This Is Your Brain With Dr. Phil Stieg: Recent Episodes
Weill Cornell Medicine Brain and Spine Center
Dr. Phil Stieg, Neurosurgeon-in-Chief of New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center and founder and Chairman of the Weill Cornell Medicine Brain and Spine Center, introduces his new podcast, which will explore different aspects of our most important and complex organ – the brain. In each episode, this world-renowned neurosurgeon will present a view into how the brain works, what can go wrong, and what we know about how to fix it. Get life-saving information and timely advice on how to live a brain-healthy life.
Can't remember the fourth item on your grocery list? Nelson Dellis, a professional "memory athlete," can remember 100 things or more (though he still may forget the butter).
Hear how Dellis learned to memorize lists so long that he became a five-time USA Memory Champion, and how you can use some of his strategies to improve your own memory.
https://www.nelsondellis.com/
The human brain resists uncertainty — whether it's an approaching tiger or a global pandemic, we've evolved to move from fear and chaos to order and resolution.
Dr. Beau Lotto, founder of the Lab of Misfits, explains why the brain takes small steps instead of large leaps, and why we need to teach kids to think more like scientists.
Plus... why we react to a pandemic by hoarding toilet paper!
https://www.beaulotto.com/
Since this episode was first released in 2021, Dr. Lotto has launched a new project - "Evolvable.Me"
"Our interactive AI-powered platform reveals precise, science-backed insights into how you think, relate, and behave – drawn from your responses and real-life conversations."
Try it for free at https://www.evolvable.me/
What is awe? It's not wonder, or surprise, or pleasure — it's a state of mind that Dr. Beau Lotto calls "finding the impossible in the common."
Dr. Lotto is a neuroscientist who specializes in perception; he once actually measured awe in the brains of people watching Cirque du Soleil. Learn where awe originates, why it evolved, and even how military leaders might weaponize it.
Plus... why Dr. Lotto says babies are born "useless".
https://www.beaulotto.com/
Since this episode was first released in 2021, Dr. Lotto has launched a new project - "Evolvable.Me"
"Our interactive AI-powered platform reveals precise, science-backed insights into how you think, relate, and behave – drawn from your responses and real-life conversations."
Try it for free at https://www.evolvable.me/
Candace Pert discovered the opioid receptor, created a drug to stop AIDS in the brain, and identified stress as a cause of disease. She also inadvertently unleashed the overdose epidemic, got kicked out of the NIH, and was denied credit for much of her work.
Largely forgotten, Pert was a trailblazing yet mercurial neuroscientist.
Emmy award winning writer and producer Pamela Ryckman shines a light on Pert's breakthroughs and her fascinating legacy on the podcast.
For a transcript and more information about this episode use this link: https://bit.ly/4vuMoiG
For more about our guest's book:
https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/contributor/pamela-ryckman/
New parents - especially moms - experience profound changes in the brain when they are expecting and welcoming a new baby. Health journalist Chelsea Conaboy explains how the caricature of "mommy brain" and its cognitive fog has it all wrong - parenthood actually has a neuroprotective effect, as the brain adapts to meeting the needs of children. It happens to all parents, not just mothers, but it's most dramatic in gestating parents.
Plus... how it takes a troop to raise a monkey.
For a transcript and further information use this link: https://bit.ly/4ovUTay
Where in the brain is that little something that makes top performers feel so confident in their ability? Can that confidence be developed in someone who is naturally more timid? Dr. Nate Zinsser, director of West Point's Performance Psychology Program and author of The Confident Mind, explains how a sense of mastery develops, and why butterflies in your stomach are a signal from the brain when you're about to do something great.
Plus… why Ted Lasso wants us all to be a little more like goldfish.
For transcript and further information, use this link:
https://bit.ly/4ocC0cE
We all do it - put things off, tell ourselves we'll start tomorrow, and somehow still miss the deadline. But chronic procrastination isn't just a bad habit; it's self-sabotaging behavior that can derail our goals, relationships, and even our health. Psychologist Dr. Joseph Ferrari, a leading expert on procrastination, breaks down the emotional roots of procrastination, debunks the myth that we "work best under pressure," and offers science-backed strategies for change. Plus - meet one of history's most legendary procrastinators: Leonardo da Vinci. Find out how his epic delays shaped the Mona Lisa, and why some believe he never truly finished it. Thanks for enjoying this archive episode of This Is Your Brain. For a transcript and further background information please use this link.
https://bit.ly/4uDBUgM
Nancy Jarecki's stroke could have reduced her to a statistic. But her determination, humor and style paved a different path to recovery.
For our Season Six Finale we are recognizing Stroke Awareness Month with a very special episode of This Is Your Brain.
This is a story told by Nancy Jarecki, - a businesswoman, wife and mother - whose resilience and good humor while recovering from a serious brain aneurysm was inspiring to all of us who treated her here at New York – Presbyterian Hospital. What follows is a dramatic, funny and heart-warming story of one woman's journey back from a life-altering experience.
For more information, transcripts, and all episodes, please visit https://thisisyourbrain.com
For more about Weill Cornell Medicine Neurological Surgery, please visit https://neurosurgery.weillcornell.org
Most of us have a bad hair day or we're not happy if we have a little pimple on our face. But that's quite different from the experience of people with body dysmorphic disorder. (BDD)
More than simple insecurity about one's appearance, BDD is a disorder in which a person's perception of their appearance becomes all-consuming and deeply distressing. Perfectly normal looking people can see themselves as horribly ugly. Or one minor detail becomes an enormous fixation, like the patient who said they felt they were just one giant pimple with hands and feet.
In this episode, Dr. Phil Stieg speaks with psychiatrist and BDD expert Dr. Katharine Phillips about how altered visual processing in the brain leads individuals to fixate on minor and often imagined flaws, while behaviors like mirror-checking and reassurance seeking reinforce the cycle of negative perception. Dr. Phillips highlights the serious mental health risks associated with this condition and discusses evidence-based treatments that have led many patients to a meaningful recovery.
For more information, transcripts, and all episodes, please visit
https://thisisyourbrain.com
For more about Weill Cornell Medicine Neurological Surgery, please visit
https://neurosurgery.weillcornell.org
Imagine a world where everyone looks the same and you can't recognize one person from another – even you own child! It sounds like a frightening episode from the "Twilight Zone", but it's just every day life for people with prosopagnosia, better known as "Face Blindness".
We humans use parts of our brains to see, process and recognize faces that are different from recognizing anything else in our lives, which is not surprising when you consider how important faces are to understanding the situations we are in and the emotions of the people closest to us.
In this episode, Dr. Brad Duchaine, a professor of psychological and brain sciences at Dartmouth College and one of the world's experts on face recognition, explains how how the face blind perceive the world, the strategies they use to mange their lives, and the unfortunate people who experience the rare (and almost unpronounceable) condition of "prosopometamorphopsia."
Plus, hear how "Super Recognizers" are using the opposite of face blindness to help fight crime.
For more information, transcripts, and all episodes, please visit https://thisisyourbrain.com
For more about Weill Cornell Medicine Neurological Surgery, please visit https://neurosurgery.weillcornell.org
Why do we sometimes drink too much, even when we know the risks? In this episode, surgeon, author, and recovering alcoholic Dr. Charles Knowles joins us to explore the neuroscience of alcohol use and addiction. Drawing from his book "Why We Drink Too Much" and his own lived experience, Dr. Knowles describes how alcohol alters the brain's reward pathways, and how drinking problems exist on a spectrum. Through neuroscience and deeply personal insight, he speaks to alcohol's impact on mental and physical health and gives inspiration to others through sharing his own journey to recovery.
For more information, transcripts, and all episodes, please visit https://thisisyourbrain.com
For more about Weill Cornell Medicine Neurological Surgery, please visit https://neurosurgery.weillcornell.org
Although memories fade, hearing declines and our bodies suffer aches and pains, there is one benefit to aging that we can actually gain with each passing year.
It's called wisdom.
But just because someone is older, it doesn't mean they are wiser. It takes a certain type of person to learn important lessons from their life experiences.
Dr. Dillip Jeste reveals what he has discovered after studying wisdom for decades, including the neuroscience of the wise brain, emphasizing how cultivating wisdom enhances brain health as well as offering some insights on how to develop and nurture wisdom in yourself, at any age.
In a larger view, Dr. Jeste discusses the importance of wisdom for the health of our society.
For more information, transcripts, and all episodes, please visit
https://thisisyourbrain.com
For more about Weill Cornell Medicine Neurological Surgery, please visit
https://neurosurgery.weillcornell.org
Cults and high-control groups influence beliefs and fundamentally reshape identity, decision-making, and autonomy.
In this episode, Dr. Phil Stieg sits down with sociologist and cult expert Dr. Janja Lalich, Professor and author of Take Back Your Life, to explore the psychology behind cults. Drawing from decades of research as well as her own personal experience of spending a decade in a political cult, she discusses how indoctrination alters a person's sense of self, why anyone can become vulnerable under the right circumstances, and the road to recovery after leaving.
For more information, transcripts, and all episodes, please visit
https://thisisyourbrain.com
For more about Weill Cornell Medicine Neurological Surgery, please visit
https://neurosurgery.weillcornell.org
Narcissism is a term that gets used constantly - but what does it actually mean in psychological terms, and how is it shaping our society? In this episode, Dr. Phil Stieg speaks with leading expert Dr. Keith Campbell to separate myth from science.
Drawing from his book The New Science of Narcissism, Dr. Campbell explains the difference between everyday self-focused traits and the far rarer personality disorder, unpacks the two distinct expressions of grandiose and vulnerable narcissism, and explores how these patterns influence our relationships, leadership, parenting, and culture.
Plus, let's spend some time with the "O.G." narcissist.
For more information, transcripts, and all episodes, please visit
https://thisisyourbrain.com
For more about Weill Cornell Medicine Neurological Surgery, please visit
https://neurosurgery.weillcornell.org
Whether it's rock and roll, classical, hip hop, or rap, most people enjoy music in one form or another. (Even newborn babies respond to it.) But why? What is going on in our brains when we hear our favorite tunes?
Dr. Barbara Minton, a psychotherapist and neuroscientist, studies exactly how our brains react to various types of music, to provide targeted music therapy. And she goes one step further. As a musician herself, she is also creating the music, specifically designed for our brains, blending art and science to better harness its power to heal.
For more information, transcripts, and all episodes, please visit
https://thisisyourbrain.com
For more about Weill Cornell Medicine Neurological Surgery, please visit
https://neurosurgery.weillcornell.org
Artificial intelligence is reshaping how we think, live, and make choices, but are our brains ready for it? Award-winning tech journalist Jacob Ward joins Dr. Phil Stieg to discuss how AI exploits our ancient decision-making systems, why we're so easily manipulated, and what it means for our future.
Drawing from behavioral science and decades of reporting, Ward explains just how predictable we are, the pitfalls of falling into "the loop", and how to stay human in an AI-driven world.
For more information, transcripts, and all episodes, please visit https://thisisyourbrain.com
For more about Weill Cornell Medicine Neurological Surgery, please visit https://neurosurgery.weillcornell.org
If someone asks you what you are doing to prepare for your retirement, you might mention a 401K or an IRA, but what you might not realize is that you also need to prepare your mind for this major change in your life as well. Dr. Ross Andel, a gerontologist, who has been studying what happens to our brains when we retire, reveals how it can have serious consequences for our mental health, including cognitive decline and depression. But he will also offer some easy steps and tips to avoid this "retirement trap" and keep our brains active and healthy so that we can fully enjoy that hard-earned nest egg in our golden years. For more information, transcripts, and all episodes, please visit https://thisisyourbrain.com
For more about Weill Cornell Medicine Neurological Surgery, please visit https://neurosurgery.weillcornell.org
We all know the importance of a good diet, sufficient exercise and a good night's sleep, but there's one more essential thing we all need to be healthy. Social connection. Simply put, our brains need friends. Neuroscientist Dr. Ben Rein reveals exactly what is happening in our brains when we interact with friends, family, even strangers, and how exactly this affects our physical and mental health… the many benefits of a good social life and the real risks of isolation and loneliness . He also offers simple tips on how we can be more social and to make better use of one of the most powerful, easiest, and cheapest ways to a healthy, happy life. (Hint: Next time you think you are too busy to call or text that friend…pick up the phone and connect).
For more information, transcripts, and all episodes, please visit https://thisisyourbrain.com
For more about Weill Cornell Medicine Neurological Surgery, please visit https://neurosurgery.weillcornell.org
Touch is the first sense we develop, and one of the most powerful tools we have for connection, healing, and communication.
In this episode, social neuroscientist Dr. Michael Banissy explains how everyday gestures like hugs, handshakes, and high-fives influence our health and emotional well-being. From the biological complexity of our touch receptors to surprising studies on immune response, stress, and sleep, Dr. Banissy reveals why touch matters more than we think, and what happens when we don't get enough of it.
Plus - the dangers of a pain-free life.
For more information, transcripts, and all episodes, please visit https://thisisyourbrain.com
For more about Weill Cornell Medicine Neurological Surgery, please visit https://neurosurgery.weillcornell.org
Whether it's our shopping habits, Google searches, or Facebook friends, we are all aware that our personal information is being collected and often sold online. But what about our thoughts, what's going on in our minds? With all the advances in consumer Neurotechnology and AI, stealing data from our brains is no longer science fiction and at least for now, it can collected and used without our consent.
