Think Twice Podcast

Have you ever thought about how your brain makes decisions? How does your brain decide if you should go out with your friends for a drink instead of studying for a midterm or even how does it decide what political party to vote for when elections come around? Is there such a thing as free will or is it merely an illusion? In this graduate student interview episode, Julien Milosz discusses computational modelling, decision making, free will, and conducts a live experiment with our host.

Julien Milosz is a recent software engineering graduate with a background in neuroscience. He completed both his undergraduate and master’s studies at Université de Montréal under the guidance of John F. Kalaska, focusing on mathematical models of human decision-making. After earning his B.Sc. and M.Sc. in neuroscience, Julien transitioned to software engineering to delve deeper into the field of artificial intelligence (AI). Alongside his academic studies, he is passionate about consciousness, the philosophy of mind, and the intersection of AI and neuroscience. He is also an avid rock climber!

Authors: Eve Racette, Elena Koning

Email: [email protected]

Instagram: @thinktwice_podcast

LinkedIN: Think Twice Podcast

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ThinkTwicePodcast

Disclaimer: Think Twice is a podcast for general information and entertainment purposes only. The content discussed in the episodes does not reflect the views of the podcast committee members or any institution they are affiliated with. The use of the information presented in this podcast is at the user’s own risk and is not intended to replace professional healthcare services.

Curious about what bees and humans have in common when it comes to cocaine and reward circuits? Wondering what this all means for addiction research or even saving the bees? In this journal club-style episode, we are covering a recent paper on the effects of cocaine on honeybees and you won't BEE-lieve what it showed. We break down the methods and results of this fascinating research, from dopamine-driven bee dances to the cognitive effects of cocaine withdrawal. Along the way, we’ll discuss the broader implications for understanding addiction, dopamine systems, and how naturalistic animal behaviors can shed light on human neuroscience. Tune in for a lively discussion that’s equal parts scientific and sweet.

Authors: Eve Racette, Elena Koning, Deanne Pinto, Shima Hassanpour

Email: [email protected]

Instagram: @thinktwice_podcast

LinkedIN: Think Twice Podcast

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ThinkTwicePodcast

Disclaimer: Think Twice is a podcast for general information and entertainment purposes only. The content discussed in the episodes does not reflect the views of the podcast committee members or any institution they are affiliated with. The use of the information presented in this podcast is at the user’s own risk and is not intended to replace professional healthcare services.

Have you every wondered how exactly drugs are designed to access the brain? The answer usually revolves around one very important part of the central nervous system. The blood brain barrier is the layer of cells that protects the brain from pathogens while still allowing for the removal of toxins. From pain medications to ozempic, several drugs have been designed to get across this barrier in one way or another. In this episode, we are joined by an expert in the field and cover how the blood brain barrier works, how common drugs act on it, what can go wrong, and how you can leverage your own blood brain barrier.

Dr. Sebastian Furness is from Adelaide and received his BSc(Hons) and PhD. from the University of Adelaide, in the biochemistry of gene regulation. He then did postdoctoral research on how blood stem cells regenerate all the different types of blood cells at the University of British Columbia in beautiful Vancouver before returning to Australia (this time in Melbourne) to work on the molecular functioning of an important class of drug targets called G protein-coupled Receptors.

Sebastian won an ARC Future Fellowship, the most prestigious early-mid career fellowship for discovery scientists in Australia. This allowed him to develop his own research program where he moved to the University of Queensland, in sunny Brisbane. Sebastian runs a small lab that focusses on trying to understand the molecular-level details of how communication occurs between the gastrointestinal tract and brain. He teaches into undergraduate Biomedical Science and Pharmacy and enjoys communicating science in various forums, including “Pint of Science” and “The Conversation”.

For more information on what the lab does see:

RTClab.org AND https://biomedical-sciences.uq.edu.au/research/groups/receptor-transducer-coupling

Author: Elena Koning

Email: [email protected]

Instagram: @thinktwice_podcast

LinkedIN: Think Twice Podcast

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ThinkTwicePodcast

Disclaimer: Think Twice is a podcast for general information and entertainment purposes only. The content discussed in the episodes does not reflect the views of the podcast committee members or any institution they are affiliated with. The use of the information presented in this podcast is at the user’s own risk and is not intended to replace professional healthcare services.

Have you ever wondered what makes a person capable of heinous acts such as murder? Are their brains different from the rest of us? Do they feel remorse or guilt? What about how to predict if someone will grow up to be a psychopath? In this episode, we explore the dark yet intriguing realm of psychopathy and the neuroscience behind it all! We answer your burning questions on the topic, including potential causes, the truth behind 'empty eyes,' psychopathy vs sociopathy, and if psychopaths are accurately represented in movies and TV shows.

