Critically Speaking

Dr. Therese Markow talks with psychiatrist and researcher Dr. Daniel Blumberger about depression that does not respond to medications and behavioral cognitive therapy. Approximately one third of patients suffering from major depression are "Treatment Resistant".

Fortunately, there are a range of brain stimulation techniques that help the majority of these patients. Electroconvulsive therapy or ETC, has evolved into a much more benign procedure than depicted earlier in movies and has the best outcomes in patients with major depression. New techniques, involving stimulation of the brain magnetically, such as Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) also can be effective and are being refined for broader use. Depression is a serious and sometimes fatal disease, and there is hope for those resistant to pharmaceutical approaches.

Key Takeaways:

• Major Depressive Disorder, or MDD, is a debilitating disorder that can be fatal
• About a third of those suffering from MDD, do not respond to. pharmaceutical treatments.
• The majority of these patients benefit from ECT, which now has been greatly improved.
• A newer group of brain treatments, using magnetic stimulation, also are useful for Treatment Resistant Depression.
• Sufferers should ask their physicians about access to these non-pharmaceutical treatments.

"It is very important to intervene early when someone isn't responding to medication. The more treatments that someone doesn't respond to, the less likely that they will respond to each subsequent course of treatment. The longer things linger, the harder it is to get someone better." — Dr. Daniel Blumberger

Connect with Dr. Daniel Blumberger:

CAMH Profile: Dr. Daniel Blumberger

Connect with Therese:

Website: www.criticallyspeaking.net

Twitter: @CritiSpeak

Email: [email protected]

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Daniel Blumberger

Date of appointment May 8, 2020

Date created May 3, 2020

Critically Speaking Guest Interview

https://app.acuityscheduling.com/schedule.php?owner=16987289&action=appt&id%5B%5D=29e531037007b14b2f367229a9f7cb65

Name: Daniel Blumberger

Phone: (415) 535-8501

Email: [email protected]

Guest Intake Form

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Provide a link to your website or online professional profile/bio: https://www.camh.ca/en/science-and-research/science-and-research-staff-directory/danielblumberger

Provide any links to social media or publications such as articles or books you would like to share with the audience.:

Please provide your professional affiliation and areas of expertise and you would like it to appear in our show notes.: Medical Head and Co-Director, Temerty Centre for Therapeutic Brain Intervention at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health

Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Toronto

Is there anything specific you'd like to share with our audience?: no

Are there specific questions you'd like Therese Markow to ask you? Please include them here.:

By selecting yes, you grant permission to Therese Markow to record the interview, post content on the internet obtained during the interview, and promote the content. Once published, any editing will not be possible.: yes

With up to 1 in 5 people having dyslexia, dyslexia impacts people every single day. In this episode, Therese Markow and Lorraine Hightower discuss what distinguishes dyslexia from other learning disabilities, how to identify and diagnose dyslexia, as well as the impact that dyslexia has on not only individuals, but also society as a whole. As a dyslexia advocate, Lorraine Hightower has spearheaded movements to identify kids with dyslexia early, to advocate for them within the educational system, and help parents of dyslexic kids navigate their journey. This ultimately allows for kids to reach their full potential and avoid unfortunate outcomes as they become adults.

Key Takeaways:

• Dyslexia is neuro-biological and is genetic in origin. It can often be identified even before kindergarten, though is more often identified in early elementary.
• Dyslexia impacts different individuals in different ways and the severity can vary wildly.
• When given appropriate interventions or taught reading differently, the outcomes can be very positive for students with dyslexia.

"When these children are not taught how to read in our public school systems, the consequences extend well beyond this one individual and it does become a societal problem as well." — Lorraine Hightower

Connect with Lorraine Hightower:

Professional Bio: https://www.lorrainehightower.com/lorraine

Website: https://www.lorrainehightower.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LorraineMHightowerLLC/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lorraine-hightower

Connect with Therese:

Website: www.criticallyspeaking.net

Twitter: @CritiSpeak

Email: [email protected]

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In this episode, Therese Markow and Dr. David Beversdorf discuss what exactly autism is, the theories of the causes of autism, and what we do know from research of autism. Numerous non-evidence based cures for autism are becoming more common and understanding the facts of autism is becoming more critical. In this discussion with Dr. Beversdorf, we will understand more about what is autism, what are the symptoms, who first discovered it, what really causes it (and what doesn't), and what effective treatments may be out there.

Key Takeaways:

• Vaccines do not cause autism. We do know there is a genetic component and several environmental factors that appear to be important.
• There is a variability aspect of autism. It may be extremely important to be able to track patients to see what they respond to in treatment research to see why and how they are responding.
• Without more research, we will not be able to create personalized treatment plans for the bio markers. There are a number of organizations around the world that working to achieve this research, which is where the answers will be coming from.

