Convergent Science Network Podcast

Moshe Bar (Harvard Medical School, Charlestown) argues for a cognitive model that blends expectation (top-down) and sensation (bottom-up) processing. With Paul Verschure he discusses also imagination, meditation, and depression treatment in this context.

Mandyam Srinivasan's research (University of Queensland, Brisbane) centers on vision and cognition of flying insects, especially bees. He discusses it with Paul Verschure and special guest Partha Mitra (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, New York).

Giovanni Pezzulo (Institute of Cognitive Sciences & Technologies, Rome) discusses with Paul Verschure the concept of the predictive brain that actively anticipates body movement.

Nick Strausfeld's interest (University of Arizona, Tucson) lies in evolution and comparative neurobiology. With Paul & Tony he discusses how common denominators of insect brains lead us to find core system architectures.

Guenther Knoblich's work (Central European University, Budapest) focuses on joint action like performed in team sports, and acrobatics. With Paul Verschure he discusses cognitive aspects of coordination, timing, and signalling while moving together.

Dmitri B. Chklovskii (Howard Hughes Medical Institute) discusses the idea of the brain as an adaptive filter, and what theoretical and experimental implications this approach entails.

Donald W. Pfaff heads the Laboratory of Neurobiology and Behavior at The Rokefeller University. With Paul Verschure he discusses the central role of the arousal system in mind, brain, and behavior.

Dana Ballard (University of Texas, Austin) argues that vision is agenda-driven, rather than saliency-driven alone. With Paul Verschure he discusses how the idea of gathering and integrating information quanta into a mental scene applies to a wider model.

Jon Kaas (Vanderbilt University) is an expert on the evolution of the brain. Together with Paul & Tony he discusses similarities in neural architectures between different species. [A technical problem affected the guest's recording up to minute 6

Maria Chiara Carozza (Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, Italy) talks with Tony Prescott about the development of robotic prosthetic hands, exoskeletons, and skin, and the ways this could help people increase body movement control and rehabilitate.