Podcasts · Science · Health & Fitness

From Our Neurons to Yours

Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute at Stanford University, Nicholas Weiler

89 episodes

This award-winning show from Stanford’s Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute is a field manual for anyone who wants to understand their own brain and the new science reshaping how we learn, age, heal, and make sense of ourselves.

More about the show

Each episode, host Nicholas Weiler sits down with leading scientists to unpack big ideas from the frontiers of the field—brain-computer interfaces and AI language models; new therapies for depression, dementia, and stroke; the mysteries of perception and memory; even the debate over free will. You’ll hear how basic research becomes clinical insight and how emerging tech might expand what it means to be human. If you’ve got a brain, take a listen.

Episodes page 1 of 2

  1. What an immune invasion teaches us about Alzheimer’s disease | Julia Belk

    · 46 min

    Today we’re going to be talking about a recent study that is rewriting neuroscience textbooks, potentially changing our understanding of Alzheimer’s disease, our brain’s immune system, and the potential for…

  2. What's on our brains: Behind the scenes of From Our Neurons to Yours

    · 30 min · S9 E18

    Today on the show we're doing something a little different. Quite different, actually. Nine seasons in, listeners might wonder: Why do we make this show? How do we prepare for it? What do we hope you get out of it?…

  3. How do our brains stay healthy as we age? | Tom Clandinin

    · 43 min · S9 E17

    Today on the show, we explore the complex biology underlying a seemingly straightforward question: How do our brains stay healthy – or not – as we age? There seems to be a constant flow of new secrets to healthy brain…

  4. Sugar on the brain | Carolyn Bertozzi

    · 52 min · S9 E16

    Today on the show, we bring you a conversation with Carolyn Bertozzi, the Baker Family Director of Sarafan ChEM-H and the Anne T. and Robert M. Bass Professor in the School of Humanities and Sciences. Bertozzi is a…

  5. After Ozempic: the revolution in peptide science | Jonathan Long

    · 50 min · S9 E15

    Health influencers and scientists have both gone crazy for peptides. The peptide health craze stems from a lot of online hype — centered on gray-market compounds that haven't been rigorously tested in humans and aren't…

  6. Transcranial magnetic stimulation and the future of psychiatry | Corey Keller

    · 46 min · S9 E14

    Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is one of the most promising new technologies in psychiatry. Essentially, it allows us to reach inside the brain, stimulate it, and alter the brain circuits that go awry in…

  7. How brain imaging is transforming mental health (finally) | Leanne Williams

    · 53 min · S9 E13

    Back in the 1950s, doctors didn't know a whole lot about the heart. If someone came in with chest pain, clinicians would ask a few questions, then take a stab at treating what might be heartburn or a heart attack.…

  8. Is chronic fatigue a gut-brain reflex? (Big Ideas in Neuroscience) | Julia Kaltschmidt

    · 36 min · S9 E12 · Explicit

    Why does being sick make you so exhausted – and why does that exhaustion sometimes outlast the illness itself? Today, neuroscientist Julia Kaltschmidt returns to the podcast to talk about the body's hidden "sickness…

  9. Is neurodegeneration a waste-management problem? | Monther Abu-Remaileh

    · 42 min · S9 E11

    For decades, the field focused on the plaques and tangles of misfolded proteins that show up in the brains of patients with Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and other disorders. The natural assumption was that if you could…

  10. A new precision neuroscience of language (Big Ideas in Neuroscience) | Cory Shain

    · 46 min · S9 E10

    Right now, as you're reading this sentence, something remarkable is happening in your brain. Light waves from your screen hit your eyes, transform into electrical signals, and take on meaning. You understand what…

  11. How childhood (and Pokémon) shape how we see the world | Kalanit Grill-Spector

    · 46 min · S9 E9

    Today's episode is all about how childhood literally shapes the brain. Our most important experiences – from learning to read, to the growing complexity of our social lives at school, and even the video games we play…

