Brain Health with Dr. Nissen
Episodes
#38: Deep Sleep - why is it important and how can you boost it?
08 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Deep sleep, also called slow-wave sleep, is the most restorative stage of the sleep cycle. During this phase, brain activity slows into synchronized, ...
#37: ADHD: What is it? How is it diagnosed?
03 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is: A neurobiological disorder that presents in childhood with the core symptoms of inattention, hyper...
#36: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I) with Michael Perlis, PhD
24 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I) is an evidence-based intervention for insomnia. Please enjoy this discussion with Dr. Michael Perlis...
#35: Sleep Better with CBT-I: The Evidence-Based Treatment for Insomnia
12 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I) is an evidence-based approach to insomnia. Here is Doctor Nissen's description of the CBT-I methodol...
#34: Diet, Fitness, and Mental Health: metabolic psychiatry with Rodrigo Mansur, MD
12 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Dr. Mansur is a staff psychiatrist at the University Health Network (UHN) in Toronto and an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the...
#33: The Problem of Porn: Society's Hidden Addiction, How Porn Acts Like a Drug, What Helps, and Steps to Recovery
01 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The age of the smartphone has created an unprecedented problem for society: limitless access to pornography. For the first time, young adults are comi...
#32: Schizophrenia: Is it related to marijuana? What is schizophrenia? How is it treated?
24 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
#Schizophrenia is a very misunderstood mental illness. It is not "split personality" (or dissociative identity disorder), but rather a chronic, long-s...
#31: Ketamine - A Legal Psychedelic? Discussion with Dr. Steven Mandel and Sam Mandel
29 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Doctors treating depression see promise in #ketamine, a cheap drug already approved for anesthesia. Some say it is the only legal #psychedelic. ...
#30: Men's Mental Health with Owen Marcus from Evryman
16 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Owen Marcus is the cofounder of Evryman, one of the world's largest men's mental health organizations. Owen dove into men’s work in 1995 because he ...
#29: Psychedelic Update! How MDMA-assisted therapy could treat PTSD with Rick Doblin
29 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Research into MDMA-assisted therapy for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) shows impressive results. See my ABC News article on the trial results h...
#28: The Big 5 Personality Traits: psychology's greatest tool for understanding human personalities
25 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The Big 5 Personality Traits: what are they? What is personality psychology? The big five personality traits are five essential traits that hav...
#27: The Brain Health Diet (Part 2): How to Prevent Alzheimer's, Depression, & Other Brain Diseases with Nick Norwitz, PhD
19 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Dr. Nicholas Norwitz, PhD, is a new shining star in nutrition science. This 25-year-old Ivy League Valedictorian obtained his PhD at Oxford University...
#26: The Brain Health Diet (Part 1): How to Prevent Alzheimer's, Depression, & Other Brain Diseases with Nick Norwitz, PhD
12 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Dr. Nicholas Norwitz, PhD, is a new shining star in nutrition science. This 25-year-old Ivy League Valedictorian obtained his PhD at Oxford University...
#25: Saunas, Weight Loss, and Sleep to Reverse Depression? Neuroinflammation and Psychiatric Disease with Dr. Chuck Raison, MD
24 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Chuck Raison, MD, is the Mary Sue and Mike Shannon Distinguished Chair for Healthy Minds, Children & Families and Professor, Human Development and...
#24: Crash Course in Empathy: Using Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to Grow Your Emotional Intelligence with Mike Christensen
15 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (#CBT) is a powerful treatment for #depression and #anxiety. Whether we struggle with mental illness or are trying to sup...
#23: How the Brain Works: Neurotransmitters (GABA, Glutamate, Acetylcholine, and Serotonin)
20 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In this series on "How the Brain Works", we're unpacking the neurotransmitters. The media often throws around terms like "the happiness chemical" or "...
#22: Better Sleep: common causes of insomnia, sleep hygiene, and feeling well-rested.
21 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
How common are sleep problems? What should we do if we can't sleep well? What are common causes and the evidence-based approaches for better sleep? Dr...
#21: What, really is caffeine? How does it work? Is coffee bad for you? What effect does it have on the body?
12 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What is caffeine, its pharmacology, risks, effects? What is caused by caffeine intoxication and withdrawal? Here's a mini-episode so you can be an inf...
#20: Psychedelic Medicine? Psilocybin, LSD, and the serotonin 5HT2A/1A receptor system for treatment of mental illness
22 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What are #psychedelics and can they help with #mental illness? What could #LSD and #psilocybin (magic mushrooms) do to help with #depression? Katrin P...
#19: Hack Your Brain: quantitative EEG, neurofeedback, meditation, & nutrition with Andrew Hill, PhD
05 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Andrew Hill, PhD is one of the top peak performance coaches in the country. He holds a Ph.D. in Cognitive Neuroscience from UCLA’s Department of Psy...
