From Our Neurons to Yours

• What ChatGPT understands: Large language models and the neuroscience of meaning | Laura Gwilliams

  If you spend any time chatting with a modern AI chatbot, you've probably been amazed at just how human it sounds, how much it feels like you're talking to a real person. Much ink has been spilled explaining how these systems are not actually conversing, not actually understanding — they're statistical algorithms trained to predict the next likely word. But today on the show, let's flip our perspective on this. What if instead of thinking about how these algorithms are not like the human brain, we talked about how similar they are? What if we could use these large language models to help us understand how our own brains process language to extract meaning? There's no one better positioned to take us through this than returning guest Laura Gwilliams, a faculty scholar at the Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute and Stanford Data Science Institute, and a member of the department of psychology here at Stanford.Learn more:Gwilliams' Laboratory of Speech NeuroscienceFireside chat on AI and Neuroscience at Wu Tsai Neuro's 2024 Symposium (video)The co-evolution of neuroscience and AI (Wu Tsai Neuro, 2024)How we understand each other (From Our Neurons to Yours, 2023)Q&A: On the frontiers of speech science (Wu Tsai Neuro, 2023)Computational Architecture of Speech Comprehension in the Human Brain (Annual Review of Linguistics, 2025)Hierarchical dynamic coding coordinates speech comprehension in the human brain (PMC Preprint, 2025)Behind the Scenes segment:By re-creating neural pathway in dish, Sergiu Pasca's research may speed pain treatment (Stanford Medicine, 2025)Bridging nature and nurture: The brain's flexible foundation from birth (Wu Tsai Neuro, 2025)Get in touchWe want to hear from your neurons! Email us at at [email protected] if you'd be willing to help out with some listener research, and we'll be in touch with some follow-up questions.Episode CreditsThis episode was produced by Michael Osborne at 14th Street Studios, with sound design by Morgan Honaker. Our logo is by Aimee Garza. The show is hosted by Nicholas Weiler at Stanford's Send us a text!Thanks for listening! If you're enjoying our show, please take a moment to give us a review on your podcast app of choice and share this episode with your friends. That's how we grow as a show and bring the stories of the frontiers of neuroscience to a wider audience. Learn more about the Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute at Stanford and follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

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• What the other half of the brain does | Brad Zuchero

  We've talked about glia and sleep. We've talked about glia and neuroinflammation. We've talked about glia in the brain fog that can accompany COVID or chemotherapy. We've talked about the brain's quiet majority of non–neuronal cells in so many different contexts that it felt like it was high time for us to take a step back and look at the bigger picture. After all, glia science was founded here at Stanford in the lab of the late, great Ben Barres.No one is better suited to take us through this history and lead us to the frontiers of the field than today's guest, Brad Zuchero. A former Barres lab postdoc, and now an emerging leader in this field in his own right, Brad gives us an overview of our growing understanding of the various different kinds of glia and their roles in brain function, and shares the  exciting  discoveries emerging from his lab — including growing evidence of a role for myelin in Alzheimers disease.Learn MoreNeuroscientist Ben Barres, who identified crucial roles of glial cells, dies at 63 (Stanford Medicine, 2017)How exciting! Study reveals neurons rely on glial cells to become electrically excitable (Stanford Neurosurgery, 2024)Unlocking the secrets of myelin repair (Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute, 2024)Q&A: Linking sleep, brain insulation, and neurological disease with postdoc Daniela Rojo (Knight Initiative for Brain Resilience, 2023)From angel to demon: Why some brain cells go ‘bad’ (Scope Blog, 2021)Get in touchWe want to hear from your neurons! Email us at at [email protected] if you'd be willing to help out with some listener research, and we'll be in touch with some follow-up questions.Episode CreditsThis episode was produced by Michael Osborne at 14th Street Studios, with production assistance by Morgan Honaker. Our logo is by Aimee Garza. The show is hosted by Nicholas Weiler at Stanford's Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute and supported in part by the Knight Initiative for Brain Resilience at Wu Tsai Neuro.Send us a text!Thanks for listening! If you're enjoying our show, please take a moment to give us a review on your podcast app of choice and share this episode with your friends. That's how we grow as a show and bring the stories of the frontiers of neuroscience to a wider audience. Learn more about the Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute at Stanford and follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

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• Stimulating the brain with sound | Kim Butts Pauly and Raag Airan

