Mind & Matter

About the Guest:  Robert Lustig, MD is a physician-researcher and expert of metabolic health. He is Professor emeritus of Pediatrics, Division of Endocrinology at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), specializing in neuroendocrinology with an emphasis on the regulation of energy balance by the central nervous system. His research and clinical practice has focused on childhood obesit...

About the Guest:  Mark Mattson, PhD is a semi-retired neuroscientist at Johns Hopkins who ran a research lab at the NIH for many years. He wrote the book, "The Intermittent Fasting Revolution." Episode Summary: Nick and Dr. Mattson discuss: intermittent fasting & diet; ketosis & metabolic switching; aging & neurodegenerative disease; exercise, stress, and neuroplasticity; and more. * More M&M cont...

About the Guests:  Sean B. Carroll, PhD is an evolutionary developmental biologist at the University of Maryland, who recently stepped down as VP of Education at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. He is the author of many popular science books, such as "Endless Forms Most Beautiful." Episode Summary: Nick and Dr. Carroll discuss developmental biology & genetics; evolutionary biology; genetics, g...

About the Guests:  Dr. David Nichols is a retired chemist and father of Dr. Charles Nichols, a researcher studying psychedelics at Louisiana State University. Episode Summary: Nick and David & Charles Nichols, PhD talk about: the history of psychedelics science from the 1970s to the present; DMT & 5-MeO-DMT; serotonin, inflammation, and psychedelics & anti-inflammatory drugs; psilocybin, ketamine,...

About the Guest:  Dr. Chris Knobbe is a physician (ophthalmologist), diet & nutrition researchers, and author of, "The Ancestral Diet Revolution." Episode Summary: Nick and Chris Knobbe, MD discuss seed oils & their health consequences; different types of seed oils (soybean, corn, sunflower, etc.); omega-6 fats like linoleic acid; fatty acid metabolism and oxidation; obesity, diabetes & metabolic...

About the Guest:  Dr. Orrin Devinsky is a neurologist and Professor at the New York University School of Medicine. Episode Summary: Nick and Orrin Devinsky, MD discuss: dietary consumption trends in the US; processed vs. whole foods; vegetable oils & polyunsaturated fats; relationship between saturated fat, dietary cholesterol & heart disease; history of medicine in the US; obesity & diabetes; sug...

Dr. Artemis Simopoulos is a physician and researcher specializing in endocrinology, nutrition, and metabolic health. They discuss: traditional hunter-gatherer diets vs. modern Western diets; dietary fats; omega-6 and omega-3 polyunsaturated fats; sucrose & sugar; chronic inflammatory diseases, obesity & diabetes; vegetable & seed oils vs. other cooking oils; processed foods; fish oil supplements;...

Dr. Carolina Tropini is an assistant professor of Microbiology & Immunology at the University of British Columbia, where her lab studies the microbiome in health & disease. Topics covered: infant & vaginal microbiome, breast milk nutrients & C-sections vs. natural births; oral microbiome & cavities; gut microbiome & irritable bowel disease (IBD); fiber, short-chain fatty acids & probiotics; how gu...

Dr. John Speakman is a biologist whose research focuses on energy balance, energy expenditure, genetic and environmental drivers of obesity and the energetic contribution to aging. They discuss: the history of the obesity epidemic in the US vs. China; changes in patterns of physical activity, diet, and energy expenditure in humans over time; how saturated fats vs. PUFAs affect basal metabolism; th...

Dr. Ronald Krauss is a physician and researcher at UCSF who studies the relationship between diet & cardiometabolic health. They discuss: saturated vs. unsaturated fats; carbohydrates & fat synthesis; "good" vs. "bad" cholesterol; official US dietary guidelines and how they're established; funding of research by the food industry; and more.  * Click here to download audio, watch video, or read sho...

Dr. Tobias Egner is a Professor of Psychology & Neuroscience at Duke University, where his lab studies cognition, working memory, and cognitive control & flexibility. They discuss: what cognition is and how it's studied experimentally; working memory & attention; cognitive flexibility, cognitive control & multitasking; memory, perception, and predictive coding; and more. * Click here to download a...

Dr. David Puts is a biological anthropologist at the Penn State University. His research focuses on the evolution and development of human sexuality and sex differences. We are especially interested in how sex hormones influence our sexual psychology, behavior, and anatomy—and how these traits were shaped by sexual selection. They discuss: the biological basis of sex; gametes, sex chromosomes & se...

Dr. Moses Chao is a professor at the New York University School of Medicine. His lab studies how the environment, neuronal activity, inflammation, injury and disease affect the nervous system. They discuss topics related to his new book, "Peripheral: How Your Nervous System Predicts and Protects Against Disease." Topics include: how the peripheral nervous system differs from the central nervous sy...

