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Celebrities that have secretly published scientific research

It's probably not who you think it is.

Celebrities are a mainstay of the entertainment industry, but some of them have proven a talent in another field: science.

Although there is a very small intersection between pop culture and science, the link does exist: it turns out that a select few celebrities have written scientific papers and been actively involved in research. Unlike companions as they may be, academia and pop culture don’t have to be separate; they can coexist and even complement each other. In fact, there are several notable celebrities who have written scientific papers that have contributed to our understanding of various fields. Here are some of our favorites.

Lisa Kudrow

The actress best known best as Phoebe from the sitcom Friends has also dabbled in neurology . Her father, Lee Kudrow, was an accomplished neurologist, founding the California Medical Clinic for Headache. Lisa worked with him on a project to determine if left or right-handedness affects migraines. People who were left or right-handed didn’t differ from one another. Both Lisa and Lee suffer from frequent migraines so that probably sparked their interest in the study. The paper was published the year that Friends debuted on TV.

Journal Reference: Messinger, H. B., Messinger, M. I., Kudrow, L. , & Kudrow, L. V. 1994. Handedness and headache .  Cephalalgia   14 , 64–67.

Citations: 9.

The retired basketball star from the San Antonio Spurs wrote a psychology chapter on the ego when he was an undergraduate at Wake Forest University. He, along with Mark Leary, examined narcissistic behaviors and how others react to such behaviors. They found that egotism is created by a belief that one is better than others, trying to make a positive impression and a feeling of inferiority. Duncan’s paper was also used as a book chapter, and if he wants to try a post-NBA psychology career, he’s got something to work with.

Leary, M. R., Bednarski, R., Hammon, D., & Duncan, T.  1997. Blowhards, snobs, and narcissists: Interpersonal reactions to excessive egotism . In R. M. Kowalski (Ed.), Aversive interpersonal behaviurs (pp. 111–131). New York, NY: Plenum.

Citations: 35.

Kristin Stewart

The actress and director worked on a paper associated with the short film that she directed entitled Come Swim . The film uses a blend of impressionism and realism to tell the story of a man searching to satisfy a deep thirst. She used a complicated digital technique called neural-style transfer to superimpose her sketches onto video footage. This technique creates convolutional neural networks to alter video footage in real-time by showing an algorithm an image and then teaching it to apply that technique to other images. The paper is a case study of applying this technique to film. However, unlike most of the papers discussed here, this paper was not peer-reviewed. Instead, it was published on an online repository for science papers called arXiv.

Joshi, B.,  Stewart, K.,  Shapiro, D. 2017.  Bringing Impressionism to Life with Neural Style Transfer in Come Swim . ArXiv e-prints.

Citations: 2.

Natalie Portman

If you’re looking for a celebrity that truly excelled at science, it’s probably Natalie Portmann Despite being famous from a young age, the actress actually has a solid educational pedigree. graduated from Harvard in 2003 with a B.A. in psychology. She famously missed the premiere of Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace so she could study for her high school exams. When she was a student, Natalie was a co-author on two scientific papers.

One was published from her high school work in 1998 and shows how biodegradable waste could be used to generate energy. The other was published in 2002 and was from her psychology studies on how memory affects hemoglobin concentration in the brain. Her name on the articles appears as Natalie Hershlag, her birth last name.

Hurley, I., Hershlag, N. , Woodward, J. 1998.  A Simple Method To Demonstrate the Enzymatic Production of Hydrogen from Sugar. Journal of Chemical Education 75 , 1270.

Citations: 3.

Baird, A.A., Kagan, J., Gaudette, T., Walz, K.A., Hershlag, N. , Boas, D.A. 2002.  Frontal Lobe Activation during Object Permanence: Data from Near-Infrared Spectroscopy .  NeuroImage   16 , 1120–1126.

Citations: 141.

Dr. Dexter Holland (The Offspring)

Bryan Keith “Dexter” Holland, the singer, guitarist, and songwriter for the punk rock band The Offspring, also has a penchant for microbiology. Bryan completed his bachelor’s and master’s degree in microbiology at the University of Southern California, where he also started a PhD program that he later left so he could focus on his band.

In 2013, Bryan started another PhD at the Keck School of Medicine, which he was awarded May 12, 2017. He published a paper during his PhD where he identified microRNA-like sequences in HIV. These sequences might assist the virus by evading the immune responses of the hosts and helping it to persist — important and useful research, which he published in the renowned open-source journal PLoS. Unlike many of his peers on this list, Holland was actually the first author on the paper — which means he was the absolute driving force behind the research.

Holland, B. , Wong. J., Li, M., Rasheed, S. 2013. Identification of Human microRNA-Like Sequences Embedded within the Protein-Encoding Genes of the Human Immunodeficiency Virus .  PLoS ONE   8 , e58586.

Citations: 20.

Dr. Brian May (Queen)

Another rocker awarded his PhD after taking a break to focus on his musical career is Brian May, the lead guitarist of the band Queen. May is one of the only people who can claim to be a superstar in both music and science and is still active in the world of science communication.

He started his doctorate at Imperial College studying reflected light from interplanetary dust and the dust’s velocity. Brian left the program after 4 years of work but still published two papers on his observations. He re-registered in 2006 and handed in his thesis a year later. He used his previous work plus observations in the 33 years between his studies for the thesis. Luckily for him, little work had been done on the matter in the meantime and the topic had recently become trendy again.

Rowan-Robinson, M.,  May, B.  2013.  An improved model for the infrared emission from the zodiacal dust cloud: cometary asteroidal and interstellar dust .  Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society  429 , 2894–2902.

Citations: 62.

Dr. Mayim Bialik

Sometimes, life imitates art and sometimes it’s the other way around. Mayim Bialik plays the nerdy neuroscientist Amy Farrah Fowler on the sitcom The Big Bang Theory . And hey, she actually is a neuroscientist — she received her PhD from UCLA. Her 285-page thesis was on hypothalamic regulation in patients suffering from Prader-Willi syndrome, the leading cause of genetic obesity.

Bialik, M . 2007. Hypothalamic regulation in relation to maladaptive, obsessive-compulsive, affiliative, and satiety behaviours in Prader-Willi syndrome.

Citations: 1.

Undoubtedly, there are other celebrities who have also published scientific papers — or scientists who have become famous, depending on how you look at it. Do you know of any? Leave your thoughts in the comment section.

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Actress Mayim Bialik, who plays Amy Farrah Fowler on CBS' "The Big Bang Theory," visited UC San Diego on May 27 to share her story. Photo by Erik Jepsen/UC San Diego Publications

‘The Big Bang Theory’s’ Mayim Bialik Shares Experiences as an Academic, Actor and STEM Advocate

She fell in love with the neuron during her first semester in college, and from there her passion for science took off with a bang. As a trained scientist, Mayim Bialik’s portrayal of neurobiologist Amy Farrah Fowler on the CBS sitcom “The Big Bang Theory” comes naturally. The show is currently the top-rated comedic television series in the nation, and Bialik uses her celebrity to serve as a female role model and advocate for STEM education (science, technology, engineering and math), a cause she feel strongly about.

Sixth College Provost Daniel Donoghue presented Bialik with an official proclamation stating that every year on May 27th the college will be known as "Mayim Bialik College" in her honor. Photo by Melissa Jacobs

The three-time Emmy-nominated actress was invited to share her story with the UC San Diego community on May 27 at an event sponsored by Sixth College. To acknowledge her visit, Sixth College was renamed “Mayim Bialik College” for the day of her appearance. More than 700 attendees gathered at RIMAC Arena for her talk, where she shared her experiences as the child star of the 90s show “Blossom,” the pursuit of her doctorate in neuroscience from UCLA and landing her current role on “The Big Bang Theory.”

