The Organization for Human Brain Mapping (OHBM) presents the Neurosalience podcast. In this series of interviews you’ll discover the latest developments in tech...
Neurosalience #S5E7 with Seiji Ogawa - The discoverer of the BOLD contrast and fMRI
Join Peter Bandettini as he sits down with Seiji Ogawa, the visionary scientist behind the discovery of BOLD (blood oxygenation level-dependent) contrast fMRI. In this insightful conversation, Dr. Ogawa reflects on his groundbreaking work, the evolution of neuroimaging, and the challenges of translating fMRI into clinical practice.
1. Ogawa’s Early Journey – From Stanford to Bell Labs, and the influences that shaped his career.
2. The Discovery of BOLD fMRI – How experiments with hemoglobin oxygenation laid the foundation for modern neuroimaging.
3. Impact on Neuroscience – Why fMRI became a cornerstone in understanding brain function.
4. Challenges in Clinical Translation – Variability and reliability in single-subject analyses.
5. Scientific Reflections – Ogawa’s thoughts on curiosity, persistence, and the art of discovery.
6. Future Directions – Exploring brain interactions, neurovascular coupling, and innovations in imaging techniques.
Notable Quotes:
“If you can look into your brain without opening your skull… that’s a great thing.”
“The important thing is to know what is important.”
“Many phenomena don’t last long, but fMRI has proven to be enduringly significant.”
Seiji Ogawa’s contributions have left an indelible mark on neuroscience, inspiring researchers worldwide. Don’t miss this fascinating exploration of his life, work, and ongoing curiosity about the mysteries of the human brain.
Episode Producers
Omer Faruk Gulban
Nagashree Thovinakere
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1:09:11
Neurosalience #S5E6 with Vesa Kiviniemi - Pulsations Matter: Imaging Glymphatic System using MREG
Our guest today is Dr. Vesa Kiviniemi, a radiologist and researcher at Oulu University in Finland.
Dr. Kiviniemi’s recent focus has been on using an extremely high-speed MRI technique called MREG. This technique allows for the collection of an entire volume of data with a TR of just 100 milliseconds, using a stack-of-spirals approach. The reason he values this technique so much is that it enables him to examine various types of brain pulsations, including cardiac and respiratory pulsations, as well as what he refers to as glymphatic or CSF pulsations.
In this episode, Dr. Kiviniemi explores how he has applied this technique in his research. He also discusses the history of our understanding of the glymphatic system, its potential functions, the many unknowns surrounding it, and the opportunities it presents for future research. Among other topics, he explains why using this high-speed technique might complement—or in some cases even be better than—slower approaches in certain ways.
We hope you enjoy the conversation!
Episode producers:
Xuqian Michelle Li
Omer Faruk Gulban
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1:31:23
Neurosalience #S5E5 with Peter Bandettini - The unique role of podcasts in communicating science
This episode is unique in the sense that it’s actually a talk Peter gave during the OHBM 2024 meeting, specifically during the education session on communicating science.
Peter wanted to share this talk because it focuses on the podcast and his own approach to creating it. He discusses his philosophy, heuristics, what he considers important about podcasting, and why he enjoys doing it. The talk emphasizes the value of conversation and explains how the podcast showcases the human side of scientific investigators and the stories behind their research.
We hope you enjoy it!
Episode producers:
Omer Faruk Gulban
Xuqian Michelle Li
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35:07
Neurosalience #S5E4 with Matthew Cobb - The idea of the brain, Francis Crick, and consciousness
In this episode, Peter Bandettini interviews Matthew Cobb (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matthew_Cobb), the author of the book “The idea of the brain: The Past and Future of Neuroscience”.
Episode producers:
Omer Faruk Gulban
Alfie Wearn
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1:31:49
Neurosalience #S5E3 with Alan Evans - 40 years of brain imaging & creating infrastructure for all
Our guest is today is Dr. Alan Evans. He completed his Ph.D. (1979) and post-doctoral fellowship studying structure-function interaction of proteins at the Department of Biophysics at Leeds University in the U.K. Subsequently he worked for five years as a PET physicist at Atomic Energy of Canada in Ottawa.
In 1984, he joined the Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery at McGill University, where his research interests include multimodal brain imaging with PET and MRI, structural network modelling, and large scale neural informatics.
For the past 40 years, he has been an institution at McGill University. He is the co-director of the Ludmer Centre and He is currently Co-Director of both the Ludmer Centre for Neuroinformatics and Mental Health and the Helmholtz International BigBrain Analytics Learning Laboratory (HIBBALL). He is Scientific Director of McGill’s “Healthy Brains, Healthy Lives” (HBHL) , and Scientific Director of the Canadian Open Neuroscience Platform (CONP). The technical infrastructure underpinning CONP includes a multi-modal databasing system (LORIS) and an international grid-processing portal (CBRAIN) both developed in Prof. Evan’s MCIN lab. These platforms also support international brain networks, notably the Canada-China-Cuba Axis and the Global Brain Consortium, both co-chaired by Prof. Evans. Furthermore, he was named the Victor Dahdaleh Chair in Neurosciences in October of 2022.
Episode producers
Xugian Michelle Li
Nagashree Thovinakere
The Organization for Human Brain Mapping (OHBM) presents the Neurosalience podcast. In this series of interviews you’ll discover the latest developments in techniques for measuring brain structure and function. You’ll hear about how these tools can provide insight into the function of the brain from childhood to old age, and why these normal processes may be affected in neurological and psychiatric conditions. Dr. Peter Bandettini interviews brain scientists of all types and discusses the latest developments, controversies and challenges related to their work in the field of brain mapping.