In this powerful episode of Inquiring Minds, host Indre Viskontas reconnects with her longtime mentor, Dr. Bruce L. Miller—one of the world’s foremost authorities on dementia, empathy, and the neuroscience of human behavior. Dr. Miller is a Distinguished Professor of Neurology and Psychiatry at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), where he founded both the UCSF Memory and Aging Center—the world’s largest research group dedicated to neurodegenerative diseases—and the Global Brain Health Institute, a pioneering global initiative training future leaders in brain health from over 50 countries.

As a clinician and researcher, Dr. Miller has spent decades at the forefront of understanding how aging and neurodegenerative conditions alter not only memory, but emotion, identity, and creativity. His forthcoming book, Mysteries of the Social Brain: Understanding Human Behavior Through Science (co-authored with neuroscientist Virginia Sturm), brings together compelling case studies and cutting-edge science to explore how changes in brain function can reveal surprising truths about what makes us human.

In their conversation, Indre and Dr. Miller explore:

• Why do some individuals with dementia develop new depths of empathy or even unlock hidden artistic talents?
  
• How the brain's social networks shape morality, altruism, creativity, and respect—and what happens when these networks deteriorate.
  
• The paradoxes of frontotemporal dementia and how it differs from Alzheimer’s disease in profound and unexpected ways.
  
• How caregiving not only strengthens emotional circuits in the brain but may be one of the most meaningful human endeavors.
  
• Why openness and interpersonal connection are essential to healthy aging and resilient societies.

They also discuss the promising future of neurodegenerative disease treatment—from CRISPR-based gene therapies for inherited forms of dementia to new clinical trials exploring the effects of social engagement, exercise, and lifestyle on brain health.

With warmth, insight, and deeply human stories, Dr. Miller challenges the traditional view of dementia as a simple unraveling, revealing instead the complexity—and at times, the unexpected beauty—of the aging brain.

Mysteries of the Social Brain is available now wherever books are sold.

Resources:

Get Dr. Bruce Miller’s new book Mysteries of the Social Brain on Amazon and Routledge

Connect with Indre on LinkedIn

Inquiring Minds Homepage: https://inquiring.show/

Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/inquiringminds

In this episode of Inquiring Minds, host Indre Viskontas speaks with investigative journalist Charles Piller about his explosive new book, Doctored: Fraud, Arrogance, and Tragedy in the Quest to Cure Alzheimer's. Piller unearths the troubling reality behind decades of Alzheimer's research, exposing how fraudulent data, unchecked ambition, and institutional failures have shaped the field—and wasted billions of dollars—while millions of patients and families await real solutions.

Piller shares:

• How a single falsified study published in Nature helped cement the amyloid hypothesis as the dominant theory of Alzheimer’s, despite mounting evidence against it.
• The role of NIH funding incentives in steering researchers toward confirming flawed findings instead of exploring alternative approaches.
• The rise of scientific sleuths and whistleblowers like Matthew Schrag, who uncovered image manipulation in key Alzheimer’s studies.
• The institutional failures of major scientific journals, regulatory agencies, and funding bodies that allowed bad science to shape drug development for decades.
• Why Alzheimer’s patients and their families are still waiting for effective treatments, and what promising new directions could finally lead to breakthroughs.

Despite the troubling revelations, Piller also highlights reasons for optimism, including emerging research into alternative causes of Alzheimer’s, such as viral infections and neuroinflammation, and promising clinical trials involving GLP-1 inhibitors.

Listen in for a gripping and eye-opening discussion about how scientific fraud derailed progress in Alzheimer’s research—and how we can chart a new path forward. Doctored is available now at booksellers everywhere.

Links:

Get Charles Piller’s new book on Amazon: Doctored: Fraud, Arrogance, and Tragedy in the Quest to Cure Alzheimer's

Connect with Charles on LinkedIn and X

Inquiring Minds Homepage: https://inquiring.show/

Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/inquiringminds

In this episode of Inquiring Minds, host Indre Viskontas speaks with Kurt Gray, a professor of psychology and neuroscience at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and director of the Center for the Science of Moral Understanding.

Gray’s groundbreaking new book, Outraged: Why We Fight About Morality in Politics and How to Find Common Ground, delves into the psychological roots of moral outrage and the societal divisions it fuels. Through scientific insights and engaging anecdotes, Gray explains how our deeply ingrained perceptions of harm shape our moral convictions and why bridging moral divides is both critical and possible.

They discuss:

• The psychological basis of moral outrage and why it’s driven by differing perceptions of harm.
• How disgust and fear influence our moral judgments and why facts alone rarely resolve disagreements.
• The role of social media in amplifying moral panics and polarizing society.
• Why shared stories and genuine listening are more effective than statistics in fostering understanding.

Gray also explores myths about morality, including the false belief that humans evolved as apex predators, and provides evidence for how our evolutionary history as prey shaped the cooperative moral frameworks we rely on today. Despite the challenges of polarization, Gray offers hope for bridging divides through empathy, understanding, and open dialogue.

Listen in to gain a deeper understanding of how morality drives human behavior, divides societies, and offers pathways for reconciliation.

Outraged is available now at booksellers everywhere.

Links:

Get Kurt’s new Book “Outrage” on Amazon

and visit his website: kurtjgray.com

And connect with Kurt on X and Linkedin

Inquiring Minds Homepage: https://inquiring.show/

Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/inquiringminds

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