Mikael Palner, PhD is a neuroscientist at the University of Souther Denmark. His lab studies the neuronal circuits involved in obsessive compulsive disorder and anxiety . They investigate the effects of serotonergic psychedelic and non-psychedelic drugs that increase neuronal plasticity. They discuss: psychedelics & the brain; the neuroscience of stress, anxiety & compulsive behavior; microdosing...

Dr. John Hawks is a paleoanthropologist and professor of anthropology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. They discuss: the evolution of human behavior, diet, anatomy, and culture; Neanderthals, Denisovans, Homo erectus , and other species; the latest discoveries related to  Homo naledi , which was the subject of the Netflix documentary, "Cave of Bones." * Click here to download audio, watch v...

Dr. Mario Capecchi is a professor of genetics at the University of Utah & Nobel laureate. He discussed: his latest work in neurobiology, looking at the role of microglia in anxiety & Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD); his Nobel Prize-winning work in molecular genetics; molecular biology & genetics; his childhood experiences as an orphan in Italy during World War II; immigrating to the US; his ed...

Dr. Adriene Beltz is an associated professor of psychology at the University of Michigan who studies the effects of sex hormones & hormonal contraception on human cognition and the brain. They discuss: sex hormones (androgens & estrogens); hormonal regulation of menstruation, puberty, and pregnancy; common forms of hormonal birth control & how they work; effects of sex hormones & hormonal birth co...

Nick talks to Dr. Matthew Hill, a neuroscientist at the University of Calgary whose lab studies how the endocannabinoid system and cannabis (marijuana) influence the brain & behavior. They discuss: endocannabinoid biology; endocannabinoid regulation of stress & anxiety; endocannabinoids & exercise; how marijuana & THC influence brain development; and more. * Click here to download audio, watch vid...

Nick talks to molecular physiologist Dr. Vijay Yadav, an assistant professor at Columbia University whose lab studies the molecular & cell biology of aging, nutrition, and longevity. They discuss: the cell biology of aging; how nutrients affect aging & disease; the atypical amino acid taurine & its effects on aging; taurine clinical trials & supplementation; diet, nutrition & anti-aging effects; a...

Nick talks to Gül Dölen, MD, PhD., a neuroscientist at Johns Hopkins University whose lab studies social behavior, synaptic plasticity, psychedelics & evolution. They discuss: What drugs like LSD, psilocybin, ketamine, MDMA, and ibogaine have in common in terms of their molecular effects in the brain; why Dr. Gül Dölen believes all of these drugs can be described as "psychedelics"; the relationshi...

Nick talks to Dr. Alan Davis, a clinical psychologist and Director of the Center for Psychedelic Drug Research & Education at Ohio State University. They discuss: the effectiveness of mainstream forms of psychotherapy and antidepressant medications (SSRIs) for depression; psychedelic medicine & psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy; the relevance of the subjective effects of psychedelics for their the...

Nick talks to Bryan Roth, MD, PhD, a Professor of Pharmacology at the University of North Carolina. Dr. Roth has been studying the molecular mechanisms of psychedelics since the 1980s. They discuss: serotonin 2A receptors in the mammalian brain; psychedelics & neuroplasticity; classic psychedelics (e.g. LSD, psilocybin, DMT) compared to drugs like ketamine & MDMA; TrkB receptors & BDNF; engineerin...

Nick talks to ethnopharmacologist Dr. Dennis McKenna, who is the brother of psychonaut Terence McKenna and author of the book, "The Brotherhood of the Screaming Abyss." They discuss: the lives and psychedelic adventures of Dennis & Terence McKenna; experiences with psilocybin mushrooms & DMT; Carl Jung & psychology; the medical relevance of subjective psychedelic experiences; drugs, culture & soci...

Nick talks to Daniel Karlin, MD, a board-certified physician in psychiatry, addiction medicine & clinical informatics who is the Chief Medical Officer at MindMed. They discuss: psychiatry; incentives in scientific & medical research; healthcare & mental health; psychedelics; LSD for anxiety; MDMA for autism; ibogaine derivatives for addiction; patient access & care; and more. * To access the full...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit mindandmatter.substack.com Nick talks to Daniel Karlin, MD, a board-certified physician in psychiatry, addiction medicine & clinical informatics who is the Chief Medical Officer at MindMed. They discuss: psychiatry; incentives in scientific & medical research; healthcare & mental health; psychedelics; LSD for anxiety; MDMA for autism; i...