The Lab With Brad

Black and blue brain bits

Last week, Phil had questions. This week, we try to answer them. We also take a closer look at areas of the brain that have pigment in their neurons, and try to figure out what that pigment is there for.

Here’s an article about the substantia nigra.

What is the Substantia Nigra?

Here’s a slightly more technical article about the same thing.

Neurotransmitter Receptors in the Substantia Nigra & the Tuberomammillary Nucleus

Here are a couple of articles about brain areas associated with the human sense of time.

Brain Areas Critical To Human Time Sense Identified

Your Brain Has 2 Clocks

The gas and brakes in your brain

Philosophy was fun, but let’s get back to looking at the brain, and the bits there in. Today we talk about a system that helps to activate and control the way you move. It’s one part of what’s happening in your “basal ganglia,” which is just fun to say.

Here are links to some videos (with pictures!) about the direct and indirect motor pathways and the basal ganglia.

The Direct Pathway This is part one.

Details of the Indirect Pathway, this is part two.

The Basal Ganglia - Direct and Indirect Pathways, and this one stands alone.

Do you really make choices?

We had trouble finding an ending last time. Probably because we weren’t done. There was more to say, and we say it. From AI and ethics, to the question of choice and free will, join us for another episode that creeps out of science and into the less than certain world of philosophy.

Well, I accidentally deleted some of my research a couple of days before posting this. The wonderful original links were lost. I managed to scrounge up a couple of piddling replacements, so they’ll have to do.

Here’s an article about how your choices can be tracked via your brain’s activity.

Brain Scanners Can See Your Decisions Before You Make Them

Here’s an article about different illusions involving your sense of time.

Human time perception and its illusions

Sometimes science isn’t enough

The mind body problem, the hard question of consciousness—why do you feel like you to you? Phil and I attempt to bridge the gap between science and philosophy, only to fall down the chasm. We struggle a while with questions that have no answers, mostly because it means we can’t possibly get them wrong. Join us for a talk about consciousness.

Here’s a video by David Chalmers, with his take on consciousness.

Hard Problem of Consciousness — David Chalmers

Here is an article about ways of trying to figure out what the brain is doing while you’re conscious.

The hard problem of consciousness is a distraction from the real one

Here’s an article about Anton–Babinski syndrome.

Eyes Are Useless When the Mind Is Blind

And here are a couple articles about blindsight.

Blindsight Used in Everyday Life Scenes

Blindsight and Unconscious Vision

Here’s an FMRI study on brain activity and consciousness.

Human consciousness is supported by dynamic complex patterns of brain signal coordination

Brains and batteries, oh my

Our last recording went a little long. We split it in two, and this is the second part. Today we talk about the somewhat gruesome history of studying the electrical activity of the brain.

Here’s a link to an article on the history of the EEG.

Electroencephalograph EEG History

This just doesn’t fit anywhere, but I wanted you to have it. It’s some classic papers on neuroscience.

Society for Neuroscience - Classic Papers

Bloody brains!

The parts of your brain that are working the hardest, need the most blood. Your brain actually pulsates with your heartbeat, and the flow of your blood within your brain changes from minute to minute. One of the ways to study the brain is to track its blood flow. Today, along with the fall of Eastern Rome, assassins, goats and tourniquets, Phil and I talk about early methods of tracking the brain’s blood flow.

Here’s a talk on counting neurons, and other brain related stuff.

What is so special about the human brain?

Here’s a link to information on methods used to study the human brain in the 1800s.

Brain Maps: The Study of Brain Function in the Nineteenth Century