Brain Ponderings podcast with Dr. Mark Mattson

Conversations with neuroscientists, neurologists, evolutionary biologists, anthropologists, computer scientists, and others that ponder the brain. Here are a few of the questions that BRAIN PONDERINGS will tackle:How have brains evolved to enable success in diverse environments?How does the brain develop in the womb and in early life?What are the mechanisms responsible for learning and memory, language, and emotions?How does the brain respond to life's challenges?In what ways does the brain influence the body and vice-versa?What is known about the causes of psychiatric, neurodegenerative, and other brain disorders?What new technologies are being developed to treat neurological disorders?How do naturally occurring and man-made chemicals affect the brain?How can gene therapy, cell regeneration, and brain stimulation be used for brain disorders?What are the boundaries between ethical and unethical neuroscience research?

Brain Ponderings podcast with Dr. Mark Mattson is a science podcast hosted by Mark Mattson, with 226 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80.

Mark Mattson hosts Brain Ponderings podcast with Dr. Mark Mattson, a science show with 226 episodes published.

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  Brain Ponderings podcast with Dr. Mark Mattson

  David Gems: Theories and Mechanisms of Aging, Adaptive Stress Responses, and Healthspan

  Sep 24, 20261h 19m

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  Brain Ponderings podcast with Dr. Mark Mattson

  Toren Finkel: Mitohormesis, the Integrated Stress Response, Lysosomes and mTOR in Aging and Disease

  Sep 15, 20261h 3m

  Cells have evolved elaborate and highly-coordinated ways of responding to the stresses they encounter in the course of their normal functions and in response to environmental challenges. Research is revealing the that mitochondria are a hub of adaptive cellular stress responses. Mitochondria sense oxidative, metabolic, and ionic stress and then triggers an integrated adaptive stress response. In this episode I talk with University of Pittsburgh professor Toren Finkel about his career with a focus on signaling functions of reactive oxygen species, integrated stress response signaling pathways, and the roles of "mitohormesis" in health, aging, and disease. As part of this conversation we discuss pathways that communicate with mitochondria including autophagy/lysosomes mTOR. LINKS Finkel webpage at Pitt: https://www.isb.pitt.edu/people/faculty/toren-finkel-md-phd Review article on mitohormesis: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10632604/pdf/nihms-1939566.pdf Lysosomes and aging: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10626421/pdf/EMBR-24-e57265.pdf Mitophagy and cardiomyopathy: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12218533/pdf/41467_2025_Article_60670.pdf

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  Brain Ponderings podcast with Dr. Mark Mattson

  Kiran Thakur: Vaccine-Preventable Viral and Bacterial Neurological Disease Mechanisms and Management

  Sep 8, 202655 min

  Measles, Polio, COVID, AIDS, tick-borne encephalitis, Lyme disease, meningitis, yellow fever, and Ebola are examples of diseases that can be fatal and those who survive the infection may have long-term neurological disability resulting from damage to neural circuits caused by the virus or bacteria. Effective vaccines have been developed for all of these infectious diseases except AIDS for which vaccines against HIV are being developed. In this episode I talk with Dr. Kiran Thakur, Director of the Neuroinfectious Disease Program at Columbia University, about the impact of these infectious agents on the brain, the threat of their resurgence, and the importance of world-wide surveillance and vaccination programs to prevent mortality and long-term disability, and to prevent the emergence and spread of new strains of viruses and bacteria. We also discuss treatments for patients whose brains have been infected. Unfortunately, currently available treatments are in many instances not effective in reducing morbidity and mortality, a fact that bolsters the importance of vaccination. LINKS Thakur laboratory page: https://www.neurology.columbia.edu/research/research-labs/thakur-lab Review article on the global threat of vaccine-preventable neurological diseases: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41582-025-01172-w Review article on long COVID: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41572-025-00674-7 Advances in treatments for neuroinfectious diseases: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11418331/pdf/10.1177_20499361241274246.pdf Climate change, habitat degradation, and the emergence of new neuroinfectious agents: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11412215/pdf/10.1177_20499361241274206.pdf

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  Brain Ponderings podcast with Dr. Mark Mattson

  Stuart Lipton: Excitotoxicity, Nitric Oxide, Protein Nitrosylation, Air Pollution, and Alzheimer's

  Sep 1, 202658 min

  Protein nitrosylation a process by which redox reactions of nitric oxide (NO) and proteins result in covalent modification of the sulfur in the amino acid cysteine resulting in S-nitrosothiol (SNO). In this episode I talk with Scripps Research Professor Stuart Lipton about his research career highlighting the discovery that protein nitrosylation occurs on numerous proteins in neurons and contributes to the dysfunction and degeneration of neurons in Alzheimer's disease and other neurodegenerative disorders. Prior to his discovery of protein nitrosylation, Stuart worked to better understand the process of excitotoxicity which is involved in the demise of neurons in many neurological disorders. This work led to the development of the only drug – memantine – that slows the progression of Alzheimer's disease, albeit only somewhat. Recently, Stuart was awarded a grant to elucidate the effects of air pollution on the brain with a focus on the role of chemical reactions resulting in protein nitrosylation. Stuart and his team are now working to develop drugs that specifically prevent the chemical reactions that result in excessive protein nitrosylation as treatments for neurodegenerative disorders. LINKS Lipton's page at the Scripps: https://www.scripps.edu/faculty/lipton/ Review articles https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11624102/pdf/nihms-2029640.pdf https://www.nature.com/articles/nrd1958 Original research articles: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11892585/pdf/pnas.202418179.pdf https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2823371/pdf/nihms173661.pdf

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  Brain Ponderings podcast with Dr. Mark Mattson

  Boushra Dalile: SCFAs Produced by Gut Bacteria Affect Stress Responses and Cognition in Humans

  Aug 25, 20261h 15m

  Understanding how diet influences brain health is a very important area of research. During the past two decades there has been an exponential increase in research on the gut microbiome and its roles in health and disease. Diets high in fiber are not only improve gut health but may also be beneficial for other organ systems including the brain. Gut bacteria ferment dietary fibers resulting in the production of the short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) butyrate, propionate, and acetate. In this episode I talk with University of Leuven scientist Boushra Dalile about her research aimed at understanding if and how SCFAs affect cognition and stress responses in humans. Her experiments have shown that SCFAs attenuate neuroendocrine stress responses and butyrate in particular enhances memory. We talk about actions of butyrate mediated by interaction with cell surface receptors and nuclear histone deacetylases, as well as effects on the vagus nerve as possible mechanisms of action. LINKS Dalile webpage at KU Leuven https://ppw.kuleuven.be/lbp/Bramlab/People/00115135 Boushra's Instagram on cooking for a healthy gut microbiome https://www.instagram.com/boushracooks/ Review article on SCFAs produced by gut bacteria and their effects on the brain https://www.nature.com/articles/s41575-019-0157-3 Perspective on prebiotics and brain health https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11663957/pdf/main.pdf Original research studies discussed in this podcast https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7784980/pdf/41386_2020_Article_732.pdf https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38199487/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38199487/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42557391/

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