The People's Scientist

I am so excited to be back producing episode 155 of The People's Scientist podcast. Thank you for allowing me to take a few months off from the show as I transitioned into my new role. Today I am excited to share a recent study with you in which scientists investigated a simple strategy we can all start using today that may enhance our memory and cognition. It has to do with one of our five senses that we seldom use purposefully, our sense of smell. Tune in for details! Want to buy me a coffee to say thanks for the episode? You can do so via Venmo or Patreon below.Venmo ID: Steph-CalPatreon: https://www.patreon.com/join/DrSCaligiurihttps://www.buymeacoffee.com/drscaligiuriFollow me on social media to see the papers I cite in this week's episode:IG: Dr.SCaligiuriFB: ThePeoplesScientistTwitter: DrSCaligiuriLinkedin: Stephanie CaligiuriTikTok: Dr.SCaligiuri

In Episode 154 of The People's Scientist podcast, I discuss how consuming food, sugar, alcohol, nicotine, opioids, cocaine, are all consummatory behaviors; we are consuming substances with reinforcing and potentially addictive qualities. As such, there is much neurobiological overlap in eating and drug addiction. This nutritional perspective on drug addiction can open the door for novel treatments to aid in drug addiction recovery like GLP-1 and T2R agonists. Lately the medication (Ozempic) semaglutide, used to treat type-2 diabetes has garnered interest as a potential new strategy to investigate for drug addiction recovery. Tune in for details!Want to buy me a coffee to say thanks for the episode? You can do so via Venmo or Patreon below.Venmo ID: Steph-CalPatreon: https://www.patreon.com/join/DrSCaligiurihttps://www.buymeacoffee.com/drscaligiuriFollow me on social media to see the papers I cite in this week's episode:IG: Dr.SCaligiuriFB: ThePeoplesScientistTwitter: DrSCaligiuriLinkedin: Stephanie CaligiuriTikTok: Dr.SCaligiuri

Today in Episode 153, I share with you a recent study published by Amin and colleagues in JAMA Psychiatry this year. This study includes over 125,000 people to correlate the plasma metabolome containing 249 metabolites to the diagnosis of major depressive disorder. I share additional clinical trials to take these findings and give us all some actionable information. Tune in for details!Main Reference: Amin et al. JAMA Psychiatry. 2023;80(6):597-609Want to buy me a coffee to say thanks for the episode? You can do so via Venmo or Patreon below.Venmo ID: Steph-CalPatreon: https://www.patreon.com/join/DrSCaligiurihttps://www.buymeacoffee.com/drscaligiuriFollow me on social media to see the papers I cite in this week's episode:IG: Dr.SCaligiuriFB: ThePeoplesScientistTwitter: DrSCaligiuriLinkedin: Stephanie CaligiuriTikTok: Dr.SCaligiuri

In Episode 152, I was inspired by the song lyrics I danced to for this episode and chose to dive into the Neuroscience of Perseverance. Perseverance is distinct from resilience but the two are still very much interconnected. Resilience is an umbrella term, representing our ability to bounce back from adversity, our ability to adapt to change, and maintain a positive outlook. On the other hand, perseverance specifically refers to the act of persisting in the face of obstacles, staying focused on a goal, and maintaining effort over an extended period. I talk about the Science of Resilience back in episode 39 with the expert, Dennis Charney himself, so feel free to go back and give that one a listen if it interests you. In today's episode I share a quiz for us to assess our own level of persistence, I provide relatable examples, ways to improve our perseverance, and some neurobiology to help us understand what is going on in our brain when we persevere. Tune in for details!Want to buy me a coffee to say thanks for the episode? You can do so via Venmo or Patreon below.Venmo ID: Steph-CalPatreon: https://www.patreon.com/join/DrSCaligiurihttps://www.buymeacoffee.com/drscaligiuriFollow me on social media to see the papers I cite in this week's episode:IG: Dr.SCaligiuriFB: ThePeoplesScientistTwitter: DrSCaligiuriLinkedin: Stephanie CaligiuriTikTok: Dr.SCaligiuri

