Episodes

  • The Deep End Trailer
    Feb 3 2025

    Brain implants for depression: It sounds like science fiction but it’s real. The Deep End, a new podcast from Science News, will give you a glimpse of what it’s like to live with electrodes in your brain. It might change how you think about mental health, the brain and what makes you you.

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    3 mins
  • Meet Jon Nelson
    Feb 10 2025

    Hear why he volunteered to get brain implants for his relentless depression.

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    23 mins
  • ‘It felt like dread’
    Feb 17 2025

    Jon Nelson explains what it’s like to live with severe depression, and listeners hear the backstory of an experimental treatment involving brain implants.

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    25 mins
  • The void is gone
    Feb 24 2025

    Jon Nelson wasn’t scared of brain surgery. His worry about the procedure was the same amount of worry he had about getting his teeth cleaned — none. What happened next was surreal.

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    24 mins
  • Living with brain electrodes
    Mar 3 2025

    After surgery, Jon went through some big transformations. But his relief came with trade-offs.

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    26 mins
  • A 'no casserole' disease
    Mar 10 2025

    Jon details the intense stigma, shame and judgement that comes with depression and its treatments. Is there something different about changing our brains versus other body parts?

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    23 mins
  • Their depression is gone. Now what?
    Mar 17 2025

    Several years after surgery, Jon and others have found relief. Here’s a look at what’s next for them and what’s next for deep brain stimulation research.

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    24 mins
  • Life after deep brain stimulation
    Mar 24 2025

    Jon Nelson shares how he’s doing these days, now that his depression is gone.

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    40 mins