Dr. Carla Shatz is one of the most influential neuroscientists of our time, whose work has fundamentally shaped our understanding of brain development and plasticity. She is the Sapp Family Provostial Professor of Biology and Neurobiology at Stanford University, a member of the National Academy of Sciences, and recipient of the Kavli Prize in Neuroscience.

In this episode, Carla sits down with Anirvan (who worked with her as a graduate student) to talk about her scientific journey, the work from her lab that revealed how early patterns of neural activity sculpt brain circuits during critical periods of development, and the surprising discovery that the developing brain uses spontaneous waves of activity—even before birth—to refine its wiring.

She also discusses how that investigation revealed an unexpected connection between the immune and nervous systems, and how an immune protein, PirB, plays a role in sculpting developing neural circuits. Remarkably, PirB can bind to beta-amyloid in an adult brain, suggesting an unexpected link with Alzheimer's disease and potential therapeutic strategies.