How does the human eye transform waves of light into the vivid, detailed experience we call vision? In this episode of CortexCast, we follow photons on their journey from the moment they strike the retina to the point where visual signals begin to take shape. We explore the cascade of biochemical reactions triggered by molecules such as retinal and rhodopsin ... Show More
Jan 2026
Season 3 Episode 3 | Between Order and Chaos: Exploring the Entropic Brain
Why do psychedelics, dreams, and mental illnesses feel so different from everyday awareness? We unpack the Entropic Brain Hypothesis and what it tells us about flexibility, rigidity, and the architecture of conscious experience. Consciousness may not be a stable state, but a deli ... Show More
20m 43s
Nov 2025
Season 3 Episode 2 | Our Brains, Our Selves: In Conversation with Prof. Masud Husain
If memory fades or motivation disappears, what remains of the self? In this episode, Professor Masud Husain reflects on how neurological disorders illuminate the fragile yet resilient architecture of human identity Our sense of self feels indivisible - until the brain begins to f ... Show More
56m 59s
Jun 2023
#63 Motor Neurone Disease
Dr Alex Thompson, honorary consultant neurologist at Oxford University Hospitals NHS Trust, joins Sam for today's episode looking at motor neurone disease in PACES. We talk through the history, examination signs, differential diagnoses, investigations and management of this condi ... Show More
53m 33s