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

Towards personalized cancer treatments: Eric Collisson and Barry Taylor

This month on Carry the One Radio we talk with two scientists who are developing new strategies to treat cancer. Dr. Eric Collisson, a medical oncologist, and Dr. Barry Taylor, a computation biologist, have teamed up to identify and understand the complex signaling world that leads to cancer. Because of the complexity of these signaling pathways, two patients diagnosed with the same disease might need very different treatments. But by understanding the common pathways, Eric and Barry hope to eventually develop personalized therapies for cancer patients. Towards the end of our talk, they discuss the number one motivator for having a career in science.

More on the Collisson Lab's research More on the Taylor Lab's research

How does the brain motivate us to move?: Anatol Kreitzer

Our guest this month is Anatol Kreitzer, assistant professor of physiology and neurology at UCSF and a scientist at the UCSF-affiliated Gladstone Institutes. Dr. Kreitzer has made pioneering discoveries in the study of the neural circuits that control movement. His lab is interested in the function of the basal ganglia, a structure deep in the brain that controls movement, motivation, and action selection. Dysfunction of the basal ganglia can lead to movement disorders such as Parkinson’s disease and Huntington’s disease where patients have difficulty either initiating or controlling movements.

To understand how the basal ganglia works, the Kreitzer lab records electrical activity from neurons within the basal ganglia and determines how it relates to movement in behaving mice. They can also control this activity using an emerging technique known as optogenetics. By delivering genes coding for light-sensitive proteins into specific neurons, scientists in the lab can manipulate the electrical activity of certain neurons to see how movement is affected. This technique is being used to study the cells in the basal ganglia that guide our actions based on previous experience. Dr. Kreitzer’s work has provided significant insights into how the basal ganglia works and may eventually lead to potential cures for movement disorders.

More on the Kreitzer Lab's research

Hosted by Osama Ahmed

How the Brain Stays Stable in a Changing World: Graeme Davis

The human brain is the most complex structure in the body. It consists of about 100 billion neurons that make around 100 trillion synapses. These connections are constantly changing and the brain must maintain a stable level of electrical activity as it changes. If this balance is disrupted, conditions like epilepsy and schizophrenia can arise. How neurons achieve this feat is still a scientific mystery.

Our guest this month is Dr. Graeme Davis, professor in the department of biophysics at UC San Francisco. Dr. Davis hopes to solve the question of how the brain remains stable as it changes. His lab uses fly genetics to determine important genes involved in maintaining stable neural activity. Listen as Dr. Davis describes how one of these genes, dysbindin, is involved in stabilizing neural function and may have important implications in schizophrenia.

More on the Davis Lab's research.

Hosted by Sama Ahmed

Energy balance in a changing environment: Kaveh Ashrafi

The ability to maintain energy balance in a changing environment is essential for survival. The brain helps maintain this balance by sending signals that regulate food intake as well as fat storage. Abnormal metabolism has been associated with cardiovascular disease, type II diabetes, and even some neurodegenerative disease. However, the biology behind this link is not completely understood.

Our guest this month, Dr. Kaveh Ashrafi, an associate professor in the department of physiology at UCSF, hopes to tackle this important question. His lab uses microscopic nematodes to understand the genes and neural circuits that control fat and feeding regulation. By taking advantage of the simplicity of the nematode nervous system, scientists in Dr. Ashrafi’s lab can determine the precise role of these genes and how they control feeding behavior. His lab also studies how different chemicals in the environment can regulate metabolism and increase fat levels.

More on the Ashrafi Lab's research

Hosted by Karuna Meda

The neighborhood of cells in breast cancer: Zena Werb

University of California - San Francisco


Sept. 30, 2012 (Hosted by Karuna Meda)

Breast cancer affects one in eight women and is the seventh leading cause of death for women. Susceptibility to breast cancer is increased around the time of puberty when the breasts develop. More research into how the breasts normally develop and what causes normal cells to become cancer cells is still needed.

