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Kristen Ruka
HeadshakeEpisodes
Episodes of Headshake
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THE BRAIN IS HUNGRY FOR PEOPLE. Keeping in mind new experiences of isolation during the pandemic, recent research shows parallels between a socially-deprived brain craving people and a fasted brain craving food. Full notes at headshake.show/e
Here’s more involuntary neuroscience: spinal reflexes. They’re so involuntary, your brain doesn’t even know they happened. Full notes at headshake.show/episodes/33
The letter A is always red to some people. To others, the sound of a car horn might always smell like pie. Libby and Ruka sensually explore the rare but real condition of synesthesia. Full notes at headshake.show/episodes/32
Does it feel like you’ve heard this before? An episode on déjà vu. An episode on déjà vu. Full notes at headshake.show/episodes/31
Returning to the land of electrophysiology, Lord Nathan and Lady Kristen focus this time on action potentials, which neurons use to send electrical signals long distances in the body. God save the Baked Bean! Full notes at headshake.show/episod
In 1848, Phineas Gage survived an unfortunate railroad accident that later informed science and medicine’s understanding of how the prefrontal cortex works. Supporting character: Spikey the tamping iron Full notes at headshake.show/episodes/29
It’s Headshake’s anniversary, and the finale of the Gap Junction Almanac. We hope you’ve had the “Time of Your Life,” and we’ll still be “Friends Forever.” Let’s cheer ourselves up with a discussion of seasonal affective disorder (SAD). Key
“Nerves?” This is a neuroscience podcast. Haven’t we been talking about nerves the whole time??? Nope! Learn why. Key Words afferent, anopsia, anosmia, autonomic, axon, cardiac muscle, cardiovascular, caudal, central nervous system (CNS), cer
There are two kilograms (4.4 pounds) of microbes in your gut. Are these little residents controlling your brain? If so, how? Poop Detectives Libby and Ruka are on the case. Key Words autism, bacteria, depression, enteroendocrine, fecal transp
Hair cells in your inner ear and piano keys in your brain. This is our second episode on the sense of hearing. Libby and Ruka wrap up the year with thicker-than-usual Wisconsin accents. Happy birthday to Libby, and Happy New Year! Key Words a
This is part one of two episodes about the auditory system. You could say it’s a “preliminary hearing.” Key Words amplitude, audition, auditory system, aurical, cochlea, cochlear duct, deaf, decibel, eardrum, endolymph, eustachian tube, externa
Bad news/good news: Grand mal got run over by a reindeer, BUT we got new microphones! In addition to learning what science does and doesn’t know about brain lightning storms (seizures), hear Libby’s seasonal reflections on the Little Drummer Bo
Who are you?! Oh, right. Hi, Jeff! Sorry about that. Our forgetting neurons were working particularly hard last night. Yes, you have neurons that make you forget. Turns out they’re important in memory. This Episode’s Spotify Playlist Neurali
IN CASE OF EMERGENCY BREAK GLASS. Libby and Ruka are busy or dead. Either way, you get to listen to this episode recorded as a backup for times like these. Hear their joy, and remember them as they were before the pandemic. Key Words boredom
Headshake’s personal chef (a.k.a. Ruka’s spouse) is also an electrical and electronic engineer. Steven A. Gago helps Libby and Ruka tackle the mysteries of newly-developed microcircuit chips that could one day become implants to replace disease
In this elephant-themed episode, Headshake’s male and female hosts talk about whether or not there are differences in the brain between the sexes. If there are, how do they get there, and do they even matter? Key Words ADHD, autism spectrum dis
Does listening to Headshake activate your fight or flight response? Or maybe it leaves you comfortably in your rest and digest state. Ruka and Libby talk about the differences between these systems while planning Libby’s self-eulogized Viking f
Want to lose 1.5 pounds fast? Get a hemispherectomy! Libby and Ruka discuss research on highly-functioning adults who, for medical reasons, had half their brains removed as kids. Key Words anatomical hemispherectomy, behavior, brain stem, cereb
Libby and Ruka learn about the strange but harmless experience of being awake and not being able to move. This episode is brought to you by the letter P and delicious chocolate frosted Kooky Monkey Brains: “They’re mentally delicious.” Key Word
In an attempt to recover from the last episode’s derailment by boy bands, Ruka speeds through an overview of the hypothalamus and the anterior pituitary. In the process, she discovers Libby’s deep past with the movie Cool Runnings. Key Words -
A discussion of the hypothalamus and posterior pituitary gets derailed when Libby uncovers Ruka’s painfully comprehensive reserve of 2000’s boy band knowledge. Key Words anterior pituitary, antidiuretic hormone (ADH), autonomic, Bader-Meinhof p
Libby and Ruka use their artificial artificial intelligence to discuss how actual artificial intelligence helps researchers understand the ways the human brain values art. Celebrate their first in-person recording in eight episodes! Key Words a
It’s Headshake’s first guest ever! Theanne Griffith, Ph.D. joins as a third host to discuss her neuroscience research on specialized ion channels in cold sensation, as well as her brand new STEM-themed children’s book series The Magnificent Mak
Can you feel it? Your pointer finger can. After a visit to the land of Complicatia, Libby and Ruka return to Gap Junction to discuss somatosensation and ask important personal questions about the little man living in your cortex. Key Words anal
Your body isn’t strung with copper wire. So how does the nervous system send electrical signals? Libby and Ruka discuss this question and attempt to do math. When you’re done listening, remember to write that letter to your Nana Amps. She misse
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