Your Brain On... Menopause
Your Brain On
Two-thirds of those diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease are women — but why? In this episode, we unpack the neurological, hormonal, and social drivers that uniquely affect women's brain health during the menopausal transition — from estrogen’s protective role in the brain to the misunderstood history of hormone replacement therapy. We discuss: • Why women face a higher risk of Alzheimer’s than men • How menopause accelerates brain aging (and how it starts earlier than is often expected) • The role of estrogen in brain metabolism and neuroprotection • The real story behind...
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Your Brain On... Music
Your Brain On
Music is one of the most powerful forces of all time for human connection, cognitive stimulation, and therapeutic introspection. We’ve seen music help Alzheimer’s patients find their voice, children with speech disorders unlock new ways to communicate with rhythm and melody, and communities express their identity through song. In this episode, we discuss: • The cognitive, psychological, and mental benefits of music • Why learning to play an instrument is one of the best things you can do for your brain • The power of music as a means of connecting with others • Therapeutic uses of...
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Your Brain On... Supplements
Your Brain On
Supplements have become a hundred-billion dollar industry. But can they really boost your brain health in the ways they claim? They’re everywhere: shelves and shelves of pills and powders promising everything from improved immunity, boosted energy, and faster weight loss to better sleep, happier moods, and enhanced sexual wellness. Social media influencers won’t stop talking about them, and they seem to appear in TV commercials every five minutes. And yet... the evidence supporting most of the claims these supplements make is next-to-nought. So what’s the truth? In ‘Your Brain On......
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Your Brain On... Traumatic Brain Injury
Your Brain On
Traumatic Brain Injury is a major cause of death, disability, and cognitive decline. Thankfully, evolving research is helping us protect our heads and lessen the long-term impacts of TBIs. In this episode of ‘Your Brain On...’ we discuss: • The effects and symptoms of TBI, from mild concussions to more severe head injuries • What actually happens to your brain when you sustain a TBI • The links between TBI and neurodegenerative diseases and cognitive impairment • The prevalence of TBI in military personnel and sportspeople, and how we’re improving protective technologies •...
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Your Brain On... Omega-3
Your Brain On
Omega-3 supplements have become a multi-billion-dollar industry, promising to enhance your memory, boost your mood, and protect your brain. But where does the science end, and the marketing hype begin? Omega-3 fatty acids are a special category of ‘good fats’ that play vital roles in both brain and body health. Unlike some species, we can’t produce our own Omega-3s, so we must rely on our diets to get these essential fats. In this episode, we discuss how to get more brain-healthy quantities of Omega-3 into your diet, plus: • The brain health benefits of Omega-3 • The differences...
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Your Brain On... Social Media
Your Brain On
Two decades on from the start of the smartphone revolution, we have the first humans who, for as long as they’ve been alive, have had the entire internet just a few taps away. What has this done to our brains? It’s been an unprecedented period of rapid change, and, with the largest social networking sites using every neurological trick in the book to keep us endlessly scrolling down our feeds, what can we do to make our relationship with social media healthier? In this episode of ‘Your Brain On...’, we discuss: • The brain health risks of social media overuse (and rewards of healthy...
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Your Brain On... (Sherzai Family Holiday Special)
Your Brain On
Our incredible kids Sophia and Alex Sherzai join us for a special end-of-year episode of the ‘Your Brain On...’ episode! As a family of neuroscientists — Sophia in biomedical engineering, Alex in artificial intelligence, Ayesha in vascular neurology, and Dean in behavioral neurology — we have fascinating discussions (and debates) about all aspects of life and brain health almost every day. To close out the first year of the ‘Your Brain On...’ podcast, we’re bringing that energy to the show! We discuss: • Life as a family of neuroscientists • What we’ve been working on and...
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Your Brain On... Ketogenic Diets
Your Brain On
High in fats and low in carbs, ketogenic diets were originally developed in the 1920s to treat children with epilepsy. Now, they’ve gained popularity for weight loss, and even improved cognitive function. But how much truth is there in the purported brain health benefits we see on social media? In this episode of ‘Your Brain On...’, we separate the facts from the fads, and discuss: • What one might eat on a typical ketogenic diet • How ketogenic diets affect brain metabolism • The different ways your brain uses sources of energy — glucose vs. ketones • The latest data on...
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Your Brain On... ALS
Your Brain On
ALS, a nervous system disease, ruled the headlines in the summer of 2014 thanks to the viral Ice Bucket Challenge. How has our knowledge of the disorder evolved a decade later? Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as ‘Lou Gehrig's disease’ (named after the iconic baseball player), is a progressive neurological disorder which breaks down a person’s motor neurons. The main symptoms are muscle weakness and impaired physical function — mild, at first, but in the latter stages of the disease’s progression, essential processes like breathing begin to fail. Most individuals face a life...
