brainSTEM Hilary Marusak

TW: This episode briefly mentions suicidal thoughts and ideation.

Most people experience symptoms of anxiety, like increased heart rate and heavy breathing, from time to time. This is normal. However, individuals with anxiety disorders often experience these intense emotions and symptoms for prolonged periods of time. This episode is all about the neuroscience of anxiety disorders.

First, for a more personal experience, Dr. Hilary Marusak talks with Amanpreet Bhogal, one of our very own producers, about what it’s like to experience an anxiety disorder. Then, Dr. Marusak talks with Dr. Angela Fang, a licensed clinical psychologist and neuroscientist focused on understanding the social, emotional, and cognitive mechanisms associated with anxiety and obsessive-compulsive related disorders.

To learn more about Dr. Fang and her work, visit: https://psych.uw.edu/people/9180 and https://www.uwconnectlab.com/

Mindful Walking Meditation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kapvpqwcNLQ

Finch: Self Care Pet is the app that Amanpreet mentioned which helped her with tracking her mood, building small habits around meditation, and setting goals like taking a shower and drinking water when life was difficult. This is not a sponsored post. Here is a link to the app: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/finch-self-care-pet/id1528595748

Help is available 24 hours/day at the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255.

BrainSTEM is hosted by neuroscientist Dr. Hilary Marusak. Production by Amanpreet Bhogal, Manmeet Bhogal, and Gabby Maramag. This podcast is made possible by the generous support of the Society for Neuroscience and Michigan Society for Neuroscience. Subscribe, share, and follow us! Email us with topic or guest suggestions. Visit our website: www.brainSTEMpodcast.com.

Our video podcasts are also posted on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2LTYvOoFc6L7p2kUMaFhCA/videos

In this Halloween special episode, Dr. Marusak interviews Dr. Arash Javanbakht, a psychiatrist and director of the Stress, Trauma, and Anxiety Research Clinic (STARC) at Wayne State University about fear and his new book, “Afraid”. They discuss the purpose of fear, fear-based disorders, such as anxiety and PTSD, why we like to be scared (e.g., rollercoasters, haunted houses), some surprising benefits of fear, and more.

We are giving away a free signed copy of Dr. Javanbakt's book! See our @brainstempodcast social media before November 7, 2023, for details. To learn more about Dr. Javanbakt, visit: https://www.starclab.org & https://www.instagram.com/arash_javanbakht/.  To learn more about Dr. Javanbakt’s new book, visit: https://www.amazon.com/Afraid-Understanding-Purpose-Harnessing-Anxiety/dp/1538170388.  

Help is available 24 hours/day at the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255. 

BrainSTEM is hosted by neuroscientist Dr. Hilary Marusak. Production by Amanpreet Bhogal, Manmeet Bhogal, and Gabby Maramag. This podcast is made possible by the generous support of the Society for Neuroscience and Michigan Society for Neuroscience. 

 

Subscribe, share, and follow us! Email us with topic or guest suggestions. Visit our website: www.brainSTEMpodcast.com. Our video podcasts are also posted on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2LTYvOoFc6L7p2kUMaFhCA/videos  

First, Dr. Marusak talks with her best friend, Kristen Ciantro. Kristen is a stay-at-home mom with four kids (the fourth was actually born right before this episode aired!) and a degree in electrical engineering. Then, Dr. Marusak talks with Dr. Bridget Callaghan, an Assistant Professor of Psychology at The University of California, Los Angeles, where she directs the Brain & Body Lab. Together with her lab, Dr. Callaghan studies the impacts of early caregiving relationships on mental and physical health outcomes across the lifespan and into the next generation.  

To learn more about Dr. Callaghan’s work, you can follow her and her lab on social media @Dr_BCallaghan and @BABLab_UCLA or visit her lab’s website: https://brainandbodylab.psych.ucla.edu/. Additional recommended readings/resources:  “Baby Brain” by Dr. Sarah McKay and Psychology Today’s Find a Therapist Tool on their website: www.psychologytoday.com. 

Help is available 24 hours/day at the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255. 

