The Brain Blown Podcast

Bipolar Disorder has been listed as one of the leading disorders of the Global Burden of Diseases...

Yet the amount of research and funding put towards it is abysmal.

Laine and I share that during our clinical education, we were taught almost nothing about the experience of mania, diagnosing, or treating the disorders like Bipolar.

This episode share's what we know so far (from the MANY articles Laine went through to try to make sense of it) and what's happening in the brain -- referencing studies from Harrison, Gettes, Tunbridge, Clark, Sahakian, and more.

It also touches on what needs to be done to not only better support those who have experienced manic episodes or have been diagnosed, but what is required for the field of mental health to improve.

The takeaways of this episode are some of our favorites -- you can hear it in Laine's voice at the end.

Enjoy -- and as always, if you have any questions feel free to email us at [email protected].

REFERENCES

Dionisio et al. - "Cognitive flexibility impairment and reduced frontal cortex BDNF expression in the ouabain model of mania"

Dzirasa et al. - "Impaired Limbic Gamma Oscillatory Synchrony during Anxiety-Related Behavior in a Genetic Mouse Model of Bipolar Mania"

Ferrari et al. - "Depression and Mania Induce Pro-inflammatory Activation of Macrophages Following Application of Serum from Individuals with Bipolar Disorder"

Schmidta et al. - "Cerebrospinal fluid hypocretin-1 (orexin A) levels in mania compared to unipolar depression and healthy controls"

de Soussa et al. - "Lithium increases plasma brain-derived neurotrophic factor in acute bipolarmania: A preliminary 4-week study"

Paul J. Harrison, John R. Geddes, and Elizabeth M. Tunbridge1 - "The Emerging Neurobiology of Bipolar Disorder"

Luke Clark, Barbara J. Sahakian - "Cognitive neuroscience and brain imaging in bipolar disorder"

G.S. Kirshenbaum, C. R. Burgess, N. De'ry, M. Fahnestock, J. H. Peever and J C Roder - "Attenuation of mania-like behavior in na+,k+-atpase a3 mutant mice by prospective therapies for bipolar disorder: melatonin and exercise"

Emre Bora - "Neurocognitive features in clinical subgroups of bipolar disorder: A meta-analysis"

Ryan W. Logan, Ph.D. and Colleen A. McClung, Ph.D. - "Animal Models of Bipolar Mania: The Past, Present and Future"

Fitting for this time of year, this mini-episode is all about the birds & the bees... kind of.

In the Neuroscience of Orgasm, Laine walks us through the research of what's going on (or not) in our brains during that peak moment of pleasure.

But don't worry, as we mention at the beginning -- we keep things science-forward and professional (as best we can).

And because there's SO much to talk about, we opted to make this episode a touch longer than our usual 15 minutes... Hope you don't mind!

Enjoy, and if any other questions come up be sure to let us know!

Send us an email at [email protected].

REFERENCES

Have you ever noticed how many more cases of Autism there are in the world today?

In 2023, the World Health Organization predicts 1 in 100 people will be diagnosed with Autism (and USA Today predicts even more...)

But if you go back a few decades, there are dramatically fewer cases reported.

So what is causing the increase?

Are we just more aware of the symptoms, or have our brains begun to develop differently?

In this month's episode, Laine walks us through findings from Molden, Rubenstein, Hyman, Baron-Cohen, and many others to help us better understand the unique functions of the autistic brain, and how what we've learned has changed how we view or even diagnose autism. We'll look at things like:

**Also enjoy a special "behind the scenes" tag at the end of this episode!

REFERENCES

Steven O. Moldin, John L. R. Rubenstein, and Steven E. Hyman - "Can Autism Speak to Neuroscience?"

S. Baron-Cohen - "The Cognitive Neuroscience of Autism"

Arianna Manzini, Emily J.H. Jones, Tony Charman, Mayada Elsabbagh, Mark H. Johnson, and Ilina Singh - "Ethical dimensions of translational developmental neuroscience research in autism"

Born For Love by Bruce Perry and Maria Szalavitz

P.S. So sorry for the delayed publishing! One of those months where the last Wednesday showed up out of nowhere... can't believe it's already almost May!

Much Love, Cherys

We've all experienced it before: enjoying a delicious cold beverage or ice cream cone when suddenly...

Gah! Brain freeze!

Ever stopped to wonder what's actually going on to cause the pain?

Or curious about what remedies will actually help relieve a brain freeze?

Learn about it all in this month's mini-episode!

REFERENCES

Ho, Przkora, Kumar - "Sphenopalatine ganglion: block, radiofrequency ablation and neurostimulation - a systematic review"

ADHD is one of the most common diagnoses for kids, and many adults today claim to have it.

Research shows that over 9% of children are diagnosed with ADHD, but considering how common it is you'd think we understand a lot of what's going on and why certain therapies or medications help to relieve symptoms.

Yet what we know (or don't know) about it will shock you.

So what DO we know about the brain and ADHD?

And if it's not ADHD... then what could it be?

Tune into this month's deep dive into the neuroscience of ADHD where Laine walks us through the controversial science from Slater, Tate, Rubia, and many others looking at

We mention some studies from previous episodes as well, so if you haven't yet feel free to check them out via the links below.

