Dr. Chantel Prat, a cognitive neuroscientist and professor at the University of Washington, studies how variations in brain wiring make each of us unique individuals and drive our understanding of each other.

Our brains evolved for a simpler life, and today they struggle to cope with a deluge of distraction from technology. Dr. Adam Gazzaley, professor of neurology at the University of California San Francisco, reveals why the brain loves multi-tasking even though it's so bad for productivity; why "single-tasking" is so hard to relearn; and why 60-year-olds can't filter out irrelevant information. Plus... a prescription video game that can help kids with ADHD and others change their brains to find better focus.

Click here for a bonus segment on distraction and the "Coffee Shop Effect."

For more information, visit https://thisisyourbrain.com

Speech therapists have long used music to help patients regain their voices after stroke or brain injury. Today's music therapists are going even further, developing strategies that use music on patients with Parkinson's disease, spinal cord injuries, cognitive issues, and more. Hear from Neurologic Music Therapist Caitlin Hebb about how the rhythm and rhyme of music work on memory, gait, and language.

https://www.medrhythmstherapy.com/teamcaitlin

Plus... what's that earworm?

Speech therapists have long used music to help patients regain their voices after stroke or brain injury.  Hear from Neurologic Music Therapist Caitlin Hebb about how the rhythm and rhyme of music can also work on memory, gait, and balance.

Unlike a broken bone or clogged artery, a brain that goes awry due to disease or injury—or even an errant molecule—causes weird and unpredictable changes in personality. Hear some of the bizarre tales of tiny particles that alter behavior from neurologist Sara Manning Peskin, author of A Molecule Away From Madness.

https://saramanningpeskin.com/

Plus... how parasites hijack animal brains, sometimes turning a host into a zombie in their quest to reproduce.

Dr. Sara Manning Peskin, a neuroscientist and assistant professor of Clinical Neurology at the University of Pennsylvania, describes how the very molecules that allow us to exist can also sabotage our minds.  

The impact of mild traumatic brain injury extends far beyond the gridiron – concussions can happen anywhere, including playing fields, bike paths, and war zones. Kenneth Kutner, PhD, who specializes in head injuries and has been the team neuropsychologist for the New York Giants for 30 seasons, joins us to talk about what the latest research has revealed about concussion and how it affects physical health and cognitive function. From the military to the NFL, and even in the corporate boardroom, this invisible injury is finally emerging from the shadows.

Plus… why don't woodpeckers get concussions?

For decades, college and professional football players used to ignore even the most painful head injuries and severe concussions.   Players were admired for "getting their bell rung" and getting back into the game.  "No more", says Dr. Kenneth Kutner - Team Neuropsychologist for the New York Giants for 30 seasons and the lead author of the Sideline Concussion Checklist, one of the first sideline diagnostic tools utilized in the NFL. 

"Concussions are real" says Dr Kutner. He points out that heroes in action movies give a false image of concussions.  

"You may get up, but you're going to fall down again.  You're not going to go back and fight and beat your adversary. So that is really nice in a movie, but it's nonsense."

Temple Grandin, PhD, wants kids -- especially those on the autism spectrum -- to start using their hands again. The woman Oliver Sacks called "the anthropologist on Mars" explains how our brains may be naturally wired to think in words, mathematics, or visuals, and there's nothing disordered about any of them. Dr. Grandin urges us to respect our young visual thinkers and celebrate their strengths instead of labelling them disabilities.

The woman Oliver Sacks called "the anthropologist on Mars" explains how our brains may be naturally wired to think in words, mathematics, or visuals, and there's nothing disordered about any of them. Dr. Temple Grandin urges us to respect our young visual thinkers and celebrate their strengths instead of labelling them disabilities.