Can anything be done to stop this intrusion into our most personal information? Dr. Sean Pauzauski, Medical Director at the Neurorights Foundation, discusses how companies collect our brain data, and whether or not your mind has any right to privacy.
Plus - The art of "Mentalists" who make you believe they can read your mind!
For more information, transcripts, and all episodes, please visit https://thisisyourbrain.com
For more about Weill Cornell Medicine Neurological Surgery, please visit https://neurosurgery.weillcornell.org
Why do you exercise? It might be to lose weight, maintain or improve your health, reduce stress, or perhaps a combination of all of these. But what is actually motivating you is simpler than that. As Dr. Gary Wenk reveals in his book "Your Brian on Exercise", you exercise because your brain needs you to move, and it will do everything it can to motivate you to do it.
He provides fascinating insights into exactly what is happening to our brains when we go jogging, lift weights, swim laps, or take a walk, as well as what happens when we don't. He'll also answer questions we all have about exercise vs diet to lose weight and perhaps, most importantly, how much exercise is enough.
For more information, transcripts, and all episodes, please visit https://thisisyourbrain.com
For more about Weill Cornell Medicine Neurological Surgery, please visit https://neurosurgery.weillcornell.org
Until the death of actor Matthew Perry many people had never even heard of Ketamine. As a recreational drug, known as "Special K", it can be extremely addictive and dangerous. But, when used under supervision, this powerful drug can help people with depression and various other mental health issues.
Dr. John Krystal, a leading expert on the neurobiology and treatment of psychiatric disorders, offers insights into why and how a drug once used as a horse tranquilizer and anesthetic has become a lifeline for those suffering from clinical depression.
For more information, transcripts, and all episodes, please visit https://thisisyourbrain.com
For more about Weill Cornell Medicine Neurological Surgery, please visit https://neurosurgery.weillcornell.org
At age 70, after a long career as a neurosurgeon and best-selling author, the tables were turned on Dr. Henry Marsh.
Diagnosed with cancer, and facing his own mortality, Marsh offers a humble and honest look at what it was like when a prominent doctor becomes a patient; just as scared and dependent as anyone of us would be dealing with a terrible diagnosis, with regrets, fears, and feelings of helplessness.
In his latest book chronicling his experience, Marsh shares some valuable lessons that he learned from both sides of the Doctor/Patient relationship.
For more information, transcripts, and all episodes, please visit https://thisisyourbrain.com
For more about Weill Cornell Medicine Neurological Surgery, please visit https://neurosurgery.weillcornell.org
Dr. Henry Marsh is a brain surgeon who suddenly found himself on the other side of a life-threatening diagnosis. He doesn't shy away from the revealing his deepest emotions of anger, fear, and remorse. Rather than reflection on dying, his story is more about sharing the hard-earned lessons he learned along the way about living and appreciating whatever time we each have on our own mortal journey.
For more information, transcripts, and all episodes, please visit https://thisisyourbrain.com
For more about Weill Cornell Medicine Neurological Surgery, please visit https://neurosurgery.weillcornell.org
Have you ever felt the type of grief where it seemed like you would never recover, like your heart was actually broken? Whether it’s a member of your family, a friend or a beloved pet, all of us will experience the loss of a loved one, and the deep and difficult emotions that follow. One of the reasons grief can be so difficult is actually more about our brains than our hearts. Dr. Mary-Frances O’Connor has been studying grief for decades, and she has learned its profound effects on our brains and our bodies. She will reveal some surprising insights about why our minds struggle to understand and process when someone is gone. She’ll also provide some very practical ways to help us cope with one of the most difficult experiences of our lives. Plus, how some animals grieve on land and sea.
For more information, transcripts, and all episodes, please visit https://thisisyourbrain.com
For more about Weill Cornell Medicine Neurological Surgery, please visit https://neurosurgery.weillcornell.org
When was the last time you actually took time to play, to simply have fun? For most adults, the answer is usually not often enough. The benefits of play for adults, like children, has been shown to have many benefits to both physical and mental health. In fact, it can play a vital role in whether someone is happy or depressed, fulfilled or empty. In this podcast we will hear from a Play Expert whose career actually began by studying a mass murderer. He will help you discover what type of play personality you have as well as how important and easy it is to add play to your life.
To hear special bonus content from this episode, please go to our website:
https://thisisyourbrain.com/2025/09/bonus-segment-play-is-not-just-kids-stuff/
For more information, transcripts, and all episodes, please visit https://thisisyourbrain.com
For more about Weill Cornell Medicine Neurological Surgery, please visit https://neurosurgery.weillcornell.org
Women obviously go through many changes to their bodies and their minds when they become mothers. But what about fathers? Although moms have been studied extensively, few people have paid any attention to what happens to men when they become dads. Do they go through any physical changes at all? Do they also experience hormone surges and shrinking brains like women do (yes mom and dads, your brains got smaller). Do they also suffer from depression and anxiety?
Dr. Darby Saxbe has dedicated her career to studying fathers, and in her new book, Dad Brain, the New Science of Fatherhood, she reveals things about fathers that are as surprising as they are dramatic, discoveries which could have enormous impact on how society views dear old dads, and their role in raising children.
For more information, transcripts, and all episodes, please visit https://thisisyourbrain.com
For more about Weill Cornell Medicine Neurological Surgery, please visit https://neurosurgery.weillcornell.org
Dr. Fred Luskin, director of the Stanford Forgiveness Projects, explains how releasing resentment can transform both mind and body. Drawing on decades of research and work with people in war-torn regions around the world, Luskin explains why forgiveness is a powerful act of healing for the forgiver. He shares compelling stories and practical steps to help keep past hurts from stealing your peace today.
Plus, the Zulu concept of Ubuntu and how South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission used Ubuntu to help guide a nation’s journey towards healing.
For more information, transcripts, and all episodes, please visit https://thisisyourbrain.com
For more about Weill Cornell Medicine Neurological Surgery, please visit https://neurosurgery.weillcornell.org
What are your dreams really telling you? Renowned sleep researcher Dr. Robert Stickgold joins Dr. Stieg to unravel the mysteries of dreaming. From the bizarre to the brilliant, dreams are a window into how the brain processes memory, emotion, and problem-solving. Learn why your brain needs to dream, how dreams shape your waking life, and what science says about interpreting them. Whether you're a vivid dreamer or rarely remember a thing, this episode will change the way you think about what your brain is doing when you go to sleep at night.
For more information, transcripts, and all episodes, please visit https://thisisyourbrain.com
For more about Weill Cornell Medicine Neurological Surgery, please visit https://neurosurgery.weillcornell.org
What happens when your hands refuse to listen to your brain? For Alexandra Lebenthal, essential tremor was more than a neurological disorder, it was a lifelong challenge that affected everything from drinking water in meetings to giving public speeches.
In this deeply personal episode, Alexandra shares her journey from a childhood marked by frustration and embarrassment to becoming one of the first patients in the U.S. to undergo focused ultrasound, a groundbreaking, non-invasive treatment that changed her life.
For more information, transcripts, and all episodes, please visit https://thisisyourbrain.com
For more about Weill Cornell Medicine Neurological Surgery, please visit https://neurosurgery.weillcornell.org
Everyone loves a good story. And so do our brains. Whether its books, movies, fairy tales, or even office gossip, stories are much more than just entertainment. According to Dr. Fritz Breithaupt, narratives in our lives are way more powerful than we realize. We don’t just enjoy stories, we actually need them. But why are they so important? Does the brain gain anything from a good plot on your favorite Netflix series, or the well-developed characters in an Oscar winning film?
There is actually something much more important in a good story, a reward for our brains that has actually been essential to human survival.
Plus, tales of Dungeons & Dragons as therapy!
For more information, transcripts, and all episodes, please visit https://thisisyourbrain.com
For more about Weill Cornell Medicine Neurological Surgery, please visit https://neurosurgery.weillcornell.org
We all do it - put things off, tell ourselves we'll start tomorrow, and somehow still miss the deadline. But chronic procrastination isn’t just a bad habit; it’s self-sabotaging behavior that can derail our goals, relationships, and even our health. Psychologist Dr. Joseph Ferrari, a leading expert on procrastination, breaks down the emotional roots of procrastination, debunks the myth that we “work best under pressure,” and offers science-backed strategies for change. Plus - meet one of history’s most legendary procrastinators: Leonardo da Vinci. Find out how his epic delays shaped the Mona Lisa, and why some believe he never truly finished it. For more information, transcripts, and all episodes, please visit https://thisisyourbrain.com
For more about Weill Cornell Medicine Neurological Surgery, please visit https://neurosurgery.weillcornell.org
For five seasons now, I've been delighted to explore the wonders of the brain with my guests as well as with you, my listeners. Podcasting is fun and enlightening, and I've heard from many of you that it's been helpful as well as informative. It's also time-consuming, especially given my busy practice and my administrative duties as department chair. That's why the podcast is going on hiatus before Season 6 begins to let me attend to some of my other work for a while.
I hope you take this opportunity to catch up on episodes you may have missed over the past five seasons. There are more than 100 fascinating guests and topics to explore at your leisure. From anger to dance moves to stem cells, these episodes cover a fascinating range of topics, all centered on our most intricate and complicated organ, the brain.
See you in season 6!
###
For more information, transcripts, and all episodes, please visit https://thisisyourbrain.com
For more about Weill Cornell Medicine Neurological Surgery, please visit https://neurosurgery.weillcornell.org
Humans are born with billions of neurons that need connecting – and how those synapses develop helps determine how our brains will work. There is ample evidence that a loving, nurturing environment in infancy and early childhood provides the most fertile ground for brain development.
Isabelle Hau, executive director of the Stanford Accelerator for Learning, explains why a well-loved baby or child simply learns better than a neglected one, and how our contracting social circles endanger our kids.
Plus… the mystery of why average IQs rose for decades, until recently. Are technology and isolation affecting our intelligence?
For more information, transcripts, and all episodes, please visit https://thisisyourbrain.com
For more about Weill Cornell Medicine Neurological Surgery, please visit https://neurosurgery.weillcornell.org
It’s no surprise that feeling lonely is associated with depression, but did you know that loneliness may also lead to chronic inflammation, changes in the brain, and even premature death? Dr. Julianne Holt-Lunstad, professor of psychology at Brigham Young University and an expert on the physiological effects of social connections, explains how our current crisis of loneliness is as much a public health threat as smoking, alcohol use, and diabetes. Discover the behavioral, psychological, and biological factors affected by loneliness, which groups are most at risk, and what we can all do to reconnect.
For more information, transcripts, and all episodes, please visit https://thisisyourbrain.com
For more about Weill Cornell Medicine Neurological Surgery, please visit https://neurosurgery.weillcornell.org
Pain and fear are inevitable, especially these days, but we can retrain our brains to reduce suffering. Dr. Sara Lazar, Assistant Professor in Psychology at Harvard Medical School, reveals how just eight weeks of mindful meditation can visibly change parts of the brain to be less reactive to pain.
Plus... how meditation apps put the power of mindfulness right in your hand.
For more information, transcripts, and all episodes, please visit https://thisisyourbrain.com
For more about Weill Cornell Medicine Neurological Surgery, please visit https://neurosurgery.weillcornell.org
Humans are so powerfully wired for survival that it can be hard to understand suicide - especially in adolescents. What happens in the brain that can override such a profound instinct for self-preservation? Dr. Sakina Rizvi, a researcher and psychotherapist in Toronto, Canada specializing in suicide prevention, reveals the social, biological, and psychological facets of suicidal ideation. Hear how childhood trauma, current life stressors, and brain impairment may all play a role in suicide, and learn how to recognize warning signs in a loved one.
Plus… the do’s and don’ts of talking to someone at risk.
For more information, transcripts, and all episodes, please visit https://thisisyourbrain.com
For more about Weill Cornell Medicine Neurological Surgery, please visit https://neurosurgery.weillcornell.org
Dr. Sakina Rizvi, a researcher and psychotherapist in Toronto, Canada specializing in suicide prevention, reveals the social, biological, and psychological facets of suicidal ideation. In our next episode, hear from her how childhood trauma, current life stressors, and brain impairment may all play a role in suicide, and learn how to recognize warning signs in a loved one.
The past 30 years have produced an epidemic of obesity -- mostly because evolution did not prepare us for so many calories and so little physical activity. Dr. Louis Aronne, a leading authority on obesity, explains how a period of caloric excess can damage the neural connections that manage your metabolism, throwing your weight regulation out of whack. More importantly, he talks about the new drug that tackles obesity at two different hormonal sites and promises to become an actual "weight loss pill."
Plus... the real reason to skip the bread basket (it's in your brain)
For more information, transcripts, and all episodes, please visit https://thisisyourbrain.com
For more about Weill Cornell Medicine Neurological Surgery, please visit https://neurosurgery.weillcornell.org
What makes us happy? The warm feelings of closeness that we have with family and friends are rooted in the neurochemical oxytocin – the love hormone, if you will.
Oxytocin facilitates social engagement, encourages bonding, and just makes us feel happier. My guest today, neuroscientist Paul Zak, has done decades of research into the role of oxytocin and discovered that this feel-good chemical motivates us to engage with others. Not only that, but immersing ourselves in social circles, among people who are nice to us, increases oxytocin and improves our mood. (High stress, on the other hand, inhibits oxytocin and makes us feel unhappy.)
Find out how to harness the power of oxytocin to live a happier, healthier, life.
