Episode 27: Learning and The Brain | Interview with Artem Kirsanov

Sense of Mind Episode 27: Learning and The Brain | Interview with Artem Kirsanov -  Watch the full video here: https://youtu.be/nFtouEhBj7I -- How does your brain learn about and navigate the world? What brain areas are responsible for our ability to form mental maps of places and spaces? How are attention and memory implemented in the brain and how do they contribute to learning? In this episode of the Thinking Tools Podcast, I speak with Artem Kirsanov, a YouTuber and neuroscience undergraduate who has produced a number of visually striking and deeply informative videos that answer the questions just posed. In addition to the basic science, Kirsanov has even more videos about strategies that allow you to learn just about anything more efficiently. Artem is currently a 3rd year undergraduate student at Lomonosov Moscow State University, studying biophysics. His thesis research combines experimental & computational neuroscience, and it is dedicated to uncovering the mechanism of generation of theta rhythm in the hippocampus. He’s also involved in a project on building detailed computational models of interactions between neurons and astrocytes, as an attempt to understand the role of astrocytes in neuronal dynamics and information processing. Check out Artem’s channel: @Artem Kirsanov (https://www.youtube.com/c/ArtemKirsanov) -- Chapters: 00:00 How does your brain learn about and navigate the world? 00:14 Artem Kirsanov's credentials 01:23 Artem Kirsanov's background 03:48 Artem Kirsanov’s YouTube channel 08:32 What are entorhinal grid cells, and how do they allow us to navigate through space? 16:17 What are hippocampal place cells and how do they allow us to map specific environments? 20:04 Grid Cells vs Place Cells 23:43 Memory consolidation and hippocampal replay 30:33 Concept cells and Jennifer Aniston neurons 33:17 The role of sleep in memory consolidation 38:15 What is attention and why is it important for learning? 40:43 The role of the thalamus in attention 42:40 Why is attention necessary for learning? 48:16 How does the brain work? (Artem’s short answer) 51:40 Does free will exist? 59:20 Check out Artem’s channel: @Artem Kirsanov (https://www.youtube.com/c/ArtemKirsanov) -- Connect, Follow and Subscribe! Linktree: https://linktr.ee/senseofmind Sign up for the video version: https://mailchi.mp/d76edf98390b/sense-of-mind-newsletter-sign-up-page Link to all of our video newsletters: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLC92ipyM9i9L_9yna8Jn6eM5RSQmNbSJj Subscribe to the Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC610T-s8gpOVDtAVXTZ35FQ Website: www.Senseofmindshow.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sense.ofmind/ By the way, the newsletter is 100% free, it has zero ads, and I will NEVER sell or give your information to third parties. Please follow, share and subscribe if you found this helpful, thanks for listening! --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/senseofmind/support