From Our Neurons to Yours

Christoph Thaiss, assistant professor and ARC Institute investigator studying gut–brain interactions. He discusses how age-related microbiome shifts can blunt internal bodily signals and alter vagus nerve communication. Conversations cover experiments linking aged microbes to memory loss in mice, identification of a culprit bacterium, inflammatory pathways that mute vagal signaling, and potential therapies like vagal stimulation and drugs.

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 track am I on? Turns out it might be possible to predict the whole trajectory of an animal's life at a surprisingly young age, just by looking closely at subtle patterns of behavior. That's the conclusion of a new study from researchers at the Knight Initiative for Brain Resilience here at Wu Tsai Neuro, out March 12, 2026 in the journal Science. The study focused on the African turquoise killifish, a little fish that lives fast and dies young. This species has one of the shortest lifespans of any vertebrate, which makes it ideal for studying the entire arc of a life in the laboratory setting.The important point here is that even short-lived killifish are dealt different lots by the fates. Even when you control for genetics and the environment, some killifish only live a month or two, while others can live as long as a year. So the big question is, what drives this difference in longevity? To learn more, we're joined today by the study's two lead researchers, Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute Postdoctoral Scholars, Claire Bedbrook and Ravi Nath, who performed the research in the labs of Anne Brunet and Karl Deisseroth here at Stanford.Learn MoreTo study aging, researchers give killifish the CRISPR treatment (Knight Initiative for Brain Resilience, 2023)Study pinpoints key mechanism of brain aging (Stanford Report, 2025)Killifish project explores the genetic foundation of longevity (Stanford Medicine 2015)Multi-tissue transcriptomic agingSend us a text!Thanks for listening! If you're enjoying our show, please take a moment to give us a review on your podcast app of choice and share this episode with your friends. That's how we grow as a show and bring the stories of the frontiers of neuroscience to a wider audience. We want to hear from your neurons! Email us at at neuronspodcast@stanford.edu Learn more about the Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute at Stanford and follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

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 might impact the brain. This gap in our understanding is one of the reasons we don’t have great treatments for pregnancy-related maladies, whether it’s extreme nausea, or anxiety and depression.Closing this gap is the mission of the new Stanford Neuro-Pregnancy Initiative, part of the Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute's Big Ideas in Neuroscience Program. Today on the show, we speak with initiative leaders Nirao Shah, a neuroscientist who studies sex differences in animal behavior, and Katrin Svensson is an expert in how our tissues use hormones to communicate in health and disease. Together with Longzhi Tan, an expert in gene regulation and 3d genome structure, the team aims to chart the cellular and molecular transformation that occurs in a mother's brain during pregnancy, in hopes of better understanding this fundamental event in a person's life and improving health outcomes for both mothers and infants. Learn more:Big Ideas in Neuroscience tackle brain science of everyday life and more (Wu Tsai Neuro, 2026)Nirao Shah labKatrin Svensson labLongzhi Tan labReferences:Hoekzema, E., et al. (2017) Pregnancy leads to long-lasting changes in human brain structure. Nat Neurosci 20, 287–296. This is the landmark neuroimaging study discussed in the episode that provided evidence of long-lasting, pregnancy-induced changes in the structure of the human brain. Fejzo, M., et al. (2024) GDF15 linked to maternal risk of nausea and vomiting during pregnancy. Nature 625, 760–767. This recent paper provides strong evidence that the hormone GDF15 acts on the brainstem to cause nausea and vomiting in pregnancy.Knoedler J, et al. A functional cellular framework for sex and estrous cycle-dependent gene expression and behavior. Cell. 185, e1–e18 (2022). This is the work from Dr. Shah’s lab mentioned in the episode, identifying a specific circuit in the hypothalamus that changes its connectivity across the estrous cycle Send us a text!Thanks for listening! If you're enjoying our show, please take a moment to give us a review on your podcast app of choice and share this episode with your friends. That's how we grow as a show and bring the stories of the frontiers of neuroscience to a wider audience.We want to hear from your neurons! Email us at at neuronspodcast@stanford.eduLearn more about the Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute at Stanford and follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn. 

