This Is Your Brain With Dr. Phil Stieg

Latest Episodes:

The Risks of Long-Term Space Travel Feb 21, 2020

Show notes

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.

Brain-Healthy Eating Feb 07, 2020

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"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.

Teen Brains at Risk Jan 24, 2020

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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.

Hope for Depression's Toughest Cases Jan 10, 2020

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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.

Scientific Advances in Mind Reading Dec 27, 2019

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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.

Why the Burnout Epidemic? Dec 13, 2019

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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.

Living with Glioblastoma Nov 15, 2019

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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.

What You Can Do to Prevent Alzheimer's Nov 01, 2019

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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.

Violence and the Brain Oct 18, 2019

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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.

Slow Love Oct 04, 2019

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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.