In this episode, we talk about what neuroscience is, and also, what it isn't. Mahima Golani is in conversation with Dr. Karen Froud, Director of the Neuroscience & Education program at Teachers College, Columbia University.

In this Introduction to Neuroscience, we address the relationship between structure and function in the brain, fascinating concepts like neuroplasticity and consciousness, and what in the world bumblebees have to do with neuroscience. We learn why the phrase “neurons that fire together wire together” is so important to our learning and growth. And by the end of this episode, we’re going to know what a synapse actually is.

The Synapse was founded by Liri Haram, Mahima Golani, Noam Ekhaus, & Sarah Bennett from the Neuroscience & Education master’s program at Teachers College, Columbia University.

Dr. Karen Froud is an Associate Professor and Program Director for Neuroscience and Education at Teachers College, Columbia University. Dr. Froud has been in academia for almost a quarter century, so she has seen a lot of changes with respect to our fast-moving discipline of neuroscience. She originally worked as a speech-language pathologist, before obtaining her master’s degree and PhD in theoretical linguistics at University College London. Dr. Froud first became significantly involved in neuroscience as a postdoc at Birkbeck College in London, and went on to work at MIT in the departments of Linguistics and Brain Sciences, working on the Mind Articulation Project. At Teachers College, Dr. Froud is the director of the Neurocognition of Language lab, where she and her team conduct brain imaging studies of aspects of language and cognition across the lifespan. She emphasizes the importance of research for influencing educational and clinical policies and applications, and to support access for all to effective engagement in communication, language, and learning. We know. She’s pretty cool.

Links & resources //

3D Brain anatomy visualizer

VIDEO: Neuroscientifically Challenged: Neuroimaging

VIDEO: Neuroscientifically Challenged: Lobes and Landmarks of the Brain

VIDEO: Crash Course: The Nervous System, Part 1

BOOK: The Brain that Changes Itself by Norman Doidge, M.D.

BOOK: Neuroplasticity by Moheb Costandi

BOOK: Neuroanatomy Through Clinical by Cases Hal Blumenfeld

Thank yous & credits //

Interview by Mahima Golani
Audio Editing by Noam Ekhaus
Cover Art by Noam Ekhaus with image by Santiago Ramón y Cajal
Production by Liri Haram, Mahima Golani, Sarah Bennett and Noam Ekhaus
Technical support provided by the Digital Futures Institute at Teachers College, Columbia University with audio engineering from Mara Danoff, and additional support from Moira Mccavana and Billy Collins
Additional recording equipment provided by the Instructional Media and Technology Services at Barnard College
Special thanks to Basman Tenenbaum Design Studio
Supported by The Neuroscience and Education Program at Teachers College, Columbia University

If you have any questions, comments, or want to learn more, reach out to us on Instagram @the.synapse.nyc