  12. The FDA's psychedelic sea-change: what accelerated clinical trials for psilocybin, methylone, and ibogaine mean for mental health and neuroscience research | Boris Heifets

    · 46 min · S9 E8

    Last month we saw a big shift in the federal government’s approach to psychedelic medicine. Specifically, following an executive order by President Trump, the FDA announced it is fast-tracking its review of several…

  13. Will work for dopamine: why hard work motivates us | Neir Eshel

    · 43 min · S9 E7

    Today’s episode is about the neuroscience of hard work—or maybe more specifically, the value we place on hard work. There’s something different about hiking to the top of a mountain versus taking a helicopter. The…

  14. Could Parkinson's start in the gut? | Kathleen Poston

    · 41 min · S9 E6

    Traditionally, we think of Parkinson's as a movement disorder—defined by slowed movement, stiff muscles, and involuntary shaking. But it turns out there are other symptoms that appear years or even decades before…

  15. How see-through brains could transform neuroscience (Big Ideas in Neuroscience) | Guosong Hong

    · 36 min · S9 E5

    What if we could make the brain see-through? It sounds like science fiction, but it could revolutionize how we study the brain. Today on the show, we're talking with Guosong Hong, a faculty scholar here at the Wu…

  16. Could boosting gut–brain communication prevent memory loss? A tale of microbes, memory, and our internal senses | Christophe Thaiss

    · 43 min · S9 E4

    Our memories and senses are deeply connected—like how a favorite song can recreate a whole glorious teenage summer. It turns out this relationship might extend beyond our five external senses to include our internal…

  17. Why do some of us age faster than others? | Claire Bedbrook and Ravi Nath

    · 38 min · S9 E3

    Today on the show, why do some of us age faster than others? Why do some of us grow old and die before our time while others seem to simply endure? And most of us have probably wondered at one point or another, which…

  18. A new neuroscience of pregnancy (Big Ideas in Neuroscience) | Nirao Shah & Katrin Svensson

    · 38 min · S9 E2

    We know shockingly little about what goes on in a mother’s brain during pregnancy. For example, we know only a handful of the hormones involved—out of hundreds scientists think may exist—and very little about how they…

  19. Why do our minds wander? What the brain's default mode tells us about our humanity | Vinod Menon

    · 48 min · S9 E1

    Here’s a question for you that may at first seem trivial, but is actually profound: Why do our minds drift? If you have ever dabbled in mindfulness or meditation, you know this mind wandering has an almost…

  20. Is Alzheimer's an energy crisis in the brain? Inflammation, metabolism and a new path in the search for cures | Kati Andreasson

    · 43 min · S8 E10

    For decades, Alzheimer's research has focused on clearing amyloid plaques from the brain. But new drugs that successfully remove plaques have proven clinically "underwhelming", leaving the field searching for…

  21. "The Emergent Mind: How Intelligence Arises in People and Machines" | Jay McClelland

    · 40 min · S8 E9

    The AI revolution of the past few years is built on brain-inspired neural network models originally developed to study our own minds. The question is, what should we make of the fact that our own rich mental lives are…

  22. Could brain implants read our thoughts? | Erin Kunz

    · 37 min · S8 E8

    Imagine what it’s like to lose your ability to speak. You know what you want to say, but the connection between your brain and the muscles that form words is no longer functioning. For people with conditions like ALS,…

  23. NeuroForecasting: how brain activity can predict stock prices or viral videos | Brian Knutson

    · 40 min · S8 E7

    Neuroscientists have spent the past few decades tracing the network of brain systems—some deep and emotional, and others more analytical and deliberate— that work together as we make tough choices like where to invest…

  24. "Why Brains Need Friends: The Neuroscience of Social Connection" | Ben Rein

    · 39 min · S8 E6

    We are more isolated from one another than ever before — by our technology, by our political divides, and most of all, by our choices. This week on the show, we talk with neuroscientist Ben Rein about why this social…

