Episodes

  • Are smartphones bad for children?

    Are smartphones bad for children?
    Nov 11 2024
    In this episode of Naked Neuroscience, James Tytko is investigating what harms smartphones might be inflicting on adolescents. He hears from a collective action group seeking to delay giving phones to their children, neuropsychologist Richard Cytowic describes the autism-like symptoms which arise from too much screen time, and we hear why a ban on smartphones in schools might be a step too far in mitigating the negative effects. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
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    31 mins
  • Head injuries: Reducing risk and improving treatment

    Head injuries: Reducing risk and improving treatment
    Oct 9 2024
    In this episode of Naked Neuroscience, James Tytko takes us in depth on traumatic brain injuries: assessing the risks of repeat head knocks, and shining a light on key developments in treating them. We hear from Dawn Astle, daughter of former England footballer Jeff Astle, on his dementia following a career of heading footballs. Then, we hear from the doctors and researchers present at the NeuroTrauma conference hosted in Cambridge, before Brain to Z, where the topic is electroencephalography, or EEG. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
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    37 mins
  • Extremist brains, and expelling traumatic memories

    Extremist brains, and expelling traumatic memories
    Aug 16 2024
    On Naked Neuroscience, James Tytko learns about the traits shared by extremist individuals with the help of political neuroscientist Leor Zmigrod. Also, how the genetic predispositions of your peers could change your risk of developing certain psychiatric conditions. Plus, how a new sleep therapy could be about to revolutionise how we help people recover from PTSD... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
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    25 mins
  • Fruit fly vision, sensing sarcasm, and social connection

    Fruit fly vision, sensing sarcasm, and social connection
    Jul 17 2024
    In the latest Naked Neuroscience, James Tytko brings you two new pieces of research involving the use of AI. First, how machine learning has been deployed to map out the visual system of a fruit fly in all its complexity, and how feeding a neural network a diet of quips from popular TV shows has produced the most effective sarcasm detector yet. Plus, David Robson outlines the strategies that will ensure you maintain strong social bonds, the topic of his latest book, 'The Laws of Connection.' Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
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    24 mins
  • Neuro highlights: SNAP, tickles, and unpopular beliefs

    Neuro highlights: SNAP, tickles, and unpopular beliefs
    Apr 30 2024
    For April's episode, James Tytko brings you the latest and greatest in neuroscience news and views. First, we're probing a touchy subject, finding out whether our tactile sense might be the most underappreciated of all. Then, the sequence of genes responsible for cognitive impairment in those with schizophrenia and ageing reveals new avenues for research. And a bit later on, how the cultural convergence many psychologists predicted as a result of globalisation is not coming to fruition... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
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    30 mins
  • 'Nostalgia ain't what it used to be,' with Charan Ranganath

    'Nostalgia ain't what it used to be,' with Charan Ranganath
    Mar 28 2024
    This episode is an extended interview with Dr Charan Ranganath, director of the Memory and Plasticity Program and a Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience at the University of California at Davis. He's also the author of the book, 'Why we remember.' James Tytko started by asking him about his love of popular music...Charan - Yes, music is a very big part of my life and, when I wrote this book, it was a very personal thing for me to be able to write something that both tracked the development of my own ideas, but also my life in this field of science. Some people who are personally attached... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
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    26 mins
  • Brain chips: 'Moral imperative' or a danger to liberty?

    Brain chips: 'Moral imperative' or a danger to liberty?
    Feb 13 2024
    This month, James Tytko explores the dangers of debunking fake news online with Francis Madden, and discusses ongoing developments in the neuroscience of Long COVID with Stephanie Brown. Then, following on from Elon Musk's news that his brain chip company Neuralink have successfully implanted their device into a human, we explore what this means for the field of computer brain interfaces... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
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    27 mins
  • Traumatic brain injuries: Invisible wounds of war

    Traumatic brain injuries: Invisible wounds of war
    Jan 12 2024
    Today, we're taking a closer look at traumatic brain injuries, TBIs. We'll be hearing from the doctors who are treating them, and a former soldier who is suffering from a host of mental health conditions as a consequence of his military service.And a bit later on, we'll find out how scientists are harnessing the incredible efficiency of our brains to break new ground in computing performance... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
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    37 mins