In this episode, Noah is joined by Brian Edlow, a neurologist at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital, who explores the science of consciousness and what it reveals about brain function, recovery, and human potential.
Dr. Edlow shares insights from his work studying coma and disorders of consciousness, including how advanced imaging can detect hidden awareness in patients who appear unresponsive, and the profound implications this has for medical decision-making and recovery.
The conversation then expands into his leadership of the ReBlast study, examining how repeated blast exposure impacts the brains of service members, and the challenge of identifying “invisible” brain injuries before symptoms become debilitating.
Throughout the episode, they connect these findings to cognitive performance, discussing resilience, neuroplasticity, and what extreme brain injury can teach us about preserving focus and function across a lifetime.
Mass General Brigham Neuroscience Department - https://www.massgeneral.org/neurology
ReBLAST Study - https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04567890
fMRI and EEG in brain injury - https://www.massgeneral.org/neuroimaging
NeuroTrainer for cognitive performance - https://neurotrainer.com/
Dr. Ed Lowe's contact - BEDLOW@MGH.ORG