“We invited Mayim Bialik to UC San Diego because she is highly educated and a great model for our students—plus ‘The Big Bang Theory’ is hugely popular, so it was a win-win,” said Dan Donoghue, provost of Sixth College. “Our goal was to create a memorable program for our students. Listening to Mayim speak as a strong advocate for STEM education, and particularly the challenges that confront many young women in high school and college, was very inspiring. We hope that she will feel a connection to our campus and want to come back each year on the same day—her day at Sixth College.”

The crowd sang the theme song to the “The Big Bang Theory” as Bialik took the stage, led by local guitarist Peter Sprague, bassist Mack Leighton and vocalist Leonard Patton. Sixth College student Oscar Bolanos and recent alumna Shayma Hesari acted as emcees for the event, and alumnus Jeff Curtis presented a basket of memorabilia from UC San Diego and Sixth College, including T-shirts with the phrase, “Mayim Bialik College 5/27.”

More than 700 campus and community members gathered at RIMAC Arena for Bialik's presentation. Photo by Melissa Jacobs

Sixth College promotes experiential and interdisciplinary learning among students and approached Bialik to speak because her career spans the arts, sciences and contemporary media. “Mayim Bialik is someone who embodies all three defining principles of Sixth College—culture, art and technology,” said Christian Olmstead, a Sixth College sophomore who served on the event planning committee. “She is an empowering female figure in the arts and sciences who helps to remind us that you can succeed by following your passions.”

Born in San Diego and raised in Los Angeles, Bialik started acting in 1986 with small parts in series like “MacGyver” and “Facts of Life.” Her star was launched after playing a young Bette Midler in the movie “Beaches,” which led to her being cast in the lead role in the NBC primetime show “Blossom” in 1991 at age 14. During that time she was tutored by a dental student from UCLA, the person Bialik credits not only for introducing her to the enjoyment of science, but also the way she learns.

“This was the person who made me believe I could be a scientist,” said Bialik. “I was never a terrific math or science student at all. I thought it was for boys; all the boys said so.” She continued, “I think having a female role model really helped me, too. To see this bubbly, excited person who just loved biology so much and this was her life. And it wasn’t just that she gave me that passion; she also gave me the skill set.”

According to the actress, science has remained the dominant force in her life, even as her fame as an actress has continued to skyrocket. She uses her celebrity as a platform to promote science education for all, especially young girls. Her goal is to put a female face on science and highlight the importance of educational equity. “Name a newspaper, name a magazine, they won’t do an article about STEM advocacy, but they will do an article about an actress on ‘The Big Bang Theory’ and her love for STEM advocacy,” she said.

Before her formal talk, more than 200 students had the chance to attend a meet and greet with Bialik, where she posed for pictures and signed autographs. Photo by Erik Jepsen/UC San Diego Publications

Before her formal talk, more than 200 students had the chance to attend a meet and greet with Bialik, where she posed for pictures and signed autographs. Students donned “Bazinga” shirts and struck funny poses with her—one asked if she would replicate a prom photo, to which Bialik enthusiastically complied. The reception included food based on her recipe book, “Mayim’s Vegan Table.”

Bialik admitted that she doesn’t watch television and had never seen “The Big Bang Theory” prior to being cast in the third season finale. She was brought on as a main character in the fourth season, along with Melissa Rauch who plays another female scientist, Bernadette. Contrary to rumor, Bialik says does not contribute to the script writing, though her cast mates always comment on the fact that she is the only one who “knows what everybody’s lines mean.”

Near the end of the presentation, students had the opportunity to ask the Bialik questions, which ranged from her favorite music to her most memorable fan encounter as well as more serious questions such as ethical challenges in neuroscience. She shared that the monkey used in several scenes on the show is named “Squirt,” and is the same star from the movie, “The Hangover.” She imparted that she cried when she met Stephen Hawking, who appeared on an episode in 2012. And when she was asked who she would switch lives with for a day if she had the chance, she jokingly replied in the guise of her character—“Kaley Cuoco-Sweeting!” (who plays Penny on the show).

On being both an actor and an academic, Bialik says that her first love will always be science.

“Once you become a scientist that becomes the lens through which you see the world, at least that has been my experience,” said Bialik “Once you know about what a rainbow is made of, every time you see one, that’s where your brain goes. I don’t think, ooh, what a pretty rainbow. I think about color and wavelengths and refraction.” She continued with, “I am definitely an artist…but it doesn’t color my world the way being a scientist does.”

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Onetime child star Mayim Bialik earned a Ph.D. in neuroscience, then returned to acting on TV hit The Big Bang Theory —playing a scientist. It’s given her a unique view of women’s roles, in STEM fields and in general.

Why This 'Big Bang Theory' Star Got a Ph.D. in Science

Mayim Bialik tells Neil DeGrasse Tyson about transitioning from acting to neuroscience—then playing a scientist on The Big Bang Theory.

Neil deGrasse Tyson: So in your childhood, were there any science influences?

Mayim Bialik: There were a few. In junior high school I had a physics teacher who was very eccentric and would sometimes fall asleep while showing us slide shows, but he was a brilliant physicist. I went to a very unusual school: The 1980s sitcom Head of the Class, about a group of very smart and precocious children, was actually based on the school I went to. After junior high I had tutors on set because I was on this show Blossom from the time I was 14 to 19—

NT: No, you were not “on the show”—you were Blossom, to make that clear.

MB: Um, yes. OK. [Laughs]

NT: This saddens me. That one single person made a life difference to you—but how many students are missing that one person?

MB: The first answer is: Many girls are. I’m sure we could run the statistics on it. And that’s because of a historical difference in the representation of women in these STEM [science, technology, engineering, and math] fields and probably a cultural bias on the part of teachers and administrators. I think there’s been a shift in education since I was in school in the ’70s and ’80s, but then it was like, Oh, you’re not naturally good at math? Better try English—how’s your Chaucer?

NT: There are people who presume that unless something comes easily to them, they should never pursue it as a career—without realizing that some of the greatest achievements you ever attain are because you busted ass to reach that point.

MB: Yeah. If I had not gone to college, I might have kept acting and been happy like that. But I loved going to UCLA and doing something that was very challenging academically. I loved doing research with adolescents with special needs—that was seven years of my life. It was exciting to get my Ph.D. in 2007. But in terms of time to raise my two sons, the flexible life of an actor was better than the long hours of a research professor.

NT: Fast-forward to 2010 and The Big Bang Theory. Who would have guessed how popular this show would become?

MB: Not me! I had never seen it before I auditioned.

NT: On the show you play Dr. Amy Farrah Fowler, who’s a neuroscientist.

MB: She’s actually a neurobiologist … but I get to say neuroscience things.

NT: How much of your professional self do you bring to your character?

MB: Since the job of an actor is to present a character even if you’ve never been in that profession, I guess I have the easiest job—I don’t have to stretch that far.

NT: I try to imagine someone pitching the show idea to network executives: “Let’s have six scientists, and they’ll talk but you won’t know what they’re talking about, and they’ll crack jokes and they’ll laugh, but they won’t explain it to you.” I think it was low-hanging comedic fruit because no one had tackled it before.

MB: For sure. All the shows that I grew up with were about attractive people, and who had sex with who on which week. Meanwhile, our show is about the people who watch those shows.

