Our Gambling Brains with Sridevi Sarma

Why do some people take more risks than others when faced with uncertainty? Does brain activity differ between risk-seeking and risk-averse gamblers? What can we learn about human decision-making from research involving intracranial electrode recordings, and can we control decisions with deep brain stimulation? What are the implications?

In this lecture, we explore the “wired” brain and how research involving deep brain electrodes tells us what’s happening in our brains when we gamble. Prepare to explore the inner workings of the “body electric” with neuroscientist Sridevi Sarma.

Sridevi Sarma is a neuroscientist, biomedical engineer, professor, and the associate director of the Institute for Computational Medicine at Johns Hopkins University. The author of over 150 scientific papers, she is the recipient of numerous awards, including the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers. Last year, Dr. Sarma was the winner of the inaugural “Pitch It On!” competition for her invention EZTrack, which creates a heat map of the brain to help doctors determine the source of seizures in drug-resistant epilepsy patients. She has appeared regularly as a featured scientist on the Emmy-award-winning NatGeo series Brain Games.

This Dana Foundation Neuroscience & Society Talk is part of the Dana Education program, which includes the coordination of Brain Awareness Week in mid-March. The Dana Foundation is dedicated to advancing neuroscience and society by supporting cross-disciplinary intersections such as neuroscience and ethics, law, policy, humanities, and arts.

The Secret Science Club is a science lecture, arts, and performance series, curated by Dorian Devins and Margaret Mittelbach.