Neuroscientists Talk Shop

On January 25, 2024 we spoke with Michael Long about vocalization, language and conversation from birds to humans. We discuss what can be learned from birdsong, warbling in parrots, singing mice, and human conversation.

Guest: Michael Long, Thomas Suzanne Murphy Professor of Neuroscience and Physiology and Professor in the Department of Otolaryngology at the New York University School of Medicine.

Host: Charles Wilson, Department of Neuroscience, Developmental and Regenerative Biology, UTSA

Thanks to James Tepper for original music.

On January 19, 2024 we talked with Itamar Lerner on the complex relationship between sleep and learning, the phases of sleep, and kinds of learning.

Guest:

Itamar Lerner, Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology, UTSA

Host:

Charles Wilson, Department of Neuroscience, Developmental and Regenerative Biology, UTSA

Thanks to James Tepper for original music.

On November 30, 2023 we spoke with Rebecca Shansky on the brain circuits responsible for fear learning, the errors we make as we simplify measurement to make behavioral experiments practical, and the future of behavioral science.

Guest:

Rebecca Shansky, Professor, Department of Psychology, Northeastern University

Participating:

Matt Wanat, Department of Neuroscience, Developmental and Regenerative Biology, UTSA

Morgan Johnston, Department of Neuroscience, Developmental and Regenerative Biology, UTSA

Host:

Charles Wilson, Department of Neuroscience, Developmental and Regenerative Biology, UTSA

On November 27, 2023 we had the special opportunity to chat with Erica Korb about the nucleosome - the histone protein and DNA structure that controls the availability of genes for transcription. She explained about replication dependent and replication independent histone variants and the special demands on and features of the nucleosome of neurons.

Guest:

Erica Korb, Assistant Professor of Genetics and the Epigenetics Institute, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine

Participating:

Alexey Soshnev, Department of Neuroscience, Developmental and Regenerative Biology, UTSA

Host:

Charles Wilson, Department of Neuroscience, Developmental and Regenerative Biology, UTSA

Thanks to Jim Tepper for original music

On November 9, 2023 we talked to Anne West about promoters, transcription factors and histones for controlling gene expression in neurons during development and adulthood.

Guest:

Anne West, Professor of Neurobiology and Cell Biology, Duke University

Participating,

Alexey Soshnev, Department of Neuroscience, Developmental and Developmental Biology, UTSA

Host:

Charles Wilson, Department of Neuroscience, Developmental and Developmental Biology, UTSA

Thanks to JM Tepper for original music

On November 2, 2023 we spoke with Allan Gulledge on the function of neuromodulation and neuromodulators, especially acetylcholine, in the cerebral cortex. We asked him about their role is cortical signal processing and state changes in the circuit.

Guest: Allan Gulledge, Professor of Molecular and Systems Biology, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth College

Participating:

David Jaffe, Department of Neuroscience, Developmental and Regenerative Biology, UTSA

Host:

Charles Wilson, Department of Neuroscience, Developmental and Regenerative Biology, UTSA

Thanks to James Tepper for original music.

On October 26, 2023 we spike with Ben Clark about the construction and properties of a cognitive map in the brain. We considered the existing data on cellular responses that have been described in the cortex, thalamus and hippocampus, and how cells with those responses could be part of a system that is used to map space.

Guest:

Ben Clark, Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology, University of New Mexico,

Participating:

Francesco Savelli, Department of Neuroscience, Developmental and Regenerative Biology, UTSA

Host:

Charles Wilson, Department of Neuroscience, Developmental and Regenerative Biology, UTSA

Thanks to James Tepper for original music

On October 19, 2023 we spoke with MacKenzie Howard on the genetics and neurophysiology of Dravet syndrome, a severe genetic and developmental form of epilepsy. We learned how the a single genetic mutation can lead to a cascade of physiological defects during development.

Guest:

MacKenzie Howard, Assistant Professor in the Departments of Neurology and Neuroscience and the Center for Learning and Memory at the Dell Medical School, University of Texas at Austin.

Participating:

Jenny Hsieh, Department of Neuroscience, Developmental and Regenerative Biology, UTSA

Host:

Charles Wilson, Department of Neuroscience, Developmental and Regenerative Biology, UTSA

Thanks to Jim Tepper for original music

On September 28, 2023 we spoke with Jose Rodriguez-Romaguera about measuring arousal and its role in motivated behavior.

Guest:

Jose Rodriguez-Romaguera, Assistant Professor in the Departments of Psychiatry, Cell Biology and Physiology, and Applied Physical Sciences, University of North Carolina School of Medicine.

Participating:

Tony Burgos-Robles, Department of Neuroscience, Developmental and Regenerative Biology, UTSA

Host:

Charles Wilson, Department of Neuroscience, Developmental and Regenerative Biology, UTSA

thanks to JM Tepper for original music

On September 21st, 2023, we spoke with Tianyi Mao about improved methods for studying the spatial organization of connections between brain regions.

This is Tianyi's second appearance on Neuroscientists Talk Shop. The previous one was Episode 35, from 14 years ago, in September 2009

Guest

Tianyi Mao, Scientist, Vollum Institute, Oregon Health Sciences University

Participant

James Jones, Department of Neuroscience, Developmental and Regenerative Biology, UTSA

Host

Charles Wilson, Department of Neuroscience, Developmental and Regenerative Biology, UTSA

thanks to JM Tepper for original music