brainSTEM Podcast

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brainSTEM Podcast

For anyone interested in the brain or brain disorders. Hosted by Dr. Hilary Marusak and produced by Amanpreet and Manmeet Bhogal, and Gabby Maramag.

Available on Spotify, Apple, YouTube, and more 🧠

09/04/2026

What if we could listen to the living human brain from the inside? 🧠

Dr. Ignacio Saez’s lab studies brain activity in patients who already have electrodes implanted as part of their clinical care. By adding a research layer to these existing interventions, his team can record electrical activity deep within the human brain while patients are awake, communicating, and experiencing thoughts and emotions in real time.

For neuroscience, this offers an extraordinary window into how the human brain works—and what changes when depression disrupts mood, reward, and decision-making.

In part 2 of episode 30, Dr. Saez takes us inside this remarkable approach to studying depression and the possibilities it holds for more precise, personalized treatments.

🎧 Listen to Breaking the Silence: Stories and Science of Depression. Click the link in the bio!

09/03/2026

Changes to NIH grant review could have important implications for scientific research.

The National Institutes of Health has proposed changes to how research grants are reviewed and ranked, including replacing traditional peer-review scores with broader categories such as Most Competitive, Competitive, Not Discussed.

Transparent, rigorous peer review plays an important role in maintaining trust in the scientific funding process. As these proposed changes are considered, it is important to protect scientific integrity, transparency, and merit-based decision-making.

Swipe to learn more about the proposed changes and why transparency in research funding matters.

Science

09/01/2026

In episode 31 of brainSTEM, Dr. Hilary Marusak sits down with spoken word poet, mental health advocate, and One Mind Lived Experience Advancement Manager Alex Sheehan to talk about his journey, the power of storytelling, and how art can become part of healing 🤍

Alex’s story highlights the importance of finding community and knowing that you don’t have to navigate mental health challenges alone.

One Mind is a valuable resource for people with lived experience, their families, and anyone looking to connect with mental health research, support, and community.

🎙️ Listen to episode 31 of brainSTEM to hear Alex’s story and learn more about the ways creativity, connection, and community can support mental health.

08/26/2026

15 years. 21 antidepressants. And still searching for something that worked.

Amanda Geisinger shares what her long journey with depression treatment looked like, from trying 21 different antidepressants to undergoing TMS.

Her story also highlights another challenge: even when treatments can help, access isn’t always guaranteed. Amanda reflects on the financial and insurance barriers that can make mental health care difficult to sustain.

Her experience offers a glimpse into the complexity of treatment-resistant depression and why we need more effective, accessible options.

🎧 Hear Amanda’s full story in E30 of the brainSTEM podcast!

08/21/2026

“I felt like I had lost all the mental strength I had left.”

Amanda Geisinger shares the devastating reality of reaching a point in her depression where she no longer believed things could get better.

After a su***de attempt and a 12-week inpatient stay, she was told she had exhausted her treatment options. What followed was a period of profound hopelessness, but also a reminder of why people living with depression need more than a system that tells them there’s “nothing left.”

Amanda’s story is honest, painful, and ultimately a story of survival. It’s also a powerful reminder that treatment-resistant does not mean hope-resistant.

🎧 Hear Amanda’s full story in part one of E30 Breaking the Silence: Stories and Science of Depression on the brainSTEM podcast.

08/19/2026

Can movies get bipolar disorder right? 🎬🧠

Dr. Maya Schumer takes a closer look at Silver Linings Playbook and asks an important question: when mental illness is portrayed on screen, are we actually seeing the condition, or a dramatized version of it?

Maya points out that bipolar disorder is often reduced to sensationalized moments of anger, violence, or extreme behavior, while the complexity of mania, hypomania, and depression gets lost.

Mental illness in the media doesn’t have to be sensationalized or stigmatized. There’s a middle ground, and getting there starts with listening to people who have lived it.

🎧 Hear the full conversation with Dr. Maya Schumer on episode 32 of the brainSTEM podcast!

08/18/2026

🎙️ When Words Aren’t Enough

In Episode 31 of the brainSTEM Podcast, we sit down with Alex Sheehan to explore the powerful intersection of poetry, mental health, and art as a form of healing. 🧠🎨

Sometimes, words don’t come easily—and that’s okay. Art can give us another way to express what we’re experiencing, process difficult emotions, and make sense of our lived experiences.

💬 “You don’t have to fit inside someone else’s version of okay to express what you’re going through…”

Tune in to Episode 31 to hear Alex’s perspective on creativity, mental health, and the healing power of self-expression. 💙

08/13/2026

🎨 What if art could be part of the prescription?
In this episode of BrainSTEM, Dr. Hilary Marusak sits down with spoken word poet, mental health advocate, and One Mind Lived Experience community member Alex Sheehan for a powerful conversation about art, mental health, and healing.

For Alex, poetry became a lifeline before he had the language to understand what he was experiencing. Through depression, anxiety, mania, and suicidality, creative expression gave him a way to process what felt impossible to put into words.

Now, the science is beginning to catch up to what many people have experienced firsthand: art can be more than expression—it can be part of how we heal.

🎙️ In this episode, we explore:
🧠 The neuroscience behind arts and mental health
🎤 Why poetry and open mics can be powerful spaces for connection
🌿 Social prescribing and the growing recognition of arts engagement as a health behavior
💬 The importance of lived experience in shaping mental health care
🎨 How to find your own creative outlet—even if you don’t consider yourself an artist

Join us for a deeply human conversation about creativity, survival, and finding healing in unexpected places.

🎧 Listen now at the link in our bio!

08/06/2026

Can a ketogenic diet improve mental health?

It’s a question that’s gaining increasing attention from researchers and clinicians alike.

In Episode 32 of BrainSTEM, Dr. Maya Schumer—a neuroscientist living with bipolar I disorder—shares how a ketogenic approach became one part of her journey toward stability, alongside medication, therapy, sleep, structure, and a strong support system. Her experience was recently featured in a New York Times article and highlights the growing interest in the connection between metabolism and mental health.

While the ketogenic diet is not a replacement for evidence-based treatment, emerging research is exploring its potential role as an adjunctive therapy for some individuals with bipolar disorder.

Tune in to hear Dr. Schumer’s personal story, then listen as leading bipolar researcher Dr. Mary Phillips explains what we know about the brain circuits involved in bipolar disorder and where research on new treatments is headed.

📖 Check out Dr. Schumer’s article and listen to Episode 32 of BrainSTEM today!

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