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 gravitational pull. In fact, researchers now think we spend as much as 50 percent of our waking time in this state, which cognitive scientists have dubbed the brain’s “default mode.”Today’s guest is Vinod Menon. He’s a giant in the field of cognitive science who played a central role in defining the brain “default mode network” back in 2003. In our conversation, he argues our tendency to daydream may be at the core of our self-identities, our creativity – and also many of our most troubling psychiatric disorders, from Alzheimer’s to ADHD.Vinod Menon is Rachel L. and Walter F. Nichols, MD., Professor of Psychiatry & Behavioral Science at Stanford Medicine, and an affiliate of the Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute.Learn MoreMenon's "Stanford Cognitive & Systems Neuroscience Laboratory"Stanford Medicine study identifies distinct brain organization patterns in women and men (Stanford Medicine, 2024)Children with autism have broad memory difficulties, Stanford Medicine-led study finds (Stanford Medicine, 2023)Interactions between attention-grabbing brain networks weak in ADHD (Stanford Medicine, 2015)Send us a text!Thanks for listening! If you're enjoying our show, please take a moment to give us a review on your podcast app of choice and share this episode with your friends. That's how we grow as a show and bring the stories of the frontiers of neuroscience to a wider audience. We want to hear from your neurons! Email us at at neuronspodcast@stanford.edu Learn more about the Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute at Stanford and follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

In this insightful discussion, Katrin Andreasson, a Stanford physician-scientist specializing in brain inflammation and metabolism, unveils a groundbreaking perspective on Alzheimer's disease. She argues that aging triggers an energy crisis in brain immune cells like microglia, which may contribute significantly to Alzheimer's pathology. Her research suggests that targeting inflammation beyond the brain can restore memory in mouse models. With a focus on new therapeutic strategies and the importance of curiosity-driven science, Andreasson offers fresh hope for Alzheimer’s treatment.

Jay McClelland, a leading cognitive scientist and Stanford professor, discusses the fascinating intersection of human and artificial intelligence. He explores how neural networks echo our brain’s workings and critiques traditional cognitive models. McClelland reveals insights on how children efficiently learn complex categories and how language shapes understanding. He suggests that coherent thought emerges from interactions, contrasting this with the limitations of current AI. His insights advocate for neuroscience-inspired advancements in building smarter machines.

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, or who experience a severe stroke, this is a devastating reality. Today's guest is Erin Kunz, a postdoctoral researcher in the Neural Prosthetics Translational Laboratory at Stanford, who is part of a global community of scientists working towards the vision of a brain–computer interface — or BCI — to bypass those broken circuits and restore the ability to speak to people with paralysis.We discuss how these BCIs work and the inspiring progress the tech has made in recent years, as well as the troubling question of whether a technology designed to decode what people intend to say from their brain activity could one day read out thoughts they never intended to communicate?Learn MoreStudy of promising speech-enabling interface offers hope for restoring communication (Stanford Medicine, 2025)For Some Patients, the ‘Inner Voice’ May Soon Be Audible (The New York Times, 2025)These brain implants speak your mind — even when you don't want to (NPR, 2025)A mind-reading brain implant that comes with password protection(Nature, 2025)How neural prosthetics could free minds trapped by brain injury(From Our Neurons to Yours, 2024)Brain implants, software guide speech-disabled person’s intended words to computer screen (Stanford Medicine, 2023)Software turns ‘mental handwriting’ into on-screen words, sentences (Stanford Medicine, 2021)Send us a text!Thanks for listening! If you're enjoying our show, please take a moment to give us a review on your podcast app of choice and share this episode with your friends. That's how we grow as a show and bring the stories of the frontiers of neuroscience to a wider audience. We want to hear from your neurons! Email us at at neuronspodcast@stanford.edu Learn more about the Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute at Stanford and follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

Brian Knutson, a Stanford psychology professor specializing in neuroeconomics, shares groundbreaking insights into how brain activity can forecast market trends and viral content. He explains the role of the nucleus accumbens in predicting risky choices and emphasizes how anticipation shapes decisions. Knutson discusses his neuroforecasting studies, revealing that brain signals often outperform behavioral predictions in forecasting phenomena like crowdfunding success and video virality. He also touches on the ethical implications of applying neuroscience to marketing.

In this enlightening discussion, neuroscientist Ben Rein, an adjunct lecturer at Stanford and author of "Why Brains Need Friends," explores the critical need for social connections in maintaining our mental and physical health. He reveals how isolation, exacerbated by technology and societal divides, can increase risks of mental illness, heart disease, and dementia. Ben offers insights into the brain chemistry behind social interactions and provides practical tips for rebuilding our social 'diet' to foster better health and well-being.

Judith Fan, an Assistant Professor at Stanford's Department of Psychology, explores the cognitive power of drawing. She discusses how visual representation deepens our understanding and communication of ideas, even before written language. Judith shares insights from her studies on how people develop common visual languages through drawing and how sketching enhances memory and perception. She emphasizes that drawing is not just for art but a powerful tool for learning and sharing knowledge across various fields.