Episode Details

Anxiety is one of the most common human experiences.

Yet despite decades of research, millions of people still struggle to find treatments that are both effective and free from difficult side effects.

In this episode of Thought Atlas, I’m joined by Dr. Troy Rohn, a neuroscientist, researcher, and educator with more than 30 years of experience studying the brain, neurodegenerative diseases, mental health, and emerging treatment technologies.

Dr. Rohn has authored more than 80 peer-reviewed scientific publications and recently released Brain Medicine, a book exploring the emerging world of gene therapies for anxiety and other neuropsychiatric conditions.

What makes this conversation especially compelling is that his relationship with anxiety is not only scientific — it’s personal.

We explore the neuroscience of anxiety, the future of gene therapy, mental health, evolution, ethics, and what it means to understand the brain without losing sight of the human being behind the diagnosis.

In this conversation:

• What people misunderstand about anxiety

• Why mental health remains difficult to fully understand

• Living with anxiety as a neuroscientist

• The relationship between biology and experience

• What gene therapies actually are

• How gene therapies could transform mental health treatment

• The limitations of traditional anxiety treatments

• The ethics of changing the brain

• Anxiety’s evolutionary purpose

• Whether reducing anxiety could have unintended consequences

• What neuroscience teaches us about human vulnerability

• How to think about mental health in your 20s

This is not a conversation about quick fixes.

It’s an exploration of one of the most fundamental human experiences — fear, uncertainty, and the search for healing — through both science and lived experience.

🌍 Thought Atlas:

Thought Atlas

🌍 Dr. Troy Rohn:

Healing Through Genes