BrainSTEM is hosted by neuroscientist Dr. Hilary Marusak. Audio and video by Amanpreet & Manmeet Bhogal. This podcast is made possible by the generous support of the Society for Neuroscience and Michigan Society for Neuroscience. 

Subscribe, share, and follow us! Email us with topic or guest suggestions. Visit our website: www.brainSTEMpodcast.com. Our video podcasts are also posted on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2LTYvOoFc6L7p2kUMaFhCA/videos. 

This special episode features an interview with Dr. Clara Zundel, Ph.D., about recent research on the impact of air pollution on the brain and mental health. Dr. Zundel is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Neurosciences at Wayne State University’s School of Medicine. Her work focuses on how environmental toxins, such as air pollution, impact brain and behavior and increase risk for psychiatric disorders across the lifespan. 

To learn more about our research studies, visit www.wsuthinklab.com. To obtain real-time updates and forecasts on air quality in your area, visit www.airnow.gov.  

Help is available 24 hours/day at the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255. 

BrainSTEM is hosted by neuroscientist Dr. Hilary Marusak. Audio and video by Amanpreet & Manmeet Bhogal. This podcast is made possible by the generous support of the Society for Neuroscience and Michigan Society for Neuroscience. 

Subscribe, share, and follow us! Email us with topic or guest suggestions. Visit our website: www.brainSTEMpodcast.com. Our video podcasts are also posted on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2LTYvOoFc6L7p2kUMaFhCA/videos.

In this special episode, Dr. Marusak talks with Dr. Greg Fonzo, Ph.D. about recent advances in brain stimulation used in his lab and others. Dr. Fonzo is an Assistant Professor and Co-Director of the Center for Psychedelic Research and Therapy in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at The University of Texas at Austin Dell Medical School.  Dr. Fonzo’s research encompasses two main themes.  First, his laboratory utilizes non-invasive neuroscience tools such as neuroimaging and neuromodulatory probes to understand neurobiological mechanisms of stress-related mental health disorders such as posttraumatic stress disorder, anxiety, and major depression.  Second, his laboratory is focused on designing novel neuroscience-informed interventions to alleviate mental health symptoms, with a particular focus on psychedelic-assisted therapies and neuromodulation 

To learn more about Dr. Fonzo's work, visit https://sites.utexas.edu/fonzolab/. To learn about the Center for Psychedelic Research and Therapy at UTexas, visit: https://dellmed.utexas.edu/units/center-for-psychedelic-research-and-therapy 

The ultrasound footage is courtesy of OneMind.org.  

Help is available 24 hours/day at the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255. 

BrainSTEM is hosted by neuroscientist Dr. Hilary Marusak. Audio and video by Amanpreet & Manmeet Bhogal. This podcast is made possible by the generous support of the Society for Neuroscience and Michigan Society for Neuroscience. 

Subscribe, share, and follow us! Email us with topic or guest suggestions. Visit our website: www.brainSTEMpodcast.com. Our video podcasts are also posted on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2LTYvOoFc6L7p2kUMaFhCA/videos. 

First, Dr. Marusak talks with Johnny Crowder, a suicide/abuse survivor, TEDx speaker, touring musician, mental health & sobriety advocate, and the Founder & CEO of Cope Notes, a text-based mental health platform that provides daily support to users in nearly 100 countries around the world. Then, she speaks with Dr. Christopher Pittenger, a clinician-scientist with expertise in the neurobiology and treatment of OCD at Yale University School of Medicine. 


To learn more about COPE notes, visit: copenotes.com. For a link to Johnny's first TEDx talk, which covers thought patterns & why the brain does what it does, visit: copenotes.com/tedx. Visit the International OCD Foundation's website for facts and information about OCD, and resources, including find a therapist who specializes in OCD: iocdf.org. Help is available 24 hours/day at the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255.


BrainSTEM is hosted by neuroscientist Dr. Hilary Marusak. Audio and video by Amanpreet & Manmeet Bhogal. This podcast is made possible by the generous support of the Society for Neuroscience and Michigan Society for Neuroscience.


Subscribe, share, and follow us! Email us with topic or guest suggestions. Visit our website: www.brainSTEMpodcast.com. Our video podcasts are also posted on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2LTYvOoFc6L7p2kUMaFhCA/videos.