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From Our Neurons to YoursAuthor: Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute at Stanford University, Nicholas Weiler
This award-winning show from Stanfords Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute is a field manual for anyone who wants to understand their own brain and the new science reshaping how we learn, age, heal, and make sense of ourselves.Each episode, host Nicholas Weiler sits down with leading scientists to unpack big ideas from the frontiers of the fieldbrain-computer interfaces and AI language models; new therapies for depression, dementia, and stroke; the mysteries of perception and memory; even the debate over free will. Youll hear how basic research becomes clinical insight and how emerging tech might expand what it means to be human. If youve got a brain, take a listen. Language: en-us Genres: Health & Fitness, Life Sciences, Mental Health, Science Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it Trailer: |
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Why do our minds wander? What the brain's default mode tells us about our humanity | Vinod Menon
Episode 1
Thursday, 12 February, 2026
Here’s a question for you that may at first seem trivial, but is actually profound: Why do our minds drift? If you have ever dabbled in mindfulness or meditation, you know this mind wandering has an almost gravitational pull. In fact, researchers now think we spend as much as 50 percent of our waking time in this state, which cognitive scientists have dubbed the brain’s “default mode.”Today’s guest is Vinod Menon. He’s a giant in the field of cognitive science who played a central role in defining the brain “default mode network” back in 2003. In our conversation, he argues our tendency to daydream may be at the core of our self-identities, our creativity – and also many of our most troubling psychiatric disorders, from Alzheimer’s to ADHD.Vinod Menon is Rachel L. and Walter F. Nichols, MD., Professor of Psychiatry & Behavioral Science at Stanford Medicine, and an affiliate of the Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute.Learn MoreMenon's "Stanford Cognitive & Systems Neuroscience Laboratory"Stanford Medicine study identifies distinct brain organization patterns in women and men (Stanford Medicine, 2024)Children with autism have broad memory difficulties, Stanford Medicine-led study finds (Stanford Medicine, 2023)Interactions between attention-grabbing brain networks weak in ADHD (Stanford Medicine, 2015)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. We want to hear from your neurons! Email us at at neuronspodcast@stanford.edu Learn more about the Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute at Stanford and follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.
