PsychRounds: The Psychiatry Podcast Stress, Culture, and Determinism with Dr. Robert Sapolsky
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Nov 19, 2025 
Join Dr. Robert Sapolsky, an esteemed Stanford professor and expert in neuroendocrinology, as he unravels the complexities of stress and its impact on behavior. He explains how chronic stress can harm brain function and shape psychiatric responses. Sapolsky highlights the role of genes and environment in resilience, and explores cultural influences on mental health norms. Delve into provocative ideas about determinism and the implications for justice, urging compassion over blame. This enlightening conversation offers valuable insights into the biological roots of our choices.
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Chronic Stress Harms The Brain
- Chronic glucocorticoid exposure disrupts many brain functions and increases vulnerability to psychiatric disorders.
- Stress lowers thresholds for anxiety and depression by harming cognition, emotion, and regulation.
Allostasis Explains Multi-Level Adaptation
- Allostasis expands homeostasis to include shifting set points and multi-level compensations, including behavioral and cultural changes.
- Compensations can themselves cause pathology when stress is chronic and solutions at different levels interact harmfully.
Stress Rewires Emotion, Memory, And Motivation
- Chronic stress atrophies hippocampus and frontal cortex while enhancing amygdala excitability, linking stress to memory, decision-making, anxiety, and impulsivity.
- Dopamine systems are initially boosted by stress but later depleted, connecting chronic stress to depression and anhedonia.
