Focus - When We're Unconscious

What do you want to know about the brain? What mysteries of human behaviour do you want to understand? And what incredible awards has How We're Wired won in the 13th Annual Lovies? In this special episode, Dr Anna Machin shares some good news, and asks a quick favour... Send ques ...  Show more

How do our brains get wired up in the womb? Why is it important that nerve cells find the correct partners to form connections? And how has our understanding of this vital process changed over the last 40 years? In this special episode, join evolutionary anthropologist Dr Anna Ma ...  Show more

It's pretty obvious to each of us that we are conscious, as we go about our days and feel the experience of just ‘being ourselves'. But how do we know that someone else is conscious?

It’s something we lose during dreamless sleep, under anaesthesia or in a coma. But wha ...

This episode will render you oblivious, conked out and blissfully unaware. It’s about anaesthetics: those potent potions that send you into a deep, deathly sleep. Listener Alicia wants to know how they work, so our sleuths call on the expertise of consultant anaesthetist Dr Fiona ...  Show more

Today we are talking about consciousness because well its your and my life! If you're listening right now you have consciousness. We are going to be talking about the science behind it, what's going on in your brain, and this new interesting theory of how it actually works. Al ...

New research using functional brain imaging reveals that many patients considered to be in a coma or vegetative state and who are unresponsive may actually be conscious and aware. A full transcript of this episode is available at nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp2408662.