Our guest this month is Zena Werb, a professor of anatomy at the UCSF Family Comprehensive Cancer Center. Dr. Werb’s lab studies how a normal cell develops and the role of the cell’s “neighborhood”, the surrounding tissue that is necessary for support and proper development. Looking at how these cells interact in their microenvironment is important for understanding cancer metastasis and may potentially lead to treatments for this disease.

More on the Werb Lab's research

Treating Chagas' Disease: Jim McKerrow

Our guest this month is Dr. James McKerrow, a professor and chair in experimental pathology at UCSF. Dr. McKerrow and his team work to develop new drugs for neglected tropical diseases; diseases that affect low-income regions and consequently receive less attention from pharmaceutical companies. Dr. McKerrow takes us through the process of developing new treatments against these devastating infections.

More on the McKerrow Lab's research

Hosted by Alex Mendelsohn

How the brain responds to pheromones: Lisa Stowers

Our brains are responsible for helping us understand and move around in the world. What we perceive through our senses is transformed into electrical activity in our brains, and that activity determines how we act and respond to the environment. Yet, scientists are unclear about how brain cells carry out this transformation.

Our guest this month is Dr. Lisa Stowers from the Scripps Research Institute. Her lab uses mice to study how chemical signals known as pheromones activate particular groups of neurons, and how this activity produces instinctive behaviors of fear, attraction, and aggression. By studying this system, Dr. Stowers hopes to shed new light on how the brain processes senses and generates behavior.

More on the Stowers Lab's research

Producer: Sama Ahmed

The Social Worm: Cori Bargmann

What controls the way we behave? Our guest this week, Dr. Cornelia Bargmann, hopes to answer this complicated question. She explains how our biology, our genes, and the environment we live in can affect the way we behave. She is especially interested in understanding social behaviors, or how animals interact with each other. In her research, she uses the humble worm, known as c. elegans, to study the underlying biology that can switch an individual from being a loner to a party animal, and vice versa.

Cori is a professor at The Rockefeller University and an investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. She has recently been featured in the Charlie Rose Brain Series and The New York Times.

For an additional teaching resource, check out the lesson plan we created to accompany this episode.

More on the Bargmann Lab's research

Hosted by Osama Ahmed

Regenerating the heart: Deepak Srivastava

Heart disease is the number one cause of death in men and women, and congenital heart defects affect about 1 out of every 100 babies worldwide. Our guest, Dr. Deepak Srivastava, a professor of pediatrics and the director of the Gladstone Institute of Cardiovascular Disease at UCSF, is focused on changing that statistic.

By studying how stem cells in the developing embryo transform into heart cells, Dr. Srivastava hopes to find out what causes children to be born with heart abnormalities. Additionally, by understanding how nature develops healthy heart cells, research in the Srivastava lab may soon lead to new therapies for patients with heart disease. His lab has already found a way to guide non-muscle cells in the heart into fully functional, beating muscle cells in mice. He hopes to move these strategies into clinical human studies in the future.

At the end of our talk, Dr. Srivastava gives his most important advice for an aspiring, young scientist.

More on the Srivastava Lab's research
Hosted by Karuna Meda

Stem cells and epigenetics: Barbara Panning

The developing embryo is made up of special cells called stem cells. Unlike most cells, stem cells have the unique ability to transform into specialized adult cells, such as those that make up our heart or the neurons in our brain. In the last five years, scientists have designed a method to go backwards; now the specialized adult cells can be turned into embryonic stem cells. However, a lot of questions remain unanswered. For instance, scientists still do not completely understand what triggers stem cells to transform into different cell types. Or what process keeps stem cells from changing in the first place.
Our guest, Dr. Barbara Panning, a professor in the department of biochemistry at UCSF, is in the process of answering this question. Using a process called RNA interference, her lab turns off specific genes one by one to see how embryonic stem cells are affected. Her research has potentially important implications for diseases like breast cancer.

