Talks at Google Dr. Pria Anand | The Mind Electric
Nov 4, 2025
Dr. Pria Anand, a neurologist and author of The Mind Electric, brings her rich experience from Yale and Stanford to the conversation. She delves into the importance of patient narratives in diagnosis, the intriguing phenomenon of confabulation, and the parallels between neurological glitches and AI hallucinations. Anand also explores the cultural contexts of symptoms, brain change through adulthood, and emphasizes the significance of sleep for mental health. Her insights challenge conventional medical practices and highlight the need for empathy in care.
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Clinical Details Become Diagnostic Memory
- Dr. Pria Anand recounts examining a woman with facial palsy whose sweet taste was altered on half her tongue and how she tested it with saline and artificial sweetener.
- She uses these clinical vignettes to show how patient stories become diagnostic heuristics over time.
Subjective Accounts Reveal Complementary Truths
- Subjective lived experience often conveys truths that objective neuroanatomy descriptions miss, such as with sleep paralysis experiences across cultures.
- Different cultural narratives about a symptom can reveal complementary truths about how it feels and is interpreted.
Medical Teaching Has Performative Roots
- Neurology's teaching rituals evolved from Charcot's theatrical patient demonstrations to modern Grand Rounds and reflect medicine's performative roots.
- That history shows medical learning often centers the physician's mastery as much as the patient's story.
