Episode 339 - Edward Bartlett, PhD

On October 15, 2026 we spoke with Dr. Edward Bartlett about how the auditory system detects and encodes rapid changes in sound amplitude essential for the detection of speech sounds. He explained the temporal sensitivity of single neurons in the upper brainstem auditory structures, the inferior colliculus and thalamus, which are essential for this process.Guest:Edward Bartlett, Professor of Professor of Biological Sciences and Biomedical Engineering, Purdue UniversityParticipating:Marina Silveira, Department of Neuroscience, Developmental and Regenerative Biology, UT San AntonioRosy Carrasco, Department of Neuroscience, Developmental and Regenerative Biology, UT San AntonioHost:Charles Wilson, Department of Neuroscience, Developmental and Regenerative Biology, UT San AntonioThanks to James Tepper for original music

On October 8, 2026 we met with Dr. Camillo Padoa-Schioppa to learn how subjective value is represented in the brain and directs how animals and humans choose among goal options.Guest:Camillo Padoa-Schioppa, Professor of Neuroscience at Washington University in Saint LouisParticipating:Alice Bertero, Department of Neuroscience, Developmental and Regenerative Biology, UT San AntonioHost:Charles Wilson, Department of Neuroscience, Developmental and Regenerative Biology, UT San AntonioThanks to James Tepper for original music

On September 17, 2026 we spoke with Dr. Michele Guigliano about the differences between neurons in the human cerebral cortex and those of rodents. We discussed the possibility that those differences may contribute to the unique intellectual capacity of humans.Guest:Michele Guigliano, PhD, Associate Professor Department of Biomedical, Metabolic & Neural Sciences, University of Modena & Reggio Emilia and Associate Professor of Physiology SISSA in TriesteParticipating:Fidel Santamaria, Department of Neuroscience, Developmental and Regenerative Biology, UT San AntonioHost:Charles Wilson, Department of Neuroscience, Developmental and Regenerative Biology, UT San AntonioThanks to James Tepper for original music

On September 10, 2026 we talked with Dr. Melissa Caras on the neurophysiology underlying perceptual learning in the auditory cortex. She defined perceptual learning, explained how it can be measured in animals, and described the changes in neuronal activity auditory cortex neurons associated with learning.Guest:Melissa Caras, Assistant Professor, Department of Biology, University of MarylandParticipating:Alice Bertero, Department of Neuroscience, Developmental and Regenerative Biology, UT San AntonioAlfonso Apicella, Department of Neuroscience, Developmental and Regenerative Biology, UT San AntonioHost:Charles Wilson, Department of Neuroscience, Developmental and Regenerative Biology, UT San AntonioThanks to James Tepper for original music

On September 3, 2026 I met with UTSA colleague Dr. Matt Wanat to discuss the role of dopamine in performance and learning of motivated behavior. Matt explained why it is difficult to make a simple general description of dopamine function.Guest: Matt Wanat, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Neuroscience, Developmental and Regenerative Biology, UT San AntonioHost:Charles Wilson, Department of Neuroscience, Developmental and Regenerative Biology, UT San AntonioThanks to James Tepper for original music

On August 27, 2026 we met with our UTSA colleague Dr. Tony Burgos-Robles from UTSA to discuss his work on the contribution of prefrontal cortex to learning responses to threat and safety.Guest: Tony Burgos-Robles, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Neuroscience, Developmental and Regenerative Biology, UT San AntonioParticipating:Stephanie Villalon, Department of Neuroscience, Developmental and Regenerative Biology, UT San AntoniHost:Charles Wilson, Department of Neuroscience, Developmental and Regenerative Biology, UT San AntonioThanks to James Tepper for original music

On April 30, 2026, we met with Dr. Courtney Rouse from the Southwest Research Institute. We discussed approaches to designing machine learning methods for neuroscience data analysis.Guest:Courtney Rouse, Senior Research Engineer, Southwest Research Institute, San AntonioParticipating:Erick Olivares, Department of Neuroscience, Developmental and Regenerative Biology, UT San AntonioHost:Charles Wilson, Department of Neuroscience, Developmental and Regenerative Biology, UT San AntonioThanks to James Tepper for original music.

On April 23, 2026 I met with Drs. Vanesa Nieto Estévez and Parul Varma to talk about brain organoids made from cells derived from patients with genetic childhood epilepsy. Vanesa and Parul explained how these patient-derived tissue cultures are used to isolate the defects in brain development that underly the brain disorder, and to suggest and test potential treatments.Guests:Vanesa Nieto Estévez and Parul Varma, Assistant Professors of Research, Department of Neuroscience, Developmental and Regenerative Biology, UT San AntonioHost:Charles Wilson, Department of Neuroscience, Developmental and Regenerative Biology, UT San Antonio Thanks to James Tepper for original music

On April 16, 2026, we met with Dr. Robert Froemke of New York University to discuss his work on parenting and co-parenting in mice. We covered a wide range of topics including his video approach to discovery in behavioral experiments and the role of oxytocin in parental behavior.Guest: Robert Froemke, Professor, Department of Otolaryngology and Department of Neuroscience at at New York University Langone Health.Participating:Alfonso Apicella, Department of Neuroscience, Developmental and Regenerative Biology, UT San AntonioAlice Bertero, Department of Neuroscience, Developmental and Regenerative Biology, UT San AntonioJon Moler, Department of Neuroscience, Developmental and Regenerative Biology, UT San AntonioHost: Charles Wilson, Department of Neuroscience, Developmental and Regenerative Biology, UT San Antonio

On April 9, 2026 I spoke with Dr. Marcelo Marucho, on the electrical properties of actin filaments and microtubules, ubiquitous components of the cytoskeleton of nearly all cells. He explained how the surface charge of these proteins creates a thin charged layer in the adjacent cytoplasm in which electrical signals may be generated and conducted. In the case of microtubules, the interaction between external and luminal surfaces can produce oscillations. We discussed some of the possible functions of these electrical signals in the brain.Guest:Marcelo Marucho, Professor, Department of Physics and Astronomy, UTSAHost:Charles Wilson, Department of Neuroscience, Developmental and Regenerative Biology, UTSA