Referred to by Neil as a "neuroscience rock star" - not because of his role as the lead singer / lead guitarist of an all-scientist rock band, but because this year, he was made an Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire for his contributions to science - Dr. Adrian Owen brings perspective and wisdom gleaned from a career spent looking at brains.

Neil and Dr. Owen cover a wide range of topics here, including:

• The Terri Schiavo case (and "persistent vegetative states")
• The relationship between neuroplasticity, Dave Matthews and the TV show House
• The impact of getting too little sleep on cognition
• The impact of getting too much sleep on cognition
• What IS cognition, anyway?  (SPOILER ALERT: It's not just about Alzheimer's and memory. You depend on your cognition hundreds, even thousands of times a day.)
• A test you can take - right now - that's basically a breathalyzer for your cognitive function.

LINKAPALOOZA:

Dr. Owen on Twitter

Cambridge Brain Sciences

The Owen Lab, Western University

Dr. Owen's groundbreaking 2017 book, Into The Gray Zone: A Neuroscientist Explores the Border Between Life and Death