BROADCASTS.com

View the Show Notes Page for This Episode

Become a Member to Receive Exclusive Content

Episode Description:

Karl Deisseroth is a world-renowned clinical psychiatrist, neuroscientist, and author of\xa0Projections: A Story of Human Emotions. In the episode,\xa0Karl explains his unique career path that led\xa0to the development of\xa0optogenetics\u2014a revolutionary technique that uses\xa0specialized light-sensitive ion channels to precisely control the activity of select populations of\xa0neurons. Karl provides a concise overview of how optogenetics works and how it can be used to better understand mental illness,\xa0to identify\xa0the\xa0neurons responsible for specific behaviors, and\xa0to\xa0guide development of new treatments. Karl uses his experience as a practicing psychiatrist to provide deep insights into depression, anxiety, autism, and personality disorders and explains the role of optogenetics in mapping out brain regions responsible for common mental health afflictions.

We discuss:

• Karl\u2019s journey through medical school and interest in the brain [5:00];
• A profound\xa0medical school\xa0experience that changed Karl\u2019s career path to psychiatry [17:30];
• Karl\u2019s commitment to research and challenges overcome early in his career [27:00];
• The state of psychiatry and\xa0mental health\xa0therapies when Karl started his lab in 2004 [33:15];
• Neuroscience\xa0101:\xa0fundamentals\xa0of neuroanatomy and neurophysiology [38:15];
• Traditional techniques\xa0for\xa0identifying\xa0the brain regions involved in specific\xa0behaviors\xa0[47:15]; \xa0
• Intro to optogenetics and how to get a gene into a neuron [51:15];
• How viruses helped make optogenetics possible\xa0[1:01:45];\xa0\xa0
• How optogenetics was used to investigate the effects of dopamine neurons [1:15:45];
• Appreciating the power of optogenetics [1:22:00];
• Investigating and treating anxiety with optogenetics [1:26:45];
• Autism and autism-related anxiety,\xa0and the potential of optogenetics in treating autism [1:38:00];
• Optogenetics as a powerful tool for the discovery and creation of medical treatments [1:45:00];
• Karl\u2019s inspiration to write his book, Projections [1:48:00];
• Mania and bipolar disorder: evolutionary basis, symptoms, and the high prevalence in North America [1:52:45];
• Depression: evolutionary basis and insights from optogenetics [2:03:15];
• The effects of trauma early in life [2:18:45]; and
• More.

Sign Up to Receive Peter\u2019s Weekly Newsletter

Connect With Peter on\xa0Twitter,\xa0Instagram,\xa0Facebook\xa0&\xa0YouTube