Neural circuits and motivational processes underlying hunger: Scott Sternson

This month on Carry the One Radio, we talk to Scott Sternson, a chemistry Ph.D-turned neuroscientist and scientist at Janelia Farms. Dr. Sternson is interested in what happens when we are hungry. He describes how a subset of neurons in a brain structure called the hypothalamus senses when the body is low on energy and motivates us to find food. By manipulating the electrical activity of specific neural populations and determining their effect on behavior, Dr. Sternson and his lab can map the function of the hypothalamus circuit. At the end of our talk, he discusses the importance of being self-critical of ones own ideas in science.

More on the Sternson Lab's research

Hosted by Karuna Meda

Local neural networks associated with flexible behaviors: Takaki Komiyama

Our guest this weeks has been wondering the same thing. Dr. Takaki Komiyama is a postdoctoral fellow at Janelia Farms, currently working in the Svoboda Lab. He is interested in how the brain codes for flexible behaviors, such as learning to play tennis. With practice, you generally see an improvement in your game. Sooner or later, your swings become smoother and you become better at predicting where the ball will land. But how does your brain code for it all? Listen in to this week’s episode and find out.

More on the Komiyama Lab's research

Producer: Osama Ahmed