#606 Peter Sterling - What is health? Allostasis and the Evolution of Human Design (Pt. 1)
RECORDED ON DECEMBER 20th 2021.
Dr. Peter Sterling is Professor of Neuroscience in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. His broad goal has been to learn how the brain is designed – to understand its functional architecture. His research has spanned the full range of scales, from nanoscopic (synaptic vesicles), to microscopic (neural circuits), to macroscopic (regional neuroanatomy and behavior). His laboratory focused on retinal structure and function, but his theoretical interests extended to basic issues of physiological regulation and behavior, leading to the concept of allostasis. He is the author of books like Principles of Neural Design, and What is health? Allostasis and the Evolution of Human Design.
In this episode, we focus on What is health?. We start by talking about the best way to approach the study of how the brain is designed, and how to study it at different scales. We discuss the concept of “allostasis”. We talk about four epochs that characterize the design of the human brain. We discuss the concept of “optimality” in design. We talk about an explanation for things like music, art, play, comedy, and laughter. Finally, we get a bit into questions surrounding modern medicine, like how to distinguish between a disorder and expected variation, and the problem with the principle of homeostasis.
Time Links:
Intro
Studying how the brain is designed
Studying the brain at different scales
What is allostasis?
Four epochs of human evolution
Optimality in design
How can we explain things like music, art, play, comedy, and laughter?
How do we distinguish between a disorder and a merely expected variation?
The problem with the principle of homeostasis
Follow Dr. Sterling’s work!
Follow Dr. Sterling’s work:
Faculty page: https://bit.ly/3lY1Rai
ResearchGate profile: https://bit.ly/2VXulGz
Amazon page: https://amzn.to/3jRJh0V
What Is Health?: https://amzn.to/3yMnEFj