where they could learn as they did when young. Support the show: https://www.aldacommunicationtraining.com/podcasts/ See omnystudio.com/policies/listener for privacy information.

Highlighting scientific breakthroughs and achievements over the past 50 years, this episode features Carla Shatz, David Starr Jordan Director of Stanford Bio-X, an interdisciplinary biosciences institute, Sapp Family Provostial Professor of Biology and Neurology at Stanford University, and a past president of the Society for Neuroscience. Shatz, known for her discovery of the “fire together, wire together” phenomenon, discusses both the advent of neuroscience as a field and the history of SfN’s annual meeting, including its 25th anniversary meeting. History of SfN: 50th Anniversary is a limited series podcast highlighting stories from the history of the Society for Neuroscience, recounting groundbreaking moments in the growth of the Society from the perspectives of current, past, and future leaders. With the arrival of neuroengineering, computer science, imaging technologies, and other tools, neuroscience has changed dramatically and in many ways is set to be “the field of the future.” Shatz additionally shares her hopes for neuroscience research over the next 50 years. Be sure to visit https://neuronline.sfn.org/Listen to learn more. Take our listener survey at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/HWZN3W9 The views expressed in this interview are those of the individual and do not necessarily represent the views of the Society for Neuroscience.

2016 Kavli Prize recipient Carla Shatz from Stanford University presents a lively exploration of how understanding early stages of neural development may be leading to a pathway for developing treatments for Alzheimer's Disease. Series: "Alzheimer's Disease" [Health and Medicine] [Science] [Show ID: 31763]

2016 Kavli Prize recipient Carla Shatz from Stanford University presents a lively exploration of how understanding early stages of neural development may be leading to a pathway for developing treatments for Alzheimer's Disease. Series: "Alzheimer's Disease" [Health and Medicine] [Science] [Show ID: 31763]

2016 Kavli Prize recipient Carla Shatz from Stanford University presents a lively exploration of how understanding early stages of neural development may be leading to a pathway for developing treatments for Alzheimer's Disease. Series: "Alzheimer’s Disease" [Health and Medicine] [Science] [Show ID: 31763]

2016 Kavli Prize recipient Carla Shatz from Stanford University presents a lively exploration of how understanding early stages of neural development may be leading to a pathway for developing treatments for Alzheimer's Disease. Series: "Alzheimer’s Disease" [Health and Medicine] [Science] [Show ID: 31763]

2016 Kavli Prize recipient Carla Shatz from Stanford University presents a lively exploration of how understanding early stages of neural development may be leading to a pathway for developing treatments for Alzheimer's Disease. Series: "Alzheimer’s Disease" [Health and Medicine] [Science] [Show ID: 31763]

2016 Kavli Prize recipient Carla Shatz from Stanford University presents a lively exploration of how understanding early stages of neural development may be leading to a pathway for developing treatments for Alzheimer's Disease. Series: "Alzheimer’s Disease" [Health and Medicine] [Science] [Show ID: 31763]

Three fascinating presentations reveal how exploring changes during critical periods of brain development may lead to interventions, therapies and perhaps cures to conditions from learning disabilities to Alzheimer's Disease. Series: "Influence of Early Experience on Adult Brain Organization and Function - Kavli Institute for Brain and Mind Symposium" [Science] [Show ID: 31758]

Three fascinating presentations reveal how exploring changes during critical periods of brain development may lead to interventions, therapies and perhaps cures to conditions from learning disabilities to Alzheimer's Disease. Series: "Influence of Early Experience on Adult Brain Organization and Function - Kavli Institute for Brain and Mind Symposium" [Science] [Show ID: 31758]

Carla Shatz is the Sapp Family Provostial Professor of Neurobiology, David Starr Jordan Director, and Bio-X Director at Stanford University. Today, she covers various aspects of her background, her career in research, and women in science, all over Campari cocktails.

Carla Shatz, PhD, director of Bio-X and professor of neurobiology and of biology, reflects on the Clark Center and how the building embodies the spirit of the Bio-X initiative, which began 15 years ago.

"Brains and Bourbon" is a show about cocktails and neuroscience. Each week, we invite a neuroscientist to discuss the process and motivation behind their science, and to share their favorite cocktail with us. This week, our guest is George Vidal, a 4th year graduate student in Carla Shatz's lab here at Stanford, who talks to us about neuronal plasticity, and the intersection of science and religion, and shares with us his favorite cocktail, green Chartreuse. This is the FULL version of the interview, which includes the following sections: Introducing George Vidal 0:00-1:09 Making green Chartreuse 1:09-3:54 What is neuronal plasticity? 3:54-6:08 Structural plasticity and spine motility 6:08-13:30 Are learning, memory, and plasticity the same thing? 13:30-15:52 The role of PirB on plasticity 15:52-17:51 George describes his first experiment 17:51-20:22 Not My Field 20:22-28:25 Science and religion, and the future Father Vidal 28:25-39:30 Goodbye and end credits 39:30-40:10 You can listen to the short, 25 minute version of the show here: http://soundcloud.com/neuwritewest/brains-bourbon-ep2plasticity-short

"Brains and Bourbon" is a show about cocktails and neuroscience. Each week, we invite a neuroscientist to discuss the process and motivation behind their science, and to share their favorite cocktail with us. This week, our guest is George Vidal, a 4th year graduate student in Carla Shatz's lab here at Stanford, who talks to us about neuronal plasticity, and the intersection of science and religion, and shares with us his favorite cocktail, green Chartreuse. This is the SHORT version of the interview, which includes the following sections: Introducing George Vidal 0:00-1:09 Making green Chartreuse 1:09-3:54 What is neuronal plasticity? 3:54-5:59 Structural plasticity and spine motility 5:59-10:54 The role of PirB on plasticity 10:54-12:53 Not My Field 12:53-16:53 Science and religion, and the future Father Vidal 16:53-23:22 Goodbye and end credits 23:22-24:28 You can listen to the full, 42 minute version of the show here: http://soundcloud.com/neuwritewest/brains-bourbon-ep2plasticity-full

Carla Shatz discusses how the brain makes you who you are. As a storage for memories, thoughts, and experiences, the brain functions to create individuality among people and is always changing as we live and learn. (October 21, 2011)

Bill Newsome and Carla Shatz shine light on how brain circuits change with experience and learning during critical periods of development. They will also explore how the complex neural circuits in the adult brain carry out computations. (September 25, 2010)

Carla Shatz, professor of biology and neurobiology at the Stanford School of Medicine, discusses the visual processes of the brain. (February 2, 2010)

Carla Shatz, professor of biological sciences and neurobiology and director of the Bio-X program at Stanford, and Krishna Shenoy, associate professor of electrical engineering and bioengineering and head of the Neural Prosthetic Systems Laboratory. (May 9, 2009)