What makes you you?
It’s a simple question, but the answer becomes surprisingly complicated when something changes in the brain.
Most of us think of our personality, memories, sense of humor, motivation, and relationships as stable parts of who we are. But what happens when a stroke, dementia, or another neurological condition alters one of those things? Are we still the same person? And what can those changes teach us about the nature of identity itself?
In this episode of Causes or Cures, I sat down with Dr. Masud Husain, neurologist, neuroscientist, Professor of Neurology and Cognitive Neuroscience at the University of Oxford, and author of the new book Our Brains, Our Selves: What a Neurologist’s Patients Taught Him About the Brain.
Drawing on decades of clinical experience, Dr. Husain shares the stories of patients whose neurological conditions transformed the way they thought, behaved, remembered, connected with others, and understood themselves. Through these stories, we explore pathological apathy after stroke, personality changes associated with frontotemporal dementia, memory loss and Alzheimer’s disease, and even the fascinating neuroscience of humor.
But this conversation goes beyond neurology. We also discuss free will, responsibility, consciousness, and whether science can fully explain the human experience. Along the way, Dr. Husain reflects on what his patients have taught him—not only about the brain, but about the nature of identity, relationships, and what it means to be human.
This is one of those conversations that starts with neuroscience and ends with some of life’s biggest questions. If you’ve ever wondered how the brain shapes who we are—or what happens when that process changes—you won’t want to miss this episode of Causes or Cures.
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Other gems to check out in the blog:
Can you really age-proof your brain or is it more complicated than that?
(You’ll LOVE this one!)
As always, thank you to everyone who supports the podcast and an extra thank you to everyone who took the time to rate/review it. I really appreciate it! :) – Eeks