For more information, transcripts, and all episodes, please visit https://thisisyourbrain.com
For more about Weill Cornell Medicine Neurological Surgery, please visit https://neurosurgery.weillcornell.org
Daniel Levitin says we can all age successfully if we take our choices more seriously now. The neuroscientist and author reveals the keys to reaching our senior years in the best possible shape, explains what happens to dopamine levels when we stop trying new things, and tells us the three things older adults are better at than younger ones. Plus... what primatologist Jane Goodall told him about the key to healthier aging.
For more information, transcripts, and all episodes, please visit https://thisisyourbrain.com
For more about Weill Cornell Medicine Neurological Surgery, please visit https://neurosurgery.weillcornell.org
Daniel Levitin says we can all age successfully if we take our choices more seriously now. He reveals the keys to reaching our senior years in the best possible shape - and tells us the three things older adults are better at than younger ones!
For more information, transcripts, and all episodes, please visit https://thisisyourbrain.com
For more about Weill Cornell Medicine Neurological Surgery, please visit https://neurosurgery.weillcornell.org
We are the only species that creates and experiences art – not just visual art but music, poetry, dance, theater, and even architecture. The impact that art has on us cannot be overstated, as it affects cognition, mental health, and physical wellbeing. My guests today are Susan Magsamen of the International Arts + Mind Lab at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and Ivy Ross, vice president of design for the Hardware Product Area at Google and an artist and designer in her own right. Magsamen and Ross co-authored a book about the brain and the arts; the new field of neuroaesthetics is, as they say, "the closest thing to magic." Find out how we don't just create and enjoy art – we are actually shaped by it, improved by it, made healthier by it. Embracing art just once a month can extend your life up to a decade!
Find out how easy it is get started, which arts have an impact on both sides of the brain, and why art makes us better people. Plus... Hear from one of my own patients about how adding art to her environment boosted her recovery from a devastating stroke.
For more information, transcripts, and all episodes, please visit https://thisisyourbrain.com
For more about Weill Cornell Medicine Neurological Surgery, please visit https://neurosurgery.weillcornell.org
Dr. Tony Nader, an academic, author, and the leader of the Transcendental Meditation movement, knows how you can find inner peace. TM is like a deep dive to the stillness at the bottom of the ocean, leaving the turbulent waves far above. Learn how the body and mind are inextricably bound, and how meditation can improve mental and physical health. Plus… what the Beatles taught us about meditation.
For more information, transcripts, and all episodes, please visit https://thisisyourbrain.com
For more about Weill Cornell Medicine Neurological Surgery, please visit https://neurosurgery.weillcornell.org
For more about Dr. Nader visit -
https://www.drtonynader.com/
Dr. Tony Nader, an academic, author, and the leader of the Transcendental Meditation movement, knows how you can find inner peace.
https://www.drtonynader.com/
For more information, transcripts, and all episodes, please visit https://thisisyourbrain.com
For more about Weill Cornell Medicine Neurological Surgery, please visit https://neurosurgery.weillcornell.org
Why are some people capable of creating music, art, books, or new technologies, seemingly out of thin air? Where do imagination and creativity live in the brain - and how can we tap them? Neuroscientist and author Anna Abraham reveals the three elements of creativity and explores the myths surrounding it, from its links to mental illness to the effects of psychiatric drugs on it. The good news? Creativity does not decline with age, so for some of us, the best may be yet to come.
For more information, transcripts, and all episodes, please visit https://thisisyourbrain.com
For more about Weill Cornell Medicine Neurological Surgery, please visit https://neurosurgery.weillcornell.org
Where do imagination and creativity live in the brain - and how can we tap them? Neuroscientist and author Anna Abraham reveals the three elements of creativity and explores the myths surrounding it.
Full episode debuts Friday August 23rd.
For more information, transcripts, and all episodes, please visit https://thisisyourbrain.com
For more about Weill Cornell Medicine Neurological Surgery, please visit https://neurosurgery.weillcornell.org
Dolphins have large, complex brains that are a lot like the human model -- what if we could get inside their heads and communicate with them? Meet cognitive psychologist and marine mammal scientist Diana Reiss, PhD, who has been doing just that. Turns out our underwater friends have a lot going on in their brains, if only we could learn to decode it.
Plus... Hear from one of the musician/scientists who discovered that whales produce actual songs (and whose work inspired a beautiful and novel album by Judy Collins)
For more information, transcripts, and all episodes, please visit https://thisisyourbrain.com
For more about Weill Cornell Medicine Neurological Surgery, please visit https://neurosurgery.weillcornell.org
Just in time for summer vacation - Talking with dolphins! Cognitive psychologist and marine mammal scientist Diana Reiss, PhD has been doing just that.
Dolphins have large, complex brains that are a lot like the human model. What if we could get inside their heads and communicate with them?
Plus musician/scientist Katy Payne, one of the team who discovered whale songs...
For more information, transcripts, and all episodes, please visit https://thisisyourbrain.com
For more about Weill Cornell Medicine Neurological Surgery, please visit https://neurosurgery.weillcornell.org
Candace Pert discovered the opioid receptor, created a drug to stop AIDS in the brain, and identified stress as a cause of disease. She also inadvertently unleashed the overdose epidemic, got herself kicked out of the NIH, and was denied credit for much of her work. Pert was a trailblazing yet mercurial neuroscientist, a woman who made her male boss famous but has been largely forgotten herself. She was also a rebel, a workaholic... and a bit mad. In this episode, Pamela Ryckman, the author of a new biography of Pert, reveals some of the wilder tales about her and explains why she remains largely unknown even though her discoveries were truly life-changing. Plus... Other women in science who remain mostly hidden from history.
For more information, transcripts, and all episodes, please visit https://thisisyourbrain.com
For more about Weill Cornell Medicine Neurological Surgery, please visit https://neurosurgery.weillcornell.org
Candace Pert discovered the opioid receptor, created a drug to stop AIDS in the brain, and identified stress as a cause of disease. She also inadvertently unleashed the overdose epidemic, got herself kicked out of the NIH, and was denied credit for much of her work. Pert was a trailblazing yet mercurial neuroscientist, a woman who made her male boss famous but has been largely forgotten herself. She was also a rebel, a workaholic... and a bit mad.
For more information, transcripts, and all episodes, please visit https://thisisyourbrain.com
For more about Weill Cornell Medicine Neurological Surgery, please visit https://neurosurgery.weillcornell.org
ASMR, or the autonomous sensory meridian response, is a state of deep calm accompanied by a sense of “brain tingles.” Not everyone experiences it, but if you do, you know what triggers it: a whisper or other soft sounds, a gentle touch or movement, even watching a Bob Ross video. Physiologist Craig Richard explains the science behind ASMR, and why in some people induces a deeply relaxing response that can resolve insomnia, relaxation, and stress. Plus: Who are the top “artists” of ASMR?
For more information, transcripts, and all episodes, please visit https://thisisyourbrain.com
For more about Weill Cornell Medicine Neurological Surgery, please visit https://neurosurgery.weillcornell.org
Physiologist Craig Richard explains the science behind ASMR, and why in some people induces a deeply relaxing response that can resolve insomnia, relaxation, and stress.
For more information, transcripts, and all episodes, please visit https://thisisyourbrain.com
For more about Weill Cornell Medicine Neurological Surgery, please visit https://neurosurgery.weillcornell.org
We will never create true artificial intelligence (if we really want that) until we know more about how the human brain works. Tech entrepreneur and author Max Bennett explains how AI learns, where it falls short, and how it stacks up against our own intelligence.
As it turns out, what's easy for humans is hard for AI, but AI is better at doing some things that are quite hard for us. Mostly, what AI teaches us is just how remarkable the human brain is - it is much better at continued learning than AI is, and it requires less input to come to conclusions. But... Can we trust it?
For more information, transcripts, and all episodes, please visit https://thisisyourbrain.com
For more about Weill Cornell Medicine Neurological Surgery, please visit https://neurosurgery.weillcornell.org
Tech entrepreneur and author Max Bennett explains how AI learns, where it falls short, and how it stacks up against our own intelligence. As it turns out, what's easy for humans is hard for AI, but AI is better at doing some things that are quite hard for us.
For more information, transcripts, and all episodes, please visit https://thisisyourbrain.com
For more about Weill Cornell Medicine Neurological Surgery, please visit https://neurosurgery.weillcornell.org
Language originates as brain signals -- mysterious lines of squiggles -- that somehow turn into speech. Meet the neuroscientist who is turning those squiggles into conversations, using artificial intelligence to translate brain activity into words and sentences. Dr. Edward Chang of UCSF talks with Dr. Stieg about the painstaking "magic" of decoding that has allowed a paralyzed man to speak after 20 years of aphasia, essentially live streaming signals from his brain and transforming them into language.
Plus - Why are A.I. voices always female?
For more information, transcripts, and all episodes, please visit https://thisisyourbrain.com
For more about Weill Cornell Medicine Neurological Surgery, please visit https://neurosurgery.weillcornell.org
Meet the neuroscientist who is using artificial intelligence to translate brain activity into words and sentences. Dr. Edward Chang of UCSF talks with Dr. Stieg about the painstaking "magic" of decoding that has allowed a paralyzed man to speak after 20 years of aphasia.
For more information, transcripts, and all episodes, please visit https://thisisyourbrain.com
For more about Weill Cornell Medicine Neurological Surgery, please visit https://neurosurgery.weillcornell.org
We are programmed by evolution to be anxious - fear was a lifesaver for early humans! So are why are some 21st-century humans crippled by it? Catherine Pittman, PhD, chair of psychology at Saint Mary’s College in Notre Dame, is an expert on how different parts of the brain create and manage anxiety, and how to overcome it. Learn just how fast your amygdala responds to a threat (before we even perceive it), and how your cortex jumps in to process the information. Turns out your amygdala has been watching too much Cortex TV, and you can train your brain to change the channel. Plus... the rare cases of people who are completely "fearless".
For more information, transcripts, and all episodes, please visit https://thisisyourbrain.com
For more about Weill Cornell Medicine Neurological Surgery, please visit https://neurosurgery.weillcornell.org
Catherine Pittman, PhD, chair of psychology at Saint Mary’s College in Notre Dame, is an expert on how different parts of the brain create and manage anxiety, and how to overcome it. Learn just how fast your amygdala responds to a threat (before we even perceive it), and how your cortex jumps in to process the information.
For more information, transcripts, and all episodes, please visit https://thisisyourbrain.com
For more about Weill Cornell Medicine Neurological Surgery, please visit
https://neurosurgery.weillcornell.org
It's effective against depression, can help you stop smoking, even ease end-of-life distress. It's non-addictive, naturally occurring, and has been used for thousands of years -- but you can't have it. It's psilocybin, the compound that creates the "magic" in dozens of species of mushrooms.
Johns Hopkins researcher Albert Garcia-Romeu, Ph.D. knows just how magical it is. He's conducting research on psilocybin's therapeutic value for everything from persistent Lyme disease to a range of mental health conditions. Find out what this psychedelic drug can do, and why it got such a bad reputation.
Plus... revisiting Timothy Leary's rise and fall as he turned on, tuned out, and dropped out.
For more information, transcripts, and all episodes, please visit https://thisisyourbrain.com
For more about Weill Cornell Medicine Neurological Surgery, please visit https://neurosurgery.weillcornell.org
It's effective against depression, can help you stop smoking, even ease end-of-life distress. It's non-addictive, naturally occurring, and has been used for thousands of years -- but you can't have it. It's psilocybin, the compound that creates the "magic" in dozens of species of mushrooms.
Johns Hopkins researcher Albert Garcia-Romeu, Ph.D. knows just how magical it is.
Can't remember the fourth item on your grocery list? Nelson Dellis, a professional "memory athlete," can remember 100 things or more (though he still may forget the butter). Hear how Dellis learned to memorize lists so long that he became a five-time USA Memory Champion, and how you can use some of his strategies to improve your own memory. Dellis explains how he uses tricks like the "memory palace" and mnemonic devices to recall lengthy lists with perfect accuracy. In an era when cell phones are making memory superfluous, you can regain some of those lost skills by using his techniques.
Plus... those rare folks who can never forget a day in their lives.
For more information, transcripts, and all episodes, please visit https://thisisyourbrain.com
For more about Weill Cornell Medicine Neurological Surgery, please visit https://neurosurgery.weillcornell.org
Nelson Dellis, a "memory athlete," can remember 100 things or more (though he still may forget the butter). Hear how Dellis learned to memorize lists so long that he became a five-time USA Memory Champion, and how you can use some of his strategies to improve your own memory.
For more information, transcripts, and all episodes, please visit https://thisisyourbrain.com
For more about Weill Cornell Medicine Neurological Surgery, please visit https://neurosurgery.weillcornell.org
Synesthesia is the mysterious mingling of the senses that creates the experience of "seeing" sounds or "hearing" colors. Neurologist Richard E. Cytowic, M.D. has spent his career exploring this remarkable phenomenon, and has some fascinating insight into how these sensations are formed in the brain -- and how we might use it to reunite our fractured society.
Plus... meet the man whose extreme form of synesthesia mingled all five of his senses!
For more information, transcripts, and all episodes, please visit https://thisisyourbrain.com
For more about Weill Cornell Medicine Neurological Surgery, please visit https://neurosurgery.weillcornell.org
Most of us talk with our hands, some more than others, but what are we really saying? Susan Goldin-Meadow, PhD, professor of psychology and comparative human development at the University of Chicago, is an expert on gestures – what they mean, why they don't always agree with what words we are using, and even how they develop in blind children who have never seen them.
