What's Up Docs?

Drs Chris and Xand continue their conversation about hearing loss with Prof Doris Bamiou, Professor of Neuroaudiology at the UCL Ear Institute, and Honorary Consultant in Audiological Medicine at the University College London Hospitals.Chris and Xand want to know how cognitive processing of sound works, what audio processing disorder is, why it happens, how it is diagnosed, and the external factors like neurodivergence and age that interact with it. They also examine the popular earplugs that filter speech, including whether they actually help with audio processing and how to use them responsibly, and hear Prof Bamiou’s personal and clinical perspective on hearing loss.If you’d like to share your thoughts on this or any other topic covered on the podcast, you email us at [email protected] or Whatsapp on 08000 665 123.Presenters: Drs Chris and Xand van Tulleken Guest: Prof Doris Bamiou Producer: Jo Rowntree Executive Producer: Rami Tzabar Editor: Kirsten Lass Assistant Producer: Maia Miller-Lewis Researcher: Mili Ostojic Tech Lead: Reuben Huxtable Social Media: Leon Gower Digital Lead: Richard Berry Composer: Phoebe McFarlane Sound Design: Melvin RickarbyAt the BBC: Assistant Commissioner: Greg Smith Commissioning Editor: Rhian RobertsA Loftus Media production for BBC Radio 4.

Welcome to What’s Up Docs?, the podcast where doctors and identical twins Chris and Xand van Tulleken cut through the confusion around every aspect of our health and wellbeing.In this episode, Chris and Xand dive into the physical side of hearing loss. What is the cocktail party problem, and why does it get worse with age? How does hearing work? What causes hearing loss? How can we protect our hearing? How can we manage hearing loss? What is tinnitus and how is it treated? They explore the physical structures behind our hearing, the causes that can lead to physical changes and hearing loss, why it gets more difficult with age to distinguish speech in busy places, and the top tips you can use to protect and manage your hearing.Joining them to discuss this is Prof Doris Bamiou, Professor of Neuroaudiology at the UCL Ear Institute, and Honorary Consultant in Audiological Medicine at the University College London Hospitals. If you want to get in touch, you can email us at [email protected] or WhatsApp us on 08000 665 123.Presenters: Drs Chris and Xand van Tulleken Guest: Prof Doris Bamiou Researcher: Mili Ostojic Producer: Faye Lyons White Social Media Producer: Leon Gower Executive Producer: Rami Tzabar Editor: Jo Rowntree Tech Lead: Reuben Huxtable Digital Lead: Richard Berry Composer: Phoebe McFarlane Sound Design: Melvin RickarbyAt the BBC: Assistant Commissioner: Greg Smith Commissioning Editor: Rhian RobertsA Loftus Media production for BBC Radio 4

Chris and Xand continue their conversation about dopamine with Masud Husain, Professor of Neurology & Cognitive Neuroscience at the University of Oxford. They explore how he first became interested in dopamine, what happens when dopamine systems become overactive, underactive, or disrupted, and whether we have any real control over our dopamine at all. Masud also shares the one thing he wishes everyone understood about dopamine.If you’d like to share your thoughts on this or any other topic covered on the podcast, you email us at [email protected] or Whatsapp on 08000 665 123.Presenters: Drs Chris and Xand van Tulleken Guest: Professor Masud Husain Producer: Maia Miller-Lewis Executive Producer: Rami Tzabar Editor: Jo Rowntree Researcher: Grace Revill Tech Lead: Reuben Huxtable Social Media: Leon Gower Digital Lead: Richard Berry Composer: Phoebe McFarlane Sound Design: Melvin RickarbyAt the BBC: Assistant Commissioner: Greg Smith Commissioning Editor: Rhian RobertsA Loftus Media production for BBC Radio 4.

Welcome to What’s Up Docs?, the podcast where doctors and identical twins Chris and Xand van Tulleken untangle the confusion around every aspect of our health and wellbeing.In this episode, they’re diving into dopamine – one of the most talked-about chemicals in modern wellness culture. But what is dopamine, really? What role does it play in pleasure, motivation, learning, and movement? And how accurate are ideas like “dopamine hits”, “dopamine detoxes”, or being “addicted to dopamine”?Chris and Xand speak to Masud Husain, Professor of Neurology & Cognitive Neuroscience at the University of Oxford, to cut through the myths and find out what dopamine does, what it doesn’t do, and why understanding it properly might change the way we think about our behaviour and our brains.If you want to get in touch, you can email us at [email protected] or WhatsApp us on 08000 665 123.Presenters: Drs Chris and Xand van Tulleken Guest: Professor Masud Husain Producer: Maia Miller-Lewis Executive Producer: Rami Tzabar Editor: Jo Rowntree Researcher: Grace Revill Tech Lead: Reuben Huxtable Social Media: Leon Gower Digital Lead: Richard Berry Composer: Phoebe McFarlane Sound Design: Melvin RickarbyAt the BBC: Assistant Commissioner: Greg Smith Commissioning Editor: Rhian RobertsA Loftus Media production for BBC Radio 4

Chris and Xand continue their conversation about belief with Ryan McKay, Professor of Psychology at Royal Holloway, University of London.They want to know why some beliefs take hold so strongly, what’s happening in our brains when we hold on to them, and how trust, identity, and community shape what we believe. Beyond that, they’ll explore why health beliefs can be so difficult to shift, and whether it’s ever really possible to change someone’s mind. From the psychology of delusions to the spread of everyday health narratives, this episode dives deeper into the mechanics of belief.If you’d like to share your thoughts on this or any other topic covered on the podcast, you email us at [email protected] or Whatsapp on 08000 665 123.Presenters: Drs Chris and Xand van Tulleken Guest: Professor Ryan McKay Producer: Maia Miller-Lewis Executive Producer: Rami Tzabar Editor: Jo Rowntree Researcher: Grace Revill Tech Lead: Reuben Huxtable Social Media: Leon Gower Digital Lead: Richard Berry Composer: Phoebe McFarlane Sound Design: Melvin RickarbyAt the BBC: Assistant Commissioner: Greg Smith Commissioning Editor: Rhian RobertsA Loftus Media production for BBC Radio 4