In this special episode, recorded in celebration of the 15th anniversary of the Center for Vital Longevity (CVL), we welcome Dr. Yaakov Stern—recipient of the inaugural Denise C. Park Research Excellence Award.

We discuss his influential theory of cognitive reserve and explore how our understanding of Alzheimer’s disease has evolved over the decades. Dr. Stern also shares insights from his longitudinal RANN study and discusses how lifestyle, education, and even early-life experiences shape our brain’s ability to adapt and thrive as we age.

In this episode, we meet with Dr. Jaime Castrellon, an Assistant Professor at UCLA. We discuss the science of decision-making and how emotions, moral judgments, and social context steer our choices. We also talk about dopamine’s role in choice, why we often go for immediate rewards, and how resisting social pressure may change with age. Our conversation also turns to the courtroom: Dr. Castrellon explains how biases can influence the decisions jurors make and how storytelling and narratives also play a role.

Dr. Michael Rugg, Distinguished Chair at the University of Texas at Dallas, Director of the Center for Vital Longevity, and a leading figure in the cognitive neuroscience of memory, joins us to pay tribute to the life and work of Dr. Eleanor Maguire, an award-winning Professor at the University College London. We discuss her groundbreaking research on memory and spatial navigation and how her innovative use of cutting-edge technology shaped our understanding of how the brain supports these processes. Her famous ‘London Taxi Driver’ study demonstrated the brain’s remarkable ability to continue to change throughout life, and her commitment to studying human brain function in naturalistic settings continues to inspire researchers worldwide. Sadly, Dr. Maguire passed away earlier this year. We hope you enjoy this discussion about her profound impact on the field of cognitive neuroscience. Thank you so much for tuning in!