Plus... why you should never use the thumbs-up sign in Iran!
For more information, transcripts, and all episodes, please visit https://thisisyourbrain.com
For more about Weill Cornell Medicine Neurological Surgery, please visit https://neurosurgery.weillcornell.org
Menopause can wreak havoc on mood and body temperature as it signals the end of fertility, but some of the biggest changes it causes are in the brain. Emily Jacobs, assistant professor in the department of psychological and brain sciences at UC Santa Barbara, explains how the precipitous decline in estrogen during the "change of life" disrupts the endocrine system and makes a woman's brain more like... a man's! Plus: Hear from real women describing the wide range of effects they experienced.
For more information, transcripts, and all episodes, please visit https://thisisyourbrain.com
For more about Weill Cornell Medicine Neurological Surgery, please visit https://neurosurgery.weillcornell.org
Is the deluge of digital media killing our ability to focus? Psychologist Gloria Mark, a professor in the Department of Informatics at University of California, Irvine, explains how we are shaped by what we pay attention to – and why today’s short snippets of everything are reinforcing short attention spans. Learn how playing a few minutes of Solitaire on your phone can help relieve stress, and why it can be so hard to stop. And in case you need to ask, you’ll find out why it’s such a bad idea to give an iPad to a baby.
For more information, transcripts, and all episodes, please visit
https://thisisyourbrain.com
For more about Weill Cornell Medicine Neurological Surgery, please visit
https://neurosurgery.weillcornell.org
Near-death experiences may seem like the stuff of supermarket tabloids, but there are real patterns to what people report after coming close to departing this life. Dr. Bruce Greyson has been studying near-death experiences for decades and has stories to tell about out-of-body phenomena, that light at the end of the tunnel, and a near-universal finding of new meaning in life after coming close to death. Plus... a glimpse of what happens to your brain after death. For more information, transcripts, and all episodes, please visit https://thisisyourbrain.com
For more about Weill Cornell Medicine Neurological Surgery, please visit https://neurosurgery.weillcornell.org
The impact of mild traumatic brain injury extends far beyond the gridiron – concussions can happen anywhere, including playing fields, bike paths, and war zones. Kenneth Kutner, PhD, who specializes in head injuries and has been the team neuropsychologist for the New York Giants for 30 seasons, joins us to talk about what the latest research has revealed about concussion and how it affects physical health and cognitive function. From the military to the NFL, and even in the corporate boardroom, this invisible injury is finally emerging from the shadows. Plus… why don’t woodpeckers get concussions?
Dogs and the humans who cherish them have a unique bond unlike any other. We wonder all too often, do our dogs love us as much as we love them? What are they really thinking? Are we projecting our own feelings onto these treasured family members in trying to understand them?
In this "classic" episode first released in 2020, Emory University neuroscientist Dr. Gregory Berns, discusses some of his extraordinary findings. After spending years using MRI imaging technology to study the human brain, he then used this same approach to study dogs’ brains. It turns out that our furry friends are much smarter than we thought!
For more information, transcripts, and all episodes, please visit https://thisisyourbrain.com
For more about Weill Cornell Medicine Neurological Surgery, please visit https://neurosurgery.weillcornell.org
In this classic episode recorded live at the Juilliard School in the fall of 2019 Dr. Stieg visits with world-renowned soprano Renée Fleming - a leading advocate for research and public education on the therapeutic power of music to heal the mind. Music’s psychological and neurological impact can help people suffering with dementia, Parkinson’s disease, and other brain disorders, and even restore speech after a stroke. Fleming also explores the brain’s incredible musical memory mechanism and why learning and healing through song can be so transformative.
https://reneefleming.com/
For more information, transcripts, and all episodes, please visit https://thisisyourbrain.com
For more about Weill Cornell Medicine Neurological Surgery, please visit https://neurosurgery.weillcornell.org
What world do you live in? You may think your experience of life comes from the outside, with your brain processing sensory information as it's received. Anil Seth, professor of cognitive and computational neuroscience at the University of Sussex in England, takes a different view. Tune in as Dr. Seth explains how your brain is actually creating your reality, not just interpreting it. Plus... why the brain is a "prediction machine," and how anesthesia is more like death than sleep.
For more information, transcripts, and all episodes, please visit https://thisisyourbrain.com
For more about Weill Cornell Medicine Neurological Surgery, please visit https://neurosurgery.weillcornell.org
The brain and the heart are in constant communication, sending signals that control and respond to each other, so it’s no surprise that what’s good for one is what’s good for the other. Dr. Robert Harrington, an esteemed cardiologist and the new Dean of Weill Cornell Medicine, joins us today to explore the fascinating conversations that go on between these two most important organs. From the electrical signals sent from the brain to the oxygenated blood flow the heart sends back, find out what keeps both organs going—and what happens when something disrupts that balance. Turns out you really can die of a broken heart, as a sudden intense emotional event can cause the brain to send a “stop” message to the heart; a disruption in the heart’s blood flow can send a similar message to the brain.
For more information, transcripts, and all episodes, please visit https://thisisyourbrain.com
For more about Weill Cornell Medicine Neurological Surgery, please visit https://neurosurgery.weillcornell.org
Forget the standard IQ test - that only measures a very narrow definition of intelligence. Meet psychologist Howard Gardner, professor of cognition and education at Harvard and one of the foremost thinkers and writers in the fields of education, cognition, and multiple intelligences.
His fascinating research into different kinds of intelligence (there are 8!) has the potential to revolutionize education, turn our kids into better citizens, and help us all identify our purpose in life.
Learn more about our 5 minds, and how our education system should help us to move the needle from "I" to "we" not just personally, but globally.
Plus – the “dark history” of IQ Testing
Pain can be felt anywhere in the body, but it all originates in the same place: the brain. Lorimer Moseley, a professor of clinical neurosciences at the University of South Australia and a specialist in how the brain produces pain signals, joins us today to talk about how pain is created as a protective strategy.
Your brain, which is constantly monitoring your environment for signs of danger vs safety, sends pain signals when it detects a painful stimulus (a process called nociception). Moseley studies how to retrain the brain when it continues to send pain signals long after the damaged tissue has healed (or, in the case of phantom pain, even after the damaged tissue is gone). Plus - the dangers of a pain-free life.
Babies and toddlers have truly outstanding brains - they absorb information broadly, quickly, and indiscriminately as they learn about the world, with processing speeds that leave AI-powered robots in the dust. Alison Gopnik, professor of psychology and affiliate professor of Philosophy at U.C. Berkeley, has been studying baby brains for decades, and she joins us today to talk about how we could look to them to make computers smarter. https://thisisyourbrain.com/
Your early experiences literally change the way you think and feel about the world -- they even shape what you see and hear. Dr. Chantel Prat, a cognitive neuroscientist and professor at the University of Washington, studies how variations in brain wiring make each of us unique individuals and drive our understanding of each other, and of the world. In this episode, learn which parts of the brain are "experience-expectant" (waiting for input on how to develop), and why trade-offs in the brain are responsible for our personalities, our learning styles, and our values. The answers begin to explain how three pounds of brain develop into what we know as the mind.
Click here to learn if you are a "Carrot" learner or a "Stick" learner in a special bonus segment.
https://tinyurl.com/j7prsh7n
Our brains evolved for a simpler life, and today they struggle to cope with a deluge of distraction from technology. Dr. Adam Gazzaley, professor of neurology at the University of California San Francisco, reveals why the brain loves multi-tasking even though it's so bad for productivity; why "single-tasking" is so hard to relearn; and why 60-year-olds can't filter out irrelevant information. Plus... a prescription video game that can help kids with ADHD and others change their brains to find better focus.
Click here for a bonus segment on distraction and the "Coffee Shop Effect."
For more information, visit https://thisisyourbrain.com
Speech therapists have long used music to help patients regain their voices after stroke or brain injury. Today's music therapists are going even further, developing strategies that use music on patients with Parkinson's disease, spinal cord injuries, cognitive issues, and more. Hear from Neurologic Music Therapist Caitlin Hebb about how the rhythm and rhyme of music work on memory, gait, and language.
https://www.medrhythmstherapy.com/teamcaitlin
Plus... what's that earworm?
Unlike a broken bone or clogged artery, a brain that goes awry due to disease or injury—or even an errant molecule—causes weird and unpredictable changes in personality. Hear some of the bizarre tales of tiny particles that alter behavior from neurologist Sara Manning Peskin, author of A Molecule Away From Madness.
https://saramanningpeskin.com/
Plus... how parasites hijack animal brains, sometimes turning a host into a zombie in their quest to reproduce.
Dr. Sara Manning Peskin, a neuroscientist and assistant professor of Clinical Neurology at the University of Pennsylvania, describes how the very molecules that allow us to exist can also sabotage our minds.
The impact of mild traumatic brain injury extends far beyond the gridiron – concussions can happen anywhere, including playing fields, bike paths, and war zones. Kenneth Kutner, PhD, who specializes in head injuries and has been the team neuropsychologist for the New York Giants for 30 seasons, joins us to talk about what the latest research has revealed about concussion and how it affects physical health and cognitive function. From the military to the NFL, and even in the corporate boardroom, this invisible injury is finally emerging from the shadows.
Plus… why don’t woodpeckers get concussions?
For decades, college and professional football players used to ignore even the most painful head injuries and severe concussions. Players were admired for "getting their bell rung" and getting back into the game. "No more", says Dr. Kenneth Kutner - Team Neuropsychologist for the New York Giants for 30 seasons and the lead author of the Sideline Concussion Checklist, one of the first sideline diagnostic tools utilized in the NFL.
"Concussions are real" says Dr Kutner. He points out that heroes in action movies give a false image of concussions.
"You may get up, but you're going to fall down again. You're not going to go back and fight and beat your adversary. So that is really nice in a movie, but it's nonsense."
Temple Grandin, PhD, wants kids -- especially those on the autism spectrum -- to start using their hands again. The woman Oliver Sacks called "the anthropologist on Mars" explains how our brains may be naturally wired to think in words, mathematics, or visuals, and there's nothing disordered about any of them. Dr. Grandin urges us to respect our young visual thinkers and celebrate their strengths instead of labelling them disabilities.
The woman Oliver Sacks called "the anthropologist on Mars" explains how our brains may be naturally wired to think in words, mathematics, or visuals, and there's nothing disordered about any of them. Dr. Temple Grandin urges us to respect our young visual thinkers and celebrate their strengths instead of labelling them disabilities.
Giggles, guffaws, or belly laughs -- whenever we crack up, we're communicating more than we realize. Laughter, says Dr. Sophie Scott, a neuroscientist at University College London as well as a standup comic, is pretty complicated. It's a way of expressing group membership and affection (as long as nobody is laughing AT you) and involves a physical reaction as well as an emotional one. Scott can make you laugh -- and then explain why you did!
Laughter, says Dr. Sophie Scott, is pretty complicated. It's a way of expressing group membership and affection (as long as nobody is laughing AT you) and involves a physical reaction as well as an emotional one.
Extreme athlete Wim Hof has set records for immersion in icy water, and he recommends it for physical and mental health. Find out why his wife's suicide drove Hof to master controlled hyperventilation -- in breathtaking cold -- to become happy, strong, and healthy. (Everything else, he'll tell you, is BS!) Surprisingly, heart and brain science just may support the Wim Hof Method.
Plus... contrasting Ice with Fire.
http://www.wimhofmethod.com/
Extreme athlete Wim Hof has set records for immersion in icy water, and he recommends it for physical and mental health. Find out why his wife's suicide drove Hof to master controlled hyperventilation -- in breathtaking cold -- to become happy, strong, and healthy. (Everything else, he'll tell you, is BS.)
With each of us receiving more than 30,000 messages a day - everything from news headlines to print, TV, radio, and online advertising - how do today's marketing professionals have a chance of getting a product or service to stand out? Dr. Christophe Morin is a "neuromarketer," combining his expertise in neuroscience with his passion for understanding how to persuade people to do or buy almost anything. This week, Dr. Morin talks about the "emotional cocktail" that is our response to advertising messages, and why appeals to the rational brain don't work. Hit the primal brain using these six strategies, he says, and you'll get the emotional brain to respond every time. Plus... did subliminal advertising ever work?
Dr. Christophe Morin is a "neuromarketer," combining his expertise in neuroscience with his passion for understanding how to persuade people to do or buy almost anything. Next week, Dr. Morin talks about the "emotional cocktail" that is our response to advertising messages, and why appeals to the rational brain don't work.
Your brain, your heart -- in fact, every cell in your body -- has its own clock telling you when to be alert and when to pack it in. You probably know that jet lag and daylight savings time affect that clock, but did you know that the food you eat (and when you eat it) as well as your activity level can also wreak havoc on it? Emily Manoogian, PhD, chronobiologist and clinical researcher at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in San Diego, explains how shift work, long flights, eating at the wrong times, and even staying up too late on weekends all affect health, mood, and emotional regulation.
Plus - what happens when animals are thrown off their rhythm?
Your brain, your heart -- in fact, every cell in your body -- has its own clock telling you when to be alert and when to pack it in.
Dr. Emily Manoogian, chronobiologist at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies explains how disrupting your circadian rhythms through shift work, long flights, eating at the wrong times, and even staying up too late on weekends can affect your health, mood, and emotional regulation.