The cast of geeky-scientist characters in the sitcom The Big Bang Theory includes neurobiologist Amy Farrah Fowler (Mayim Bialik) and her boyfriend, physicist Sheldon Cooper (Jim Parsons).

NT: Might there ever be room in your show for a female character who’s more sexualized—but also a full-on scientist?

MB: We did an episode where the Bernadette character, a microbiologist, poses for a “sexy scientist” photo shoot and Amy has a very big problem with it.

NT: I remember that episode. Your character, Amy, sabotages the photo shoot.

MB: That’s right. When I do advocacy for STEM careers for young women, I’m often asked, What do you think about [the sexy-scientist stereotype of] the white shirt open with the black bra underneath? And you know, I don’t knock women or scientists who want to do that. For me, that’s not the way that I choose to portray women in science. I don’t think that’s the only way to generate interest. It might be the only way to get a certain population of men interested in women in science … But it’s not a personal goal of mine to further that notion of women scientists.

But then I got older and understood. Marine biology, working with animals, working in the environment—all those things are science. You like engineering? You want to do coding? Knock yourself out. There are many STEM careers that involve a lot of variety and a lot of creativity. And that’s what I think we need to try and communicate to girls as young as possible.

NT: That was awesome! That’s like the whole show right there.

MB: Thank you. And I didn’t even have to take my clothes off to do it.

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Turning point: Mayim Bialik. Interviewed by Gene Russo

• PMID: 22670263
• DOI: 10.1038/nj7400-669a

Publication types

• Autobiography
• Historical Article
• Drama* / history
• Education, Graduate* / history
• History, 21st Century
• Los Angeles
• Maternal Behavior / psychology
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Personal name as subject

• Mayim Bialik

It’s a wonderful world — and universe — out there.

Come explore with us!  

Science News Explores

Mayim bialik shares her stem inspiration.

The Big Bang Theory actress speaks to the National Science Teachers Association

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By Bethany Brookshire

April 7, 2014 at 9:21 am

BOSTON – Mayim Bialik , an actress famous for her role as a neuroscientist on The Big Bang Theory , actually has a neuroscience Ph.D. in real life. But, as she told attendees at the National Science Teachers Association meeting, here, getting that degree was challenging. Rewarding? Yes. But not every neuroscientist is a natural.

“I arrived late to the world of STEM [science, technology, engineering and math],” she says. Bialik explains that she felt talented in art and other subjects but “…when it came to science and math I really shrunk. It did not come naturally to me to understand science and math concepts. That leads to a lot of shame and lot of fear.”

Bialik credits her love of science with a single person: a young biology tutor. At the time, Bialik was a successful teen actress but needed coaching in her science class. “This woman was the first female role model I had,” Bialik recalls, “and it was literally that one woman…who gave me not only the skill set…but the confidence that I could be a scientist.”

She went on to study neuroscience at the University of California, Los Angeles. Now, as an actress on most watched television sitcom, Bialik seeks to break the stereotype of what a scientist is like. “I try to put a positive face on STEM and a female face in STEM,” she explains, “a lone scientist in a laboratory is not what science has to look like.” She also collaborates directly with scientists and Texas Instruments, sparking student interest with projects like Zombie Apocalypse . It introduces students to the principles of both neuroscience and infectious diseases.

But Bialik notes that while she revels in playing a scientist on TV, every educator has the capacity to become a STEM star in students’ lives. “We are all in a position to touch a student and make them believe in science,” she says. The Big Bang Theory might make the geek chic, but she argues that it really takes a science teacher to inspire.

Power Words

neuroscience  Science that deals with the structure or function of the brain and other parts of the nervous system. Researchers in this field are known as neuroscientists.

Ph.D.    (also known as a doctorate) Advanced degrees offered by universities — typically after five or six years of study — for work that creates new knowledge. People qualify to begin this type of graduate study only after having first completed a college degree (a program that typically takes four years of study).

Follow Eureka! Lab on Twitter: @eureka_labs

Mayim Bialik: 'I See the World as a Neuroscientist'

Bialik, who has a degree in neuroscience, talks brain care and her new mental health podcast.

Mayim Bialik and Brain Health

Mayim Bialik played a neuroscientist on "The Big Bang Theory" – fitting, because she's trained as one in real life too. During Brain Awareness Week – which she jokes is every week for her – Bialik joined U.S. News to talk about how she cares for her brain, her new mental health podcast and much more.

Here are some (lightly edited) highlights from the conversation:

Getty Images

Happy Brain Awareness Week! How are you? And how has your brain been during this traumatic past year?

It's an exceptional time, obviously, in global history – for a lot of reasons – and it's an exceptional time in U.S. history. No matter what side of the political divide you're on, it's been a very confusing year. Our brains are working differently than they ever have before. As someone who is a neuroscientist, I tend to think about the impact on our mental health – and that's our brain – and our physical health – and that's our brain. So for me, every day is Brain Awareness Day.

What was your path to becoming a neuroscientist?

I was an actor in my teen years but fell in love with science when I was a teenager. I never thought math and science were for me. I mean, I was always fascinated the way that young people tend to be about all sorts of things, but I didn't have naturally rapid proficiency with the sciences, and so I assumed it just wasn't for me. It wasn't until I had a one-on-one tutor – a female role model – when I was working on the set of "Blossom," which was the show I was on when I was a teenager. Working one-on-one with her allowed me to see that it's not that science isn't for me – the way that it was taught to me wasn't for me.

I was able to to learn and to capture these concepts and to want to live as a scientist. So after "Blossom" ended, I was out of Hollywood pretty much for 12 years, and I did my undergraduate degree in neuroscience and Hebrew Jewish studies, and then I went straight to a PhD program. I got married to someone that I met in calculus class, which is very sweet, and we are divorced now, but we did have two nerdy children together.

I taught neuroscience and designed a curriculum for junior high and high school homeschoolers that I taught for about five years after getting my degree. I eventually returned to acting – on "The Big Bang Theory," which is a show I had never seen before, because I was a nerdy mom – because I ran out of health insurance.

Here we are all these years later, and I see the world as a neuroscientist. I see the world through the lens of science and physics and, in particular, neuropsychiatry.

How do your tend to your brain health?

The most important thing happening in our body is our brain, and it's actually the thing we don't think about the most, in the ways that I think we should.

The notion of rest – and I don't just mean sleep – is very important. We need space for our brain to get to do what it does, and when we try and pack it with things, it will often start affecting other parts of our body.

I take supplements of various kinds – like Neuriva for brain health. I'm also a jigsaw puzzle person, and I've found that meditation is a really good way to give your brain some breathing space and and be able to function better.

You follow a vegan diet. Do you think that style of eating benefits your brain?

The decision to be vegan was a very long process. I was a vegetarian starting when I left my parents' home.

It's a combination of an ethical and moral and spiritual belief system, and there are tremendous pieces of evidence pointing to the fact that we all need to eat less processed foods, less meat and less dairy.

For me, the ability to have a diet that feels so in line with my moral and ethical and also physical comfort is important. But it's also important to note that everyone still gets to make their own decisions.

I'm not trying to be a political vegan, because I know how people feel about us. But it's the best choice it's the best choice for my health and my children's health and nutrition, you know monitors as closely so.

Tell us about your new mental health podcast, Mayim Bialik's Breakdown.

I started the podcast during a year when a lot of us were not able to go out and not able to do things, and I noticed that my mental health really took a hit. I was someone who already had a vocabulary for that and experience with that (and a therapist I was already seeing twice a week). What I noticed, though, is a lot of people didn't have that vocabulary or a relationship with someone to support them, and they were really struggling.