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Your Brain On... Ketamine
Your Brain On
For decades, ketamine has mainly been used as an anaesthetic, but in more recent years, it’s gained popularity in mental health treatment. Conversations around the benefits and risks associated with its therapeutic usage ignited towards the end of 2023, when actor Matthew Perry, star of the sitcom ‘Friends’, died from the acute effects of the ketamine he was using to treat anxiety. In this episode of ‘Your Brain On...’, we discuss: • The neurochemical mechanisms of ketamine, and its interplay with depression • What we know about the opportunities and pitfalls of using ketamine in...
info_outlineTwo-thirds of those diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease are women — but why?
In this episode, we unpack the neurological, hormonal, and social drivers that uniquely affect women's brain health during the menopausal transition — from estrogen’s protective role in the brain to the misunderstood history of hormone replacement therapy.
We discuss:
• Why women face a higher risk of Alzheimer’s than men
• How menopause accelerates brain aging (and how it starts earlier than is often expected)
• The role of estrogen in brain metabolism and neuroprotection
• The real story behind hormone replacement therapy (HRT)
• The impact of genes like APOE4 on women’s brain health
• How lifestyle factors like stress, sleep, and cognitive activity can help reduce the impact of neurological changes onset by menopause
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Get our free curation of women’s brain health resources in our Brain Box: http://thebraindocs.com/brainbox
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To help us tell this story, we welcome three world-renowned women’s health experts to the podcast:
DR. LISA MOSCONI: Director of the Women's Brain Initiative, author of ‘The Menopause Brain’, and pioneering researcher in brain imaging and hormonal neuroscience.
MARIA SHRIVER: Founder of the Women’s Alzheimer’s Movement, journalist, and relentless advocate for gender equity in brain health research.
DR. LISA GENOVA: Neuroscientist and bestselling author of ‘Still Alice’, which was adapted into a film starring Julianne Moore, who won the 2015 Best Actress Oscar for her role as Alice Howland.
This is... Your Brain On Menopause.
‘Your Brain On’ is hosted by neurologists, scientists and public health advocates Ayesha and Dean Sherzai.
‘Your Brain On... Menopause’ • SEASON 5 • EPISODE 1
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Our free Women’s Brain Health Brain Box includes:
• Guides on how to speak with healthcare providers about menopause
• Delicious brain-healthy Mother’s Day brunch recipes
• Meaningful gift ideas for the women you love
• Inspiring interviews with world-leading women’s health experts
• And even a chance to check your cognitive health with an insightful, science-backed test
Get the Brain Box for free! Here: http://thebraindocs.com/brainbox
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References:
Mosconi, L. (2017). Perimenopause and emergence of an Alzheimer's bioenergetic phenotype in brain and periphery. PloS One, 12(10), e0185926.
Belloy, M. E. & Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative. (2019). A quarter century of APOE and Alzheimer's disease: Progress to date and the path forward. Neuron, 101(5), 820-838.
Rahman, A. (2019). Sex and gender driven modifiers of Alzheimer's: The role for estrogenic control across age, race, medical, and lifestyle risks. Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience, 11, 315.
Rocca, W. A. (2012). Hysterectomy, oophorectomy, estrogen, and the risk of dementia. Neurodegenerative Diseases, 10(1-4), 175-178.
Scheyer, O. (2018). Female sex and Alzheimer's risk: The menopause connection. Journal of Prevention of Alzheimer's Disease, 5(4), 225-230.
Women's Health Initiative Memory Study Investigators. (2003). Estrogen plus progestin and the incidence of dementia and mild cognitive impairment in postmenopausal women: The Women's Health Initiative Memory Study—a randomized controlled trial. JAMA, 289(20), 2651–2662.
Women's Health Initiative Investigators. (2002). Risks and benefits of estrogen plus progestin in healthy postmenopausal women: Principal results from the Women's Health Initiative randomized controlled trial. JAMA, 288(3), 321-333.
Whitmer, R. A. (2005). Midlife cardiovascular risk factors and risk of dementia in late life. Neurology, 64(2), 277-281.
Livingston, G. (2024). Dementia prevention, intervention, and care: 2024 report of the Lancet standing Commission. The Lancet, 404(10452), 572-628.
Maki, P. M. (2016). Hormone therapy, dementia, and cognition: The Women's Health Initiative 10 years on. Climacteric, 19(3), 313-315.