  As we gain a better understanding of how misfiring brain circuits lead to mental health conditions, we'd like to be able to go in and nudge those circuits back into balance. But this is hard — literally — because the brain is encased in this thick bony skull. Plus, often the problem you want to target is buried deep in the middle of a maze of delicate brain tissue you need to preserve.Today we're going to be talking with neuroscientists who aim to solve this problem with sound. And not just any sound: ultrasound.Kim Butts Pauly and Raag Airan from the Stanford Department of Radiology are developing ultrasound technology in a couple of different ways to essentially reach into the brain to treat brain disorders that are otherwise hard to access. These uses of ultrasound haven't yet reached the clinic, but could be entering clinical testing in people in the next few years. Mentioned on the ShowMeet the 2025 Neurosciences Postdoctoral Scholars (Wu Tsai Neuro, 2025)Butts Pauly LabAiran LabNon-invasive brain stimulation opens new ways to study and treat the brain (Wu Tsai Neuro, 2025)Advancing Brain Resilience: 2024 Catalyst and Pilot Grant Awards (Knight Initiative for Brain Resilience, 2024)Researchers find response to ketamine depends on opioid pathways, but varies by sex (Stanford Medicine)A New Focused Ultrasound Neuromodulation System for Preclinical Brain Research (Focused Ultrasound Foundation, 2024)Translating Neuroscience Advances into Real World Uses (Wu Tsai Neuro, 2023)Get in touchWe want to hear from your neurons! Email us at at [email protected] if you'd be willing to help out with some listener research, and we'll be in touch with some follow-up questions.Episode CreditsThis episode was produced by Michael Osborne at 14th Street Studios, with production assistance by Morgan Honaker. Our logo is by Aimee Garza. The show is hosted by Nicholas Weiler at Stanford's Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute and supported in part by the Knight Initiative for Brain Resilience at Wu Tsai NeuSend us a text!Thanks for listening! If you're enjoying our show, please take a moment to give us a review on your podcast app of choice and share this episode with your friends. That's how we grow as a show and bring the stories of the frontiers of neuroscience to a wider audience. Learn more about the Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute at Stanford and follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

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• Does good sleep insulate the brain against Alzheimer's? | Erin Gibson

  We're kicking off our new season with a deep dive into one of neuroscience's most fascinating mysteries: sleep. This unconscious third of our lives isn't just about rest – it's absolutely critical for brain health, memory consolidation, and overall well-being. But here's where it gets intriguing: recent research suggests that increased napping as we age might be an early warning sign of Alzheimer's disease.To unpack this complex relationship, we're thrilled to welcome back Erin Gibson, assistant professor of psychiatry at Stanford School of Medicine and Wu Tsai Neuro affiliate. We'll explore whether age-related sleep changes are potential contributors to brain degeneration or valuable early indicators of otherwise invisible brain disorders, possibly opening doors for early intervention.We'll also learn about Gibson's research, supported by the Knight Initiative for Brain Resilience at Wu Tsai Neuro, which investigates how myelin—the insulation of our nerve cells—could be a key missing link in understanding the relationship between sleep and brain health.Join us for an enlightening discussion that might just change how you think about your nightly slumber and its profound impact on long-term cognitive function. Mentioned on the ShowDopamine and serotonin work in opposition to shape learningGibson Lab at Stanford University School of MedicineSurprising finding links sleep, brain insulation, and neurodegeneration | Knight InitiativeExtended napping in seniors may signal dementia | UCSFRelated EpisodesRespect your Biological Clock | Erin GibsonWhy sleep keeps us young | Luis de LeceaWhy new Alzheimer's drugs don't work | Mike GreiciusGet in touchWe want to hear from your neurons! Email us at at [email protected] if you'd be willing to help out with some listener research, and we'll be in touch with some follow-up questions.Episode CreditsThis episode was produced by Michael Osborne at 14th Street Studios, with production assistance by Morgan Honaker and research assistance by G Kumar. Our logo is by Aimee Garza. The show is hosted by Nicholas Weiler at Stanford's Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute and supported in part by the Send us a text!Thanks for listening! If you're enjoying our show, please take a moment to give us a review on your podcast app of choice and share this episode with your friends. That's how we grow as a show and bring the stories of the frontiers of neuroscience to a wider audience. Learn more about the Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute at Stanford and follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

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• How to live in a world without free will | Robert Sapolsky

  Today, we are speaking with the one and only Robert Sapolsky, a Stanford neurobiologist, a MacArthur "Genius", and best-selling author of books exploring the nature of stress, social behavior, and — as he puts it — "the biology of the human predicament." In his latest book, Determined, Sapolsky assertively lays out his vision of a world without free will — a world where as much as we feel like we're making decisions, the reality is that our choices are completely determined by biological and environmental factors outside of our control.Before we get into it, it's worth saying that where this is heading, the reason to care about this question is that Sapolsky's argument has profound moral implications for our understanding of justice, personal responsibility, and whether any of us deserve to be judged or praised for our actions.Mentioned on the ShowDetermined: A Science of Life Without Free Will (Sapolsky, 2023)Behave: The Biology of Humans at Our Best and Worst (Sapolsky, 2018 )A Primate's Memoir: A Neuroscientist's Unconventional Life Among the Baboons (Sapolsky, 2002)Free Agents: How Evolution Gave Us Free Will (Mitchell, 2023) Sapolsky / Mitchell Debates – Part 1 (2023), Part 2 (2024)Related EpisodesIs addiction a disease? | Keith HumphreysBrain stimulation & "psychiatry 3.0" | Nolan WilliamsHow we understand each other | Laura GwilliamsGet in touchWe're doing some listener research and we want to hear from your neurons! Email us at at [email protected] if you'd be willing to help out, and we'll be in touch with some follow-up questions.Episode CreditsThis episode was produced by Michael Osborne at 14th Street Studios, with production assistance by Morgan Honaker. Our logo is by Aimee Garza. The show is hosted by Nicholas Weiler at Stanford's Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute. Send us a text!Thanks for listening! If you're enjoying our show, please take a moment to give us a review on your podcast app of choice and share this episode with your friends. That's how we grow as a show and bring the stories of the frontiers of neuroscience to a wider audience. Learn more about the Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute at Stanford and follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

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