So my partner Jonathan Cohen and I started this podcast to try and explain – not what you should do, but what we've tried, what has worked, what doesn't work and how we're all in a process of figuring it out. We have guests who are experts and experts in their own mental health, and it's been a lot of work. But it's also very joyful to get to talk to people about mental health in a way that's very, very raw and honest, and not just like, 'I'm a celebrity and here's what you should do.'

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Mayim Bialik Answers 50 of the Most Googled Neuroscience Questions

Released on 08/26/2020

How does the nervous system work?

The nervous system works with a lot of

magic from the universe.

Do I get another PhD after I finish this?

[bell ringing]

Hi, I'm Mayim Bialik and I'm here with Wired

to answer the 50 most Googled questions about neuroscience.

[hip hop music]

Is neuroscience a biological science?

I'm going to say yes. [bell ringing]

It's about biological systems, yes.

What nervous system controls breathing?

Autonomic nervous system [bell ringing]

is in charge of breathing structures.

What nervous system controls heart rate?

That would be sympathetic/parasympathetic?

How does the autonomic nervous system affect the heart rate?

By making it go up or making it go down.

[bell ringing] [imitates honking]

How do hallucinogens affect the central nervous system?

Hallucinogens affect the central nervous system

by changing the distribution of neurotransmitter

[bell ringing] and specifically,

crossing modalities, creating synesthetic experiences

where auditory and visual information

effectively gets crossed. [bell ringing]

What neurotransmitters are involved in schizophrenia?

Schizophrenia is a varied disorder

that can involve paranoia,

and delusions, and depersonalization.

Dopamine, serotonin, [bell ringing]

and obviously all of the other neurotransmitters,

but specifically those for schizophrenia.

What is neurotransmitter testing?

Neurotransmitter testing is testing,

I guess amounts of dopamine and serotonin,

[bell ringing] which are typically done from

swabs, but I guess you could do it from blood maybe?

Cerebrospinal fluid?

Which neurotransmitter acts to facilitate learning?

That's a really difficult question to answer.

All of your neurotransmitters contribute

to everything about you.

The way that we learn is really because of a lot of things,

it's because of attention, it's because of mood,

it's because of reward activation.

Mine's a more philosophical answer,

but I don't know the structure of the brain

that they're talking about, which is probably

glutamate regulating. [bell ringing]

Which neurotransmitter is associated

with Parkinson's disease?

Parkinson's disease is a basal ganglia disease,

that would be dopamine as the

[bell ringing] primary neurotransmitter.

How information travels in the nervous system.

All sorts of crazy ways, up, down, sideways, inside out.

Information travels from the brain to the spinal cord

and out to the periphery,

[bell ringing] and then from the periphery

back into the spinal cord, and back up to the brain.

How does a stroke affect the nervous system?

Well, it depends where the stroke is.

There's specific kinds of regions of the brain

where a stoke will lead to paralysis

or the inability to speak.

Certain strokes will affect very interesting things,

they'll make you think that you don't understand

peoples' faces, there's so many different things

it can affect.

[bell ringing] Having the blood supply

cut off will impair a region of the brain,

is the most basic definition of a stroke, though.

What is neuroscience perspective?

Neuroscience perspective is seeing the world

as a series of motivations, and thoughts, and feelings

[bell ringing] that impact biological

processes and affect how we interact with the world.

How many neurons are in the nervous system?

I don't remember.

[bell ringing] [laughs]

What neurotransmitter controls the somatic nervous system?

The somatic nervous system

is the nervous system associated with sensory information.

For me, that's gonna kind of be

many, all of them?

I mean, impulses are always

regulated by GABA, by glutamate, and

[bell ringing] Acetylcholine is one of them.

Are eyes part of the nervous system?

I love this question.

Yes. [bell ringing]

The retina and the optic nerve

are part of the nervous system.

What are excitatory neurotransmitters?

Excitatory neurotransmitters are transmitters

that have a plus sign, as it were.

They lead to an increase [bell ringing]

in secretion or an increase in activity.

What sends neurotransmitters toward the next neuron?

Oh, I could talk about this for days.

Neurotransmitters are packaged in vesicles

and they move along microtubule filaments

[bell ringing] along the Axon.

What are neurotransmitters and how do they function?

Holy Toledo.

Neurotransmitters are chemicals that are produced

in the brain and the body that act on

other parts of the brain and body.

[bell ringing] They are the main

communication module for the nervous system.

They function by binding to receptors

and the binding onto receptors opens up different channels

and activity that then leads to other neurotransmitter

being released. [bell ringing]

How are hormones different from neurotransmitters?

Hormones are typically generated

outside of the nervous system, as it were.

There are neurohormones.

It really depends on what things are acting on,

and why, and how,

but neurotransmitters, typically, are generated

in the central nervous system [bell ringing]

and hormones can be generated and modulated

outside, as well.

How does nicotine affect the nervous system?

Nicotine affects the nervous system

in a lot of excitatory ways. [bell ringing]

Nicotine also does have inhibitory effects

[bell ringing] and can lead to feelings

of relaxation and decrease in agitation.

What is a synapse in the nervous system?

Well, I went to UCLA, and the cafe that we had

in the neuroscience building was called Cafe Synapse

because it's where things come together.

That's right, folks, a synapse is where two neurons meet

[bell ringing] and release information

and that's where things come together.

How does the digestive system work with the nervous system?

Pretty darn well [bell ringing]

for most people!

How does the nervous system and

endocrine system work together?

Well, since my field is psychoneuroendocrinology,

I should know a lot about this, and indeed I do.

The endocrine system is typically the

hypothalamic pituitary axis.

HPA includes the adrenals,

and hormones are released from the pituitary gland,

and then flow through the body and the hypothalamus,

and then become part of the nervous system,

where they affect the brain

and all sorts of behavioral and biological functions.

[bell ringing repeatedly]

They work together really well.

How to keep your nervous system healthy.

Well, this is a wonderful question!

Get a lot of sleep, drink a lot of water,

eat as simply as possible,

[bell ringing] do not drink alcohol at all

if you can avoid it.

[bell ringing] I would say avoid

as much pharmaceutical impact in your life

as is possible, [bell ringing]

and avoid illicit drugs.

They're generally not good for your nervous system.

[bell ringing] Learn how to breathe properly,

meditate, and please go to therapy.

What neurotransmitter causes migraines?

I get migraines and I don't know the answer to this.

I think migraines are caused by stress.

That's my unofficial, non-doctor opinion.

[buzzer ringing] I could list all the people

that give me migraines and none of them

are the names of neurotransmitters.

Is neuroscience a good major?

Hell yeah, it is!

[bell ringing] You get to learn about

the brain and nervous system,

you get to learn about the fact that

we exist, we have consciousness,

we can communicate, we can love, we can hate,

we can change, we can grow, that's why it's

not only a good major, it's a good grounding for life.

[claps hands] So there.

How does caffeine affect the nervous system?

Caffeine affects the nervous system

by doing a lot of excitatory things.

[bell ringing] It increases your heart rate,

it will make you go poop and pee

'cause it's a diuretic, and it does increase

alertness and vigilance,

which also can lead to a crash,

a caffeine crash, and it is addictive,

so it affects the nervous system by

getting the nervous system used to having it

as a normal way to function

and it resets your sense of normal,

so that's why when you quit caffeine,

you go into withdrawal.

How the nervous system works with other systems.

[hums in interest]

The nervous system works with other systems

by being connected through the series of peripheral nerves

that exist, meaning [bell ringing]

all organs send information to the nervous system.

