Smooth Brain Society

Professor Tony Marson of the University of Liverpool talks to Beth and Sahir about Epilepsy, a neurological disorder characterized by recurrent seizures, which are sudden, abnormal electrical activity in the brain. We discuss the types of epilepsy, what are its causes and how it manifests across time, what the current treatments for epilepsy are and what the future of epilepsy research looks like. 

This episode is part of our ongoing collaboration with the British Neuroscience Association, Liverpool Neuroscience Group and The Brain Charity.

https://www.liverpool.ac.uk/people/anthony-marson

Public Events run by LNG: https://meetings.bna.org.uk/BYOBLiverpool/

BNA Festival of Neuroscience: https://meetings.bna.org.uk/bna2025/ 

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In the build to the International Festival of Neuroscience being held in Liverpool from the 27th to 30th of April, 2025. We spoke to Dr. Dorothy Tse of Edge Hill University about her incredible research aimed at understanding memory, preventing dementia and promoting healthy ageing. We speak about the Tse Lab's work in understanding how prior knowledge can help in developing new memories and the importance of public input in all their research activities.

Episode in collaboration with the British Neuroscience Association, Liverpool Neuroscience Group and The Brain Charity.

Public Events run by LNG: https://meetings.bna.org.uk/BYOBLiverpool/

BNA Festival of Neuroscience: https://meetings.bna.org.uk/bna2025/ 

Dr. Dorothy Tse: https://www.edgehill.ac.uk/person/dr-dorothy-tse/staff/

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Individuals' psychopathic personality traits can have negative effects on the people around them. Aaron Hissey of Victoria University of Wellington discusses his research on whether the negativity of someone's psychopathic personality crosses over to their partner and then spills over into their partner's workplace. We discuss some of the incredible associations he found including some potential benefits of dating a psychopath.

Read the article here: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39928490/

Anatomy of a Psychopath: https://smoothbrainsociety.com/2022/04/29/2-the-anatomy-of-a-psychopath-associate-prof-hedwig-eisenbarth/

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Autism, or autism spectrum disorder (ASD), refers to a broad range of conditions characterized by challenges with social skills, repetitive behaviors, speech and nonverbal communication. Dr. Calum Hartley of Lancaster University talks us through ASD and come of the misconceptions people have about it. We cover Dr. Hartley's research on language development in children with autism and cover some other research with regards to the negative interactions people with autism often face in the criminal justice system.

Dr. Calum Hartley: https://www.lancaster.ac.uk/psychology/about-us/people/calum-hartley

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Angela Kibia, Researcher at King's College London, talks about the work being carried out by the SAFE project aimed towards developing education and group support for Black families and carers supporting a relative with psychosis. Highlighting the importance of all those who care for someone with a mental health condition and what we can do to better support them.

Experiences from participants from the SAFE project https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R4DcFShrLLE

https://www.kcl.ac.uk/exploring-the-experiences-of-carers-from-black-communities-1

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Behrouz Boochani and Abdul Samad Haidari speak about their journeys as refugees, the systems which demonize asylum seekers as criminals, Manus Prison Theory and structural oppression, and the role of art, literature and storytelling in resistance an healing.

Guest Profiles:

Behrouz Boochani is a Kurdish-Iranian journalist, human rights defender, writer, film producer and research fellow at Canterbury University. He, along with Omid Tofighian, developed the Manus Prison Theory which is a framework to understand offshore detention facilities and how this system functions as a form of systemic violence and oppression against asylum seekers. Behrouz himself was detained at Manus Island for two years after its official closure in 2019 and his memoir, No Friend But the Mountains: Writing from Manus Prison, won the Victorian Prize for Literature and the Victorian Premier's Prize for Nonfiction in January 2019.

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/jul/31/writing-from-manus-prison-a-scathing-critique-of-domination-and-oppression

Abdul Samad Haidari is journalist, poet and refugee advocate. From the Hazara community in Afghanistan, he was forced to flee Afghanistan on multiple occasions having spent his childhood as a refugee in Pakistan and Iran before returning. His journalism had a particular focus on women and children's rights, terrorist group actions, transparency and accountability in government, and the systematic persecution of minority groups in both Afghanistan and Pakistan.  He spent 9 years in a refugee camp in Indonesia before making in to New Zealand. The podcast title "I am but more than a refugee" is an homage to one of the poems in his recent book. "The Unsent Condolences"

https://abdulsamadhaidari.wixsite.com/site/books

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"You’re a hero. It’s in your DNA." The NHS and NIHR BioResource has started a nationwide movement for ages 0 - 15 to help health research.

Dr. Anna Moore, University of Cambridge, and Elizabeth Mordey of the DNA, Children + Young People's Health Resource (D-CYPHR) talk about the project and how it has the potential to revolutionize healthcare in the UK and around the world.. 

By studying thousands of DNA samples together with health information, scientists can begin to see the big picture of how our genetics and our environment influence our health. 

All kids need to do is spit in a tube.

Further details: https://bioresource.nihr.ac.uk/d-cyphr/

Contact D-CYPHR: [email protected]

Dr. Anna Moore: https://neuroscience.cam.ac.uk/member/am2708/

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Children and young people whose parents use substances often feel alone in their experiences, with very few people to trust or talk to.  Parents and caregivers mention uncertainty on how and when to have conversations with children in their family and answer their questions in the best way. Dr. Cassey Muir,  Dr Ruth McGovern and teams at Newcastle University brought together the messages from their studies which are told in this story about Arti, the wishing star. The story was written by Danielle Slade and illustrated by Josie Brookes. Dr. Cassey Muir and Josie Brookes Join us on this episode to discuss the journey of Arti and how it is helping children and families across the UK.

https://sphr.nihr.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Twinkle-Twinkle-Arti-by-Danielle-Slade-and-illustrated-by-Josie-Brookes.pdf

The project was funded by the  This project is funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) School for Public Health Research (SPHR). In collaboration with UK Research and Innovation (UKRI): Medical Research Council and Fuse, the Centre for Translational Research in Public Health.

Dr Cassey Muir: https://www.ncl.ac.uk/medical-sciences/people/profile/casseymuir.html
Josie Brookes: https://www.josiebrookes.com/

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Nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) is a self-inflicted act that causes pain or superficial damage but is not intended to cause death. Dr. Kealagh Robinson, of Massey University, works in emotion and emotion regulation, with a specific emphasis on how these factors underpin self-injurious thoughts and behaviours. She discusses the role of emotion regulation in self-injury behaviours and some fascinating results from her latest study which demonstrate that the role of emotion in NSSI is more complex than prominent theories can account for.

If needed, please contact:
https://www.helpguide.org/find-help

Dr. Robinson's latest study:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S016503272401187X

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We Collaborated with Voice of Aroha on an exciting podcast featuring Lawyer and Host of the Podcast, Me, Racism and I, the incredible Thoraya Abdoul-Rassol. In the episode we delve into thought-provoking discussions on identity, culture, and personal experiences. Check it out!

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