Magicians and illusionists rely on our brains' tendency to predict what comes next—and the surprise we feel when we're wrong. Dr. Luis Martinez, a neuroscientist at the Spanish National Research Council at the Institute of Neuroscience in Alicante, Spain, explains how card tricks, illusions, and other sleight of hand is all about the brain's interpretation of reality. Hint: your reality is different from the magician's.
https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691208442/the-illusionist-brain
Dr. Luis M Martínez, director of the Virtual Mind Laboratory at the Spanish National Research Council, draws on the latest findings in neuroscience to explain how magic deceives us and amazes us. He shows us how illusionists skillfully “hack” our brains to alter our perceptions and expectations of things and - like a good joke - deliver a surprise at the end.
www.thisisyourbrain.com
The human brain did not evolve to read -- but reading makes us more fully human as it opens up new worlds of understanding and empathy. Today, as we read so much by "skimming" on phones and tablets, we're missing out on the sophisticated thought processes that deep reading provides. Dr. Maryanne Wolf, director of the Center for Dyslexia, Diverse Learners, and Social Justice at UCLA and the author of several books on literacy, joins us this week to discuss how reading in a digital era affects our critical thinking and leaves us vulnerable to misinformation. Plus... is dyslexia actually a superpower? https://www.maryannewolf.com/
New parents - especially moms - experience profound changes in the brain when they are expecting and welcoming a new baby. Health journalist Chelsea Conaboy explains how the caricature of "mommy brain" and its cognitive fog has it all wrong - parenthood actually has a neuroprotective effect, as the brain adapts to meeting the needs of children. It happens to all parents, not just mothers, but it's most dramatic in gestating parents. Plus... how it takes a troop to raise a monkey.
https://www.chelseaconaboy.com/
Is there such a thing as a "Mommy Brain"? Pulitzer Prize winning science journalist (and mother) Chelsea Conaboy explores the myth of "maternal instinct" and other issues surrounding the transformation of mother's (and father's) brains in their journey to parenthood.
Teen brains are uniquely primed for addiction -- that age is all about novelty seeking, risk taking, and impulsivity, a developmental stage with strong drives and little inhibition -- and they "learn" the pleasures of alcohol and drugs a little too well. Judith Grisel, PhD, a behavioral neuroscientist at Bucknell University who has written widely (and from personal experience) about the brain chemistry of addiction, explains why the urge to feel good "on demand" is so difficult to resist, and how the brain adapts to highs and lows. Fortunately, she also explains the path to life after addiction. Plus... why smelling weed on every street corner these days makes recovery much harder.
https://www.bucknell.edu/fac-staff/judy-grisel
A former teenage drug addict, Judith Grisel is now a PhD neuroscientist.
In next week’s compelling episode, she describes how she started “using” at the age of 13, the process of her recovery, and how that experience motivated her to a career studying the brain's role in addictive behavior.
www.thisisyourbrain.com
You know what you have to do to tighten your abs (whether or not you actually do it), but do you know how to awaken your brain? Lisa Miller, professor of psychology at Columbia University, explains how we humans are hard-wired for spirituality, but we've lost the connection. Faith-based traditions once connected most of us to something larger than ourselves, and without that we've entered a self-centered age of widespread depression, addiction, and suicide. Dr. Miller has insight into how to awaken our brains and reconnect to the deeper force in life, even if you don't believe in a god.
For episode transcripts and more information: www.thisisyourbrain.com
Dr. Miller's book "The Awakened Brain": https://www.randomhousebooks.com/books/608347/
Dr. Lisa Miller, professor of psychology at Columbia University, explains how we humans are hard-wired for spirituality, but we've lost the connection. Faith-based traditions once connected most of us to something larger than ourselves, and without that we've entered a self-centered age of widespread depression, addiction, and suicide. Dr. Miller has insight into how to awaken our brains and reconnect to the deeper force in life, even if you don't believe in a god.
Dr. Lisa Miller, professor of psychology at Columbia University, explains how we humans are hard-wired for spirituality, but we've lost the connection. Faith-based traditions once connected most of us to something larger than ourselves, and without that we've entered a self-centered age of widespread depression, addiction, and suicide. Dr. Miller has insight into how to awaken our brains and reconnect to the deeper force in life, even if you don't believe in a god.
Have you ever felt a "presence" - someone next to you, even speaking to you, when no one is there? Dr. Ben Alderson-Day, a psychologist at Durham University in the UK, studies the phenomena of felt presences, or what he calls "the unseen other."
These experiences are not always symptoms of mental illness - these are universally reported and not always distressing. Learn what's happening in the brain during these hallucinations - or should we call them visitations? Plus... how the Internet brings together groups of people who can conjure up invisible friends, seemingly on command.
Full transcripts and additional resources available at: www.thisisyourbrain.com
For more about Dr. Alderson-Day's book, "Presence; The Strange Science and True Stories of the Unseen Other"
https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250278265/presence
Dr. Temple Grandin -- the woman Oliver Sacks called "an anthropologist on Mars" -- explains how our brains may be naturally wired to think in words, mathematics, or visuals, and there's nothing disordered about any of them.
Coming March 10th.
www.thisisyourbrain.com
Some 6 million Americans suffer from active PTSD at any given moment, and nearly half of us will be exposed to major trauma at some point in our lives. Dr. Shaili Jain, a Stanford University psychiatrist and PTSD specialist, explains why silence plays such a large role in the aftermath of trauma, why some people recover quickly and others don't, and why men experience more trauma but women are more likely to develop PTSD.
Plus... mitigating trauma with the help of “man’s best friend.”
www.shailijainmd.com
In next week's episode, Dr. Shaili Jain, a Stanford University psychiatrist and PTSD specialist, explains why silence plays such a large role in the aftermath of trauma. Plus, while men may experience more trauma -- women are more likely to develop PTSD.
Superstitions, fairy tales, and talismans are more than silly remnants of our early human history -- they are bridges to the unconscious mind. Psychiatrist Daniel Z. Lieberman, MD, talks about just how complicated the unconscious is, and how rituals and fairy tales actually make us more sophisticated managers of our conscious mind.
https://www.danielzlieberman.com/
“Most people really have no idea just how important their unconscious mind is in their life,” says Dr. Daniel Z. Lieberman, Clinical Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at George Washington University.
In his new book “SpellBound” he explains how our the persistence of fairytales and our belief in magic and the supernatural are all extensions of our unconsciousness mind. Although primitive, impressionist and illogical, the unconscious mind has half a million times more processing power then the conscious mind and communicates to us in the form of “gut feelings” intuition and inspiration.
With the left hemisphere of her brain ravaged by a hemorrhage, neuroscientist Jill Bolte Taylor made a surprising discovery. The brain bleed had not only deprived her of language, it had also wiped away memory of past trauma. What Dr. Taylor learned about brain cells after a stroke has implications for identity, spirituality, and insight. Find out why you’re a better lie detector without your left hemisphere, and why shouting at a stroke survivor is not the best strategy. Plus - the "Singing Brain Banker".
https://www.drjilltaylor.com/
With the left hemisphere of her brain ravaged by a hemorrhage, neuroscientist Jill Bolte Taylor made a surprising discovery. What Dr. Taylor learned about brain cells after a stroke has implications for identity, spirituality, and insight.
We all work on important tasks while we sleep – consolidating memories, building immunity, and managing weight, just for starters – but some of us do a whole lot more. From walking and talking to driving and committing crimes, sleep disorders can be disruptive, dangerous, and downright deadly.
British neurologist and sleep expert Guy Leschziner explains how different parts of the brain can be in different stages of sleep at the same time, how the most common sleep disorder is actually several different problems, and why poor sleep may cause hallucinations and out-of-body experiences.
Plus - how some animals can sleep with one eye open!
https://www.guyleschziner.com/
British neurologist and sleep expert Guy Leschziner explains how different parts of the brain can be in different stages of sleep at the same time, how the most common sleep disorder is actually several different problems, and why poor sleep may cause hallucinations and out-of-body experiences.
Where in the brain is that little something that makes top performers feel so confident in their ability? Can that confidence be developed in someone who is naturally more timid? Dr. Nate Zinsser, director of West Point’s Performance Psychology Program and author of The Confident Mind, explains how a sense of mastery develops, and why butterflies in your stomach are a signal from the brain when you're about to do something great. Plus... why Ted Lasso wants us all to be a little more like goldfish.
Dr. Nate Zinsser, director of West Point’s Performance Psychology Program and author of The Confident Mind, explains how a sense of mastery develops, and why butterflies in your stomach are a signal from the brain when you're about to do something great.
Did you ever notice when you see a close up of Julia Roberts smiling on the big screen, you have an urge to smile back? That’s an effect of your brain’s “Mirror Rule” according to Dr. Jeff Zacks of Washington University. Watching movies in a theater stimulates the signals in our brains more than almost any other activity. Dr. Zacks investigates the various ways your brain is being manipulated while you are watching movies – including how propaganda movies embed into your memory more powerfully than books or any other medium.
Plus – how “the talkies” changed us!
"Nothing generates a bigger signal in the brain than commercial cinema" according to Dr. Jeff Zacks of Washington University.
In our next episode he explains how our brains respond to the big screen, and why movies are a potent medium for propaganda.
Placental stem cells have the potential to stop cancer and autoimmune disorders in their tracks, slow or even halt the aging process, and perhaps even tackle the next pandemic. Dr. Robert Hariri, a surgeon and stem cell entrepreneur, explains how a temporary product of pregnancy, often discarded as waste, is actually an example of evolution at its best, a veritable "nature's supermarket" for cells with amazing regenerative properties.
Plus - learn how some cells are more "potent" than others.
Dr. Robert Hariri, a surgeon and stem cell entrepreneur, explains how a temporary product of pregnancy, often discarded as waste, is actually an example of evolution at its best, a veritable "nature's supermarket" for cells with amazing regenerative properties.
The past 30 years have produced an epidemic of obesity -- mostly because evolution did not prepare us for so many calories and so little physical activity.
Dr. Louis Aronne, a leading authority on obesity, explains how a period of caloric excess can damage the neural connections that manage your metabolism, throwing your weight regulation out of whack. More importantly, he talks about the new drug that tackles obesity at two different hormonal sites and promises to become an actual "weight loss pill."
Plus... the real reason to skip the bread basket (it's in your brain)
The past 30 years have produced an epidemic of obesity -- mostly because evolution did not prepare us for so many calories and so little physical activity. Dr. Louis Aronne, a leading authority on obesity, explains how a period of caloric excess can damage the neural connections that manage your metabolism, throwing your weight regulation out of whack.
All of life is set to music -- or at least to a rhythm. From the graceful undulation of a jellyfish to the irresistible urge to bop along to our favorite songs, the urge to sway is hard-wired. Dr. Laurel Trainor, a professor of psychology, neuroscience, and behavior at McMaster University and director of the "LIVELab" there, conducts research into auditory development. She has found that our unconscious movements connect us in surprising ways, whether it's band members playing in concert, a mother singing to her infant, or couples on a speed date. As it turns out, it can even make us better, more altruistic people.
Plus, what's it like to be inside a performers head?
https://livelab.mcmaster.ca/
All of life is set to music -- or at least to a rhythm. From the graceful undulation of a jellyfish to the irresistible urge to bop along to our favorite songs, the urge to sway is hard-wired. Dr. Laurel Trainor has found that our unconscious movements connect us in surprising ways, whether it's musicians playing in concert, a mother singing to her infant, or couples on a speed date.
Many of us worry about memory loss, but it's surprisingly important to forget. Scott Small, MD, director of the Alzheimer's Disease Research Center at Columbia, says pruning our memories is good for us. We all know "forgive and forget" is key to emotional health, but forgetting is also critical to cognitive health. Find out why a healthy dose of forgetting is not a pathology, but a way of clearing away extraneous information and improving our more important memories. Plus... why their memories keep chimps in a state of rage and fear, while forgetting makes bonobos so happy. https://www.neurology.columbia.edu/profile/scott-small-md
The hemispheres of the brain are responsible for different views of the world - one literal, narrow-beam, and maybe a little angry, and the other broad-minded, nuanced, and appreciative of beauty. Psychiatrist, philosopher, and literary scholar Iain McGilchrist has spent his career studying how the two hemispheres of the brain work, together and separately, to forge our understanding of our world. https://channelmcgilchrist.com/
Plus...the curious case of Mr. Phineas Gage.
Psychiatrist and philosopher Iain McGilchrist has debunked the old Left-Right paradigm of the human brain.
He says that "it is not about what the two hemispheres of the brain do, but how they do it, the quality of attention that they pay towards the world that is different; and it is how they attend that shapes the world we see and live in."
Full episode debuts Friday October 7th.