I like to think of the nervous system as

the main system because it's your brain,

your spinal cord, and all of the nerves

that serve the rest of your body,

so it's kind of the master system.

How does the skeletal system work with the nervous system?

Certain skeletal systems support

the most important aspects of the nervous system,

so the skull, this thing,

it's actually the holding place for the brain,

the lobes of the brain, and all the things about the brain,

and the entire vertebral system,

the vertebrae of your spinal cord

are actually protecting a very, very important

passage of information from your brain

to the rest of your body,

so the skeletal system [bell ringing]

is the scaffold to protect the nervous system.

Where are neurotransmitters made?

Neurotransmitters are made anywhere you want them to be.

mostly brain.

In the middle of the brain. [bell ringing]

Yes, all the little parts.

That's a terrible answer. [laughs]

Are cranial nerves part of the central nervous system?

Cranial nerves I think would be considered

the peripheral nervous system. [bell ringing]

Brain, spinal cord, periphery.

For the love of Pete.

How many neurotransmitters are there?

Let's say between three and four dozen.

Is acetylcholine a neurotransmitter?

Yeah, it is. [bell ringing]

How does diabetes affect the nervous system?

Because of the changes in blood glucose levels,

this can cause strain on blood vessels.

[bell ringing] I'm thinking as I'm answering.

There are also cognitive shifts that happen

because of diabetes.

What kind of chemical is released at a synapse?

A neurochemical. [bell ringing]

Also known as a neurotransmitter.

Which neurotransmitter is associated with depression?

That would be serotonin. [bell ringing]

Dopamine sometimes is implicated as well,

and because everybody's brain is different,

not everyone has the same kind of depression,

and if you have depression that is

part of manic depression, you might need

a different kind of treatment or understanding

of your neurotransmitter system.

But classical depression, serotonin.

How do neurotransmitters influence behavior?

By communicating every thought,

every movement we have.

[bell ringing] The way that you exist

is because of electrical signals caused by

the release of neurotransmitter.

There's nothing about you, even love,

that cannot be explained by neurotransmitter.

How does alcohol affect the nervous system?

Alcohol's a depressant.

Alcohol will first affect the cells of the cerebellum,

those are the ones back here,

and they affect the things that you most frequently see

when you do a sobriety test.

Your ability to do fine motor control,

to walk a line, to do this one.

It affects the general nervous system

with a lot of psychological and psychiatric impact

that's gonna vary by human,

and alcohol's a toxin, so your body perceives it as such,

and all of the changes that happen when you have alcohol

are essentially your body processing

so that it can get rid of the alcohol.

How does the nervous system

help the body maintain homeostasis?

Well, the nervous system is what maintains homeostasis

[bell ringing] through a lot of

different things.

The hypothalamus is your main friend for this.

The hypothalamus maintains body temperature,

urinary levels, hunger, puberty, circadian rhythms,

basically regulating every single organ system.

Homeostasis is the nervous system, that's its goal.

Is dopamine a neurotransmitter?

[bell ringing] Aw yeah.

with sleep, mood, and appetite?

It really depends on what's happening

with sleep, mood, and appetite.

I'm gonna go ahead and go for [bell ringing]

serotonin will mess up all of those.

What is neuroscience psychology?

Neuroscience psychology, or neuropsych, as we call it,

is an emphasis on

[bell ringing] the underlying nervous system

substrates of psychological phenomenon.

How does cannabis affect the nervous system?

How doesn't cannabis affect the nervous system

really should be this question.

Cannabis affects the nervous system

by binding two cannabinoid receptors, duh,

and those receptors do a lot surrounding relaxation,

relaxation of muscles, literally.

Cannabis stimulates appetite.

If you think of people who use it medicinally,

for example, for chemotherapy,

it can reduce nausea and it has analgesic effects,

it has numbing effects.

That sort of, like, [bell ringing]

high feeling that people report

is typically an ability to have

a strong connection with your sensory systems,

and that can make you feel really, really happy.

What does multiple sclerosis do to the nervous system?

Multiple sclerosis causes demyelination of axons.

[bell ringing] Myelin is the fat

that lines axons, which is how a neuron

communicates information from the cell body

to the dendrites, and once that myelin,

that fat is broken down, it makes it much harder

for electrical impulses to travel.

So, it makes communication between cells harder.

Why nervous system important?

Why is the nervous system important?

Because it is the foundation of your existence as a human,

both physically and metaphysically.

[bell ringing] The brain and the

nervous system, your spinal cord, and all your nerves

are everything about how you interact with the world,

including what you love, what you hate,

how you can even process what I'm saying right now,

and your position in space, and your acknowledgement

that we are hurdling through the universe at high speed

and not flying off the planet,

and we exist now, and we'll exist tomorrow.

All that is your nervous system.

Is epinephrine a neurotransmitter?

Which systems comprise the nervous system?

There's the central nervous system,

that's the brain and the spinal cord,

and there's the peripheral nervous system,

[bell ringing] which is the nerves

on the periphery.

What are nervous system disorders?

There are a lot of nervous system disorders.

Let's see, multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's,

muscular dystrophy, epilepsy, pretty much all

of psychiatric challenges.

You know, depression anxiety, [bell ringing]

obsessive compulsive disorder,

dissociative identity disorder,

I could go on. [bell ringing]

It has information that's produced in the brain

that's sent down the spinal cord

to the peripheral nervous system,

receives information from the outside world,

brings it back in, sends it up the spinal cord,

then your brain processes it,

[bell ringing] and you act, and think,

and feel, and exist.

What is the nervous system?

The nervous system is the series of cells

that comprise the brain and the spinal cord

[bell ringing] and allows you to perceive

your body, your feelings,

and interact with the outside world, feel, and think.

Your nervous system is you.

Those were the 50 most googled questions on neuroscience.

Thank you for watching, hope I did okay.

Starring : Mayim Bialik

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5 Facts About Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

Mayim explains what the oft-used term 'OCD' really means.

Some readers asked me to write more science-related posts, including specifically something about Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. While I can’t fill all reader requests, I do have an interest in OCD because my doctoral thesis in Psychoneuroendocrinology (in the Neuroscience Department at UCLA) was on Obsessions and Compulsions in a population of individuals with a genetic syndrome called Prader-Willi Syndome (PWS). Individuals with PWS have a lot of psychiatric complexity to their syndrome, including high rates of OCD reported.

I have always had an interest in working with special needs individuals. my parents, who were public school teachers for a combined 70-some odd years both in new york and los angeles, were very sensitive to people with special needs, and i was raised with a distinct compassion and consciousness to include special individuals as much as possible in all aspect of socializing and education., i knew i wanted to work with humans as a graduate student since, as a vegan, working with animals was simply not compatible with my worldview as a scientist. i learned about a variety of syndromes and felt that pws needed a neuroscientist’s perspective, since most research in this population had been done by geneticists or psychiatrists., i loved working with adolescents with pws for my thesis and i had to learn a lot about ocd for the seven years i worked on my doctorate. from that exhaustive knowledge i gained, i wanted to share with you five facts you might not realize….

