Episode
Why We Haven’t Solved Brain Disorders—And How To Fix It, with Nicole Rust
- Podcast
- Big Brains
- Published
- Oct 2, 2025
- Duration seconds
- 2178
- Processing state
not_requested
Actions
POST https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/big-brains-1022699/episodes/why-we-haven-t-solved-brain-disorders-and-how-to-fix-it-with-nicole-rust/transcription-requests
Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode.GET https://stenobird.com/podcast/big-brains-1022699/why-we-haven-t-solved-brain-disorders-and-how-to-fix-it-with-nicole-rust.md
Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource.
Summary
For decades, neuroscience has promised breakthroughs in treating conditions like depression, schizophrenia, and Alzheimer’s. Yet despite powerful technologies and billions invested, progress has been frustratingly slow. Why? On this episode of Big Brains, we talk with Nicole Rust, neuroscientist at the University of Pennsylvania and author of Elusive Cures. Rust argues that the traditional “domino” view of the brain—where one broken piece can simply be fixed—has held us back. Instead, she says we need to embrace the brain’s true nature: a complex, dynamic system more like the weather than a machine. We explore why treatments so often fail, what makes mood such a scientific mystery, and whether a new era of brain research—powered by models, feedback loops, and fresh ways of thinking—can finally deliver the cures that have long eluded us.