Mnemonology (MEMORY) with Dr. Michael Yassa
Part 1: How are memories made? Where are they stored? Where do they go? What was I just talking about? Neurobiologist, professor, researcher, and Director of UC Irvine’s Center for the Neurobiology of Learning and Memory, Dr. Michael Yassa, joins us for a two-parter deep diving into our memories. Get to know the cells that run your life while he also busts flim-flam, and talks about movie myths, aging and memory loss, childbirth amnesia, what happens when you cram for a test, hormones and memory, that thing where you can’t remember a word, how to let go of the past, and more. Next week, we’ll follow up with your Patreon questions about Alzheihmer’s, remembering people’s names, neurodivergence, dementia, collective misremembering, and so much more. Commit it to memory.
Listen via Apple, Spotify, iHeart, Podbay, Podcast Addict, or wherever you listen to podcasts.
Part 2: Remembering names! Preventing dementia! Photographic memories! Weed! Goldfish! It’s the thrilling conclusion of Mnemonology with Dr. Michael Yassa, the Director of UC Irvine’s Center for the Neurobiology of Learning and Memory. We talk long vs. short term memories, how smells can pack a wallop of emotions, prosopagnosia (“facial blindness”), the fog of new parenthood, Alzheimer's and other causes of dementia, and tips to keep your brain in tip-top shape. Let’s make some mems.
Listen via Apple, Spotify, iHeart, Podbay, Podcast Addict, or wherever you listen to podcasts.
Follow Dr. Yassa on Google Scholar and X
Visit the Yassa Translational Neuroscience Laboratory at UCI website
A donation went to UC Irvine Center for the Neurobiology of Learning and Memory’s graduate student and postdoctoral fund
Links to things we discussed:
Mnemonic training reshapes brain networks to support superior memory
Clinical Manifestations of Body Memories: The Impact of Past Bodily Experiences on Mental Health
Hyper memory, synaesthesia, savants Luria and Borges revisited
Maximizing Space: How Many 40-Foot Containers Fit on Modern Cargo Ships?
How Much Does a Bale of Hay Weigh?
Are There Really as Many Neurons in the Human Brain as Stars in the Milky Way?
Hippocampus in health and disease: An overview
Coordinating Words and Sentences: Detecting Age-Related Changes in Language Production
Clinical Manifestations of Body Memories: The Impact of Past Bodily Experiences on Mental Health
Memory for Labor Pain: A Review of the Literature
Traumatic Memories of Childbirth Relate to Maternal Postpartum Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
UCI’s Autobiographical Memory Questionnaire
Other episodes you may enjoy:
Attention-Deficit Neuropsychology (ADHD)
Molecular Neurobiology (BRAIN CHEMICALS)
Sports & Performance Psychology (ANXIETY & CONFIDENCE)
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Editing by Mercedes Maitland of Maitland Audio Productions and Jacob Chaffee
Managing Director: Susan Hale
Scheduling Producer: Noel Dilworth
Transcripts by Aveline Malek
Website by Kelly R. Dwyer
Theme song by Nick Thorburn