• You likely don’t have OCD. Just because you are fastidious or organized, it doesn’t mean you have OCD. People say things like, “I’m so OCD” and honestly, it bugs me. Just say you’re “particular” or “meticulous.” Don’t use the name of a legitimate syndrome, please; it takes away from the importance of the clinical diagnosis when you do that! (For one person’s experience of having OCD, see this piece from Cosmopolitan .)
• Both the “O” and the “C” need to be present to be diagnosed with OCD. OCD is comprised of obsessions and compulsions. Obsessions tend to be “internal” thoughts or things that you can’t get out of your head; compulsions are the “external” behaviors done to try and manage the anxiety that the obsessions make you feel. So for example, someone with obsessions about cleanliness would have compulsive acts like hand-washing to combat the obsessions.
• There are areas of obsession and accompanying compulsions. Common obsessions tend to center around cleanliness and germs (including those around body functions and sexual functions), religious imagery and safety (did I lock the door? for example). The compulsions that go with these would be things done to reduce germs and maintain cleanliness, counting or repetitive behaviors and checking behaviors. (There are many more; those are just some examples.)
• With OCD, sometimes other things occur. People who get an OCD diagnosis also often get an anxiety diagnosis. Or sometimes a depression diagnosis. And things like skin-picking often occur in OCD. This is because we are all on a continuum of chemicals running through our bodies and brains. No one is “absolutely” anything. Depending on life situations, genetics and what kind of support you get, you may have more or fewer symptoms throughout your life. It’s not a constant.
• Medication can help . So can therapy like Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) or traditional psychotherapy. Many people live with aspects of OCD and find ways to manage them, but usually clinicians will want to know how much your OCD affects your life and schedule of the day. Some people may have a counting ritual that doesn’t upset them or take up much time, and if it doesn’t cause distress, it may just be that that’s your thing. In our current culture of a pill for everything, it’s important to realize that you don’t need to be symptom-free of every syndrome in order to function and have productive relationships and a good life. (Some of the characters on The Big Bang Theory are proof of that!)

If you would like to take the standard OCD assessment, it is available here .

If you need help with managing ocd symptoms or any other psychiatric condition, reach out to the national alliance for mental illness for information about finding help in your area..

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Mayim Bialik: Big Bang Theory is changing the way people think of nerds and geeks

The neuroscientist and sitcom actor on science role models, Richard Dawkins and vaccination

You were in the hugely successful TV show Blossom in the 1990s. What inspired you to leave acting and take a degree in neuroscience?

When I was on the set of Blossom I had a biology tutor who was at that time a dental student at UCLA. She was the first person I ever met who was a one-on-one female role model for me and I fell in love with science and wanted to pursue it. I am a second-generation American so I come from a family where college is really emphasised and I really just wanted to go – when Blossom ended, that’s exactly what I did.

You also did a PhD - why?

I really loved teaching and research. I didn’t have the grades to go to medical school and in retrospect I think I would have been unhappy in the structure of medical school. I had my first son in grad school and my second son right after I got my PhD.

What was your research on?

Obsessive compulsive disorder in a population of individuals with a genetic syndrome called Prader-Willi syndrome .

Did you enjoy it?

Yeh, both of my parents were teachers so I was raised with a definite appreciation for teaching. Being a research professor seemed like what I wanted to do. But once I had my first child I realised how much time I wanted to be with him.

There’s been a lot of discussion about the “leaky pipeline” of women in science - how can we solve it?

That’s a larger question for people other than me; I’m not an anthropologist or a sociologist. But that’s part of why I do the work I do with Texas Instruments [as a brand spokesperson] – to try and encourage young people at an early age to sort of prepare for what a career might look like, which we would hope would involve the ability for them to have more confidence and more resources. I think women do need a lot more resources especially as we get to the age when we want to start families and things; those are things that even though men have to make those decisions it is very different for women because we are the ones whose bodies literally have to stop and make it happen.

Are you still keeping an eye on developments in neuroscience?

No, that’s a full time job! [Laughs]

Your character in The Big Bang Theory , Amy Farrah Fowler, has a PhD in neurobiology - how similar are you to her?

She was written as a female version of Jim Parsons’s character [Sheldon Cooper, Amy’s love interest]. There are things she and I are similar in, the way we approach thinking and our appreciation for science, but she is pretty much a character.

So you’ve never written Little House on the Prairie fan fiction like Amy?

No, no never!

Do you feel that you - and your character - are role models?

Yeah. The Bernadette character on The Big Bang Theory is a microbiologist so I am proud that on our show we have two different kinds of women: one wears pretty dresses and gets to have pretty things in her hair and one is the Amy character who’s a lot more simple. Both are versions of scientists so, yeah, I think it is tremendous.

How are scientists viewed in Hollywood?

A lot of people believe in [the] stereotype, but we hope that The Big Bang Theory is changing the way people think of nerds and geeks by showing them having active social lives and relationships. I think that is an important way to portray them.

How important is it to get the science right on The Big Bang Theory ?

We actually have a physics consultant, Dr David Saltzberg. He is from UCLA and he’s the one who is in charge of all that. It is very important for our show and for our producers that we do that. A lot of our writers have science backgrounds and everything is Google-able so a lot of their stuff comes from the internet too. All of our writers are really bright.

How have you seen Amy change over the series?

[When] she started out, she was really socially awkward and really craving some sort of social outlet and she found that with Penny and Bernadette. So now she has a lot more social confidence and I think that has shifted her relationship with Sheldon too

Amy meets Sheldon through a dating website - do you find it surprising that so many people say they met online?

I guess it is kind of inevitable: the internet has taken over every part of our lives so why not dating as well I guess?

You’ve been a blogger for several years - what’s the appeal?

I think when I was a young mum a lot of mums were starting to write about their experiences and I wrote for a website called Kveller that really sought to bring a very honest voice to parenting, specifically Jewish parenting but we covered all types. It sort of grew and grew and I’ve now launched my own website called GrokNation where I am able to write about a wider variety of topics and hopefully reach more people including more of The Big Bang Theory audience.

Who, or what, is a Grok?!

It’s a term from a 1961 science fiction novel, Stranger in a Strange Land , and to Grok something means to understand something very, very, very deeply, like from all angles. And it is a deeper kind of understanding than simply the word “understanding” conveys.

Do you ever worry about sharing too much online?

The things I choose to write that are personal I weigh very, very carefully. And I choose things I hope will be educational or helpful to others. I don’t write a lot about my kids and have an agreement with them that I won’t write about anything that they don’t want written about them.

You mention you’re a vegan.

When it started I had a dairy allergy and once I cut out dairy I stopped getting sinus infections. So that was initially a health decision. But as I learned more and more about veganism and the way food is prepared and served it became more and more of an environmental and ethical decision.

Should we all give up meat for the environment?

No, I think that we should be absolutely doing what every medical organisation recommends, which is that we all cut back on processed foods and animal products. So I don’t think you have to make a choice to be vegan tomorrow. I don’t think it has to be that kind of decision. But everyone would benefit from cutting back on animal products and animal by-products - there’s nothing bad that will come of even making small changes in the amount that you eat.

You’ve landed in some controversy over vaccination, when you were quoted as saying: “We are a non-vaccinating family.”

I didn’t say that. At the time my book was written, my children did not have vaccines. And I also said I am not a doctor and I make no recommendations about what people should do.

But now they are vaccinated?

Now they are. I issued that statement on Facebook. They were a ton of fascinating rumours that “I don’t believe in vaccines”, “I don’t believe they work”. I never said that.

You’ve posted about the fact that you are both religious and into science. How do you feel about Richard Dawkins ?

I respect him very much, and actually I agree with a lot of what he says. Religion is a very personal decision,there is not a one size fits all, and I think that the more ways we can find that we agree the better off we’ll be. Sam Harris is another example - Sam Harris and I were in graduate school together – he is a very, very prominent, outspoken atheist and there’s a lot that he and I actually agree on so I think it’s important to find similarities, not just differences. And ultimately the kind of religious fanaticism that we see in the world is not something any religious person I know would want.