"Two, almost opposite biological aspects, could even be coming to this final common pathway of repetitive behaviors. If you blindly target the repetitive behaviors with a drug, without being aware of this biology, you will get nowhere, because one will get better and one will get worse." — Dr. David Beversdorf

Connect with Dr. David Beversdorf:

Professional Bio: Dr. David Beversdorf

Twitter: @MU_CogNeuroLab

Facebook: MU Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory

Connect with Therese:

Website: www.criticallyspeaking.net

Twitter: @CritiSpeak

Email: [email protected]

Audio production by Turnkey Podcast Productions. You're the expert. Your podcast will prove it.

The last few decades have been filled with confusing information about women's hormones and what's happening with them across a woman's lifetime. How early are male versus female hormones produced? How birth control pills modify hormones and related metabolic processes? What about hormones and postmenopausal women? In this episode, Therese Markow and Dr. Felice Gersh discuss these questions and more. As an OBGYN and a dual certified integrative gynecologist, Dr. Gersh shares information on the effects of hormones in female puberty, the rise of acne as a disease of western, modern society, and the importance of menstrual cycles as a sign of underlying health conditions.

Key Takeaways:

• From 12 weeks gestation, the placenta produces the hormones of embryonic formation.
• The menstrual cycle is a vital sign of reproductive age, female health - like blood pressure, vital signs, weight, or temperature. How well the menstrual cycle of a young, reproductive aged female is functioning is a vital sign of her underlying health status.
• In postmenoposal women, if we give estrogen vaginally, we can help both the bladder and the vagina to be significantly more functional and healthier.
• In menopause, all estrogen should be given transdermally.

"You need hormones, and you need them in the beautiful rhythms and the right amounts that nature was designed to give us in order for a proper development and functioning." — Dr. Felice Gersh

Connect with Dr. Felice Gersh:

Professional Bio: https://integrativemgi.com/about-dr-felice-gersh/

Website: https://integrativemgi.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/DrFeliceGersh

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/IntegrativeMGI/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/felice-gersh-md-b0422b13/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dr.felicegersh/

Book: PCOS SOS: A Gynecologist's Lifeline To Naturally Restore Your Rhythms, Hormones, and Happiness

https://www.amazon.com/Pcos-SOS-Gynecologists-Naturally-Happiness/dp/1911443119/

Connect with Therese:

Website: www.criticallyspeaking.net

Twitter: @CritiSpeak

Email: [email protected]

Audio production by Turnkey Podcast Productions. You're the expert. Your podcast will prove it.

In this episode, Therese Markow and Dr. Cheryl Hawkes discuss the increasing scientific evidence that maternal obesity affects the developing fetal brain. While many of the effects manifest early, in infant temperament and childhood cognitive (IQ) decrements, other effects do not show up until years later, in adult psychiatric and neurodegenerative problems. The physical bases for these changes in fetal brains also are clearly evidenced in laboratory model systems, such as mice, where the maternal diets can be controlled and the offspring not only can be given behavioral tests, but their brains can be dissected to reveal the changes in the blood vessels caused by obese mothers.

Key Takeaways:

• Children born to obese mothers have lower IQs and poorer motor, spatial, and verbal skills.
• Mice and rodents have similar brain development to humans, which is why rodent study models are so beneficial to science.
• Brain maturation takes many years. Your brain is fully formed at birth but continues to mature and change into your mid-twenties.

"Because of the rise in obesity globally, a lot of people have started to look, rather than looking at famine…, to now shift our attention to looking at the long-term effects of obesity because 30% of women around the world, over the age of 18, are now considered to be obese." — Dr. Cheryl Hawkes

Connect with Dr. Cheryl Hawkes:

Lancaster University Profile: Dr. Cheryl Hawkes

Connect with Therese:

Website: www.criticallyspeaking.net

Twitter: @CritiSpeak

Email: [email protected]

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In this episode, Therese Markow discusses where the safest seat is on an airplane (and what safety means in different contexts). She passes on the current recommendations for reducing COVID exposure as well as the safest seat in different types of plane crashes.

Key Takeaways:

• There is a difference between safety from COVID-19 and in a crash.
• There is some reduction in risk of infection by sitting by the window if you are sitting in economy. Wear your mask.
• Go to the bathroom before you fly so you don't have to get up and expose yourself to more people.
• Exit proximity and fitness are important factors in surviving a plane crash.

"For both issues, avoiding COVID and having the highest survival after a crash, the safest seats seem to be the window seats at the exit row." — Therese Markow, Ph.D.

Connect with Therese:

Website: www.criticallyspeaking.net

Twitter: @CritiSpeak

Email: [email protected]

Audio production by Turnkey Podcast Productions. You're the expert. Your podcast will prove it.

We've all either heard about, or know, someone whose home is filled with things they have no use for, but won't, or can't, discard. When taken to the extreme, this is a part of hoarding disorder. While hoarding is a word that is thrown around in our common vernacular (such as people hoarding toilet paper early in this pandemic), there is more to hoarding than what most people know. In this episode, Therese Markow and Dr. Mary Dozier discuss what hoarding is, how it can manifest itself, and what we currently know about hoarding disorder.