  25. From doodles to Descartes: sketching and the human cognitive toolkit | Judith Fan

    · 40 min · S8 E5

    Before the written word — and possibly even before speech — humans have communicated through drawing. From crude scratches in the dirt or on cave walls to the arcane symbology of the laboratory whiteboard, our instinct…

  26. What is psychosis? Navigating an altered reality | Jacob Ballon & Shannon Pagdon

    · 46 min · S8 E4

    Imagine if you couldn't distinguish between dreams and reality. If you couldn't tell whether what you were seeing or hearing was really there in front of you. What if you discovered you couldn't trust your own…

  27. "I Heard There Was a Secret Chord: Music as Medicine" | Daniel Levitin

    · 46 min · S8 E3

    Most of us can agree: music is awesome. Regardless of which songs speak to you, music probably plays an important role in your life. The question is, what makes music so powerful? Why does a particular combination of…

  28. How we learn to read (and why some struggle): what neuroscience teaches us about a transformative human technology | Bruce McCandliss

    · 39 min · S8 E2

    In this episode, we explore the fascinating neuroscience behind how children learn to read with Bruce McCandliss, director of the Stanford Educational Neuroscience Initiative. Key topics include: • How our brains…

  29. Why voices light us up—but leave the autistic brain in the dark | Dan Abrams

    · 32 min · S8 E1

    Recognizing a familiar voice is one of the brain’s earliest social feats. But what are the brain circuits that let a newborn pick out mom in a crowded nursery? How do they change as kids turn toward friends and the…

  30. Famous & Gravy: Cosmic Marketer and the Meaning of Life | Stephen Hawking

    · 1 h 02 min

    In this special crossover episode, we’re doing something a little different. From Our Neurons to Yours host Nicholas joins producer Michael Osborne to co-host his podcast Famous and Gravy for a lively conversation…

  31. Can brain science save addiction policy? | Keith Humphreys

    · 46 min · S7 E10

    If addiction is a disease of the brain, what does that mean for how we treat people—and how we write policy? In this wide-ranging conversation, Stanford addiction expert and policy advisor Keith Humphreys returns to…

  32. How basic science transformed stroke care | Marion Buckwalter

    · 35 min · S7 E9

    A generation ago, a big clot in the brain meant paralysis or worse. Today, doctors can diagnose clots on AI-enabled brain scans; provide life-saving, targeted medications; or snake a catheter from a patient’s groin…

  33. Surgery as a window into brain resilience | Martin Angst

    · 38 min · S7 E8

    We've all heard stories about someone who went in for surgery and came out...different. A grandmother who struggled with names after hip replacement, or an uncle who seemed foggy for months following cardiac bypass.…

  34. Best of: How neural prosthetics could free minds trapped by brain injury | Jaimie Henderson

    · 22 min · S7 E7

    Imagine being trapped in your own body, unable to move or communicate effectively. This may seem like a nightmare, but it is a reality for many people living with brain or spinal cord injuries. We're re-releasing one…

  35. The secrets of resilient aging | Beth Mormino & Anthony Wagner

    · 37 min · S7 E6

    This week on the show, we're have our sights set on healthy aging. What would it mean to be able to live to 80, 90 or 100 with our cognitive abilities intact and able to maintain an independent lifestyle right to the…

  36. Building AI simulations of the human brain | Dan Yamins

    · 33 min · S7 E5 · Explicit

    This week on the show: Are we ready to create digital models of the human brain? Last month, Stanford researcher Andreas Tolias and colleagues created a "digital twin" of the mouse visual cortex. The researchers used…

  37. What ChatGPT understands: Large language models and the neuroscience of meaning | Laura Gwilliams

    · 43 min · S7 E4

    If you spend any time chatting with a modern AI chatbot, you've probably been amazed at just how human it sounds, how much it feels like you're talking to a real person. Much ink has been spilled explaining how these…

  38. What the other half of the brain does | Brad Zuchero

    · 35 min · S7 E3

    We've talked about glia and sleep. We've talked about glia and neuroinflammation. We've talked about glia in the brain fog that can accompany COVID or chemotherapy. We've talked about the brain's quiet majority of…