Are you a fan of tech? I hear you’ve got an old school TV and big-buttoned phone in your Big Bang dressing room.

I’m not a huge fan of technology. I use it where it is necessary for work, but other than that I can’t even work an iPad.

The Bialik CV

December 1975 Born in San Diego, California to first-generation Jewish-American parents.

1988 Appeared in the 1989 horror film Pumpkinhead .

1989 Played the young Bette Midler in Beaches .

1990-1995 Starred in the American television sitcom Blossom .

2000 Earned BS in neuroscience and Hebrew and Jewish studies from UCLA.

2003 Married Michael Stone (divorced in 2013).

2007 Obtained PhD in neuroscience from UCLA.

2010 Joined the cast of The Big Bang Theory .

2012-2015 Nominated for Emmy award for outstanding supporting actress in a comedy series.

2012 Published her guide to raising children, Beyond the Sling : A Real-Life Guide to Raising Confident, Loving Children the Attachment Parenting Way.

2014 Co-host on reality show Candid Camera for TVLand.

2015 Set up own blogging website GrokNation.

• The Big Bang Theory
• The Observer
• Neuroscience
• Richard Dawkins

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Mayim Bialik and Sons Got COVID-19 Vaccine

By Cecelia Vieira

Posted on July 20, 2021

SciCheck Digest

Actress and neuroscientist Mayim Bialik has expressed skepticism about vaccines in the past, but she says she and her two teenage children have received the COVID-19 vaccine. A Facebook post says Bialik “refuses to vaccinate,” leaving the false impression that she opposes COVID-19 vaccines.

No vaccine or medical product is 100% safe, but the safety of vaccines is ensured via rigorous testing in clinical trials prior to authorization or approval, followed by continued safety monitoring once the vaccine is rolled out to the public to detect potential rare side effects. In addition, the Food and Drug Administration inspects vaccine production facilities and reviews manufacturing protocols to make sure vaccine doses are of high-quality and free of contaminants.

One key vaccine safety surveillance program is the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System , or VAERS, which is an early warning system run by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and FDA. As its website explains , VAERS “is not designed to detect if a vaccine caused an adverse event, but it can identify unusual or unexpected patterns of reporting that might indicate possible safety problems requiring a closer look.”

Anyone can submit a report to VAERS for any health problem that occurs after an immunization. There is no screening or vetting of the report and no attempt to determine if the vaccine was responsible for the problem. The information is still valuable because it’s a way of being quickly alerted to a potential safety issue with a vaccine, which can then be followed-up by government scientists.

Another monitoring system is the CDC’s Vaccine Safety Datalink , which uses electronic health data from nine health care organizations in the U.S. to identify adverse events related to vaccination in near real time.

In the case of the COVID-19 vaccines, randomized controlled trials involving tens of thousands of people, which were reviewed by multiple groups of experts, revealed no serious safety issues and showed that the benefits outweigh the risks.

The CDC and FDA vaccine safety monitoring systems, which were expanded for the COVID-19 vaccines and also include a new smartphone-based reporting tool called v-safe , have subsequently identified only a few, very rare adverse events. 

For more, see “ How safe are the vaccines? ”

Link to this

Mayim Bialik, who once starred on the television show “The Big Bang Theory,” has made headlines in the past for controversial statements on vaccines. But in a video posted to her personal YouTube channel in October, the actress — who also holds a Ph.D. in neuroscience from UCLA  — said that she and her two teenage sons would be vaccinated against COVID-19. Bialik said in an interview in April with Cheddar News that she had received the vaccine.

Despite all this, a meme circulating online falsely suggests that Bialik has declined all vaccines, including the one for COVID-19. The image features a photo of Bialik framed by the words, “Holds PhD in Neuroscience. Refuses to Vaccinate #SmartParentsDon’tVax.”

The meme was posted to the Facebook page Staying Alive is Not Enough , which has over 1 million followers. Comments on the post seemed to applaud the meme’s sentiment, with some users writing “ Good for her! ” and “ I new I would like her ,” while another urged the government to “ take their shot and shove it .”

Bialik, a self-described skeptic of “Big Pharm,” has received criticism for past comments in which she expressed hesitancy to vaccinate her children. In her October YouTube video, she revealed that her two sons, then 12 and 15, had never received a flu vaccine and that she had not received a vaccine in 30 years.

In a 2009 interview with People magazine, Bialik described her family as “non-vaccinating,” but said she made “no claims about people’s individual decisions.” Still, Bialik pushed back against the perception that she is “ against vaccines ” on Twitter in 2015, writing that her “ kids are vaccinated .”

Recently, Bialik has come out in support of the COVID-19 vaccination effort, including for her children. On her YouTube channel, where she posts regularly about mental health and parenting, the actress confirmed that she had chosen to “enthusiastically vaccinate,” along with her sons, for both COVID-19 and the flu this year.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration  expanded its authorization of the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine in children 12 to 15 years of age on May 10. (The U.S. had previously authorized use of the vaccine for people 16 and older in December 2020.)

In a January interview with Yahoo Life , Bialik said her decision to receive the COVID-19 vaccine was “based on kind of the basic science of what’s going on in the world and how we protect ourselves.”

“It’s not that I’m, like, ‘pro every single vaccine that anyone talks about all the time everywhere, every single minute.’ I have a lot of questions about the vaccine industry, as do a lot of people,” Bialik said. “[But] when it comes to this virus, the insidiousness of this virus, the way this virus works, the way that it adapts, we absolutely need to see this as distinctly different from the flu. … This is something we need absolute protection from.”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also recommends vaccines for children against numerous viruses and diseases, including measles, mumps, rubella, rotavirus and hepatitis A and B. As with the COVID-19 vaccines, childhood vaccines are  safe and effective  and have greatly reduced the number of cases and deaths from several childhood diseases.

For example, the CDC  says  that “ an estimated 3 to 4 million people got measles each year in the United States”  before a measles vaccine became available in 1963, resulting in roughly 400 to 500 deaths each year. Last year, there were only 13 confirmed cases of the measles in the U.S., according to  the CDC.

After starring in the 1990s sitcom “Blossom,” Bialik completed her bachelor’s degree in neuroscience in 2000 and her doctorate in neuroscience in 2007, both at University of California, Los Angeles. Her Ph.D. thesis was titled, “Hypothalamic Regulation in Relation to Maladaptive, Obsessive-compulsive, Affiliative, and Satiety Behaviors in Prader-Willi Syndrome.”

Editor’s note:   SciCheck’s COVID-19/Vaccination Project   is made possible by a grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The foundation has   no control   over our editorial decisions, and the views expressed in our articles do not necessarily reflect the views of the foundation. The goal of the project is to increase exposure to accurate information about COVID-19 and vaccines, while decreasing the impact of misinformation.

Besignano, Heather. Representative for Mayim Bialik. Email to FactCheck.org. 16 Jul 2021.

Bialik, Mayim. “ Anti-Vaxxers and Covid || Mayim Bialik .” YouTube. 1 Oct 2020.

Borschel-Dan, Amanda. “Is Mayim Bialik an anti-vaxxer? It’s complicated…” Times of Israel. 12 Feb 2015.

Donnelly, Erin. “ Mayim Bialik Says Pandemic Parenting Can Be Exhausting and Frustrating: ‘It’s Just Me, It’s Always Been Just Me .'” Yahoo.com. 21 Jan. 2021.

Karch, Marziah. “ Mayim Bialik, You Disappoint Me .” Wired.com. 12 May 2012.

“ Mayim Bialik Biography .” IMDb.com. Accessed 16 Jul 2021.

