A biographical look into the lairs of modern neuroscience. Part 1 of a research conversation on the hippocampus. And notes for a tale of how McGill University, the invasion of Prague, and UCL pulled two expats together towards discoveries and writings that have changed a scientific framework. #cognitivemap #ucl #mcgilluniversity
This conversation combines a deep dive into the pioneering work of Lynn Nadel in cognitive neuroscience, focusing on the development of cognitive maps in the hippocampus, with a personal narrative of future travels and the backstory of a yet-to-be-discussed book by author Andrea Hiott. It charts Nadel's collaboration with John O'Keefe, their influential theories, and the academic adventures that led to significant contributions in understanding memory and brain function.
00:00 Introduction to the Fascinating World of Neuroscience 00:04 Exploring the Hippocampus: Memory, Navigation, and Cognitive Maps 02:53 The McGill Years: A Hotbed for Neuroscience Innovation 04:26 From Chemistry to Psychology: Lynn's Academic Journey 11:30 The Graduate School Experience: Research, Politics, and Social Life 17:35 The Hippocampus and Memory: Bridging Human and Animal Research 25:02 Navigating the Academic and Social Landscape of McGill 33:55 The Power of Connections: From High School to Neuroscience Pioneers 38:55 Exploring the Influence of Tolman and Hebb 41:01 The Political and Scientific Journey to Prague 49:47 Adventures and Challenges in Prague 53:05 Navigating Personal and Professional Changes 01:02:14 The Evolution of a Groundbreaking Book 01:07:35 Reflections and Future Plans This is the first research conversation with the psychologist and neuroscientist Lynn Nadel who has been doing influential research about memory and the hippocampus for decades.
He is the co-author with Nobel Prize winner John O'Keefe of The Hippocampus As a Cognitive Map (https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint..., one of the first books to bring Edward Tolman's work together with philosophy and psychology, and to open new fields of research relative to a part of the brain called the hippocampus, known for its role in both memory and navigation. This book and the threads that came from it have also opened portals and potentials for a navigational framework of cognition. Or, that's how I experience it and what it has opened for my own research. Nadel and O'Keefe met at McGill University at a time when the place was buzzing with the books, papers and people creating what we now study as neuroscience. McGill University in the 1950s, 60s, and 70s can look a bit like the superhero headquarters of what would develop into modern neuroscience. Once you begin to list all the people who were working there at that time and all the threads that have since influenced the filed, from Wilder Penfield and Brenda Milner to Donald Hebb to John O'Keefe and Lynn Nadel, one begins to see how much of the work being done today was oriented from that starting point. University of Arizona page: https://psychology.arizona.edu/person... Lynn Nadel: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/... John O'Keefe Nobel Lecture: https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/med... Henry Moliason (H.M.): https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/arti... Brenda Milner: https://www.mcgill.ca/neuro/about/bre... Peter Milner, author of Physiological Psychology: https://www.mcgill.ca/psychology/arti... Donald Hebb: https://can-acn.org/donald-olding-hebb/ Wilder Penfield: https://www.mcgill.ca/about/history/p... Ronald Melzac: https://www.mcgill.ca/about/history/m... Suzanne Corkin: https://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/28/sc... Bob Mueller & John Kubie: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/arti... Jim Ranck: https://www.downstate.edu/faculty/pha... Karl Prebram: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karl_H.... Soviet Invasion of Prague: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prague_... University College London: https://www.london.ac.uk/federation/ucl The Hippocampus as a Cognitive Map: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint... Hippocampus History on Mastadon: https://neuromatch.social/@nadel/1097... Psych Review story on bjks podcast: Background room is from an AirBnB in Krakow, Poland. #cognitivemap #neuroscience #navigability #lynnnadel #placecells #tolman #andreahiott #mcgilluniversity
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