Whether as a patient, a caregiver, a neighbour or a friend, chances are, one day, we will all be touched by Alzheimer’s or dementia.

This disease steals our memories and cruelly robs us of our loved ones, often when we need them the most.

But, there is hope and momentum in the world of Alzheimer's research. In fact, a new theory suggests that Alzheimer’s could even be an autoimmune disease.

In this episode of Your Complex Brain, we speak with Dr. Donald Weaver and Dr. Saskia Sivananthan. We’ll also hear from Lindsay Bongard-Batori, who lost her mother Barbara to Alzheimer’s.

Featuring:
Dr. Donald Weaver – Neurologist, medicinal chemist & Senior Scientist with the Krembil Brain Institute at UHN. Dr. Weaver is an internationally recognized research leader in university-based drug design and discovery for neurological disorders.

Dr. Saskia Sivananthan – Neuroscientist & Chief Science and Knowledge Translation Officer at the Alzheimer Society of Canada, overseeing the Alzheimer Society Research Program, a dementia research priority setting leader.

Lindsay Bongard-Batori - Lost her beloved mother Barbara to Alzheimer’s in 2020, and hopes her story will help others caring for their loved ones.

Additional resources:
Dr. Donald Weaver’s lab website
UHN – Dementia & Neurodegenerative Disorders
Alzheimer Society of Canada (for information on latest research awards, patient stories, help for caregivers, provincial chapters)
Alzheimer Society of Canada Hotline
Landmark Study: Navigating the Path Forward for Dementia in Canada
(VIDEO) A New Theory of Alzheimer’s (featuring Dr. Weaver)
(VIDEO) Living with Dementia: A Caregiver’s Perspective
(VIDEO) Risk Factors for Alzheimer’s and Dementia
(PODCAST) What is it Going to Take to Cure Alzheimer’s (featuring Dr. Weaver + Patty Kim)

The Your Complex Brain production team is Heather Sherman, Jessica Schmidt, Dr. Amy Ma, Kim Perry, Alley Wilson, Sara Yuan, Meagan Anderi, Liz Chapman, and Lorna Gilfedder.

The Krembil Brain Institute, part of University Health Network, in Toronto, is home to one of the world's largest and most comprehensive teams of physicians and scientists uniquely working hand-in-hand to prevent and confront problems of the brain and spine, such as Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, epilepsy, stroke, spinal cord injury, chronic pain, brain cancer or concussion, in their lifetime. Through state-of-the-art patient care and advanced research, we are working relentlessly toward finding new treatments and cures.

Do you want to know more about the Krembil Brain Institute at UHN? Visit us at: uhn.ca/krembil

To get in touch, email us at [email protected] or message us on social media:
Instagram - @krembilresearch
Twitter - @KBI_UHN
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/KrembilBrainInstitute

Thanks for listening!