Dr. David Linden: Life, Death & the Neuroscience of Your Unique Experience

In this episode, my guest is Dr. David Linden, Ph.D., professor of neuroscience at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and the author of many popular books about the brain. We discuss individual differences between people — focusing on differences in how people sense the world around them and the roles that chance, heredity, and life experiences (even in utero) play in determining our physical and cognitive traits. We discuss the bidirectional connection between the mind and body and how our thoughts and mental practices (e.g., meditation and breathwork) impact our health. We also discuss the link between inflammation and depression. We also discuss Dr. Linden’s terminal illness diagnosis, his mindset during chemotherapy and what his diagnosis has taught him about the mind, gratitude, time perception and life. This episode also covers sensual touch, cerebellar function, and epigenetic inheritance and ought to be of interest to all interested in neuroscience, genetics, psychology and human development.

Articles

• Ben Barres (Nature)
• A Neuroscientist Prepares for Death (The Atlantic)
• Can a Neuroscientist Fight Cancer With Mere Thought? (The New York Times)

Books

• The Autobiography of a Transgender Scientist

Other Resources

• Dr. Leslie Vosshall
• Dr. Catherine Dulac
• Dr. Rachel Herz
• Dr. Karl Deisseroth
• Dr. Gloria Choi
• Dr. Irving Zucker’s Publications
• Dr. Rena Malik: Improving Sexual & Urological Health in Males and Females
• Dr. Oded Rechavi: Genes & the Inheritance of Memories Across Generations
• Dr. Eddie Chang: The Science of Learning & Speaking Languages
• Dr. Robin Carhart-Harris: The Science of Psychedelics for Mental Health
• Dr. Matthew Johnson: Psychedelic Medicine