More on the Panning Lab's research

Hosted by Sama Ahmed

Mef2a and muscle regeneration: Christine Snyder

Even exercise can damage your muscles. Muscle cells then need to regenerate to keep you healthy. This month, we talk with Christine Snyder, a graduate student in the lab of Frank Naya at Boston University who studies how muscle regrowth is regulated.

Her work in the Naya lab focuses on a transcription factor (a protein that interacts with the DNA to affect gene transcription) known as Mef2A. Her lab studies mice that lack this transcription factor and show specific deficits in muscle development. She also explains how a technique called RNA interference can be used to silence certain genes to determine their function in cell cultures or animal models. Christine’s work has important implications for manipulating muscle regeneration after disease or injury.

More on the Naya Lab's research

Chronic pain is a disease: Allan Basbaum

Pain helps us avoid potentially harmful situations and is necessary for survival. While most of us only experience acute pain while the painful stimulus is present, some people unfortunately suffer from constant pain that persists long after the stimulus is removed. Our guest this week, Allan Basbaum, a professor and chair of the Department of Anatomy at UCSF, is interested in chronic pain and its cause.

During our interview, Dr. Basbaum explains how pain is in the brain; the pain that one person feels can be more (or less) intense than another person’s perception even if the stimulus is identical. His lab investigates how chronic pain can occur by changes in the nervous system and the role of epigenetics (the interactions between your DNA and all other non-DNA elements). They are also interested in transplanting inhibitory precursor cells (cells that develop and eventually inhibit the activity of surrounding neurons) to help the spinal cord suppress pain signals. His findings could eventually lead to effective therapies to treat this debilitating disease.

More on the Basbaum Lab's research

Hosted by Osama Ahmed

Makings of a memory: Loren Frank

The brain’s capacity to remember experiences to guide future decisions is an essential and fascinating ability. Our guest this month Loren Frank, an associate professor in the Keck Center for Integrative Neuroscience at UCSF, is working to understand this process.

Dr. Frank studies how the hippocampus, a brain structure required for the formation of memories, mediates spatial learning in rats. Within the hippocampus exist place cells: neurons that are activated whenever an animal is in a specific location in its environment. His lab records the neuronal activity of place cells during formation and “replay” of memories while rats explore their environment. Disrupting the “replay” prevents the long term formation of memory. Later in our interview, Dr. Frank discusses his initial interest in astrophysics and how he became interested in a career in neuroscience.

More on the Frank Lab's research

Mapping the brain's blood vessels: David Kleinfeld

David Kleinfeld is a professor in the Department of Physics at the University of California, San Diego. In this month’s episode, Dr. Kleinfeld talks about the different, important questions his lab is addressing.

One part of his lab is trying to understand how the brain uses sensory input to process information about the environment. The lab uses the vibrissa (whisker) system in rats and mice to understand how they sense and navigate the world. Next, Dr. Kleinfeld discusses how changes in blood flow in the brain can be used to visualize electrical activity evoked by different stimuli. The tools his lab let them see blood flow at the level of a single blood vessel. Using these optical techniques, they can map every blood vessel and brain cell within sensory cortex. Creating a complicated “road map” of the brain can eventually be used to help interpret results from imaging techniques such as fMRI used in humans.


More on the Kleinfeld Lab's research

Hosted by Osama Ahmed

How the Brain Maps What it Sees and Hears: Jason Triplett

Auditory and visual cues are crucial for perceiving the environment. Within the brain, both auditory stimuli and visual stimuli are organized topographically. In the visual system this means that neighboring spots on the retina project to neighboring spots in the brain. Likewise, areas along the basilar membrane in the cochlea which are sensitive to increasing frequencies of sound maintain this arrangement in the areas of the brain to which they project.

Our guest this week is Jason Triplett, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of California, Santa Cruz. He is interested in understanding the molecular and genetic mechanisms that guide the formation of these spatial maps. Jason will discuss how waves of neuronal activity that take place during development (before the eyes are even opened) are used by the brain to establish these complicated maps. Finally, we will hear briefly about the experiences that led him toward a career in science.