Author: Dure Khan, Deanne Pinto

Email: [email protected]

Instagram: @thinktwice_podcast

LinkedIN: Think Twice Podcast

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ThinkTwicePodcast

Disclaimer: Think Twice is a podcast for general information and entertainment purposes only. The content discussed in the episodes does not reflect the views of the podcast committee members or any institution they are affiliated with. The use of the information presented in this podcast is at the user’s own risk and is not intended to replace professional healthcare services.

REPOST

Would you trust an AI chatbot with your mental health? The lack of accessible and effective interventions for mental health continues to be a worldwide problem. Recent advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) represent a potential solution, including the rise of 24-hour AI chatbots as a support tool. However, with all new technologies there is concern about the lack of regulatory oversight, potential overhyped benefits, and underestimated risk of these AI therapy apps, especially considering the highly vulnerable populations that they target. In this episode, we discuss all the promises and pitfalls of AI mental health tools with researcher Zoha Kawaja.

Zoha is a third-year Master of Science candidate studying bioethics at Simon Fraser University (SFU) and has a Bachelor’s in Psychology from the University of Calgary with over 8 years of healthcare research experience. As part of the Bridge to Artificial Intelligence (B2AI) Voice Consortium, an NIH-funded data generation project, her thesis takes an anticipatory stance to gauge the ethical demands that entail when designing and implementing artificial intelligence (AI)-technologies that utilize voice as a biomarker (voice AI) to assist clinicians in predicting, diagnosing, and monitoring mental health conditions.

Email: [email protected]

LinkedIn: @zohakhawaja

Supervisor: Dr. Jean-Christophe Bélisle-Pipon; [email protected]

Research Lab: Sustainable People-centric Algorithmic Responsible and Knowledge-driven (SPARK) Good AI Lab at SFU

Voice Consortium: https://www.b2ai-voice.org/

Author: Elena Koning

Email: [email protected]

Instagram: @thinktwice_podcast

LinkedIN: Think Twice Podcast

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ThinkTwicePodcast

Disclaimer: Think Twice is a podcast for general information and entertainment purposes only. The content discussed in the episodes does not reflect the views of the podcast committee members or any institution they are affiliated with. The use of the information presented in this podcast is at the user’s own risk and is not intended to replace professional healthcare services.

Would you trust an AI chatbot with your mental health? The lack of accessible and effective interventions for mental health continues to be a worldwide problem. Recent advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) represent a potential solution, including the rise of 24-hour AI chatbots as a support tool. However, with all new technologies there is concern about the lack of regulatory oversight, potential overhyped benefits, and underestimated risk of these AI therapy apps, especially considering the highly vulnerable populations that they target. In this episode, we discuss all the promises and pitfalls of AI mental health tools with researcher Zoha Kawaja.

Zoha is a third-year Master of Science candidate studying bioethics at Simon Fraser University (SFU) and has a Bachelor’s in Psychology from the University of Calgary with over 8 years of healthcare research experience. As part of the Bridge to Artificial Intelligence (B2AI) Voice Consortium, an NIH-funded data generation project, her thesis takes an anticipatory stance to gauge the ethical demands that entail when designing and implementing artificial intelligence (AI)-technologies that utilize voice as a biomarker (voice AI) to assist clinicians in predicting, diagnosing, and monitoring mental health conditions.

Email: [email protected]

LinkedIn: @zohakhawaja

Supervisor: Dr. Jean-Christophe Bélisle-Pipon; [email protected]

Research Lab: Sustainable People-centric Algorithmic Responsible and Knowledge-driven (SPARK) Good AI Lab at SFU

Voice Consortium: https://www.b2ai-voice.org/

Author: Elena Koning

Email: [email protected]

Instagram: @thinktwice_podcast

LinkedIN: Think Twice Podcast

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ThinkTwicePodcast

Disclaimer: Think Twice is a podcast for general information and entertainment purposes only. The content discussed in the episodes does not reflect the views of the podcast committee members or any institution they are affiliated with. The use of the information presented in this podcast is at the user’s own risk and is not intended to replace professional healthcare services.

Did you know that there are cells in your brain that decide when you should feel hungry and when you should feel full? And in some people, those cells don't work and the feeling of hunger never disappears regardless of how much they eat. Understanding how these cells work and what key mechanisms regulate satiety in humans is crucial to combat the global obesity epidemic. In this graduate student interview episode, Sandrine St-Onge tells us about her research on how our brain tells our body that we are full and the consequences of not having this brain signal.

It only took a simple conversation about Alzheimer’s disease to awaken Sandrine St-Onge’s curiosity about sciences. She was first an artist before digging deep into the field of neuroscience. After a bachelor’s degree at Université de Montreal, she couldn't think of a better path than to pursue her education with a Master’s degree in neuroscience in Dr. Jacques Michaud’s Lab. Being a foodie herself, she had the opportunity to study the neural mechanisms of eating behavior.

