Join us as host Gianna Richard discusses the film Memento and the role short-term memory loss plays in the film.

In this podcast, we analyze the uses of Ketamine. Here, we seek to understand the creation of Ketamine, new medicinal findings for Ketamine, and understand the abuse mechanisms of Ketamine. Ketamine abuse is a growing problem in our country, so we think it is very important to understand the good and bad things about Ketamine.

Requiem for a Dream (2000) is arguably one of the most critically acclaimed films about drugs in the 21st century. With a multitude of awards and an iconic soundtrack, Requiem for a Dream captures the highs and downfalls of four unfortunate souls who fall victim to addiction. Join Brianna Dempsey, a psychology and neurology student at UNCA, as she delves deeper into the meaning of Requiem for a Dream.

According to the CDC, illegal fentanyl is the main driver of the recent increase in opioid deaths in the United States. What is the history of fentanyl, its uses, and the role in addiction and in the opioid epidemic? Join us on our podcast episode “The Rise of Fentanyl” where we’ll be discussing these points and more.

With America’s Opioid Epidemic in full swing, it is time that we look into the options that we have available to us. This podcast will dive into an alternative medication that has proven to be effective in helping individuals get and stay off opioids with dramatic success: Ibogaine.

In this episode, we discuss the drug cannabis and the social and legal issues surrounding it. Hopefully this will bring some new insight to the ongoing discussion as to whether marijuana should be used medically, and whether the stigma surrounding its use be abandoned or not. Let's get started!

MDMA has shown to be a promising drug for treating individuals with chronic Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) when used as an adjunct to psychotherapy. Tune in to learn more about how this drug can help treat those with PTSD.

Studying longer is always better: or is it? Is putting in all those hours throughout the night to prepare for a test the right way to do it? Stressing to get good grades, lacking sleep, and drinking caffeine to stay up late. Well, it could have the opposite effect than desired.

What is the reflex arc for the knee jerk reflex and what triggers it? 

Psilocybin has been posited as a groundbreaking, yet controversial, treatment for severe depression. But what does the research say about it? In this episode, we discuss the history, mechanisms, legal standing, and efficacy of psilocybin in a therapeutic setting.

Why do certain treatments only work for certain types of people with schizophrenia? How can insight into one’s own conditions help? Through the movie A Beautiful Mind, we examine how the narrative of schizophrenia has evolved with growing research and we introduce how treatments and insight into these treatments leads to an individualized and more effective diagnosis.

Methamphetamine abuse affects over twenty million individuals in the US, with users criminalized instead of seen as individuals struggling with a serious illness. Join us as we discuss how meth abuse affects an individual's brain and life, and what we can do as a country to help these individuals heal post-drug abuse.

In the film A Clockwork Orange, the character of Alex is used to illustrate Freud's theory of psychoanalytic and psychosexual stages in order to debate the question: “Is the morality of man inherently Violent?” This episode explores how the film demonstrates these themes through the use of symphonic sound, and dystopian setting.

In this episode we’re discussing the relationship between sleep--or lack thereof--and stress, which we all struggle with. Join us to learn about a very interesting hormone involved, how that can go awry, before moving onto potential solutions.

In the film Disturbing Behavior (1998) the filmmakers warn of the dangers of neuroscience as it both sculpts the youth and fails to promote ubiquity. Tune in to hear how the color, mise-en-scene, and dialogue are used to convey this message.

In this episode, we dive right into some secrets about Lithium that you may have otherwise not known, we sure didn’t until we did the research! From its beneficial effects, to the disorders it is used to alleviate, and its potential neurotoxicity - we use explanations of the drug’s history, neurological/biological mechanisms, and personal stories and experiences to give you all the information you need to know about the drug.

No longer just science fiction, bio-printing can solve a lot of important social problems like creating organs, helping us produce homes, and even make food. Tune in to learn more about all that bioprinting can do and how!

MDMA, molly, ecstasy, all of these are words for the same drug: 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine. MDMA is classified as a schedule 1 drug with no medicinal use and widely thought of as a party drug, but does it actually have the potential to change the lives of those with PTSD? Find out in today's episode as we explore the history and recent literature on MDMA.

UNCA Mass Comm majors Lizzie Menta and Danny Secor discuss the movie Brain on Fire and its hidden commentary of the unspoken, life-or-death problem within the United States mental health system.

We all drink caffeine, but what do you know about how it works and what it does to the body/brain? This month's episode is here to answer all your questions!