Author: This Is Your Brain producer
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. Dr. Stieg: Now that travel to Mars is reality in the near future. I’m really excited to welcome…
“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. Stieg: I’m really happy to have Joy Bauer with me today to talk about the important relationship between nutrition and brain health. Joy started her career at Mount Sinai medical center as a clinical nutritionist for the neurosurgical team and nutrition director for the pediatric cardiology department. She’s the author of numerous books and…
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. Dr. Stieg: We’ve all been there and we’ve all raised children through that time period, the teenage years. Today I have Dr. Frances Jensen, professor and chairman of the department of neurology…
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. Dr. Stieg: I’m pleased to welcome Dr. Connor Liston today to talk with us about some exciting advances in diagnosing and treating depression. Dr. Liston is an associate professor of neuroscience and psychiatry at Weill Cornell Medicine where…
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. Dr. Stieg: I’m really excited about our topic of mind reading today because it seems right out of sci-fi movies.…
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. Dr. Stieg: Hi, I’m Dr. Phil Stieg. It seems that workers young and old, whether part-time, self-employed or corporate executives are experiencing increasing levels of stress and burnout. The World…