Authors: Eve Racette, Elena Koning

Email: [email protected]

Instagram: @thinktwice_podcast

LinkedIN: Think Twice Podcast

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ThinkTwicePodcast

Disclaimer: Think Twice is a podcast for general information and entertainment purposes only. The content discussed in the episodes does not reflect the views of the podcast committee members or any institution they are affiliated with. The use of the information presented in this podcast is at the user’s own risk and is not intended to replace professional healthcare services.

Did you know that reading isn't only for fun, but it can also have several health benefits like improving sleep quality, cognitive function, and stress relief? Self-help is a genre that is quickly rising in popularity but, unfortunately, a lot of self-help content is not actually backed by neuroscience. So, which ones should you read and which ones should you avoid? In this episode, professor and psychologist Dr. Joanna Pozzulo shares her top 4 picks for evidence-based self-help books and how to identify pseudoscience in the media.

Dr. Joanna Pozzulo is a Chancellor's Professor in the Department of Psychology, Director of the Laboratory for Child Forensic Psychology, and Director of the Mental Health and Well-Being Research and Training Hub (MeWeRTH) at Carleton University. Dr. Pozzulo’s primary research aims to understand how memory in the context of witnessing crime differs across the lifespan with a focus on the young eyewitness. By using evidence-based approaches her goal is to reduce wrongful conviction. Relatedly, she is interested in non-judicial factors that influence juror decision-making. Dr. Pozzulo is passionate about teaching and research in the area of mental health and well-being having created undergraduate and graduate level capstone courses for students that include experiential learning opportunities. Relatedly, her goal is to use evidence-based work to promote well-being to a general audience.

Authors: Elena Koning

Email: [email protected]

Instagram: @thinktwice_podcast

LinkedIN: Think Twice Podcast

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ThinkTwicePodcast

Disclaimer: Think Twice is a podcast for general information and entertainment purposes only. The content discussed in the episodes does not reflect the views of the podcast committee members or any institution they are affiliated with. The use of the information presented in this podcast is at the user’s own risk and is not intended to replace professional healthcare services.

Have you ever wondered how lucid dreaming is even possible; being aware that you’re dreaming and also having the ability to control your dreams? Well, researchers are using cutting-edge techniques to figure it out, including how they can communicate with lucid dreamers, the brain mechanisms responsible for these experiences, and how people can teach themselves to lucid dream. It might sound a lot like a sci-fi film but, in this episode, we are joined by an expert in the field to break down the mysterious neuroscience of dreaming and how its all possible. Dr. Başak Turker is a cognitive neuroscientist specializing in sleep, dreams, and consciousness. She earned her PhD from Sorbonne University and the Paris Brain Institute. Currently, she is a postdoctoral researcher at the Cognitive Neuroscience and Cognition Center in Paris. Her research explores how spontaneous fluctuations in ongoing brain activity influence perception across various states of consciousness, including wakefulness, sleep, and anesthesia. In this episode, we discuss the neuroscience of dreaming, the benefits of keeping a dream journal, how dreams can stimulate creativity, and how researchers are finding new ways to communicate with lucid dreamers and advance this fascinating field of neuroscience.

Authors: Elena Koning

Email: [email protected]

Instagram: @thinktwice_podcast

LinkedIN: Think Twice Podcast

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ThinkTwicePodcast

Disclaimer: Think Twice is a podcast for general information and entertainment purposes only. The content discussed in the episodes does not reflect the views of the podcast committee members or any institution they are affiliated with. The use of the information presented in this podcast is at the user’s own risk and is not intended to replace professional healthcare services.

Did you know there is a link between hormonal changes and seizures? New research is demonstrating a bi-directional relationship between hormones like estrogen and progesterone with electrical activity in the brain. We know there are vast differences in hormonal cycles between men and women, so why are standard epilepsy treatments not considering this? In this episode, we chatted with Dr. Lata Vadlamudi, an associate professor and senior staff specialist in neurology at the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital; She obtained her medical degree from the University of Queensland and completed physician training in the field of Neurology with further specialization in epilepsy in Melbourne, Sydney and the Mayo Clinic, USA. She obtained her PhD from the University of Melbourne with the thesis titled “The Genetics of Epilepsy: The Testimony of Twins." We discuss the neuroscience of epilepsy, how seizures are impacted by the menstrual cycle, birth control and menopause, tools for women with epilepsy, and what research needs to be done to improve clinical care.

Authors: Elena Koning

Email: [email protected]

Instagram: @thinktwice_podcast

LinkedIN: Think Twice Podcast

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ThinkTwicePodcast

Disclaimer: Think Twice is a podcast for general information and entertainment purposes only. The content discussed in the episodes does not reflect the views of the podcast committee members or any institution they are affiliated with. The use of the information presented in this podcast is at the user’s own risk and is not intended to replace professional healthcare services.