Extreme athlete Wim Hof has set records for immersion in icy water, and he recommends it for physical and mental health. Find out why his wife's suicide drove Hof to master controlled hyperventilation -- in breathtaking cold -- to become happy, strong, and healthy. (Everything else, he'll tell you, is BS.) Surprisingly, heart and brain science just may support the Wim Hof Method.
http://www.wimhofmethod.com/
Plus...contrasting ice and fire, with a firewalking story courtesy of Jim Metzner www.pulseplanet.com
Dancer and neuroscientist Julia Basso, PhD, wants us all to dance -- together or separately, it's all good. Dancing with a partner creates a synchrony that's remarkably like that between a mother and infant, and even dancing alone benefits body and brain alike. Find out how dance produces new neurons and engages brain processes, and why it is that joyful movement optimizes brain function. Plus... Dance for Parkinson's Disease!
https://www.juliabasso.com/home
Sign up for our newsletter at www.ThisIsYourBrain.com
This week, a reprise of one of our most popular episodes from Season 2 -
Sound may be the least understood of the five senses, with music the most mysterious of all. Neuroscientist Nina Kraus of Northwestern University takes us on a tour of how the brain processes music and explains the lifelong benefits of music education. Find out how music can help offset the effects of poverty, and how concussion distorts the perception of music in the brain. Plus… Why you really should make your child take piano lessons!
https://brainvolts.northwestern.edu/
This week, a reprise of one of our most popular episodes from Season 2 -
Sound may be the least understood of the five senses, with music the most mysterious of all. Neuroscientist Nina Kraus of Northwestern University takes us on a tour of how the brain processes music and explains the lifelong benefits of music education. Find out how music can help offset the effects of poverty, and how concussion distorts the perception of music in the brain. Plus… Why you really should make your child take piano lessons!
https://brainvolts.northwestern.edu/
Neuroscientist Nina Kraus of Northwestern University takes us on a tour of how the brain processes music, and explains the lifelong benefits of music education.
Release Date: August 26, 2022
Our brain pathways are designed to get us through life’s traumas, as painful and debilitating as they are. Neurologist Lisa Shulman, MD, joins us this week to talk about how to make sense of grief, how trauma interrupts the connection between the cognitive and emotional parts of the brain, and how the brain learns to consolidate traumatic experiences and allow us to move forward. Plus… humans are not the only creatures to feel grief – hear how other animals experience loss.
For bonus content, sign up for our newsletter at www.ThisIsYourBrain.com
Our brain pathways are designed to get us through life’s traumas, as painful and debilitating as they are. Neurologist Lisa Shulman, MD, joins us this week to talk about how to make sense of grief, how trauma interrupts the connection between the cognitive and emotional parts of the brain, and how the brain learns to consolidate traumatic experiences and allow us to move forward.
Plus… humans are not the only creatures to feel grief – hear how other animals experience loss.
Smell is our most evocative sense, with instant associations with emotions and memories. Cognitive neuroscientist Rachel Herz, PhD, explains why she loves the stink of a skunk, why a blow to the head can kill off your sense of smell, and how you get a new nose every month. Plus… why stores, hotels, and other brands create signature scents. https://rachelherz.com/
Sign up for our newsletter at www.ThisIsYourBrain.com
Smell is our most evocative sense, with instant associations with emotions and memories. Cognitive neuroscientist Rachel Herz, PhD, explains why she loves the stink of a skunk, why a blow to the head can kill off your sense of smell, and how you get a new nose every month.
Debuts Friday July 29th, 2022
The human brain is designed to "snap" under threat, but 100,000 years of evolution did not prepare us for the the world we live in today. R. Douglas Fields, PhD, describes how the brain's rage circuitry is activated -- whether that's a car that cuts you off on the highway or a pickpocket who steals your wallet. The primal rage response also explains a lot about the January 6 mob mentality, the unruly airline passenger who strikes a flight attendant, or a terrorist attack. Learn the 9 triggers that are programmed to make you snap (and how to identify the "misfires")
Sign up for our newsletter at: www.thisisyourbrain.com
Language originates as brain signals — mysterious lines of squiggles — that somehow turn into speech. Meet the neuroscientist who is turning those squiggles into conversations, using artificial intelligence to translate brain activity into words and sentences. Dr. Edward Chang of UCSF talks with Dr. Stieg about the painstaking "magic" of decoding that has allowed a paralyzed man to speak after 20 years of aphasia, essentially live-streaming signals from his brain and transforming them into language. Plus... Why are A.I. voices always female?
Sign up for our newsletter at www.ThisIsYourBrain.com
Language originates as brain signals -- mysterious lines of squiggles -- that somehow turn into speech. Meet the neuroscientist who is turning those squiggles into conversations, using artificial intelligence to translate brain activity into words and sentences. Dr. Edward Chang of UCSF talks with Dr. Stieg about the painstaking "magic" of decoding that has allowed a paralyzed man to speak after 20 years of aphasia, essentially live streaming signals from his brain and transforming them into language.
Language originates as brain signals -- mysterious lines of squiggles -- that somehow turn into speech. Meet the neuroscientist who is turning those squiggles into conversations, using artificial intelligence to translate brain activity into words and sentences. Dr. Edward Chang of UCSF talks with Dr. Stieg about the painstaking "magic" of decoding that has allowed a paralyzed man to speak after 20 years of aphasia, essentially live streaming signals from his brain and transforming them into language.
Depression, anxiety, low libido… your mood is directly related to what you eat. Nutritional psychiatrist (and chef) Uma Naidoo, MD, examines the “gut-brain romance” and explains the delicate balance between your diet and your mental health. If you haven’t given up junk food to lose weight or reduce the risk of diabetes, maybe you’ll do it to feel happier? Plus… what happens when obsessing about healthy eating becomes UNhealthy
: https://umanaidoomd.com/
From the outside, a human brain appears fairly uniform – but what’s inside is very different depending on where you look. Your brain has complex maps within that allow you to see, understand, imagine, and recognize everything from faces to objects to abstract concepts like love, time, and debt. This week, neuroscientist Rebecca Schwarzlose of Washington University explains what parts of your brain are at work when you pick up an object, see someone you know, or read a book. Plus... is your GPS map app weakening your brain?
www.rebeccaschwarzlose.com
https://gardenofthemind.com
From the outside, a human brain appears fairly uniform – but what’s inside is very different depending on where you look. Your brain has complex maps within that allow you to see, understand, imagine, and recognize everything from faces to objects to abstract concepts like love, time, and debt. Neuroscientist Rebecca Schwarzlose of Washington University joins us this week to explain what parts of your brain are at work when you pick up an object, see someone you know, or read a book.
Can you communicate with someone who's sound asleep, and is it possible to influence their dreams? Ken Paller, professor of psychology at Northwestern and a leading sleep researcher, talks about "lucid dreaming" — the state of dreaming while knowing you're in a dream — as well as about how researchers can reach into the brain of a sleeping person and actually create the experience they have in their dreams. Is it ethical to influence the dream state? What are the implications for brain health if we can never turn off Plus... "Sleep Learning" with the 1920s Psycho-Phone.
Near-death experiences may seem like the stuff of supermarket tabloids, but there are real patterns to what people report after coming close to departing this life. Dr. Bruce Greyson has been studying near-death experiences for decades and has stories to tell about out-of-body phenomena, that light at the end of the tunnel, and a near-universal finding of new meaning in life after coming close to death. Plus... a glimpse of what happens to your brain after death. https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250265869/after
Near-death experiences may seem like the stuff of supermarket tabloids, but there are real patterns to what people report after coming close to departing this life. Dr. Bruce Greyson has been studying near-death experiences for decades and has stories to tell about out-of-body phenomena, that light at the end of the tunnel, and a near-universal finding of new meaning in life after coming close to death.
ASMR, or the autonomous sensory meridian response, is a state of deep calm accompanied by a sense of “brain tingles.” Not everyone experiences it, but if you do, you know what triggers it: a whisper or other soft sounds, a gentle touch or movement, even watching a Bob Ross video. Physiologist Craig Richard explains the science behind ASMR, and why in some people induces a deeply relaxing response that can resolve insomnia, relaxation, and stress. Plus: Who are the top “artists” of ASMR?
https://asmruniversity.com/about-dr-Richard
Coming Friday, April 22
ASMR, or the autonomous sensory meridian response, is a state of deep calm accompanied by a sense of “brain tingles.” Not everyone experiences it, but if you do, you know what triggers it: a whisper or other soft sounds, a gentle touch or movement, even watching a Bob Ross video. Physiologist Craig Richard explains the science behind ASMR, and why certain stimuli induce a deeply relaxing response in some people that can resolve insomnia, anxiety, and stress. Plus… sample some ASMR videos to see if YOU experience ASMR.
Whether you're a believer or not, God is taking up space in your head — the prefrontal cortex, to be exact. Jordan Grafman, PhD, of Northwestern University has been studying where religious belief systems are stored in the brain and how they overlap with moral, political, and social systems. This fascinating episode explores near-death experiences, how brain injury can influence belief, and how religion has been used to enforce cultural and social rules. Plus — the disappearing boundary between religion and politics in America.
To read the transcript: https://thisisyourbrainpodcast.com/category/podcast-season-3/
For more information about Dr. Grafman: https://www.feinberg.northwestern.edu/faculty-profiles/az/profile.html?xid=26439
It's effective against depression, can help you stop smoking, even ease end-of-life distress. It's non-addictive, naturally occurring, and has been used for thousands of years -- but you can't have it. It's psilocybin, the compound that creates the "magic" in dozens of species of mushrooms.
Johns Hopkins researcher Albert Garcia-Romeu, Ph.D. knows just how magical it is. He's conducting research on psilocybin's therapeutic value for everything from persistent Lyme disease to a range of mental health conditions. Find out what this psychedelic drug can do, and why it got such a bad reputation. Plus... revisiting Timothy Leary's rise and fall as he turned on, tuned out, and dropped out.
https://hopkinspsychedelic.org/garcia-romeu
We all know exercising is good for us – it reduces anxiety and inflammation, boosts the immune system, and may even ward off dementia, all while it helps keep us fit. But our brains don’t want us to do it! Meet Dr. Jennifer Heisz, a neuroscientist who learned how overcome the brain's resistance and used exercise to conquer depression - and complete a triathlon! Plus… why those who fear exercise the most have the most to gain from it.
https://www.harpercollins.com/products/move-the-body-heal-the-mind-jennifer-heisz?variant=39999874367522
Brain science is everywhere, even in the stories we tell. Hear from neuroscientists and storytelling experts Paula Croxson and Uri Hasson about how the brain processes stories, how a listener's mind resonates with the storyteller's, and why some stories have the power to transport you to a different place. Plus... If facts can't change someone's mind, can stories?
https://pni.princeton.edu/faculty/uri-hasson
https://www.storycollider.org/
Dr. Tony Nader, an academic, author, and the leader of the Transcendental Meditation movement, knows how you can find inner peace. TM is like a deep dive to the stillness at the bottom of the ocean, leaving the turbulent waves far above. Learn how the body and mind are inextricably bound, and how meditation can improve mental and physical health. Plus… what the Beatles taught us about meditation.
https://www.drtonynader.com/
Where in the brain is that little something that makes top performers feel so confident in their ability? Can that confidence be developed in someone who is naturally more timid? Dr. Nate Zinsser, director of West Point’s Performance Psychology Program and author of The Confident Mind, explains how a sense of mastery develops, and why butterflies in your stomach are a signal from the brain when you're about to do something great.
Plus... why Ted Lasso wants us all to be a little more like goldfish.
https://www.natezinsser.com/
Where were you on 9/11, and why do you remember it so clearly? Dr. Elizabeth Phelps, a Harvard neuroscience professor who studies the effect of trauma on memory, explains how highly emotional events get stored in our brains. Find out why we are so confident that these "flashbulb memories" are completely accurate, even though the evidence suggests otherwise. Plus... the "Michael Moore effect" that can influence what we think we remember.
The human brain is designed to "snap" under threat, but 100,000 years of evolution did not prepare us for the world we live in today. R. Douglas Fields, PhD, describes how the brain's rage circuitry is activated -- whether that's a car that cuts you off on the highway or a pickpocket who steals your wallet. The primal rage response also explains a lot about the January 6 mob mentality, the unruly airline passenger who strikes a flight attendant, or a terrorist attack. Learn the 9 triggers that are programmed to make you snap (and how to identify the "misfires")
https://rdouglasfields.com
The human brain resists uncertainty — whether it's an approaching tiger or a global pandemic, we've evolved to move from fear and chaos to order and resolution. Dr. Beau Lotto, founder of the Lab of Misfits, explains why the brain takes small steps instead of large leaps, and why we need to teach kids to think more like scientists. Plus... why we react to a pandemic by hoarding toilet paper
www.beaulotto.com
What is awe? It's not wonder, or surprise, or pleasure — it's a state of mind that Dr. Beau Lotto calls "finding the impossible in the common." Dr. Lotto is a neuroscientist who specializes in perception; he once actually measured awe in the brains of people watching Cirque du Soleil. Learn where awe originates, why it evolved, and even how military leaders might weaponize it. Plus... why Dr. Lotto says babies are born "useless"
https://www.beaulotto.com/
After witnessing a childhood friend suffer from a severe eating disorder, Lauren Breithaupt dedicated her career to exploring the causes of anorexia, bulimia, and related syndromes. Now a PhD in psychology at Massachusetts General Hospital, Breithaupt explains that eating disorders - once thought to be a plague of teenage girls – can affect men and women of all ages and share a genetic link with other psychiatric disorders. Plus… how dinnertime conversations help your child’s brain develop.
Seeking Help? -
National Eating Disorders Asso. https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/
National Center of Excellence for Eating Disorders https://www.nceedus.org/
Is it possible to relieve depression or PTSD using electricity? Kelly Bijanki, PhD, runs a lab at Baylor College of Medicine, where her team is using deep brain stimulation to induce happiness in patients who need it the most. Her fascinating work shows that “emotional” issues are as biologically based as “neurological” ones, and that depression can be treated with the same techniques used for epilepsy or Parkinson’s disease. Plus… the evolution of the smile.
