NeuroCentury

“The climate crisis is a health crisis, but for too long, health has been a footnote in climate discussions” – these words of the WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus hold true for brain health as well. However, we are only beginning to understand how the changing climate is negatively impacting the human brain. Emerging evidence suggests that excessive heat can be severely damaging. Heat stress often leads to neuroinflammation, oxidative stress, brain ischemia or neuronal damage. This can result in the worsening of the neurological disease symptoms, increased mental distress, or cognitive dysfunction. Burcin Ikiz, who is Paweł Świeboda’s guest in this episode of the NeuroCentury podcast, is an award-winning neuroscientist working on neurodegenerative diseases, a founder and chair of the International Neuro Climate Working Group. As of 2023, she leads EcoNeuro, a research initiative dedicated to exploring the intersection of neuroscience and climate change for global health advancement. She leads many global initiatives aimed at addressing the link between climate change and brain health. The conversation addresses the existing evidence with respect to the impact of climate and environmental pollution on the brain, as well as gaps in our understanding which require further research. It explores the mechanisms of action when pollutants enter the brain, the importance of taking both outdoor and indoor pollution into account, patient-driven research, the data which is needed to study the impact of the environment and climate on the brain, evidence-based interventions that will significantly improve outcomes of environmentally related mental illnesses, and the importance of international collaboration. At the end of the exchange, Burcin shares a few great tips for a brain health routine.   neurocentury.com Music for the NeuroCentury podcast is composed by Rafał Kulczycki

The brain does not function in isolation and there is a growing body of knowledge about the impact of environmental and social challenges on brain health. Air and water pollution, and exposure to plastics, heavy metals, and other toxic substances have a bearing on the brain. Similarly, the impact of inequality and disparity in income, education, and access to healthcare is significant. There is merit in studying the exposome, that is all exposures individuals encounter throughout their lifetime. In this episode of NeuroCentury, Paweł Świeboda talks to Prof. Agustin Ibáñez, Director of the Latin American Brain Health Institute at Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez and Professor in Global Brain Health at Trinity College Dublin. Agustin is the main author of a recent paper in Neuron on “Neuroecological links of the exposome and One Health”  He is founder and codirector of the ReDLat consortium aimed at fighting dementia collaboratively. The conversation explores Agustin’s work on the environmental and social exposome, including how it can accelerate brain aging. The brain clock does not tick in a universal, linear fashion but instead captures the entropic, transient nature of time, Agustin says. It ages differently depending on the environment in which it is embedded. Interventions need to be tailored accordingly, but they inevitably have to be long-term and multi-level, given the interrelationship between impacts.  NeuroCentury.com  Music for the NeuroCentury podcast is composed by Rafał Kulczycki

Understanding how we make decisions and what this means for our social interactions is invaluable in fractured societies. Neuroscience has recently offered fresh insights on what drives joy and engagement and where chemistry between people comes from. This allows us to conceptualise “brain skills”, which are focused on our cognitive, emotional and social capabilities.  In this episode of NeuroCentury, Paweł Świeboda talks to Prof. Michael Platt, Director of the Wharton Neuroscience Initiative and Professor of Marketing, Psychology, and Neuroscience at the University of Pennsylvania. Michael works on applying insights and technology from brain science to business and performance. He is the author of the book “The Leader’s Brain” on enhancing leadership skills and building stronger teams. He has also served as the President of the Society for Neuroeconomics.  The conversation explores Michael Platt’s work on the synchrony matrix, which is based on the realization that in certain situations brain activity becomes synchronized. Michael argues that with more synchrony in the group, one arrives at better decisions. Every conversation we have is part of our brain gym, daily routine which does good to our brain and our societies.   neurocentury.com Music for the NeuroCentury podcast is composed by Rafał Kulczycki

It is the time of big promise in the diagnosis and treatment of Alzheimer’s Disease (AD). There are dozens of genetic risks discovered in recent years. There are also emerging blood tests whose performance in diverse groups of patients is currently being confirmed. New disease-modifying drugs help to remove beta-amyloid plaques from the brain. While AD is a complex disease and its onset is connected to multiple biochemical pathways in cells, the new treatments target a core component of Alzheimer’s Disease.    In this episode of NeuroCentury, its host Paweł Świeboda talks to Professor Stephen Salloway, one of the leading scholars working on biomarkers and drug development for prevention and early treatment of Alzheimer’s Disease. He is Professor of Psychiatry and Human Behaviour and Professor of Neurology at Brown University. He is also Founding Director of the Memory and Ageing Program at Butler Hospital.   The conversation helps to disentangle what the new era in diagnosis and treatment of AD can bring, with the advent of monoclonal antibodies and the emergence of new generation brain health services. Rethinking the care journey is part of the process, since treatments need to start before symptoms emerge, or possibly even before the amyloid build-up. Future discovery research will go beyond lowering of amyloid levels to have an even bigger impact on the disease. #neurocentury #AD #Alzheimer’sDisease #brain #brainhealth ______________ neurocentury.com Music for the NeuroCentury podcast is composed by Rafał Kulczycki