Local Podcasts
The Joy of Why: What Happens in the Brain to Cause Depression?
by
July 12, 2024
Quanta Magazine’s The Joy of Why is a special addition to WCNY Community FM. It’s hosted by Cornell mathematician Steven Strogatz, and senior produced by Genevieve Sponsler (also a producer here at WCNY Community FM). Steve and his co-host, astrophysicist Janna Levin, take turns at the mic, interview leading researchers about the great scientific and mathematical questions of our time.
For decades, the best drug therapies for treating depression, like SSRIs, have been based on the idea that depressed brains don’t have enough of the neurotransmitter serotonin. Yet for almost as long, it’s been clear that simplistic theory is wrong. In this episode, John Krystal, a neuropharmacologist at the Yale School of Medicine, tells Steve Strogatz about the new findings in mental health research that are revolutionizing psychiatric medication.