More on the Triplett Lab's research.

Hosted by Sama Ahmed.

Studying the retinal ganglion cells: Andrew Huberman

Our guest this month is Andrew Huberman, an assistant professor in the department of neurobiology at UCSD. Dr Huberman is interested in a classic question in development—how do the eyes connect to the brain? Cells known as retinal ganglia cells (RGCs) receive information from photoreceptors in the retina and carry this information to the brain. Connections from the left eye and right eye connect to the same part of the brain early on, but sort into two groups during maturation. Furthermore, different subtypes of RGCs respond to color, motion, and brightness and these subtypes target separate, designated regions of the brain. Andrew and his lab are exploring the mechanisms that guide the separation of different subtypes of RGCs during development. At the end of our interview, he explains the role of electrical activity and different genes in guiding the migration of these cells during development as well as how a course on the biology of behavior inspired him to pursue a career in neuroscience.

More on the Huberman Lab's research

How neurons navigate their way around in the developing brain: David Van Vactor

Harvard University


Dec. 8, 2010 (Hosted by Osama Ahmed)





Your brain is composed of a tremendous number of neurons that make very specific connections with each other. The formation of this extremely complex circuit requires that each neuron find its appropriate target. Dr. David Van Vactor and his lab at Harvard University study the cellular machinery that help motor neurons navigate and find their correct partners, muscles, during development. They are also investigating how the neuromuscular junction is formed and maintained once the neuron reaches its destined target. At the end of our talk with David, he discusses the experiences in elementary school and college that led him to a career in science.




More on the Van Vactor Lab's research

What fruit flies can tell us about alcohol addiction: Ulrike Heberlein

In this week’s episode we talk to Dr. Ulrike Heberlein, a professor in the department of anatomy at UCSF and baseball aficionado. This year, she was elected to the National Academy of Sciences, one of the highest honors that can be awarded to an American scientist.

Dr. Heberlein is interested in the genes that underlie alcoholism and drug addiction and uses a seemingly unusual animal model to study it—the fruit fly. Using this model, her lab has identified a gene dubbed happyhour that, when mutated, can reduce an organism’s response to alcohol. She discusses how her lab uses the findings in the fly to guide further experiments in rodents and how these discoveries may soon lead to developing treatments for alcohol addicts.

More on the Heberlein Lab's research

Hosted by Sama Ahmed
 

How your brain tells time: Michael Shadlen

Our guest this week is Michael Shadlen, a professor at Washington University, HHMI investigator, and avid jazz guitarist.

Some neurons in our brain help us sense our environment while others help us move our body parts. Dr. Shadlen is interested in the neurons that link sensory information with behavior—the neurons that help us think and decide. He is also interested in how our brain can keep track of time. Learn how Michael and his lab record from the brains of monkeys to study these processes.

More on the Shadlen Lab's research

Producer: Sama Ahmed

Dapper in the brain: Benjamin Cheyette

Dr. Ben Cheyette is an assistant professor in the department of psychiatry at UCSF. Ben and his lab focuses on signaling proteins that help neurons develop and communicate with each other.

In this week’s episode Dr. Cheyette explains how these signaling pathways originally discovered in the fruit fly relate to psychiatric disorders in humans. He discusses how he became interested in this family of proteins and the research his lab is currently conducting. Using the power of mouse genetics, his lab studies how a protein called Dapper can shape the way neurons form and function in the brain. He is also interested in how mutations in the Dapper gene relate to autism. Finally, at the end of our talk Ben provides some helpful advice to young listeners interested in pursuing a career in science.

More on the Cheyette Lab's research

Hosted by Osama Ahmed

Repression of olfactory receptor genes: Stavros Lomvardas

Dr. Stavros Lomvardas, assistant professor in the department of anatomy at UCSF, is interested in olfactory receptor choice.

