This Is Your Brain With Dr. Phil Stieg
Weill Cornell Medicine Neurological Surgery
This Is Your Brain With Dr. Phil Stieg provides a fascinating look into the human brain, with each episode asking new questions — and finding new answers — about our most mysterious organ. Together with his expert guests, Dr. Stieg takes us on a journey that reveals unexpected secrets at every turn, and redefines what we know about ourselves and our place in the world.
The podcast explores the many fascinating aspects of neuroscience, ranging from how the brain is wired for both sudden bursts of violence and the pervasive inner calm of meditation. Where does confidence come from? How do we remember traumatic events – or do we? How do other animals experience consciousness? Does storytelling change our brains?
Take the journey with us as we explore the very foundation of what makes us human.
The podcast explores the many fascinating aspects of neuroscience, ranging from how the brain is wired for both sudden bursts of violence and the pervasive inner calm of meditation. Where does confidence come from? How do we remember traumatic events – or do we? How do other animals experience consciousness? Does storytelling change our brains?
Take the journey with us as we explore the very foundation of what makes us human.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Jan 24, 2020 • 19min
Teen Brains at Risk
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.
Jan 10, 2020 • 21min
Hope for Depression's Toughest Cases
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.
Dec 27, 2019 • 17min
Scientific Advances in Mind Reading
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.
Dec 13, 2019 • 16min
Why the Burnout Epidemic?
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.
Nov 15, 2019 • 25min
Living with Glioblastoma
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.
Nov 1, 2019 • 22min
What You Can Do to Prevent Alzheimer's
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.
Oct 18, 2019 • 24min
Violence and the Brain
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.
Oct 4, 2019 • 14min
Slow Love
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.
Sep 27, 2019 • 15min
Is It Normal Aging or Alzheimer's?
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.
Sep 20, 2019 • 23min
Pain and the Science of Suffering
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.