Key Takeaways:

• Unlike many psychiatric disorders, hoarding disorder actually tends to worsen as we get older.
• People tend to hoard the same things that most people hold on to, just in greater quantities.
• One of the primary reasons that people seek out treatment is often that people want to be able to have other people to their homes.

"Having attachments to objects, by itself, isn't necessarily problematic. The problem begins when the attachment is so great, and the number of objects is so many, that the individual is unable to go about their daily lives." — Dr. Mary Dozier

Connect with Dr. Mary Dozier:

Professional Bio: psychology.msstate.edu/people/mary-dozier

Connect with Therese:

Website: www.criticallyspeaking.net

Twitter: @CritiSpeak

Email: [email protected]

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Not all animals see colors the same way we do. Some have less ability to see color and others have better color vision. Color vision will likely fit with the fitness of a particular species. Can they recognize other members of their group? Can they avoid predation? Is their feeding specialized on particular flowers or colorful insects? We talk about these questions today.

Key Takeaways:

• Color detection depends on the number and types of cones in the eye, while rods detect movement.
• Dogs and bulls, having only two types of cones as opposed to three in humans, see as if they were a color blind person.
• The bright green or red toys we buy for a dog are more for us to find the toy than the dog. The red cape is not what makes the bull charge.
• Some birds have four cones and can see at different wavelengths and can see below the ocean surface

"Animals see colors if it is important to them for their survival and reproduction - in other words, to find food, to detect, avoid, or fool predators, as well as in courtship rituals." — Therese Markow, Ph.D.

Connect with Therese:

Website: www.criticallyspeaking.net

Twitter: @CritiSpeak

Email: [email protected]

Audio production by Turnkey Podcast Productions. You're the expert. Your podcast will prove it.

Most organisms have ways to fix a wound. But what about regenerating missing tissues or limbs after that wound has healed? What about crippling spinal cord injuries? Well, today we'll hear about the process of wound healing and subsequent regeneration, and how findings in lower organisms can help us to understand and enhance regeneration in humans. In this episode, Therese Markow and Dr. Karen Echeverri discuss what happens when you get a wound, the role the immune system plays in regeneration, and the difference between vertebrate and invertebrate regeneration. They also discuss how regeneration shows up differently in axolotls, zebrafish, and even humans.

Key Takeaways:

• The axolotl is the champion of regeneration - it can regenerate portions of internal organs, tail, and lesions in the brain and spinal cord.
• The amount of regeneration time is in proportion to the size of the animal.
• Understanding the different mechanisms of regeneration in various animal species is the key to developing effective treatments for these serious human injuries.

"Our highest regenerative ability is, when we're youngest, so young babies have the highest regenerative potential. There is some evidence that very young children can regenerate the partial digit tip. As the child grows older, and again, their immune system becomes more developed, they also lose that regenerative ability." — Dr. Karen Echeverri

Connect with Dr. Karen Echeverri:

Professional Bio: http://www.neuroscience.umn.edu/people/karen-echeverri-phd

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karen-echeverri-4a837514

Connect with Therese:

Website: www.criticallyspeaking.net

Twitter: @CritiSpeak

Email: [email protected]

Audio production by Turnkey Podcast Productions. You're the expert. Your podcast will prove it.

While many of us are familiar with detection dogs, whether working with first responders, military units, in airports, or even just in movies, canine detection is also expanding and evolving into medical detection. But what, exactly, makes a dog good in detection, and how do they do it? In this episode, Therese Markow and Dr. Paul Waggoner, of the Auburn University Canine Performance Sciences Center, discuss these questions and many more.

Key Takeaways:

• Not all dogs make great detection dogs, although all dogs have greater olfactory detection abilities than humans.
• Dogs are unique in their social affinity with people because they have coevolved socially with people. This makes them easier to train.
• Detection dogs keep us safe from many dangers.
• A well trained detection dog can be very expensive and their handler must be trained as well.
• In using dogs for medical detection training, the challenge is to maintain a dog's ability to distinguish between the cancer scent and the odor associated with the particular individuals.

"What tends to separate dogs that are capable of detection work and those that are not, is a history for what they've been selectively bred for hundreds of years to do." — Dr. Paul Waggoner

Connect with Dr. Paul Waggoner:

Canine Performance Sciences: https://www.vetmed.auburn.edu/research/cps/

Research Gate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/L-Waggoner

Donate to Canine Performance Sciences: www.vetmed.auburn.edu/research/CPS or https://www.auburngiving.org/ designating the gift for CPS.

Connect with Therese:

Website: www.criticallyspeaking.net

Twitter: @CritiSpeak

Email: [email protected]

Audio production by Turnkey Podcast Productions. You're the expert. Your podcast will prove it.