Alex Korb Books

Depression is not simply sadness; it is a network-level problem in the brain. The prefrontal cortex—the region responsible for planning and self-control—often becomes underactive, while the amygdala, which processes fear and negative emotion, becomes overly sensitive. These systems feed into the lim...

From The Upward Spiral Workbook: A Practical Neuroscience Program for Reversing the Course of Depression

To understand how to heal, we must first understand the machinery. The prefrontal cortex helps you make decisions and regulate emotions, but when depression strikes, it can lose effective control over deeper emotional circuits. The amygdala is like an alarm system; in depressive states, it becomes h...

From The Upward Spiral Workbook: A Practical Neuroscience Program for Reversing the Course of Depression

To change the course of depression, we have to first understand how it embeds itself in the brain. Depression isn’t merely a chemical imbalance; it’s a dynamic interaction between various neural circuits that modulate mood, motivation, and reward. The prefrontal cortex, responsible for decision-maki...

From The Upward Spiral: Using Neuroscience to Reverse the Course of Depression, One Small Change at a Time

The beautiful irony of neuroscience is that the brain is both fragile and adaptable. Small changes matter because the brain thrives on incremental reinforcement. Every time you make a choice—whether it’s standing up, going for a brief walk, or expressing gratitude—a microscopic shift occurs in neuro...

From The Upward Spiral: Using Neuroscience to Reverse the Course of Depression, One Small Change at a Time