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 changes over the lifespan.

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?

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 explain how meditation and mindfulness practices can combat the damage that stress does to the brain.

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, and how effective such equipment actually is at preventing concussion.

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. Stiritz sheds light on how our country can change its approach to sexual education to reflect the fact that sexual behavior can and should be a positive aspect of adolescent life.

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 the end, we explore why anxiety is so prevalent among teenagers and how neuroscience can help treat it.

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 the prevalence of sexual assault on college campuses.

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 roots. We talk about how culture factors into eating disorders, what personality traits are associated with such disorders, and how science has shed light on development and treatment.

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 realities. We also discuss how sleep can boost academic performance and memory, and how to study and sleep to maximize memorization.

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.