In this new episode of Lobes and Robes, we are joined by Dr. Dennis M. Patterson, Board of Governors Professor at Rutgers Law School, to explore the concept of anti-reductionism in neurolaw, the human mind and brain, and the important distinction between conceptual and empirical questions.

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In this new episode of Lobes and Robes, we are joined by Dr. Troy Roepke, Professor at the Department of Animal Sciences at Rutgers University, to explore the harms and legal effects of defining sex as a binary, gender-affirming hormone therapy (GAHT), sex as a biological variable (SABV), and how gender biases affect scientific research and health outcomes, especially for trans persons and cis-gender women.

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In this new episode of Lobes and Robes, we are joined by Dr. Christopher Sundby, Assistant PRofessor of LAw at the University of Tennessee College of Law, to discuss how neuroscience should be involved in reforming the rules of evidence, the present sense impression rule as a case study for testing psychological assumptions about lying, the possibility that some neurointerventions may reduce the need for imprisonment, and Professor Sundby’s proposed framework for the right to personality regarding neurointerventions in the criminal justice system.

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We are excited to share a new episode of Lobes and Robes, featuring Dr. Teneille Brown, Professor of Law at the S.J. Quinney College of Law at the University of Utah, where she also serves as the Associate Dean for Research and Director of the Center for Law and Biomedical Sciences. She also teaches at the university’s Center for Health, Ethics, Arts, and Humanities. Professor Brown’s research is highly interdisciplinary, engaging with questions at the intersection of law, genetics, neuroscience, social psychology, philosophy, medicine, and ethics.

In this conversation, we discuss how jurors interpret foreseeability, group-level evidence vs. individual-level evidence, using brain imaging in the criminal context, brain death, what it means to be legally alive or dead in different states and countries, and whether it is possible to separate actions from mental states.

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Kicking off Season 5 of Lobes and Robes, we are joined by Dr. Colleen Berryessa from Rutgers University to explore how neuroscience intersects with the criminal justice system. We discuss criminal justice, how biological characteristics can affect criminal sentencing, scientific literacy among jurors and judges, and many other interesting topics from her work.

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In this final episode of Season 4, we welcome Gustavo Ribeiro, an associate professor of law at American University Washington College of Law, who specializes in evidence, civil procedure, and the philosophical dimensions of legal proof. Professor Ribeiro, who will become the new co-host of Lobes & Robes in Season 5, discusses the complex challenges of using scientific evidence in courtrooms.

Our conversation explores how law and science operate as different "epistemic cultures" with fundamental tensions: courts require finality and certainty, while science embraces uncertainty and ongoing revision; legal proceedings focus on individual cases, while science typically deals with group averages and generalizations. Professor Ribeiro explains the landmark 1993 Supreme Court case Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals, which established criteria for determining when scientific evidence is sufficiently reliable for courtroom use, including testability, peer review, error rates, and general acceptance in relevant scientific communities.

The discussion addresses several pitfalls in the use of scientific evidence, particularly how jurors may overvalue technical testimony or struggle when faced with contradictory expert opinions. Professor Ribeiro highlights recent scrutiny of forensic science techniques, noting that while DNA evidence has generally proven reliable, many other forensic methods have been found lacking in scientific rigor.

We conclude the episode by examining the special concerns of using neuroscience evidence in court, including the "brain overclaim syndrome" where brain-based explanations may be given undue weight despite limited supporting data or flawed logic in connecting neuroscience findings to legal questions.

In this episode, we interview Dr. Jonathan Tubman, professor of psychology at American University, about his research on effective interventions for vulnerable adolescents. Dr. Tubman, whose interdisciplinary work spans multiple aspects of applied developmental psychology, highlights how adolescent development has transformed historically; whereas  puberty occurred at 17-18 years old in the 1850s, today it takes place as early as 9-10 years old, even though adolescent economic dependence on parents sometimes extends well into the twenties. Our conversation explores how today's adolescents navigate dramatically different social landscapes than previous generations did, including in dating, sexuality, and identity formation. Dr. Tubman discusses his research aimed at developing brief, targeted interventions for vulnerable youth. We explore how LGBTQ+ youth face unique challenges in “coming out“ earlier in life than previous generations. Dr. Tubman describes his findings that intimate partner violence within sexual and gender minority communities tends to affect smaller subsets with multiple co-occurring problems, thus  requiring comprehensive intervention approaches beyond simple safety planning. Throughout, Dr. Tubman emphasizes the importance of person-centered analysis to identify high-risk adolescents and develop effective targeted interventions for them.

In this episode, we welcome Dr. Adriana Galvan, professor of psychology at UCLA and director of the Developmental Neuroscience Laboratory. Dr. Galvan reveals how the adolescent brain is uniquely designed for growth and learning through a second wave of neuroplasticity. Dr. Galvan explains that the prefrontal cortex—responsible for emotion regulation and planning—continues developing into the early twenties. This prolonged development isn't a deficiency but an evolutionary advantage that encourages exploration and learning through experience. What adults perceive as risky behavior is actually essential trial-and-error learning that builds decision-making skills. Our conversation also explores why teenagers are intensely focused on social interactions and peers. Dr. Galvan discusses how neuroscience has informed legal considerations around adolescent responsibility. Finally, she presents a more nuanced take on recent narratives about youth mental health issues. Throughout the episode, Dr. Galvan presents adolescence as a vital, purposeful developmental stage necessary for becoming capable adults. This discussion offers valuable insights for parents, educators, and policymakers interested in understanding the remarkable adolescent brain.

In this episode, we welcome back Dr. Colin Saldana as our new co-host and delve into the fascinating intersection of neuroscience and criminal law. Our guest, Dr. Deborah Denno, an expert in the field, joins us to discuss her broad study of the historical uses of neuroscience in criminal cases. We explore a range of topics, including the way neuroscience has been used and misused in the courtroom; the role of neuroscience in evaluating questions such as mitigating factors and culpability in criminal cases; and the difficulties of translating scientific understandings for use in law by judges and juries. We look forward to the potential future impact of neuroscience on criminal law and consider both the promise and pitfalls of translating rapidly expanding neuroscientific knowledge for use in the courtroom. Join us as we unravel the complexities of this fascinating field and consider the future of neuroscience and the law.

This episode features popular culture critic Dr. Despina Kakoudaki, author of the book Anatomy of a Robot: Literature, Cinema, and the Cultural Work of Artificial People. Dr. Kakoudaki, a professor at American University, discusses how fantasy and science fiction imagine artificial persons. She discusses how literary and cinematic art depict machines as having human-like, or even super-human, intelligence and behavioral capabilities. In our wide-ranging discussion, we consider the implications of these ideas about the machines that science and technology are developing. We discuss how concepts of machines’ human-like tendencies are affecting current culture, definitions of personhood, and ideas about human evolution. We close with a discussion of how knowledge about the operation of the human brain has contributed to the development of artificial intelligence, and how, in turn, the development of increasingly sophisticated models of artificial intelligence may contribute to knowledge about the human brain.