“ Mayim Bialik Talks Attachment Parenting with CBB .” People.com. 4 Jun. 2009.

“ Mayim Bialik Talks ‘Call Me Kat’ and a Year of COVID-19 .” Cheddar News. 8 Apr 2021.

@missmayim (Mayim Bialik). “ dispelling rumors abt my stance on vaccines. i’m not anti. my kids are vaccinated. so much anger and hysteria. i hope this clears things up .” Twitter. 10 Feb 2015.

@missmayim (Mayim Bialik). “ If @kveller says it, it must be true. I’m not against vaccines .” Twitter. 11 Feb 2015.

Ryder, Taryn. “ Mayim Bialik Says She Will Get Flu and COVID-19 Vaccines, Clarifies She’s Not an Anti-Vaxxer .” Yahoo.com. 1 Oct 2020.

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Mayim Bialik Shines a Light on Mental Health

The ‘Big Bang Theory’ star and neuroscientist caps a week of education at Convening Leaders 2024 by exploring the connection between professional fulfillment and emotional wellbeing.

Neuroscientist, author, actress, and Convening Leaders closing Main Stage speaker Mayim Bialik works to erase the stigma of mental health issues.

Mental wellness is a vital but commonly overlooked issue for event professionals, who work in one of the most high-pressure, stressful occupations in the world. You race to address the needs of attendees, sponsors, exhibitors, your bosses, and teams when designing your events, often pushing your own wellbeing off to the side.

Neuroscientist, author, and actress Mayim Bialik will close out PCMA Convening Leaders 2024 today with a keynote that brings your mental health to the fore. Since the pandemic, Bialik has been hosting a podcast — “ Mayim Bialik’s Breakdown ” — focused on busting myths and misunderstandings about emotional wellbeing.

The former star of TV’s “Blossom,” “The Big Bang Theory,” and former host of “Jeopardy” — who earned a Ph.D. in neuroscience — will help Convening Leaders attendees explore new tactics to infuse wellness into their daily routines during her 10:30 a.m. keynote, “More Than a Luxury — Why the Path to Professional Fulfillment Starts with Your Mental Health.”

“The [events] industry has gotten better at addressing mental wellness,” said Carrie Johnson, DES, PCMA’s senior director, education. “But unless there is buy-in from all levels, and leaders put programs in place for their teams, it’s just a buzzword.”

Bialik and her partner, Jonathan Cohen, have been on a mission to erase the stigma of mental health issues since the COVID-19 pandemic. “We no longer have to live in shame about needing help,” Bialik wrote in an essay for The Pew Charitable Trusts . “The notion that we all need and deserve more is no longer a fantasy — it’s the reality we are all living in and helping to create.”

The pair launched the “Breakdown” podcast in January 2021 to learn how their guests were handling the stress of the pandemic and approaching their own mental wellbeing. Since then, Bialik has welcomed more than 160 guests including doctors, scientists, and psychologists who discuss mindfulness, meditation, and mental health, as well as celebrities who talk about their personal wellness journeys.

Last July, Harvard Medical School psychologist Susan David, Ph.D., discussed the dangers of toxic positivity and offered ways to avoid emotional burnout. Television news correspondent Matt Gutman broke down the difference between panic and anxiety attacks in a September episode. In November, comedian and actor Whitney Cummings talked about how scheduling when to worry about something eased her anxiety and the science behind manifesting.

Insights Bialik gained from these many conversations — combined with her own background as a neuroscientist — promise to make this a can’t-miss session.

Curt Wagner is digital editor of Convene.

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Mayim Bialik ’00, PhD.’07

Posted On - May 22, 2015

Does Dr. Amy Farrah Fowler on the ABC sitcom Big Bang Theory seem a little familiar to you? Maybe it's because you had a class with her at UCLA. Actress Mayim Bialik ’00, PhD.’07 who plays delightfully smart, funny and nerdy Amy earned her undergraduate, and doctorate degrees at UCLA. The actress even shares a similar field of study with her TV alter ego – Amy Farrah Fowler holds a doctorate in neuro-biology, while actress Bialik holds a doctorate in neuroscience.

From 1991 to 1995, Bialik played the eponymous role on NBC's Blossom , where she explored life's issues with slightly older and more experienced friend Six. Although “This week on a very special episode of Blossom …” became a standard punch line, the show earned wide respect for mixing drama with comedy in a frank exploration of weighty topics, such as substance abuse and having sex for the first time.

When Blossom ended, Bialik enrolled at UCLA, earning degrees in neuroscience, Jewish studies and Hebrew. She took a break from live acting, though she did voice work on some animated series, including Johnny Bravo, Hey Arnold and Kim Possible .

In 2005, Bialik took time out of her graduate studies in neuroscience to step in front of the cameras again, playing a fictionalized version of herself on Kirsty Alley's pseudo-reality Showtime series, Fat Actress . Bialik stole the show in a two-episode story arc, in which she reminds Alley that she is a genius by figuring out Alley's digital security code. Bialik also tapped into her neuroscience background, tells Alley about the Koi Theory of weight loss – a body shrinks to fit miniature surroundings – which turns out to be part Bialik’s evil revenge scheme.

Bialik first gained attention and critical praise playing a childhood version of Bette Midler's character in the 1988 film Beaches . Her other more recent appearances include the feature films Kalamazoo? (2005) and The Chicago 8 (2011) and television shows Curb Your Enthusiasm, Bones, Saving Grace and The Secret Life of the American Teenager.

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The Truth About Mayim Bialik's Education

Mayim Bialik is potentially best known for playing Dr. Amy Farrah Fowler in the cult classic TV series  "The Big Bang Theory." The immensely popular show followed the trials and tribulations of a group of scientists, and Bialik's background gave her a perfect stepping stone into the role. So, here's the truth about Mayim Bialik's education. National Geographic points out that with a PhD in neurosciences under her belt, Bialik was one actor on set who really knew what she was talking about.

One of the funniest things about Dr. Amy Farrah Fowler is how she intellectually stands toe to toe with Sheldon Cooper (played by Jim Parsons). The Guardian details that, like Amy, Bialik has a PhD. She told the publication that her research was in "Obsessive-compulsive disorder in a population of individuals with a genetic syndrome called Prader-Willi syndrome." Impressive, right?

She told USA Today that she studied at UCLA while raising her children — no small task. "I studied neuroscience as my undergraduate degree. I did a minor in Hebrew and Jewish studies, which kept my GPA up and therefore my morale because science was still really hard for me. I was a late bloomer," she said. "So I did my undergrad for five years and then I went directly to the grad program, the PhD program at UCLA."

Mayim Bialik's PhD helped her play Amy

Mayim Bialik told Neil deGrasse Tyson in National Geographic that her background in the sciences helped her play Amy but has also informed her career after the show. She still works in TV but also has a YouTube  channel and is a big advocate for women in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics).

"It's really neat that I get to play a neuroscientist on TV, but I think every student is inspired by something different. That's why it's important for us as teachers — and people in the position to mentor — to be able to provide girls with as many realistic science situations as possible," she told Forbes . "To show them that not everyone starts as a scientist but you can still be interested in it later in life."

While Bialik's scientific background came in handy while she was learning her lines, she told  The Guardian that she was far from the only qualified person on set. "We actually have a physics consultant, Dr. David Saltzberg. He is from UCLA and he's the one who is in charge of all that. It is very important for our show and for our producers that we do that," she said. "A lot of our writers have science backgrounds and everything is Google-able so a lot of their stuff comes from the internet too. All of our writers are really bright."