

5. The Brain Below: Clocks, Cravings & Changing Tunes (Part 2)
Leafing Through Science by Champalimaud Foundation
S1 · E7
Jul 9, 2025
38:59
Episode notes
Following Episode 5 - Part 1, where we explored the hidden world of the hypothalamus and the “love hormone” oxytocin, this second part of Hedi’s conversation with neuroendocrinologist Gareth Leng takes us even deeper. You’ll hear how neurons in the hypothalamus can change the very language they speak and who they’re speaking to; discover the astonishing experiment where researchers transplanted brain tissue from one animal to another, resetting the host’s internal clock; and meet a molecule so strange it can suppress appetite, boost libido, and even give you a tan.
From circadian rhythms to the science of obesity, settle in as Gareth guides us further into the secrets of the brain below.
Every two weeks, the new podcast seri ...
Keywords
Neuroscience
Time
Brain
Hypothalamus
Hormones
Sex
Vasopressin
Behaviour
Neurons
Thirst
Obesity
Appetite
Hunger