In this episode, we’re joined by Dr. Audrey Duarte, a cognitive neuroscientist and Professor of Psychology at UT Austin. Dr. Duarte leads the Memory and Aging Lab, where she studies how memory changes with age - and why some people maintain better memory and brain health than others. Her research also examines how factors like sleep, mood, and social stress influence memory across the adult lifespan, with a particular focus on racial and ethnically diverse populations. We talk about the importance of sleep in cognitive aging, how consistent rest supports memory, and how environmental and psychosocial factors, like discrimination and depression, can impact memory and brain health. Join us as we explore the neural and social factors that shape our memory.

In this episode we meet with Dr. Charan Ranganath, a Professor at UC Davis, director of the Dynamic Memory Lab, and author of the New York Times’ best-seller “Why We Remember”. His research focuses on how memory is affected by emotion, stress, aging and neurological disorders. Dr. Ranganath explains why our brains are designed to forget and shares strategies to improve memory retention. Join us as we uncover the science behind memory and learn practical tips to enhance our cognitive health.

Dr. Daniel Marson is a clinical neuropsychologist, licensed attorney, and Emeritus Professor of Neurology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, where he directed the Division of Neuropsychology (1995–2016) and the Alzheimer’s Disease Center (2005–2015). He has published extensively and led numerous NIH-funded studies on decisional and functional capacity in aging and neurocognitive disorders, with his work on financial capacity in older adults receiving national media attention. A past president of the National Academy of Neuropsychology, Dr. Marson is also an expert witness and ethics committee member, and he enjoys playing blues and jazz harmonica in his personal time. This episode explores the decline in financial capacity associated with cognitive aging and dementia, highlighting its clinical, legal, and ethical implications.

Dr. Muireann Irish is a Professor at the University of Sydney in the School of Psychology and Brain and Mind Centre. Her research focuses on understanding the neural processes that underpin memory, imagination, and emotional experience, especially in relation to dementia and aging. In this episode we discuss how dementia affects memory, the role of imagination in preserving cognitive function, and how these changes impact the experience of joy.

Dr. Shayna Rosenbaum is a Professor and York Research Chair in the Department of Psychology, as well as a member of the Vision: Science to Applications (VISTA) Program at York University. She is also an Associate Scientist at the Rotman Research Institute at Baycrest. Her research explores how memory is represented in the brain, the impact of brain damage on cognitive functions, and strategies for managing memory deficits in patients. In this episode, we delve into the various types of memory and discuss how memory influences decision-making.

Dr. Elizabeth Davenport is an Assistant Professor of Radiology and Technical Director of the MEG Center of Excellence at UT Southwestern Medical Center. Her research focuses on the effects of head impacts on the brain, using cutting edge imaging techniques to explore the relationship between repeated head impacts and neurodegenerative disorders.

Dr. Vishnu Murty is an Assistant Professor at the University of Oregon and Director of the Adaptive Memory Lab. His research focusses on the affect of different motivational and emotional states on memory and decision-making. He also studies the role of memory in adaptive behavior and in the domain of psychosis and post-traumatic stress disorder.

In this episode we meet Dr. Rachel Buckley, an Associate Professor of Neurology at Harvard Medical School. Her research focuses on sex differences in risk for Alzheimer’s disease, with a particular focus on women’s brain health in neurodegenerative disease. She holds multiple NIH grants, as well as a fellowship from the Alzheimer’s Association, that seek to examine the role of menopause, sex hormones and the X chromosome to impact risk and resilience to Alzheimer's disease in both men and women.