Electroconvulsive therapy is highly effective in treating major depressive disorder, but no one knows why it works. New research suggests it may restore balance between excitation and inhibition in the brain.
Mar 17
Astrocytes Might Be in Charge of the Brain
We tend to think of neurons as the sole engine of our thoughts, emotions, and everything in between. For decades, a group of large brain cells called astrocytes have been thought of as mere packing peanuts for the brain. But new research suggests otherwise. On this episode of The ... Show More
26m 7s
Mar 10
The Infinite Heist - Part 2
In 1874, Georg Cantor published one of the most important papers in math’s 4,000-year history. Some ideas in it were stolen. On this episode of The Quanta Podcast, the second of a two-parter, host Samir Patel speaks with math editor Jordana Cepelewicz about the fate of Cantor, th ... Show More
24m 35s
Sep 2024
The sweeping reorganisation of the brain in pregnancy, and why it matters
Ian Sample talks to Dr Laura Pritschet, a postdoctoral fellow of psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania, about her research using precision scans to capture the profound changes that sweep across the brain during pregnancy. She explains what this new work reveals about how ... Show More
14m 25s
Nov 2024
Anneli Jefferson, "Are Mental Disorders Brain Disorders?" (Routledge, 2024)
The question of whether mental disorders are disorders of the brain has led to a long-running and controversial dispute within psychiatry, psychology and philosophy of mind and psychology. While recent work in neuroscience frequently tries to identify underlying brain dysfunction ... Show More
1h 25m
Sep 2021
TU156: What Actually Heals in Therapy with Psychoanalyst Nancy McWilliams – Replay
For todays’ replay, we thought it would be a great opportunity to revisit our conversation with renowned psychoanalyst and psychologist, Nancy McWilliams. It can be difficult to verbalize the issues with “evidence-based” models of care, but with McWilliam’s deeper analysis of qua ... Show More
45m 44s
Aug 2024
Ketamine's antidepressant effect, and bee brains find a way
In the news podcast, could Chinese scientists have found the mechanism that gives ketamine its antidepressant effect? Also, how a Cambridge researcher has laid the foundations for eliminating a form of blindness in English Shepherd dogs, and how bees find their way about with rem ... Show More
29m 33s
May 2025
Essentials: Understanding & Healing the Mind | Dr. Karl Deisseroth
In this episode of Huberman Lab Essentials, my guest is Dr. Karl Deisseroth, M.D., Ph.D., a clinical psychiatrist and professor of bioengineering and of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Stanford University. We discuss his experiences as a clinician treating complex psychiatr ... Show More
44 m