Daniel Levitin says we can all age successfully if we take our choices more seriously now. The neuroscientist and author reveals the keys to reaching our senior years in the best possible shape, explains what happens to dopamine levels when we stop trying new things, and tells us the three things older adults are better at than younger ones. Plus... what primatologist Jane Goodall told him about the key to healthier aging.
https://DanielLevitin.com
Synesthesia is the mysterious mingling of the senses that creates the experience of "seeing" sounds or "hearing" colors. Neurologist Richard E. Cytowic, MD, has spent his career exploring this remarkable phenomenon and has a fascinating insight into how these sensations are formed in the brain — and how we might use it to reunite our fractured society. Plus... meet the man whose extreme form of synesthesia mingled all five of his senses!
More information on https://drphilstieg.com and https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/synesthesia
Would a better understanding of the brain lead to better outcomes in court? Professor Francis X. Shen, neuroscientist and lawyer, has devoted his career to “neural law” – leveraging neuroscience to reduce injustice. Using what we know about addiction science, adolescent brain development, and traumatic injury could lead to better interventions to reduce recidivism and raise the bar on justice. Plus… why eyewitness memory is so very, very unreliable.
http://www.fxshen.com/bio/
Sound may be the least understood of the five senses, with music the most mysterious of all. Neuroscientist Nina Kraus of Northwestern University takes us on a tour of how the brain processes music, and explains the lifelong benefits of music education. Find out how music can help offset the effects of poverty, and how concussion distorts the perception of music in the brain. Plus… Why you really should make your child take piano lessons!
Dr. Kraus' Lab - www.brainvolts.northwestern.edu
Dr. Kraus' new book - Of Sound Mind - https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/sound-mind
Worried about dementia, depression, or the zombie apocalypse? Greg Gage, PhD, has a solution for all of these – teach more kids about neuroscience, stat. His company, Backyard Brains, makes do-it-yourself brain kits that wow students with robo-roaches, nerve takeovers, and the sounds of neurons popping. One of these aspiring neuroscientists just may save us from brain disorders (or zombies) some day. Plus… listen in as Gage demonstrates how to take over an unsuspecting audience member’s arm.
www.backyardbrains.com
True creative genius may well be the last frontier in human evolution - the only trait that can’t be replaced with technology. Dr. Robert Bilder, who directs the Tennenbaum Center for the Biology of Creativity at UCLA, reveals what his study of artists and scientists tell us about how creative brains work, and how some creative people manage to bring their brains to the very edge of chaos without crossing into madness. Plus… Are we educating the creative genius out of our kids?
https://www.semel.ucla.edu/creativity
Menopause can wreak havoc on mood and body temperature as it signals the end of fertility, but some of the biggest changes it causes are in the brain. Emily Jacobs, assistant professor in the department of psychological and brain sciences at UC Santa Barbara, explains how the precipitous decline in estrogen during the "change of life" disrupts the endocrine system and makes a woman's brain more like... a man's! Plus: Hear from real women describing the wide range of effects they experienced.
Take our survey to help us shape Season 3 of this podcast!
Is there a "trust spot" in the brain? How do we balance the human desire to trust against the fear of betrayal? Dr. Frank Krueger, a psychologist, physicist, and neuroscientist at George Mason University, explains how our brain circuits teach us to navigate the social dilemma of who deserves our trust. Plus... why men are more trusting (and take more risks) than women, and why those with autism have so much trouble deciding whom to trust.
https://centec.gmu.edu/people/fkrueger
After the shocking 2011 shooting that sent a would-be assassin’s bullet through her brain, former U.S. Rep. Giffords had to re-learn how to breathe, walk, and talk. In this reprise of our Season 2 premiere episode, Dr. Stieg talks with neurologic music therapist Maegan Morrow, whose innovative techniques helped Giffords “rewire” her brain and regain her voice. Bonus: Special appearance by Ms. Giffords herself.
https://giffords.org/about/gabbys-story/
Does "brain training" work? Dr. Susanne Jaeggi and Dr. Aaron Seitz are experts who are developing and studying brain apps in a nationwide study of their effectiveness. Together they are exploring how cognitive skills and working memory can both be improved -- not just in older people, but especially in them. Plus... sample a brain game yourself!
For information on how to participate in the Brain Games Study go to: https://bgc.ucr.edu/trainmymemory/
...and 7 other lessons about the command center that runs all our body's systems. Lisa Feldman Barret, professor of psychology at Northeastern University and a director of the Interdisciplinary Affective Science Laboratory there, talks about how the 128 billion neurons in the brain act like the air traffic control system. They are knit together into a pattern that's capable of a remarkable range of functions, from satisfying thirst to making morally responsible choices. Plus... Why Plato was wrong about the brain.
https://lisafeldmanbarrett.com/
The gentle sounds of the surf, or sweet birdsong in the trees, are more than just refreshing -- they have actual, proven power to heal the brain. Dr. David Strayer, professor of cognition and neural science at the University of Utah’s Applied Cognition Lab, is exploring how our over-stressed, technologically bombarded, multi-tasking brains are restored when we immerse ourselves in nature. Plus... meet a man who discovered that listening to the sounds of wilderness calmed his ADHD, and led him to a whole new career path.
David Strayer: https://psych.utah.edu/people/faculty/strayer-david.php
Wild Sanctuary soundscapes - https://www.wildsanctuary.com/
Can you train your brain to perform better, feel happier, focus more? Stephen Kotler says you can. The bestselling author of The Art of the Impossible and Stealing Fire and founder of the Flow Research Collective, Kotler explains what's behind "flow states" and how we can all learn to harness the power of biology to reach peak performance. Learn what's going on in the brain when you're firing on all cylinders, and how to reach emotional states that are "north of happy."
www.stevenkotler.com
Dolphins have large, complex brains that are a lot like the human model -- what if we could get inside their heads and communicate with them? Meet cognitive psychologist and marine mammal scientist Diana Reiss, PhD, who has been doing just that. Turns out our underwater friends have a lot going on in their brains, if only we could learn to decode it. Plus... Hear from one of the musician/scientists who discovered fifty years ago that whales produce actual songs.
What's causing the "Covid fog" and "long-haul Covid" that have been all over the news lately? Neuropsychologist Heidi Bender, PhD, and infectious disease specialist Lish Ndhlovu, MD, PhD, explain how the virus is sneaking into the brain, what it does when it gets there, and how that affects cognition, emotions, and behavior. Plus... hear firsthand from a patient who went through the fog — and came out the other side.
Pain and fear are inevitable, especially these days, but we can retrain our brains to reduce suffering. Dr. Sara Lazar, Assistant Professor in Psychology at Harvard Medical School, reveals how just eight weeks of mindful meditation can visibly change parts of the brain to be less reactive to pain. Plus... how meditation apps put the power of mindfulness right in your hand.
Links to the meditation apps mentioned in this episode:
www.calm.com
www.headspace.com
https://insighttimer.com
More than an evolutionary waste of energy, dreams are one of the last mysteries of human cognition. Dr. Raphael Vallat, a neuroscientist and sleep researcher at UC Berkeley, explains what we know about what happens during REM sleep, why we have recurring nightmares, and even how that evening cocktail affects your dreams. Plus… the weirdest things some people do while they're asleep
A brain experiment on abstract vs representational art reveals the secrets of how we make decisions, and how we impulsive humans may finally learn to delay gratification. Psychologist Daphna Shohamy, Professor of Psychology at the Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute at Columbia University, explains "construal level theory" and what that means about art -- and dessert. Plus... The Stendahl Syndrome (aka an Art Attack), in which great works can quite literally knock you flat.
Delve into a comedian's brain to discover what makes people laugh -- and when the comic is also a neuroscientist, it's no joke! Dr. Ori Amir studies what goes on in the brain as jokes are born, and he's also learned how to “get out of his head” to write some pretty funny stuff. Be afraid: He is working on using artificial intelligence to come up with new puns to make us groan.
Welcome to the International Brain Bee, where the innovators of tomorrow — most of them still too young to drive — are spending their days memorizing brain parts, studying neurons, and even dissecting cadaver brains. Meet Norbert Mylinski, who founded the worldwide competition, and Julianne McCall, a Brain Bee alum who is now co-director of the California Initiative to Advance Precision Medicine. Plus... How many Brain Bee questions could YOU answer?
Menopause can wreak havoc on mood and body temperature as it signals the end of fertility, but some of the biggest changes it causes are in the brain. Emily Jacobs, assistant professor in the department of psychological and brain sciences at UC Santa Barbara, explains how the precipitous decline in estrogen during the "change of life" disrupts the endocrine system, and why menopause makes some women feel like they're going crazy while others sail through unscathed. Plus: Hear from real women describing the wide range of effects they experienced.
After the shocking 2011 shooting that sent a would-be assassin’s bullet through her brain, former U.S. Rep. Giffords had to re-learn how to breathe, walk, and talk. In the Season 2 premiere episode of This Is Your Brain, Dr. Stieg talks with neurologic music therapist Maegan Morrow, whose innovative techniques helped Giffords “rewire” her brain and regain her voice. Bonus: Special appearance by Ms. Giffords herself.
One in three cases of Alzheimer's disease may be preventable, but some cases are quite predictable. Dr. Richard Isaacson, Director of the Alzheimer’s Prevention Clinic at Weill Cornell Medicine, explains how scientists look at genetics, lifestyle, and medical history to evaluate an individual's risk of developing the disease. Plus... how your belly size affects your memory center
What happens in a child's brain to cause seizures, and why have children with epilepsy been so stigmatized? In this encore presentation, Dr. Stieg talks with pediatric neurosurgeon Caitlin Hoffman, MD, and neuropsychologist Heidi Bender, PhD, to provide a primer for parents, classmates, and teachers. Plus... How best to help if you see someone having a seizure.
In this encore presentation of one of our most popular episodes, Dr. Stieg talks to psychiatrist Richard Friedman about the neuroscience of fear: How parents can transmit anxiety to their kids, how some babies seem hard-wired for anxiety, and why a little anxiety is good for you (but too much is like a burglar alarm that sounds all the time).
Microbes in your intestine are talking to cells in your brain all the time – and what they say can affect everything from inflammatory diseases to psychiatric disorders. Microbiologist David Artis, PhD, and psychiatrist Conor Liston, MD, PhD, explain the connection between your microbiota and your mind – and how to influence their conversation. Plus… another reason to avoid unnecessary antibiotics
Diagnosing and treating attention deficit disorder can be tricky – not every hyperactive kid has ADHD, and some very calm children are extremely inattentive. Pediatric clinical neuropsychologist David Salsberg, PhD, explains what part of the brain is “asleep” in those with true ADHD, and how to identify kids who need intervention. Plus… when is medication really necessary?
From drug cocktails to deep brain stimulation, there is new hope for brain-injured patients with "locked-in syndrome” in minimally conscious states. Dr. Nicholas Schiff, Professor of Neuroscience at the Feil Family Brain and Mind Research Institute at Weill Cornell Medicine, tells the dramatic stories of patient reawakenings from comas lasting many years.
What happens in our brains when we’re confronted with decisions? And why do some people dread making decisions more than others? Dr. Gregory Berns, neuroscientist and Professor of Neuroeconomics at Emory University, explains that there are different brain systems involved in the decisions we make. When faced with choices, we want to pursue pleasure and happiness as much as we want to avoid pain and negative outcomes. Decision making is also about projecting ourselves into the future and how much uncertainty we can handle.
Dogs and the humans who cherish them have a unique bond unlike any other. We wonder all too often, do our dogs love us as much as we love them? What are they really thinking? Are we projecting our own feelings onto these treasured family members in trying to understand them? Emory University neuroscientist Dr. Gregory Berns, has made some extraordinary findings. After spending years using MRI imaging technology to study the human brain, he then used this same approach to study dogs’ brains. It turns out that our furry friends are much smarter than we thought!
Our thoughts about the future are directly influenced by past memories and our deepest emotions. Dr. Joseph LeDoux, Professor of Neural Science at NYU, gives us an intriguing look at the areas of the brain that create the uniquely human experience of consciousness and how our ability to mentally "time travel” allows us to form a personal awareness of our place In the world.
The pandemic has produced a dramatic new wave of loneliness for those coping with loss, grief, and social isolation. Although the feeling of loneliness is not a medical condition, it can easily transition into the clinical disorders of depression and anxiety. Dr. Richard Friedman, Professor of Clinical Psychiatry at Weill Cornell Medicine, explains how the upheaval of prolonged loneliness can affect the brain and heart, and how loneliness can be more quickly remedied than one would think.
Blaring music, incessant traffic, those early-morning lawn mowers — you know they're bad for your sanity, but for your brain? Dr. Mathias Basner, an expert on the effects of noise on health, explains what goes on in your body when it's subjected to prolonged high-decibel exposure, including irreversible hearing loss, cognitive decline, even heart attacks. Fortunately, there are some practical ways to protect yourself — and to reduce your own "noise footprint."
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused unprecedented loss — of loved ones, of social interaction, and of our entire way of life. Dr. Richard Friedman, Professor of Clinical Psychiatry at Weill Cornell Medicine, explains why the anguish we feel is normal — and how specific coping strategies can help minimize the potential impact on brain health during periods of adversity.
