Your Brain On

VR headsets allow us to step into vast virtual worlds. What does that mean for our brains? Virtual reality technology is the most advanced and affordable it's ever been, and the tools to create immersive environments are just a few clicks away. Are we destined for a dystopian future, lost in computer-generated isolation? On the contrary, VR devices have been put to good use in clinical settings fo...

Sunlight has kept our brains on a 24-hour schedule for hundreds of thousands of years. Here's how. When sunlight touches your skin or hits your eyes, your brain ups the production of serotonin, to make you feel alert. And when night falls, your brain switches to releasing melatonin, so you know it's time to sleep. So when we don't get enough sunlight, our biological cycles can start to break. In t...

Fat can have a bad reputation, but certain fats are essential for the healthy functioning of your brain. Between government guidelines, fad diets, and our endless social feeds, nutrition advice overload has left us all a bit lost with how to incorporate healthy fats into what we eat. In this episode, we discuss: • The different kinds of fats (saturated vs. unsaturated) and which ones we actually n...

How does hearing loss change the brain and contribute to cognitive decline? The human capacity to hear is incredible. In milliseconds, sound vibrations are transformed into mechanical energy, then sensorineural signals, and then, in our brains, a universe of meaning and memory. When that sense begins to fade, either due to aging or because of causative damage, our brains can become understimulated...

Laughter predates language. But what's the neurological function of humor? Why do we find things funny? Your brain's ability to perceive and create comedic ideas is one of the most powerful facets of the human experience. Through humor and laughter, we can find shared understanding across the boundaries of cultures, languages, and ideologies. In this episode of 'YOUR BRAIN ON...', we discuss: • Wh...

Space travel goes against a million years of human evolution. So how does it affect our brains? In just six decades of manned space flights, we've discovered a remarkable amount about the neurological effects of venturing to the stars. In this episode of 'YOUR BRAIN ON...' we discuss: • How low gravity changes your brain structure, impacts your balance, and... actually might improve your sleep • T...

The U.S. is set to have its oldest President ever. Should we be worried, or are we thinking about aging the wrong way? The unprecedented age of the two United States presidential candidates, Biden and Trump, has sparked fiery debates over whether a leader can be 'too old' to effectively run a country. Our guest for this episode, neuroscientist Dr. Charan Ranganath, recently published a New York Ti...

A healthier heart equals a healthier brain — no surprise there — but what's the neuroscience behind the benefits of a cardio workout? Cardiovascular exercise, be it a brisk stroll, a light jog, or an intense interval training session, releases neurotransmitters that can improve your mood, reduce stress, enhance your memory, and strengthen immunity. In this episode of 'Your Brain On', we discuss: •...

How does Alzheimer's alter the brain, and how do we create a future without the disease? Alzheimer's, the most common form of dementia, threatens to single-handedly collapse our healthcare systems. But our knowledge of how to prevent it is stronger than ever. In this episode of 'YOUR BRAIN ON', we discuss: • The power of stories and the importance of community for finding comfort and confidence fo...

Are there differences between the brains of women and men? In this episode of Your Brain On, we explore the unique aspects of the female brain, and how the male-biased history of medical science has left us with enormous gaps in our knowledge of women's distinctive neurology. We discuss: • The striking uniformity in the structure of the female and male brain • The possible physiological and sociol...

What actually is ADHD? What caused the sharp increase in cases? How does diagnosis work? ADHD. Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. 60 years ago, it wasn't mentioned at all in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. Now, it's one of the most broadly-discussed disorders in the world.   In this episode of 'Your Brain On', we discuss:   • What's distinct about the brains of pe...

From trepanning to Neuralink, we've always been curious about operating on our brains — for better or worse. Tens of thousands of people were lobotomized before the practice began to decline in the 1950s. The era of lobotomies is one of the darkest chapters in medical history. Many of the period's missteps can guide how we think about healthcare ethics today, and in the future. In this episode of...

Why do we dream? Is lucid dreaming real? How can dreams be used for therapy? Does cheese really give us nightmares? In this episode, we discuss the neuroscience and psychology of: • REM sleep, and how it puts our brain in the ideal state for creating dreams • Why dreams might be a way for our brains to stop non-visual senses taking over our brains when we sleep • The links between recurring dreams...

When wins and losses shape the mood of entire cities, what's happening in the brains of football fans? In this episode, we discuss the neuroscience and psychology of: • Football fandom, and bonding with others over shared love of a team • The chemicals that make wins feel so joyous, and losses so painful • How our empathy systems transport us into the shoes of the players We explore the evolutiona...

Sugar often carries a blanket negative health connotation. But our brains need carbohydrates for everyday energy. The term "sugar" is often used in a broad and imprecise manner, often encompassing a wide range of carbohydrates — without distinction. This oversimplification overlooks the nuanced roles and effects of different types of carbohydrates on our health. In this episode, we aim to dissect...

Neurochemically, what is love? How can neuroscience help us maintain long-term relationships? Is heartbreak real? In this episode, we discuss the neuroscience and psychology of: • Why falling in love can feel so stressful • How being infatuated activates the same neurotransmitters as having OCD • What happens to your brain when exciting new romances settle into comfortable decades-long unions We s...

What happens to your brain when you stop drinking? Is doing Dry January the best way to quit? In this second preview episode of Your Brain On, we discuss the neuroscience and psychology of: • How alcohol affects your brain, at a cellular level • Why a gradual detoxification might be better than the hard stop encouraged by Dry January • The fascinating history of alcohol's role in culture, from anc...

On New Year's Eve, we experience feelings of joy, sadness, thankfulness, regret, and nostalgia, as our brains recall episodic moments from the past 12 months. Surges of dopamine mix with our aspirations, forming resolutions. As we count down to the new year, we're full of excitement and hope. But most of us don't manage to stick to our new year's resolutions beyond January. In this episode of Your...