Brain Stories
Brain Stories is a monthly podcast from the UCL Neuroscience Domain, hosted by Caswell Barry, Steve Fleming, and Selina Wray. It showcases cutting-edge research in neuroscience at UCL, featuring interviews with leading neuroscientists who discuss their work and personal journeys. The podcast aims to highlight the breadth of UCL's neuroscience community and explore big questions in the field.
Episodes
Episode 23- Jenny Lange on the gothic history of neuroscience, a Halloween special
In this special Halloween episode of Brainstories, Selina and Caswell speak with Dr Jenny Lange (UK DRI at UCL) about the gothic history of neuroscience — and how scientific experiments shaped gothic literature. Date of episode recording: 2025-10-02 Duration: 00:47:48 Language of episode: English Presenter: Steve Fleming, Selina Wray Guests: Caswell Barry, Lucy Unwin Producer: Patrick Rob
Brain Stories Episode 22 Caswell Barry and Lucy Unwin talk about the neuroscience behind their new children’s book – Inside Your Brain
Caswell Barry and Lucy Unwin talk about the neuroscience behind their new children’s book – Inside Your Brain. Inside Your Brain takes readers on an irreverent gallop through history to uncover ten ground breaking discoveries that led to our current understanding of how the brain works. Date of episode recording: 2025-10-02 Duration: 00:47:48 Language of episode: English Presenter: Steve
Brain Stories - Episode 21: Professor Adrian Isaacs on Frontotemporal Dementia
Selina and Caswell chat with Professor Adrian Isaacs from the UK Dementia Research Institute at UCL to talk Frontotemporal Dementia — from how fruit flies are helping, to the role of DNA repeat expansions in disease, and why lipids might protect the brain.Presenters: Caswell Barry and Selina WrayGuests: Professor Adrian IsaacsProducer: Patrick RobinsonDate of episode recording: 2025-07-
Brain Stories – Episode 20: Tali Sharot on what influences our beliefs and decision making
Professor Tali Sharot talks to Caswell and Selina about why we're easy to influence and overly optimistic Date of episode recording: 2024-07-19T00:00:00Z Duration: 00:49:49 Language of episode: English TAGS: as before Presenter: Caswell Barry; Selina Wray Guests: Professor Tali Sharot Producer: Patrick Robinson
Brain Stories - Episode 19: Sonia Gandhi on researching and treating Parkinson's Disease
Professor Sonia Gandhi talks to Steve and Selina about her research into the biology of Parkinson's disease, and how this understanding could lead to new treatments. Date of episode recording: 2024-06-14T00:00:00Z Duration: 00:47:53 Language of episode: English Presenter:Steve Flemming; Selina Wray Guests: Professor Sonia Gandhi Producer: Patrick Robinson
Brain Stories Live - Episode 18: Neuro AI
The first ever live recording of the UCL Brain Stories podcast live from the Bloomsbury Studio at the Bloomsbury Theatre and Studio on 18th October 2023. Caswell and Selina spoke to Diksha Gupta, Rick Adams, and Benedetto De Martino on all things Neuro AI.For more information and to access the transcript: www.ucl.ac.uk/research/domains/neuroscience/brain-stories-podcastDate of episode rec
Brain Stories - Episode 17: Jenny Bizley on how the brain perceives sounds
Professor Jenny Bizley talks to Caswell and Steve about how different sounds are perceived by the brain.For more information and to access the transcript: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/research/domains/neuroscience/brain-stories-podcastDate of episode recording: 2023-08-29Duration: 00:38:23Language of episode: EnglishPresenter: Caswell Barry; Steve FlemmingGuests: Professor Jenny BizleyProducer:
Brain stories - Episode 16: Peter Kok on how the brain determines what we see
Peter Kok talks to Selina and Steve about how the brain determines our visual experience of the world and how his research aims to understand the neural circuit underlying this.For more information and to access the transcript: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/research/domains/neuroscience/brain-stories-podcastDate of episode recording: 2023-08-17Duration: 00:42:40Language of episode: EnglishPresent
Brain Stories - Episode 15: Sarah Garfinkel on how clinical conditions impact emotion processing
Professor Sarah Garfinkel talks to Caswell and Steve about her research exploring emotion and how brain body interactions may go awry in clinical conditions.For more information and to access the transcript: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/research/domains/neuroscience/brain-stories-podcastDate of episode recording: 2023-07-14Duration: 00:41:21Language of episode: EnglishPresenter: Caswell Barry ;
Brain Stories - Episode 14: Kate Jeffery On The Cognitive Map And Memory
Kate Jeffery talks to Steve and Caswell about memory, how place cells might be the neural basis of our sense of space, the joys of training rats to climb around in three dimensions, and what all this has got to do with architecture.For more information and to access the transcript: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/research/domains/neuroscience/brain-stories-podcastDate of episode recording: 2023-01-
Brain Stories - Episode 13: Ed Wild On Huntington’s Disease – From Genetics To Clinical Trials
