The Early Perspective

How do billions of chaotic neurons somehow work together to create a single, clean thought or decision? In this episode of The Early Perspective , we sit down with Dr. Brent Doiron, a professor of neurobiology and statistics and the chair of the Committee on Computational Neuroscience at the University of Chicago. We crack open the hood of the human mind to explore a powerful secret: your individu...

What if the colors you see in the world don't actually exist out there at all? In this episode of The Early Perspective , we talk with Deepthi Bannai, a computational neuroscientist and PhD candidate at UC Berkeley’s Redwood Center for Theoretical Neuroscience, to tear down everything you take for granted about sight. We challenge the baseline assumption that our eyes simply record the physical wo...

What if your eyes are already processing your environment before the signal ever reaches your conscious brain? In this episode of The Early Perspective , we sit down with neuroscientist and NYU postdoctoral researcher Dr. Karina Bistrong, who recieved her PhD from UC Berkeley, to uncover the hidden intelligence of the visual system. We move past the common misconception that the retina acts like a...

If two people get the exact same injury, why does one scream in agony while the other barely flinches? In this episode of The Early Perspective , we sit down with neuroscientist and Stanford PhD graduate Gabriella Muwanga to dismantle everything you think you know about physical suffering. We move past the primitive idea that pain is just a simple "alarm signal" from your skin to your brain, and e...

Why do teenagers act the way they do? Is it just defiance, or is there a biological "system update" happening under the hood? In this final episode of our three-part series, we sit down with neuroscientist and bestselling author Dr. Dean Burnett to demystify the teenage brain. We move past the "25-year-old cutoff" myth and explore why adolescence is a period of massive neurological "decluttering"...

Why is it so easy to pick up a bad habit and so grueling to break one? And why does willpower always seem to fail us when we need it most? In this episode, I’m joined once again by neuroscientist and bestselling author Dr. Dean Burnett to break down the mechanics of habits, cravings, and addiction. We explore why habits become "automated" like riding a bike, how addiction creates a biological "arm...

What if your brain is still working almost as hard during sleep as when you are awake? And what actually happens when you do not get enough sleep? In this episode, I’m joined by Dr. Dean Burnett, neuroscientist and bestselling author of The Idiot Brain and The Happy Brain , to break down the science of sleep, stress, and burnout. We explore what sleep is actually doing for the brain, why sleep dep...

What if Alzheimer’s disease begins decades before symptoms and you wouldn’t even know? In this episode, I’m joined by Dr. Adam Brickman, Professor of Neuropsychology at Columbia University, to break down how the brain actually ages and what’s really happening in Alzheimer’s disease. We explore the difference between normal cognitive aging and neurodegeneration, why dementia and Alzheimer’s are not...

Have you ever realized that you and someone else can look at the exact same thing and see completely different realities? From the viral dress illusion to the subtle psychology behind blue vs. green text bubbles, perception isn’t objective. It’s constructed. In this episode, I’m joined by Dr. Elizabeth (Zab) Johnson , Executive Director of the Wharton Neuroscience Initiative at the University of P...

Why did evolution invest so much energy into thinking when most animals survive just fine without it? Why do some species with massive brains struggle at tasks that smaller-brained animals solve easily? The story of intelligence isn’t a straight line and it definitely isn’t about brain size alone. In this episode, I’m joined by Dr. David Bainbridge, a reproductive biologist and comparative anatomi...

Why do some leaders make you feel motivated and focused, while others drain you the moment they speak? Your brain isn’t reacting to titles or authority. It’s reacting to biology. Leadership isn’t just a skill or a personality trait. It’s a neural experience. And the environments we work in can literally reshape how our brains respond to stress, trust, and connection. In this episode, I'm joined by...

Why do two people experience the same moment and walk away with completely different realities? Why do some minds crave structure while others thrive on creativity, risk, or chaos? Long before we’re aware of it, our brains are already being shaped. But does that mean our behavior is written into our DNA or is there more room for choice than we think? In this episode, I’m joined by Dr. Kevin Mitche...

Why do some moments stay with you for life, while information you try to remember disappears overnight? Today, Stanford PhD researcher Lucas Encarnacion-Rivera joins us to help break down what learning actually is at the biological level. He explains how experience physically reshapes the brain through changes in synaptic strength, why emotion and motivation dramatically influence memory, and why...

A quick introduction to The Early Perspective: a podcast that breaks down neuroscience in a clear, understandable way. In this episode, get a preview of the topics we’ll cover and hear about the guests joining us starting in January. Follow so you don’t miss an episode, and learn more at youngaxons.com .