Gray Matters is a radio series on brain topics that has been produced since 1994 by Public Radio International in association with the Dana Alliance.  More than 25 programs have been created on topics ranging from stress, neuroethics, learning throughout life and sports, fitness and the Brain.  Dana Alliance members serve as advisors to Gray Matters programming and are interviewed during the programs.

The Alliance also supports other popular radio segments, including the following:

  • The public radio program Midday examines how neuroscience can explain the role gender plays in education. Martha Denckla, MD, Alliance member, research scientist at the Kennedy Krieger Institute and professor of Neurology, Pediatrics and Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine is featured in the segment and takes listeners' questions on air.  You can listen to it here. 
  • An episode from Radiolab examines the unique occupation of extra actors who were hired to laugh. Answering an unusual call from a casting director, these cacklers and chortlers found steady employment on The Nanny and other sitcoms...until the advent of reality television. You can listen to it here or read the transcript here.
  • This installment from NPR’s “All Things Considered” focuses on a blind man who can still “see.” Science correspondent Robert Krulwich reports on this former executive who went blind, but thanks to a not-uncommon condition called Charles Bonnet syndrome, began to have hallucinatory visions that became something of a comfort for him.
  • The public radio program “The Infinite Mind” explores the effect of Alzheimer’s on a family, recent research developments, and a 47-year-old’s firsthand account of living with the disease.

Gray Matters programs, shown below, are now available as podcasts and transcripts.

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The Brain-Injured Soldier Part 1

Mar 10, 2008

A two-part podcast about the connection and intersection of brain injury and PTSD in U.S. veterans of the current wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Featuring an interview with Dr. Jordon Grafman, senior investigator at the National Institute of Neurological Disoders and Stroke, the podcasts will explain the history, science and treatment implications of Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI) and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and explore this subject from the perspective of the injured veteran as well.
» Transcript

The Brain-Injured Soldier Part 2

Mar 10, 2008

A two-part podcast about the connection and intersection of brain injury and PTSD in U.S. veterans of the current wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Featuring an interview with Dr. Jordon Grafman, senior investigator at the National Institute of Neurological Disoders and Stroke, the podcasts will explain the history, science and treatment implications of Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI) and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and explore this subject from the perspective of the injured veteran as well.
» Transcript

Patient H.M.

Jul 01, 2007

Imagine if your ability to form any new memories were suddenly cut off. Who would you be? By studying people who’ve lost their memories, scientists have learned enormous amounts about how learning and memory work in healthy brains. And what they used to think was relatively straightforward they’ve since found is fascinatingly complex, thanks, in large part, to one man: A patient named "H.M." who had a life-changing operation in 1953.
» Transcript

Therapy for your CEO

Jan 19, 2007

What happens when standard rehabilitation techniques come to an end for victims of stroke or head injuries? Are they truly prepared to re-enter the work force? Sarah Ward, a cognitive rehab specialist in Boston, says most are not.
» Transcript

Brain Music

Dec 15, 2006

Brain sensors can in any 15 seconds pick up as much as four million bits of information. But with so much information, how do you make any sense of it? That's where music comes in-and a fascinating new intersection between art and science. DABI member Apostolos Georgopoulos, M.D., Ph.D. talks about his research. Brian Newhouse has more.
» Transcript

Dance and the Brain

Nov 15, 2006

Nobel laureate and Dana Alliance member Gerald Edelman and Susan Sgorbati, an improvisational dance teacher at Bennington College, explore what happens in the brain when dancers create patterns of movement. The dancer, working with Sgorbati, is Katie Martin and the percussionist is Jake Maginsky. Marjorie Sun of KPBS radio filed the report.
» Transcript

Crossroads and Frontiers

Oct 01, 2005

Three turning points in brain science … 1848 Phineas Gage, survives a construction accident that drives a tamping iron through his skull. 1953 Patient “H.M.” undergoes surgery to relieve epilepsy – with most unexpected results. 1982 Young drug addicts display mysterious symptoms: those of advanced Parkinson’s disease. This new edition of the award-winning Gray Matters series centers on three fascinating case histories. The resulting research continues to advance cutting-edge studies in frontal lobe damage, memory and Parkinson’s disease. Host: veteran journalist Garrick Utley.
» Transcript

Learning Throughout Life

Mar 01, 2005

Education doesn't begin the day you're dropped off at kindergarten; nor does it end when they hand you a diploma. Life is filled with opportunities for learning. This program explores new brain research across the life span.
» Transcript

The Body Clock

Dec 01, 2004

An internal biological clock is fundamental to all living things. It regulates the daily patterns or rhythms of our lives, when we sleep, when we wake, when we feel at our best and at our worst. This program gives an overview of the structures in the brain that regulate body clocks, discusses what happens when body clocks go wrong and introduces the field of chronobiology – revealing why taking medicine should coincide with the body's rhythms and the health implications of interfering with those rhythms.
» Transcript

Mapping the Brain

Oct 01, 2004

Brain imaging is helping scientists map the complex circuitry of the brain, pathways leading to people's deepest despair, brightest potential and darkest addictions. The researchers are among the world's pioneer brain scientists, studying the images for clues about how the brain functions and what to do when it malfunctions. Their experiments offer hope for patients with Alzheimer's disease, stroke, treatment-resistant depression, alcoholism and seizure disorders, to name a few.
» Transcript
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Dana Alliance Publications

2008 Progress Report on Brain Research

2008 Progress Report on Brain Research

Describes and interprets the important advances in neuroscience of the previous year, contributing to better diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of the numerous diseases that affect the brain.
Q&A: Answering Your Questions About Brain Research

Q&A: Answering Your Questions About Brain Research

A pamphlet that provides the answers to commonly asked questions about the brain and its disorders.
Request Publication »
Brain Connections

Brain Connections

A pocket-sized resource booklet in its seventh edition that lists more than 240 organizations likely to help those looking for information, referrals, and other guidance in connection with brain-related disorders.
Request Publication »
It's Mindboggling!

It's Mindboggling!

Packed with information about the brain in a fun format of games, riddles, and puzzles, this booklet is perfect for middle and high school students.
Request Publication »
Es Increible!

Es Increible!

The Spanish edition of It's Mindboggling! is packed with information about the brain in a fun format of games, riddles, and puzzles. This booklet is perfect for middle and high school students.
Request Publication »
More Mindbogglers!

More Mindbogglers!

An addition to It’s Mindboggling!, this new publication is a closer look at learning and memory, the senses, drug addition, and how the brain and nervous system work...still in a fun format.
Request Publication »