#18: Can We Stop Alzheimer's? New evidence about APOE4 genetics, BDNF, Omega-3 fatty acids and preventing dementia
24 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Today we discuss the different types of major risk factors for developing Alzheimer's disease, the different kinds of dementia, the role of insulin an...
#17: This Is Your Brain On Food: The Connection Between Diet & Mental Health with Harvard's Nutritional Psychiatry Expert, Dr. Uma Naidoo, MD
14 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Michelin-starred chef David Bouley described Dr. Uma Naidoo as the world’s first “triple threat” in the food as medicine space. She is a Harvard...
#16: The Silent Pandemic: porn addiction, human trafficking, & how Covenant Eyes can bring healing and hope
23 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome, Brain Health Community! Today, we’re talking about a pandemic. This pandemic is causing huge amounts of suffering around the w...
#15: Nicotine Addiction: Tobacco, E-Cigs, Vaping, and How To Quit Smoking
17 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
I was asked by a patient: "Should I use e-cigs to stop smoking?" It's not a simple question. Here's my answer that explores the benefits and risks of ...
#14: Is your brain on fire? Diet and neuroinflammation with Paul Saladino, MD
07 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In this show you’ll learn about: How what we eat affects how much inflammation we have in our body How diseases like depression and Alzheimer’...
#13: Emotional Intelligence for Kids: a conversation about Emily Empathy on the NewMomBoss Podcast
27 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Get the book here! https://bit.ly/emilyempathy This episode of @newmomboss is all about empathy. We discuss his definition of empathy, the importance...
Replay: Mental Health and Crime with Dr. Nathaniel Morris, MD
09 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
This is a discussion with Dr. Nathaniel Morris about how mental health interfaces with the legal and criminal justice system. Mental illness is closel...
#12: Upgrade your Brain, Learn Anything Faster, and Unlock Your Exceptional Life with Jim Kwik, author of Limitless
22 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Do you want to learn how to read faster, remember more, and become limitless? Well then, this episode is for you. In our shows, we discuss how to impr...
#11: Depression genetics, the role of our gut microbiome, and depression prognosis (does depression have a cure?)
15 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Is depression genetic, hereditary, are there depression genes, or a depression gene test? Is there a depression microbiome, dysbiosis, bacteria, or in...
#10: Heat for depression? Can saunas, light therapy, and mindfulness meditation help treat depression?
08 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What is the role of saunas, infrared saunas, and other hyperthermia treatments in depression? What is the role of light therapy, lamps, blue light exp...
#9: Anxious kids? Listen to this. Professor Eli Lebowitz on SPACE, a new parent-based treatment for childhood and adolescent anxiety.
01 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
As a listener interested in brain health, you may be thinking about the developing brains of your kids, grandkids, or other young loved ones. It can b...
#8: Sleep, Learning, The Glymphatic System, Amyloid-Beta Plaques, and Cognitive Enhancement
25 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Why is sleep important? What is the role of poor sleep quality, sleep deprivation, and sleep apnea on our ability to learn new languages, content, and...
#7: Antidepressants, exercise, gut dysbiosis, probiotics and nutrition for depression
18 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What are antidepressants, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) like fluoxetine, sertraline, citalopram, and escitalopram? Do antidepressant...
#6: Mind control using light? New technologies in the field of Optogenetics and future clinical implications for the treatment of brain disorders
11 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Dr. Lief Fenno, MD, PhD received his Bachelor's degree in neurobiology from Harvard, where he worked at the intersection of human embryonic stem cells...
#5: Is chronic pain in the brain? What is chronic pain, what is its relationship with anxiety and the HPA axis? What roles do therapy and meditation have in the treatment of chronic pain?
04 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, you’ll learn about the relationship between the brain and the body in the creation of chronic pain, the impact of anxiety, anger, a...
#4: What is depression? Who is at risk for depression? What is the role of hormones, circadian rhythms, trauma, and the HPA axis?
27 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Is there any role of hormones in depression, hormone imbalance, postpartum depression, premenstrual dysphoric disorder? Is depression more common in w...
#3: Diet for Brain Health: Professor Mary Flynn, PhD on Stroke and Dementia Prevention with the Mediterranean Diet, Extra Virgin Olive Oil
18 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Mary M. Flynn, PhD, RD, LDN is an Associate Professor of Medicine (Clinical) at Brown University and teaches courses in nutrition at Brown, and lectur...
#2: Mental Health and Crime with Dr. Nathaniel Morris, MD
18 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
This is a discussion with Dr. Nathaniel Morris about how mental health interfaces with the legal and criminal justice system. Mental illness is closel...
#1: Mental Health During COVID-19 on the "COVID-19: Commonsense Conversations on the Coronavirus Pandemic" Podcast with Dr. O'Connell and Dr. Nissen
18 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Dr. Ted O’Connell and Dr. Nick Nissen discuss the mental health concerns that have been arising in the wake of the SARS-CoV-2 pande...