The Brain on Burnout: New Science, A Correction, and Why You're Not as Far Gone as You Think

Cait Donovan has been telling audiences for years that the hippocampus shrinks during burnout. New research says that's wrong, and in this episode she corrects the record publicly. An August 2025 review of 17 MRI studies and over 1,300 participants found that the burned out brain is neurologically distinct from brains experiencing depression or PTSD. The hippocampus stays mostly intact. What does shrink: the prefrontal cortex (your decision-making and emotional regulation center), the caudate and putamen (your brain's effort-reward system), and the insula (your body's internal translator). What grows: the amygdala (your threat detector), especially in women. Cait breaks down each finding in plain language and what it means for recovery.