Severance’s Consulting Neurosurgeon Explains the Science behind the Show’s Brain Procedure

What if you could completely separate your work and personal
life—with the help of a brain implant? That’s the unsettling
premise of Severance, the hit Apple TV+ show that just wrapped its
second season. To make the science fiction feel as real as
possible, the creators brought in an actual neurosurgeon, Vijay
Agarwal, chief of the Skull-Base Tumor Center at Montefiore
Einstein, as a consultant for the show. Host Rachel Feltman met
with Agarwal to break down the real neuroscience behind
Severance—and whether a procedure like the one it depicts could
ever exist. Mild spoilers ahead! We recommend you at least watch
through episode seven of season two before you listen. Recommended
reading: The Neuroscience of Severance: What’s Real? What’s
Fake?  What Severance Life Would Really Be Like, according to
a Psychologist  Email us at sciencequickly@sciam.com if you
have any questions, comments or ideas for stories we should cover!
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Amarsy and Jeff DelViscio. This episode was edited by Alex Sugiura.
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