Ed Wild talks to Steve and Selina in a wide-ranging discussion about Huntington’s disease – encompassing genetics, disease mechanisms, therapeutic development and clinical trials – with some interesting stories about Sea Urchins and CAG repeats, and the Pope!For more information and to access the transcript: www.ucl.ac.uk/research/domains/neuroscience/brain-stories-podcastDate of episode
Brain Stories - Episode 12: Tobias Hauser On Computational Psychiatry And The Origins Of OCD
Tobias Hauser talks to Steve and Caswell about common misconceptions around OCD, what the "computational" means in computational psychiatry, and the reasons why teenagers might hold the key to understanding the origins of mental health problems.For more information and to access the transcript: www.ucl.ac.uk/research/domains/neuroscience/brain-stories-podcastDate of episode recording: 202
Brain Stories - Episode 11: Katharina Schmack on Schizophrenia and why We All Hallucinate
Katharina Schmack talks to Caswell and Steve about dopamine, hallucinations, how to juggle careers in science and medicine, and why sleep-deprived parents might hear things that are not really there.For more information and to access the transcript: www.ucl.ac.uk/research/domains/neuroscience/brain-stories-podcast
Brain Stories - Episode 10: Hugo Spiers on the brains of taxi drivers
Hugo Spiers talks about taxis, how where you grew up affects your navigation skills, and the time that Benedict Cumberbatch ruined one of his experiments.For more information and to access the transcript: www.ucl.ac.uk/research/domains/n…in-stories-podcastDate of episode recording: 2022-07-19Duration: 00:56:28Language of episode: EnglishPresenter:Selina Wray & Caswell BarryGuests: Hug
Brain Stories – Episode 9: UCL Neuroscience Symposium
Conversations with the speakers from the 2022 UCL Neuroscience Symposium.For more information and to access the transcript: www.ucl.ac.uk/research/domains/neuroscience/brain-stories-podcast Date of episode recording: 2022-06-22Duration: 00:35:39Language of episode: EnglishPresenter:Selina Wray; Caswell Barry; Steve FlemingGuests: UCL Neuroscience Symposium speakersProducer: Patrick Robins
Brain Stories - Episode 8: Aman Saleem on Visual Input to Spatial Memories
Aman talks to Caswell and Steve about his journey from metallurgical engineering to multi-brain region neuroscience, how this has informed his rodent VR based studies of visual navigation, and what brains taste like.For more information and to access the transcript: www.ucl.ac.uk/research/domains/neuroscience/brain-stories-podcastDate of episode recording: 2022-04-13Duration: 00:43:13Lang
Brain Stories - Episode 7: Benedetto De Martino on decision making
Benedetto De Martino talks to Selina and Caswell about decision making, why we make choices that are bad for us, and the importance of having a hobby - plus a banjo makes an appearance.For more information and to access the transcript: www.ucl.ac.uk/research/domains/n…in-stories-podcast
Brain Stories - Episode 6: Sanjay Sisodiya on Epilepsy
In our first episode in 2022, Caswell & Selina talk to Professor Sanjay Sisodiya (UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology) about his research into epilepsy and the intersection between climate change and neurological disease.For more information and to access the transcript: www.ucl.ac.uk/research/domains/n…in-stories-podcastDate of episode recording: 2021-12-06Duration: 15/12/21Langu
Brain Stories - Episode 5: Tamar Makin on Brain Plasticity
In our fifth episode Selina and Steve chat to Professor Tamar Makin about her fascinating research on brain plasticity, artificial limbs and the potential for human augmentation.For more information and to access the transcript: www.ucl.ac.uk/research/domains/n…in-stories-podcastDate of episode recording: 2021-11-24Duration: 00:34:20Language of episode: EnglishPresenter: Caswell Barry; St
Brain Stories - Episode 3: Andrew Macaskill and Making Decisions
In our third episode Andrew Macaskill joins Selina and Caswell to talk about how the brain weighs evidence and makes decisions - also why it's important for neuroscientists to get out of their comfort zone once in a while.For more information and to access the transcript: www.ucl.ac.uk/research/domains/n…in-stories-podcast
Brain Stories - Episode 4: Nick Fox on the Importance of Understanding Alzheimer’s Disease
In our third episode Selina & Caswell talk to Professor Nick Fox about the importance of research into Alzheimer’s disease and the progress being made towards better diagnosis and treatment.Find out more and access the transcript here: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/research/domains/neuroscience/brain-stories-podcast
Brain Stories - Episode 2: Nichola Raihani and Social Cooperation
Professor Nichola Raihani talks about her new book, Kalahari Babblers, Lizard Island and why we're better off together.Find out more and access the transcript here: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/research/domains/neuroscience/brain-stories-podcast
Brain Stories - Episode 1: Sophie Scott and the science of laughter
Welcome to the brand new monthly podcast series from the UCL Neuroscience Domain presented by Caswell Barry (UCL Division of Biosciences), Steve Fleming (UCL Division of Psychology & Language Sciences) and Selina Wray (UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology). UCL Brain Stories aims to showcase the best of UCL Neuroscience, highlighting the wide range of cutting-edge research going on
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