Headshake

A stream-of-consciousness science podcast. Hosted by Kristen A. Ruka, Ph.D. and Nathan A. Libby, A.D.D. (EXPLICIT CONTENT)

Fasting and Furious [Lonely Brain vs. Hungry Brain] 05/03/2021

Fasting and Furious [Lonely Brain vs. Hungry Brain] 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. /episode/index/show/headshake/id/18936812

Bologna Hammer [Spinal Reflexes] 04/19/2021

Bologna Hammer [Spinal Reflexes] Here’s more involuntary neuroscience: spinal reflexes. They’re so involuntary, your brain doesn’t even know they happened. /episode/index/show/headshake/id/18767687

Involuntary Gravy [Synesthesia] 04/05/2021

Involuntary Gravy [Synesthesia] 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. /episode/index/show/headshake/id/18585407

Tay Zonday Bit My Finger [Déjà Vu] 03/22/2021

Tay Zonday Bit My Finger [Déjà Vu] Does it feel like you’ve heard this before? An episode on déjà vu. An episode on déjà vu. /episode/index/show/headshake/id/18409805

The Full Pamph [Action Potentials] 03/08/2021

The Full Pamph [Action Potentials] 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! /episode/index/show/headshake/id/18219743

My Friend Spikey [Phineas Gage] 02/22/2021

My Friend Spikey [Phineas Gage] 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 /episode/index/show/headshake/id/18030827

Happy Trails [Seasonal Affective Disorder] 02/08/2021

Happy Trails [Seasonal Affective Disorder] 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). /episode/index/show/headshake/id/17840090

Paula Abducens [Nerves] 01/25/2021

Paula Abducens [Nerves] “Nerves?” This is a neuroscience podcast. Haven’t we been talking about nerves the whole time??? Nope! Learn why. /episode/index/show/headshake/id/17651027

The Poopisode [Brain and Gut] 01/11/2021

The Poopisode [Brain and Gut] 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. /episode/index/show/headshake/id/17490593

Ear Hair [Audition, Part 2] 12/28/2020

Ear Hair [Audition, Part 2] 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! /episode/index/show/headshake/id/17311634

Lime in the Cochlea [Audition, Part 1] 12/14/2020

Lime in the Cochlea [Audition, Part 1] This is part one of two episodes about the auditory system. You could say it’s a “preliminary hearing.” /episode/index/show/headshake/id/17166173

The Reason for the Seizin' [Epilepsy] 11/30/2020

The Reason for the Seizin' [Epilepsy] 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 Boy. /episode/index/show/headshake/id/16983659

Tequila Naomi [Forgetting in Memory] 11/16/2020

Tequila Naomi [Forgetting in Memory] 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. /episode/index/show/headshake/id/16809161

Pink Onesie [Sensation Seeking] 11/02/2020

Pink Onesie [Sensation Seeking] 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. /episode/index/show/headshake/id/16638887

The Ol' Plazzle Dazzle [with Steve Gago] 10/19/2020

The Ol' Plazzle Dazzle [with Steve Gago] 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 diseased neurons. /episode/index/show/headshake/id/16446242

*Tiger Horse and Two Sex Bird* [Brain Sex Differences?] 10/05/2020

*Tiger Horse and Two Sex Bird* [Brain Sex Differences?] 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? /episode/index/show/headshake/id/16263776

#Amish4Lyfe [Sympathetic vs. Parasympathetic] 09/21/2020

#Amish4Lyfe [Sympathetic vs. Parasympathetic] 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 funeral. /episode/index/show/headshake/id/16079771

Half Wits [Hemispherectomies] 09/07/2020

Half Wits [Hemispherectomies] 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. /episode/index/show/headshake/id/15905705

Kooky Monkey Brains [Sleep Paralysis] 08/24/2020

Kooky Monkey Brains [Sleep Paralysis] 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.” /episode/index/show/headshake/id/15723179

Part2itary [Hypothalamus and Anterior Pituitary] 08/10/2020

Part2itary [Hypothalamus and Anterior Pituitary] 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. /episode/index/show/headshake/id/15540344

Turkey Saddle [Hypothalamus and Posterior Pituitary] 07/27/2020

Turkey Saddle [Hypothalamus and Posterior Pituitary] A discussion of the hypothalamus and posterior pituitary gets derailed when Libby uncovers Ruka’s painfully comprehensive reserve of 2000’s boy band knowledge. /episode/index/show/headshake/id/15356219

Art or Nart? [AI Predicts Art Preferences] 07/13/2020

Art or Nart? [AI Predicts Art Preferences] 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! /episode/index/show/headshake/id/15158963

Sputnik Ganglia [with Dr. Theanne Griffith] 06/29/2020

Sputnik Ganglia [with Dr. Theanne Griffith] 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 Makers! /episode/index/show/headshake/id/14995976

Ball Change [Somatosensation] 06/15/2020

Ball Change [Somatosensation] 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. /episode/index/show/headshake/id/14714321

Brain LIGHTNING! [Electrophysiology] 06/01/2020

Brain LIGHTNING! [Electrophysiology] 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 misses you. /episode/index/show/headshake/id/14621807

CORVID-19 [Rodent Operated Vehicles] 05/18/2020

CORVID-19 [Rodent Operated Vehicles] Fast cars, Froot Loops, and poops! This episode has it all, brought to you by psychology researchers who put rats in little rat-sized cars. Spoiler: Rats are better at learning how to drive if they’ve played with more toys and friends. /episode/index/show/headshake/id/14440379

Twinkie Teaser [Learning and Memory] 05/04/2020

Twinkie Teaser [Learning and Memory] Remember us? We’re Libby and Ruka, and we’re going to talk about the fundamentals of memory. Where does it happen? How does it happen? How long does it last? Why is there a Pokemon shaped like garbage? /episode/index/show/headshake/id/14242802

EXTRA: The Hole Truth 04/24/2020

EXTRA: The Hole Truth BONUS EPISODE! Ruka scored an EXCLUSIVE interview with the famous supermassive black hole M87*, the first ever black hole to be imaged on Earth only one year ago. Recorded in front of a live remote audience. Interview begins at 10 min 57 sec. /episode/index/show/headshake/id/14121392

Blue Light Special [Circadian Rhythms] 04/20/2020

Blue Light Special [Circadian Rhythms] With many of our routines upended these days, our circadian rhythms are getting thrown off, causing what is known as social jet lag. Don’t get too sleepy listening to the soothing sounds of the second remote recording from Libby and Ruka. /episode/index/show/headshake/id/14044544

Velocirapture [Vestibular System] 04/06/2020

Velocirapture [Vestibular System] Motion sickness on a pre-apocalyptic cruise prompted Ruka to reflect extensively on the vestibular system. She talks with Libby about this sixth sense and how it affects the body’s balance, movement, and vision. /episode/index/show/headshake/id/13839539

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