Brain Science Podcast 61: Allen Institute for Brain Research

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Brain Science Podcast 61: Allen Institute for Brain Research

Posted on September 11th, 2009 by Ginger Campbell, MD

Allan Jones, PhD

Episode 61 of the Brain Science Podcast is an interview with Allan Jones, PhD, the Chief Science Officer of the Allen Institute for Brain Research in Seattle, Washington. The Allen Institute is a non-profit research organization founded by Paul Allen (co-founder of Microsoft) and is best known for its Mouse Brain Map, which is being used by researchers around the world. The Institute has several other on-going projects including a project to create a map of the human cortex that shows which genes are active in each area.

In this interview we discuss both the mouse brain project and the human cortex project with an emphasis on the importance of these projects to neuroscience research. All the maps created by The Allen Institute are freely available on the internet. Dr. Jones also shares his own story and the challenges and rewards of pursuing a career in the non-profit biotech world.

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Episode Transcript (Download PDF)

SHOW NOTES

• “Scientists Map the Brain, Gene by Gene,” Wired Magazine, 03-28-09.

Previous Episodes mentioned in this podcast:

• BSP-59: Interview with Guy Caldwell, PhD who studies the dopamine neurons in C. Elegans.
• BSP-60: Interview with Stuart Brown, MD about the importance of play. This is an excellent episode for new listeners.

Announcements:

• Next’s month’s episode will be an interview with Warren Brown, PhD, co-author of Did My Neurons Make Me Do It? which was discussed in Episode 53.

Tags: Brain Science Podcast 61, Allen Institute for Brain Research, Psychology, brain, consciousness, neuroscience, Allan Jones, human cortex, Ginger Campbell, brain maps