About 900 genes encode the receptor proteins in your nose that help you smell. However, each neuron in the olfactory epithelium expresses only one of those genes. Dr. Lomvardas is interested in how the nervous system “chooses” which receptor protein is expressed. In this episode, Stavros explores the cellular machinery that selectively enhances or silences the expression of genes and how these discoveries were made.

More on the Lomvardas Lab's research

Hosted and produced by Sama Ahmed

Memory of a relapse: Patricia Janak

In conjunction with being a professor at UCSF, Dr. Patricia Janak heads a lab at the Ernest Gallo Clinic and Research Center. There, Patricia and her fellow scientists tackle questions related to drug and alcohol abuse.

In this week’s episode, she shares with us some of her work on alcohol and drug addiction. Learn why some addicts have sudden cravings for drugs or alcohol and about the brain regions that are necessary for a relapse to happen.

More on the Janak Lab's research

Hosted by Sama Ahmed

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

The genetics of morning larks: Louis Ptacek

In this week’s episode, Dr. Louis Ptacek, an investigator for the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and a professor at the University of California - San Francisco, discusses how alterations in our genes (called “mutations”) are responsible for why "morning larks" have to wake up in the middle of the night.

Louis is interested in understanding certain aspects of normal brain function, such as sleep. In my chat with him, he talks about our body’s natural circadian rhythm and how it is controlled by a “feedback loop” that controls gene expression and protein construction.

More on the Ptacek Lab's research

Hosted by Osama Ahmed

The meninges help the brain develop: Sam Pleasure

In this week’s session, we learn about the meninges. These are the membranes that cover and protect our central nervous system (our brains and spinal cords). More specifically, we learn from Dr. Sam Pleasure that the meninges may also help our brains develop. He also describes the role of two brain regions that his work focuses on: the hippocampus and the neocortex.

More on the Pleasure Lab's research

Ignoring distractions helps you remember better: Adam Gazzaley

Dr. Adam Gazzaley is interested in the interface between attention and memory. In this installment, he tells us about the tools he’s using to study how distractions affect our ability to remember. He’s recently discovered that older adults have a hard time ignoring irrelevant information, and that this may have a huge negative effect on their memory. Find out how he’s building a video game to help people ignore distractions, and hopefully remember better.


More on the Gazzaley Lab's research

Hosted by Osama Ahmed    

The Link Between Muscle Degeneration and Mechanosensitive Ion Channels: Jeff Lansman

Dr. Jeff Lansman explains what mechanosensitive ion channels are and their role in helping a cell sense forces such as touch. He’s using a genetic approach to understand how a mutation that causes cytoskeletal protein loss can lead to muscle death. Near the end, he shares with us how his interest in marine biology inspired him to study ion channels.

More on the Lansman Lab's research.


Hosted by Sama Ahmed. 

How does the mutation in Huntington's Disease cause neurodegeneration?: Steve Finkbeiner

Dr. Steven Finkbeiner is a Professor in the Departments of Neurology and Physiology at the University of California – San Francisco and is also the Associate Director of the Gladstone Institute for Neurologic Diseases.

Here he explains some of his state-of-the-art techniques that he uses to understand the link between the mutation that causes Huntington’s disease and the deterioration of brain cells (called “neurodegeneration”). This is another example of the in-between steps on the road from scientific bench top research to a hopeful cure.

More on the Finkbeiner Lab's research

Hosted and produced by Osama Ahmed

Anti-inflammatory properties of extra virgin olive oil: Paul Breslin

Monell Chemical Senses Center
Rutgers University


Dec. 9, 2009 (Hosted by Osama Ahmed)



Dr. Paul Breslin is a Member of the Monell Chemical Senses Center and a Professor of Nutritional Sciences at Rutger’s University. He is also a good friend of mine and has been my mentor for more than seven years during my time at Monell.


Here he shares with us a story about how extra virgin olive oil stings the back of the throat, and how that is connected with inflammation, cancer, and Alzheimer’s disease.



More on the Breslin Lab's research