Playing With Marbles

Support If you’re struggling with your mental health, you’re not alone. If you are in immediate danger of harming yourself or others, call 9-1-1 , or head to your nearest emergency room. You can also call or text 9-8-8  to reach the Suicide Crisis Helpline . Support is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Young people can chat anytime with Kids Help Phone by calling 1-800-668-6868 . Services a...

The term “dissociation” is a hot topic amongst those who study the brain. An example of dissociation that most of us can relate to is when you’re reading or scrolling through social media and you realize that your mind is elsewhere, that you haven’t actually absorbed the information in front of you. Some researchers have termed these momentary and fleeting moments “ normative dissociation ”.  Howe...

Diagnosis of personality disorders in youth is relatively new. Before the release of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, version 5 (DSM-V), nobody under the age of 18 could receive a diagnosis of a personality disorder, mainly due to the transitional nature of personality in youth , and the degree of stigmatization attached to such a diagnosis . Researchers have since stressed the importance of...

The definition of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) has gone through many changes over the years. Interestingly, the criteria used to diagnose ADHD has actually become broader , encompassing a wider range of ages and a variety of different clinical presentations and symptoms. One thing that’s stayed the same since the release of the DSM-III in the 1980’s is the focus on problems with...

Anxiety is one of the body’s natural responses to stress. When a person is met with an important event or perceived danger, anxiety can help them to react to that stressor. But when symptoms of anxiety are ongoing or severe, it’s a sign of an anxiety disorder. There are several types of anxiety disorders , with each subtype categorized by how anxiety appears in the afflicted person’s life. This ep...

Being sad or feeling hopeless is a normal part of human existence appearing and disappearing and reappearing with the ebbs and flows of life. But when symptoms of a depressive episode last for more than two weeks, and begin to get in the way of one’s day-to-day life, that’s when a person meets the criteria for Major Depressive Disorder, or MDD, which is one type of the DSM-IV’s depressive diagnose...

Strap in for another exciting season of Playing With Marbles , brought to you by Brain Canada . In past seasons, we learned about all of the cool brain science research coming out of labs in Canada, from mini-brain organoids in petri dishes to women’s health beyond the bikini. We’ve taken a look at the brain at a microscopic level and learned how each part of your marble functions to help you enco...

Let’s experience menopause, migraines, and Alzheimer's! Not exactly fun, we know, but they are very common complications of later life, so we’re going to get inside a brain that is experiencing them and show you exactly what’s going onn.  We'll explore the benefits and risks of hormone replacement therapy and whether a cure for Alzheimer's is on the horizon. This is our protagonist Kira's swan son...

Puberty, pregnancy, ovulation, even love… these are all things our body regulates with hormones, and brains love hormones. They are chemical messengers used by the body when one part wants to tell another what to do… and in this episode our protagonist’s brain is stewing in them like a squishy teabag.  Follow the show: Twitter: @marblespod Instagram:  @marblespod

For decades researchers used male bodies as the “default”, and this has led to huge research gaps in our understanding of womens’ brains. This lack of knowledge has real, sometimes deadly consequences when it comes to things like medication doses. So, we’re spending this season following one woman’s brain from birth to death and diving into what we do and don’t know about female brains.  Follow th...

Season 2 of Playing with Marbles is coming Monday June 20th, and this time we’re focusing on the female brain, and what we do and don’t know about it. Scientists have been using male bodies as their “default” research subjects for a long time, so we’re going to take a long look at one woman’s brain, and figure out what we do and don’t know about it. Follow the show: Twitter: @marblespod Instagram:...

Sometimes to really find out how brains work you have to get too close for comfort, so we’re looking for brains that have escaped their warm, cozy skulls and made their way into jars and freezers. We even meet something that is very like a brain, but was never inside a skull in the first place. Not AI, but tissue, grown in a lab, for science.  Follow the show: Twitter: @marblespod Instagram:   @ma...

When something goes wrong with a brain we can’t just get under the hood and poke around. So how do we figure out what’s going wrong? Well sometimes the answer to that question involves watching monkeys watch TV, so we’re taking a trip to a monkey cinema, and along the way learning about the different ways to see inside your head and find faulty wiring.  Follow the show: Twitter: @marblespod Instag...

Memories are fickle. They’re so important, but so ineffable.. So how do we make memories? And what types of memory are there? We’re finding out what actually happens when we upload something to our squishy storage system, and if there are any ways to hack our memories to be better. We might even be close to implanting new memories, or editing out old ones. Follow the show: Twitter: @marblespod Ins...

Every day we are learning more about the brain, but the challenges are complex and answers can’t come quickly enough. We are on a global quest to understand the brain and we believe that new ideas, tested through research and leading to innovation and discovery, will reduce the burden on our health care system and help us live happier, healthier lives. Join us and come on a journey to the real las...