In Episode 151, I discuss neuroplasticity as an adaptive process of the brain that can either be detrimental or beneficial. I discuss drug addiction, mental health, hormones, psychedelics, exercise, meditation, and more. I also discuss how I think the concept of neuroplasticity can support the notion of the freedom for change as opposed to determinism. Neuroplasticity can empower us to change our current situation. Tune in for details!Want to buy me a coffee to say thanks for the episode? You can do so via Venmo or Patreon below.Venmo ID: Steph-CalPatreon: https://www.patreon.com/join/DrSCaligiurihttps://www.buymeacoffee.com/drscaligiuriFollow me on social media to see the papers I cite in this week's episode:IG: Dr.SCaligiuriFB: ThePeoplesScientistTwitter: DrSCaligiuriLinkedin: Stephanie CaligiuriTikTok: Dr.SCaligiuri

In the 150th Episode of the People Scientist podcast, I want to share with you, from my 17 years of experience in this field, some top evidenced based nutrition strategies that I think are easy to incorporate and likely to have a significant impact on our brain health and mental well-being. Any guesses as to what my top three suggestions are? Tune in to find out!Want to buy me a coffee to say thanks for the episode? You can do so via Venmo or Patreon below.Venmo ID: Steph-CalPatreon: https://www.patreon.com/join/DrSCaligiurihttps://www.buymeacoffee.com/drscaligiuriFollow me on social media to see the papers I cite in this week's episode:IG: Dr.SCaligiuriFB: ThePeoplesScientistTwitter: DrSCaligiuriLinkedin: Stephanie CaligiuriTikTok: Dr.SCaligiuri

In Episode 149 of The People's Scientist podcast I share brain imaging studies that provide insight into what brain regions are involved in lying. Lying may require more cognitive demand and as such there might be certain signs of a lie. Why do we lie? Common lying is associated with lower self-esteem and quality of life. As such, perhaps lying is meant to inflate a sense of self or to create a better, albeit false, sense of reality. I talk about anti-social personality disorder, factitious disorder, and more. Tune in for details!Want to buy me a coffee to say thanks for the episode? You can do so via Venmo or Patreon below.Venmo ID: Steph-CalPatreon: https://www.patreon.com/join/DrSCaligiurihttps://www.buymeacoffee.com/drscaligiuriFollow me on social media to see the papers I cite in this week's episode:IG: Dr.SCaligiuriFB: ThePeoplesScientistTwitter: DrSCaligiuriLinkedin: Stephanie CaligiuriTikTok: Dr.SCaligiuri

In episode 148, I go through the details of two recent studies investigating the impact of fasting on hunger and craving circuits within the brain. After one bout of fasting, persistent amplification of excitatory activity was noted onto agouti-related protein neurons of the arcuate nucleus of the hypothalamus. I believe these studies provide an understanding as to why we may binge and re-gain weight after weight loss. Can we use this information to our advantage? Yes. I give some neuroscience based strategies to help us prevent weight re-gain. Tune in for details. References: Grzelka et al., 2023, Cell Metabolism 35, 1–16Kerem et al., 2020, Physiological Reports 28(4).e14369.Want to buy me a coffee to say thanks for the episode? You can do so via Venmo or Patreon below.Venmo ID: Steph-CalPatreon: https://www.patreon.com/join/DrSCaligiurihttps://www.buymeacoffee.com/drscaligiuriFollow me on social media to see the papers I cite in this week's episode:IG: Dr.SCaligiuriFB: ThePeoplesScientistTwitter: DrSCaligiuriLinkedin: Stephanie CaligiuriTikTok: Dr.SCaligiuri

Today in Episode 147, I have the great joy of interviewing Naval Officer, LTJG Joseph Gills, who led his team to achieving the award Thor's Hammer by obtaining the top scores in the Pacific Fleet competition of 2022. LTJG Gills goes through personal examples and suggestions to achieve good leadership and how to work with bad leadership. For example, he mentions how being a leader is a gift, an opportunity to serve people, not an opportunity for personal glory. If we can lead a great team, the personal accolades with follow. Tune in for more details! Want to buy me a coffee to say thanks for the episode? You can do so via Venmo or Patreon below.Venmo ID: Steph-CalPatreon: https://www.patreon.com/join/DrSCaligiurihttps://www.buymeacoffee.com/drscaligiuriFollow me on social media to see the papers I cite in this week's episode:IG: Dr.SCaligiuriFB: ThePeoplesScientistTwitter: DrSCaligiuriLinkedin: Stephanie CaligiuriTikTok: Dr.SCaligiuri