  39. Stimulating the brain with sound | Kim Butts Pauly and Raag Airan

    · 31 min · S7 E2

    As we gain a better understanding of how misfiring brain circuits lead to mental health conditions, we'd like to be able to go in and nudge those circuits back into balance. But this is hard — literally — because the…

  40. Does good sleep insulate the brain against Alzheimer's? | Erin Gibson

    · 39 min · S7 E1

    We're kicking off our new season with a deep dive into one of neuroscience's most fascinating mysteries: sleep. This unconscious third of our lives isn't just about rest – it's absolutely critical for brain health,…

  41. How to live in a world without free will | Robert Sapolsky

    · 41 min · S6 E7 · Explicit

    Today, we are speaking with the one and only Robert Sapolsky, a Stanford neurobiologist, a MacArthur "Genius", and best-selling author of books exploring the nature of stress, social behavior, and — as he puts it —…

  42. The power of psychedelics meets the power of placebo: ketamine, opioids, and hope in depression treatment | Boris Heifets & Theresa Lii

    · 35 min · S6 E6

    Join us as we dive back into the world of psychedelic medicine with anesthesiologists Boris Heifets and Theresa Lii, who share intriguing new data that sheds light on how ketamine and placebo effects may interact in…

  43. Seeing sounds, tasting colors: the science of synaesthesia with David Eagleman (re-release)

    · 22 min · S6 E5

    Today, we are going back into the archives for one of my favorite episodes: We are talking to neuroscientist, entrepreneur, and best-selling author, David Eagleman. We're talking about synaesthesia — and if you don't…

  44. The BRAIN Initiative: the national vision for the future of neuroscience is now in doubt | Bill Newsome

    · 39 min · S6 E4

    Earlier this year, President Obama's signature BRAIN Initiative, which has powered advances in neuroscience for the past 10 years, had its budget slashed by 40%. Over the past decade, the BRAIN Initiative made roughly…

  45. The cannabinoids within: how marijuana hijacks an ancient signaling system in the brain | Ivan Soltesz

    · 38 min · S6 E3

    Given the widespread legalization of cannabis for medical and recreational uses, you'd think we'd have a better understanding of how it works. But ask a neuroscientist exactly how cannabinoid compounds like THC and CBD…

  46. Memory Palaces: the science of mental time travel and the brain's GPS system | Lisa Giocomo (Re-release)

    · 26 min · S6 E2

    Today we are re-releasing an episode we did last year with Stanford neurobiologist Lisa Giocomo exploring the intersection of memory, navigation and the boundaries we create between ourselves and the world around us.…

  47. Why new Alzheimer's drugs don't work | Mike Greicius, Stanford University School of Medicine

    · 26 min · S6 E1

    In the past few years, Big Pharma has released not one, but three new treatments for Alzheimer’s disease. Aducanemab (2021), Lecanemab (2023), and Donanemab (2024), are the first treatments to effectively clear the…

  48. Depression's distinctive fingerprints in the brain | Leanne Williams, Stanford University

    · 28 min · S5 E6

    Getting help for depression can be like purgatory. Setting aside for a moment the stigma and other barriers to seeking treatment in the first place, finding the right combination of medication and/or therapy can be a…

  49. How the brain helps cancers grow | Michelle Monje

    · 21 min · S5 E5

    Today, we're talking with Stanford neuro-oncologist, Michelle Monje. This is actually the third time we've had Michelle on the show, in part because she's been a pioneer of three exciting frontiers in neuroscience — so…

  50. Unraveling Timothy Syndrome: the new science of human brain development | Sergiu Pasca

    · 31 min · S5 E4

    This week on From Our Neurons to Yours, we're talking about using new techniques for growing human brain tissue in the lab to solve a rare neurological disorder. Host Nicholas Weiler sits down with Sergiu Pasca an…

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