The COVID crisis is causing many more people to call their doctors with headache complaints. When is it time to stop self diagnosing your headache and to see a headache specialist? Dr. Louise Klebanoff, a leading neurologist and headache expert, explains why the right diagnosis can make all the difference in conquering most headaches. Hear about lifestyle changes and a range of medical approaches from nutraceuticals to Botox, plus the promising new CGRP therapy for migraines.
How do elite athletes, some barely out of their teens, manage life in a fishbowl? Dr. Lani Lawrence, sports psychologist for the New York Giants, explains how the pros learn to cope with social media and news pressures and still find their way into “the zone” where they can excel.
Parkinson’s Disease patient Elizabeth Larsen gives a deeply honest view of her Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) surgery to control her tremors. We learn what it feels like to have electrodes in the brain and what happens when patients want to change their tremor management software program. Thanks to DBS, Liz triumphantly regains control over her life and returns to her boxing routine. Her surgeon, Dr. Michael Kaplitt, Director of the Movement Disorders Program at Weill Cornell Medicine, also shares exciting new treatments on the horizon.
From mild resting tremors to freezing, stiffness, and loss of motor control, the symptoms of Parkinson's disease progress relentlessly over time. Dr. Michael Kaplitt, Director of the Movement Disorders Program at Weill Cornell Medicine, along with his patient Elizabeth Larsen, explore how quality of life can erode over the years -- and when it's time for a life-changing surgical option.
The COVID-19 quarantine has changed everything about love and sex. Biological anthropologist Helen Fisher reveals how socially distant dating can nurture a relationship by slowing things down and encouraging more substantive conversation and deeper intimacy. Long-term couples have a different problem as they adjust to 24/7 togetherness and learn to carve out safe spaces. Plus... why it's essential to laugh, play, and stay connected with friends and family to enhance brain health.
In the war on COVID-19, doctors face an enemy like no other - mysterious, invisible, and medically confounding. Dr. Laura Kolbe, co-founder of the COVID+ Hospice and Palliative Care Unit at Weill Cornell Medicine/New York-Presbyterian explains a new first-hour emergency room protocol. We learn how the palliative care team allays suffering, comforts the sick, and clarifies the final wishes of the most desperately ill and dying patients.
Human brains are not wired for the staggering amount and variety of daily information coming our way. Dr. Marvin Chun, Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience at Yale University, explains how our brains evolved to do one thing at a time, why they react poorly to the demands of multi-tasking, and why distraction undermines our performance and our memory.
People with epilepsy have been stigmatized since the time of Hippocrates. Two epilepsy specialists, Dr. Caitlin Hoffman, a Weill Cornell Medicine pediatric neurosurgeon, and Dr. Heidi Bender, a neuropsychologist at Mt. Sinai Hospital, explain what happens in the brain to cause seizures. They give parents, teachers, kids, and their classmates a primer on understanding this common disorder and how we can best help if we see someone having a seizure.
World-renowned soprano Renée Fleming is also a leading advocate for research and public education on the therapeutic power of music to heal the mind. Music’s psychological and neurological impact can help people suffering with dementia, Parkinson’s disease, and other brain disorders, and even restore speech after a stroke. Recorded live at Juilliard, this episode also explores the brain’s incredible musical memory mechanism and why learning and healing through song can be so transformative.
A three-year mission to Mars will have profound effects on bodies—and brains. The recent NASA study of twin astronauts Scott and Mark Kelly provides a new understanding of how life in space can alter cognition, heart health, and even gut bacteria. Dr. Christopher Mason of Weill Cornell Medicine and Dr. Mathias Basner of the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine reveal their findings about long-term space flight and explain why using a “free-range astronaut” as a control was uniquely helpful to their work.
“Today Show” nutritionist Joy Bauer has easy, affordable, and delicious tips for making brain-healthy food choices. Boost your memory, strengthen your focus, and improve your blood flow by following Joy’s simple advice. Plus, the surprising benefits of coffee, and the 3 golden rules of snacking.
Dr. Frances Jensen, Chair of the Department of Neurology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, and author of "The Teenage Brain," explains how vaping, binge drinking, and pot smoking are especially dangerous for adolescent brains. Young adults are more susceptible to addiction, cognitive impairment, and mental health issues when exposed to such substances because their brains have not finished developing the neural connections needed to make good decisions.
Anti-depressants don’t work for everyone. Psychiatrist Conor Liston, MD, PhD, describes four effective treatments that restore the brain’s lost connections and repair the cellular changes that cause depression. Magnetic stimulation, deep brain stimulation, electroconvulsive therapy, and low-dose ketamine (“Special K”) have all been shown to relieve the symptoms of clinical depression and correct the functional impairments that can be so crippling to patients.
Artificial intelligence is ushering in a new era of mind reading, with advanced brain scans revealing much of what we’re thinking about. Dr. Marvin Chun, Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience at Yale, explains how researchers in his lab are using fMRI and other new technologies to see what’s going on in your brain, even as you sleep. This holds great promise for those in persistent vegetative states, even as it raises ethical questions about just who gets to read your mind.
Frayed social bonds, toxic and demanding work environments, and even helicopter parenting are all contributing to an American epidemic of burnout. Dr. Richard Friedman, Professor of Clinical Psychiatry and Director of the Student Mental Health Program at Weill Cornell Medical College, explains how we can better deal with everyday adversity, stress, and discomfort without succumbing to burnout – and how we can prepare our kids for the workplace of the future.
New York Times journalist Rod Nordland is confronting his glioblastoma diagnosis with positivity, not despair. In this inspiring episode, he speaks with Dr. Stieg about coming to terms with the disease, what it’s like to live with his everyday challenges, and why he hasn’t shed a tear over it.
Dr. Richard Isaacson, Director of the Alzheimer’s Prevention Clinic at Weill Cornell Medicine, shares the just-published results of his groundbreaking clinical trial which show that a personalized prevention plan can dramatically lower the risk or progression of Alzheimer's. Also joining the discussion is one of Dr. Isaacson’s patients who is living proof that this new approach works.
Mass shootings, bullying and retaliation, and other acts of violence -- why did the human brain evolve to be so aggressive? Dr. Heather Berlin, assistant professor of psychiatry at the Icahn School of Medicine, talks about the genetics of violence, the "mean girl" phenomenon, and why some psychopaths end up in jail while others land in the corner office.
How have sexual behaviors changed in our Millennial, #MeToo era? Biological anthropologist Helen Fisher, PhD, explains the nuances of being just friends, friends with benefits, or a casual hookup -- and tells us how the trend toward longer courtships may change everything.
Some 46 million Americans already have the early brain changes that are the harbingers of a dementia that won’t reveal itself for decades. Dr. Richard Isaacson, Director of the Alzheimer’s Prevention Clinic at Weill Cornell Medicine, talks about the three stages of cognitive impairment, how to distinguish “senior moments” from symptoms of dementia, and whether multitasking puts our overloaded brains at risk.
Chronic pain is a national epidemic. Journalist Melanie Thernstrom, author of The Pain Chronicles, explains the difference between chronic and acute pain, how chronic pain rewires the brain, and the brain’s ability to modulate pain.
From Abraham Lincoln’s untreatable melancholy to the serendipitous discovery of SSRIs, we have come a long way in understanding depression. Psychiatrist Conor Liston, MD, PhD, explains the diagnostic challenges psychiatrists face, and the trial-and-error process to finding the right medication that frustrates both doctors and their patients.
Stem cells hold the potential to change the landscape of medicine and bring patient care and well-being into a new era. Neurosurgeon Robert Hariri, MD, PhD, talks about the possibilities and promise of using placental stem cells to target cancer cells, control diseases like HIV, restore brain function, and extend life expectancy.
“Neuro-pianist” and conductor Eitan Globerson explains the intricate connections between a musician’s instrument, hands, and brain and how the power of music can heal and improve brain performance and enrich our lives.
Coma and vegetative states are confounding for loved ones of brain-injured patients. Dr. Joseph Fins, Chief of Medical Ethics at Weill Cornell Medicine, explains the sobering discovery of hidden consciousness in coma patients and shares a painfully fascinating patient story.
Throughout history, humans have experienced pain as punishment from the gods, a metaphysical struggle, or a simple biological process. Journalist Melanie Thernstrom, author of The Pain Chronicles, talks about the different ways humans have tried to conquer pain over the centuries.
Talking with your neurosurgeons during brain surgery may seem terrifying or like science fiction. But actually, as two patients share, it was a necessary part of making their surgeries successful. Dr. Rohan Ramakrishna joins Dr. Stieg to talk about how awake craniotomies provide a critical real-time assessment into the inner workings of the brain.
The drive to reproduce – to move our DNA into tomorrow – may be behind our ability to do math, make music, and even play sports. Evolutionary anthropologist Helen Fisher explains why our complicated brains evolved in response to a very primal urge to mate.
A faulty risk/reward area of your brain can get you into trouble, but it can also free you to think outside the box. Cognitive neuroscientist Heather Berlin explains how the prefrontal cortex develops – or doesn’t – and how cognitive behavioral therapy can help you harness the power of neuroplasticity.
Ethics and emotions often clash at the bedside of terminally ill patients—especially those with brain injuries. Dr. Joseph Fins, Chief of Medical Ethics at Weill Cornell Medicine, talks with Dr. Stieg about what we can do to best prepare for our final days and who has the legal and moral authority to make life and death decisions.
A runner’s life-threatening brain bleed is repaired just in time thanks to a new minimally invasive procedure. Patient Mikal Scott talks about his alarming symptoms and fortunate meeting with neurosurgeon Dr. Jared Knopman, who performed the pioneering technique that’s now providing patients with a far better treatment option for this condition.
Cell phones, stress, and a hyper-scheduled life all put your sleep cycle in danger. Sleep disruption is bad for brain health, wreaks havoc on mood, and even raises the risk of cancer. Dr. Ana Krieger, Chief of Sleep Neurology at Weill Cornell Medicine, has the solutions we need for a better night's sleep.
Sleep disruptions have unexpected and serious impacts on the health of your brain. Dr. Ana Krieger, Chief of Sleep Neurology at Weill Cornell Medicine, explains why snoring is a danger sign for sleep apnea affecting 40 million Americans -- and why "getting by" on 6 hours of sleep a night is a risk you probably shouldn't take.
The best prescription for reducing inflammation, cholesterol, and weight is right on your plate. Cardiologist Hooman Yaghoobzadeh, MD, explains the science of eating well, and how the right foods are life enhancing and will actually change your genetics.
The science behind the benefits of a plant-based fiber diet will motivate many of us to make important lifestyle changes. Cardiologist Hooman Yaghoobzadeh, MD, explains why eating less meat, less processed food, and more fiber is so good for your heart and brain.
Sexual attraction starts with a whiff of signals that gets your motor running. Your nose -- and brain – are behind your gender, sexual orientation, and choice of partner. Kayt Sukel explains how the brain rules when it comes to sex and love.
A tremor had plagued Alexandra Lebenthal since childhood. Today her hand is steady and she can finally hold a glass with ease, thanks to Dr. Michael Kaplitt and a life-changing new procedure called MR-guided focused ultrasound.
Dr. Barry Kosofsky explains why children – especially girls – are at greater risk for concussion, and why kids under 14 should never play tackle football and certain other contact sports. Learn how to recognize the signs of concussion, when to go to the ER, and why kids with ADHD or anxiety tend to do worse when they have concussions.
Memories return – along with a surge of confusing emotions – after Demetri's surgery to remove a craniopharyngioma. Dr. Jeffrey Greenfield joins his patient and Dr. Stieg to talk about revelations after brain tumor surgery: Demetri learns the value of surrender while his neurosurgeon develops a better understanding of his role in his patients' lives.
When Demetri Kofinas was diagnosed with a benign pituitary tumor, he faced bizarre symptoms and difficult choices. With the help of his father and Dr. Jeffrey Greenfield, Demetri took on the challenges and came to a decision.
Dr. Stieg talks to psychiatrist Richard Friedman, MD, about depression and PTSD: How they are different from sadness, how the brain actually changes when someone is depressed and when they come out of it, and how therapy and medication work. Plus... identifying those at risk for suicide, and getting them help
Dr. Stieg talks to psychiatrist Dr. Richard Friedman about the neuroscience of fear: How parents can transmit anxiety to their kids, how some babies seem hard-wired for anxiety, and why a little anxiety is good for you (but too much is like a burglar alarm that sounds all the time).
Dr. Stieg talks to biological anthropologist Helen Fisher about the four hormonal systems that drive our relationship styles, and how they can predict whether love will last.
Dr. Helen Fisher, one of the world's foremost authorities on love, explains what happens in the brain when we experience romantic or sexual attraction, how that changes in long-term relationships, and why anti-depressants can make you fall out of love with your spouse.
New York Times journalist Alissa Rubin talks with Dr. Stieg about the cognitive and emotional effects of her injuries, and the treatments that helped get her back to work and to her life
Pulitzer prize-winning New York Times journalist Alissa Rubin talks with Dr. Stieg about the helicopter crash that seriously injured her, and the long road to healing her body and her brain.
Dr. Phil Stieg, Neurosurgeon-in-Chief of NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center and founder and Chairman of the Weill Cornell Medicine Brain and Spine Center, introduces his new podcast, which will explore different aspects of our most important and complex organ – the brain. In each episode, this world-renowned neurosurgeon will present a view into how the brain works, what can go wrong, and what we know about how to fix it. Get life-saving information and timely advice on how to live a brain-healthy life