Nature & Nurture

Dr. Camilla Nord is a neuroscientist, leader of the Mental Health Neuroscience Lab at the University of Cambridge, and the author of The Balanced Brain: The Science of Mental Health.

In this episode we talk about The Balanced Brain, prediction error as the source of positive and negative emotion, how dopamine controls motion, motivation, and pleasure, how serotonin regulates mood and response to the social world, and how anti-depressants and anti-anxiety medications work on the brain. We also talk about the neuroscience of hallucinations in schizophrenia and on psychedelics, the role of homeostasis and the gut microbiome in regulating mood consciously and unconsciously, interactions between the brainstem and cortex in producing consciousness, the role of mindfulness in mental health, and much more.

00:20 Understanding Emotions and Brain Processes
01:40 Exploring the Impact of Novelty and Curiosity
02:10 Introversion, Extroversion, and the Pandemic
03:16 Understanding Anxiety and its Role in Academia
05:05 The Balanced Brain: A Discussion on the Dynamic Nature of the Brain
06:56 The Influence of Predictive Processing on Mental Health
16:54 Exploring the Role of Psychedelics in Mental Health
21:22 The Interplay of Biology and Social Factors in Mental Health
23:22 Understanding the Role of Disgust in Mental Health
33:52 The Impact of Social Hierarchy on Mental Health
37:20 The Impact of Social Hierarchy on Academics
40:30 The Role of Dopamine in Motivation and Action Planning
42:11 Understanding Parkinson's Disease and Dopamine's Role
44:14 Differences Between Dopamine and Serotonin in Mental Health
45:30 The Effect of Antidepressants on Perception and Mood
47:55 The Role of Serotonin in Depression and Its Treatment
55:38 The Potential of Non-Invasive Brain Stimulation in Treating Depression
01:02:32 The Continuum of Mental Disorders and the Role of Genetics
01:11:37 The Role of Spirituality and Rationality in Mental Health

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