Mini Episode: Neuroscience of Motivation

Season 1, Neuroscience of Music

TIMESTAMPS

RESOURCES

CDC: Toward Systems Neuroscience of ADHD: A Meta-Analysis of 55 fMRI Studies

Leanne M Williams, Tracey W Tsang, Simon Clarke, and Michael Kohn - An ‘integrative neuroscience’ perspective on ADHD: linking cognition, emotion, brain, and genetic measures with implications for clinical support

Jessica L. Slater and Matthew C. Tate - Timing Deficits in ADHD: Insights From the Neuroscience of Musical Rhythm

Carlos Acuña - The ADHD-200 Consortium: a model to advance the translational potential of neuroimaging in clinical neuroscience

Katya Rubia - Cognitive Neuroscience of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Its Clinical Translation

This episode is a tribute to all who may be inclined to enjoy an extra drink or two this St. Patrick's day -

Or for anyone who's enjoyed a night out but can't remember it thanks to too many drinks.

So what actually happens to those memories during an alcoholic blackout? What's happening in the brain, and what can we learn from it?

Enjoy this month's mini-episode and find out... and have fun (while being safe) this holiday!

REFERENCES

Min, Kim, Lee, etc. - Difference in Cognitive Function by First Onset Age of Alcohol-Induced Blackout and Its Duration

John T. Wixted - The Psychology and Neuroscience of Forgetting

Corey Taylor - The Brain in Black Out

Humans can't survive without anxiety... but it's fair to say that living with it is no walk in the park.

Whether it's a sudden feeling of unease, fear, impending doom, or a lingering sense of worry or dread that never seems to go away, we need anxiety even if we'd much rather live without it.

So how do we live with it? 

How do we understand it so we can regain control when our bodies' alarm tells us there's something to fear? 

And how do we keep hold of our anxieties and prevent them from developing into something more serious?

In this month's deep-dive episode, Laine walks us through some of the science behind the second-most common mental illness that humans experience. Using findings from scientists LeDoux, Pine, Nesse, Caouette, Guyer, and McNally, we discuss things like:

For more resources on anxiety, head to the episode on our website www.brainblownpodcast.com. If you have any topics you'd be interested in learning more about, please feel free to send us an email at [email protected]!

We'd love to hear from you.

TIMESTAMPS

RESOURCES

Joseph E. LeDoux, Ph.D., Daniel S. Pine, M.D. - Using Neuroscience to Help Understand Fear and Anxiety: A Two-System Framework

Randolph Nesse - "Proximate and evolutionary studies of anxiety, stress and depression: synergy at the interface"

Justin D. Caouette, Amanda E. Guyer - "Gaining insight into adolescent vulnerability for social anxiety from developmental cognitive neuroscience"

Richard J. McNally - "Mechanisms of exposure therapy: How neuroscience can improve psychological treatments for anxiety disorders"

If you're lacking motivation this time of year - or you're part of the 80% of people who've quit their New Year's Resolution by now - then this mini episode is for you!

It's no surprise that our brains play a major role in getting and staying motivated, but what may surprise you is that it's also your brain that's making things difficult and even screwing you all together...

Enjoy this quick 15 min. episode and get to know your brain so you can keep chasing what you want from life without being so hard on yourself.

RESOURCES:

Sung-Il Kim, "Introduction to Motivational Neuroscience"

Have an idea for a mini-episode you'd like us to cover? Send it to [email protected] and we'll take a look!

Depression is the #1 most common mental illness… but why does it feel like there’s still so much we don’t know about it?

With a rise in mental health awareness, it’s becoming a more common practice to see a therapist or take medications for illnesses like depression - yet the likelihood of ever being “cured” is slim to none. In fact, remission and relapse remain at an all-time high.

This goes for more serious cases, but it also explains why the “winter blues” are a recurring thing… (no coincidence this podcast is out in January. 😉)

What if more answers about this all-too-common illness lie beyond just our minds?

In this podcast, we’re looking straight to the source: our brains. Laine walks us through findings from scientists like Davidson, Pizzagalli, De Raedt, and Koster who share what’s going on in the brain that causes depression, why it’s so easy to feel it over and over again, and the warning signs of it worsening in yourself or someone else.

Some of the content in this episode may be hard to listen to, but when it comes to depression, knowing really is everything. We end with some great takeaways for you to support yourself and those you love, and for anyone who would like more resources you can find them under this episode at www.brainblownpodcast.com.

If you have any topics you'd be interested in learning more about, please feel free to send us an email at [email protected]!!

We'd love to hear from you.

This episode is dedicated to my family; I hope it offers insight into a world we may never fully understand, and that we may now have a better map to continue navigating it together. I love you all so much. - Cherys

TIMESTAMPS

RESOURCES

Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition

Depression: Perspectives From Affective Neuroscience by Richard J. Davidson, Diego Pizzagalli, Jack B. Nitschke, and Katherine Putnam

Understanding vulnerability for depression from a cognitive neuroscience perspective: A reappraisal of attentional factors and a new conceptual framework by Rudi De Raedt and Ernst H. W. Koster

Jaak Panksepp - "Affective neuroscience of the emotional BrainMind: evolutionary perspectives and implications for understanding depression"

Moshe Bar - "A cognitive neuroscience hypothesis of mood and depression"

Michael T. Treadway and David H. Zald - "Reconsidering Anhedonia in Depression: Lessons from Translational Neuroscience"

As part of Season 2, we're introducing new "mini" episodes that will come out in between the meatier episodes each month.

To learn more about what we have in store for Season 2, head to our website! www.brainblownpodcast.com

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Have you ever wondered how someone with a missing body part could feel discomfort even in its absence?

Not just discomfort, but even searing pain at times?

Well so did a bunch of medical professionals back in the 1900s.

Luckily there is a solution, and it’s quite creative if we do say so ourselves. :)

Click the button below to give it a listen! And if you’ve got any wild human tendencies or unanswered thoughts on the brain, send us an email and we just might make an episode on it.

Resources:

The Tale of the Dueling Neurosurgeons by Sam Kean