Dr. Tim Brown, neuroscience professor and clinical neuropsychologist of UC San Diego, and I discuss impulse control and life success, the parent's role in adolescent behavior, the future of fMRI in personal medicine, and how language processing

Episode 14: Boys and Girls

Dec 10th, 2016

Today on Brainstorms is the long-awaited "brain battle of the sexes." We discuss how men and women differ cognitively, emotionally, and sexually, especially during the adolescent years. How different are we, really?

Episode 13: Stress and Mindfulness with John Rettger, PhD

Dec 3rd, 2016

Today, I speak with Dr. John Rettger about how stress changes the chemicals and structure of the brain, and how the adolescent brain may be especially sensitive to stress. He also talks about mindfulness, and draws on breaking studies to explai

Episode 12: Concussed

Nov 26th, 2016

This week, we venture into the medical realm to discuss concussions. We explore the causes and effects of concussions, both in the biological and cognitive realms.We also discuss the different sports equipment out there to protect our heads, an

Episode 11: Rethinking Sex-Ed with Susan Stiritz, PhD

Nov 19th, 2016

Today I speak with Susan Stiritz, professor of sexuality studies and sexual education methods at Washington University in St. Louis. In a world where sex and sexuality are often considered "taboo" subjects, among both parents and peers, Dr. Sti

Episode 10: When Instinct Turns Anxious

Nov 12th, 2016

Anxiety is a broad term used to describe a variety of disorders, and we look into each as it appears in the brain. We discuss how fear and stress are modulated in the healthy brain, and how these systems go awry to produce clinical anxiety. At

Episode 9: Encounters with Alcohol

Nov 5th, 2016

In "Encounters with Alcohol," we take alcohol head-on, starting from its chemical properties and working our way through its short and long-term effects on the teenage brain. We explore how alcohol affects memory, cognitive abilities, and even

Episode 8: Eating Disorder Interview with Dr. Erin Parks

Oct 29th, 2016

Today, I share with you my first interview of a neuroscientist, Dr. Erin Parks of the UC San Diego Eating Disorder Center. We discuss the range of eating disorders that we see today, as well as their neurobiological, genetic, and psychological

Episode 7: Sweet Dreams

Oct 23rd, 2016

Today, we investigate what it is that makes sleep so important to human life, and why teenagers seem to get so little of it. We explore the teenage circadian rhythm, and why high school start times are out of sync with teenage biological realit

Episode 6: A Rainbow Brain

Oct 15th, 2016

Today, we explore the science behind sexual orientation and gender identity. From gay penguins to finger lengths, we discover what biology has to say about sexuality, orientation, and gender identity in the 21st century.

Episode 5: Creatures of Habit

Oct 8th, 2016

Creatures of Habit is about how our habits are built, and how they control our lives, especially as teenagers. Today, we learn how to make new habits using habit loops, how to change pesky bad habits, and what science has in store for the futur

Episode 4: Your Brain on Pot

Oct 1st, 2016

This week on Brainstorms, we discuss America's favorite drug: marijuana. Your Brain on Pot examines the potential risks of marijuana to the teenage brain, and how marijuana stacks up compared to alcohol.

Episode 3: The DNA Trap

Sep 24th, 2016

The DNA Trap explores how much of our brain is built by our genes. In the episode, we focus on addiction and mental illness, and how these two conditions are influenced by our genetic code that we inherit from our parents. Most importantly, we

Episode 2: Like Everybody Else

Sep 17th, 2016

In Episode 2, we investigate the true nature of peer pressure, social conformity, and the search for popularity based on the neurobiology of the teenage brain.

Episode 1: Welcome to Teenagehood

Sep 10th, 2016

In Episode 1, we explore the effects that sex hormones have on the body and the brain, and introduce some major brain regions that define the teenage brain. As it turns out, puberty does not just reshape our bodies and crank up our sex drives-

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