Ep149 "What makes a brain grow up resilient?" with David Sussillo

Ep149 "What makes a brain grow up resilient?" with David Sussillo

From Inner Cosmos with David Eagleman by iHeartPodcasts

April 13, 2026 · 51 min

About this episode

The episode explores how some children grow up resilient despite chaotic environments, featuring insights from neuroscientist David Sussillo.

How can a brain grow up in chaos but find its way to order? There are many ways to have a bad childhood, but why do some children break while others bend and keep going? How much of who you are is written in your genes & how much is sculpted by your environment? How many versions of you were possible & why did this one win out? Join Eagleman today with David Sussillo, who was abandoned as a child but grew up to become a neuroscientist & technologist. We’ll explore what his trajectory teaches about our genes, brains, and our own lives.

People in this episode

Host: David Eagleman

Guest: David Sussillo

Topics covered

  • resilience
  • childhood development
  • neuroscience
  • genetics
  • environment
  • mental health

Keywords

  • resilience
  • brain development
  • childhood trauma
  • genetics
  • environment
  • neuroscience
  • mental health

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