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Season 3 Episode 2 | Our Brains, Our Selves: In Conversation with Prof. Masud Husain

Series
CortexCast - A Neuroscience Podcast
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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 fracture it. In this episode, we are joined by Professor Masud Husain, neurologist and clinical neuroscientist at the University of Oxford, to explore how the brain’s failures can reveal its deepest workings. Drawing on his award-winning book Our Brains, Our Selves, he shares the stories of patients whose losses of words, memory and willpower challenge our understanding of identity. Along the way, we also engage in philosophical discussions about consciousness and AI. Our conversation is as much about humanity as it is about neuroscience - thoughtful, compassionate, and quietly profound.

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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.
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Episode Information

Series
CortexCast - A Neuroscience Podcast
People
Masud Husain
Ivan Pekar
Keywords
brain
memory
will power
consciousness
ai
neuroscience
Department: Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics (DPAG)
Date Added: 10/11/2025
Duration:

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