#70 – Dr. Mark D’Esposito | Working Memory, Cognitive Control & the Frontal Lobe | UC Berkeley Neuroscientist

Send us Fan MailJoin Dr. Sandra Cammarata and Dr. Giovanni Campanile as they speak with Mark D’Esposito, Distinguished Professor of Neuroscience and Psychology at the University of California, Berkeley, practicing neurologist at the Northern California VA Health Care System, and adjunct professor of neurology at UCSF.Dr. D’Esposito is internationally recognized for his pioneering research on working memory, cognitive control, and frontal lobe function—the neural systems that allow us to focus, plan, reason, and adapt our behavior. Trained as both a physician and neuroscientist, his work integrates functional MRI, transcranial magnetic stimulation, pharmacological approaches, and behavioral studies in healthy individuals and patients with neurological disorders.In this episode, Dr. D’Esposito discusses:• What working memory is and why it is central to human cognition• How the frontal lobes regulate attention, decision-making, and goal-directed behavior• Why cognitive control breaks down in neurological and psychiatric disorders• What brain imaging and stimulation studies reveal about how the mind holds information• How neuroscience reshapes our understanding of focus, effort, and mental flexibilityFormer editor-in-chief of the Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, Dr. D’Esposito has authored over 400 scientific publications and seven books and has served as president of both the Society for Behavioral and Cognitive Neurology and the Organization for Human Brain Mapping. His contributions have been recognized with numerous honors, including the Norman Geschwind Prize in Behavioral Neurology and election as a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Academy of Neurology, and the American Neurological Association.Listeners will gain a deeper understanding of how the brain supports thought, attention, and self-control—and why these systems are fundamental to both everyday function and neurological health.Find more of us here:Websites: https://siciliansecret.com/coraeon.comfunctionalheart.comOur Book: https://www.amazon.com/Sicilian-Secret-Diet-4-color-trade/dp/189969496X/Our Supplements: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BWZLCM6HYoutube: https://www.youtube.com/@siciliansecretdietInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/siciliansecretdiet/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Sicilian-Secret-Diet-106204798725447Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@siciliansecretdietApple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-sicilian-secret-diet/id1566575032