Dementia does not affect all communities equally. In the United States, African Americans are disproportionately affected by Alzheimer's disease and related dementias, shaped by a complex interplay of cardiovascular health, structural inequities, access to care, lifelong socioeconomic factors, and genetic influences. Addressing these disparities requires more than medical advances—it calls for trusted community leadership, culturally relevant education, and powerful storytelling that can reduce stigma and inspire action.

In this episode of the Dancing into Brain Health podcast, we are joined by award-winning filmmaker, best-selling author, Certified Dementia Practitioner, and founder of Expose Dementia, Chuck Nathaniel Brown. Following his own family's experience with dementia, Chuck has dedicated his career to using film, literature, community engagement, and the arts to transform how we understand dementia—particularly within African American communities. 

Through his documentary Remember Me: Dementia in the African American Community, his book Exposing Dementia: 8 Critical Takeaways for African Americans, and the annual Expose Dementia Conference, he has built a vibrant grassroots movement that brings together artists, researchers, healthcare professionals, care partners, and people living with dementia.

Together, we explore the extraordinary role that the arts can play in increasing awareness, fostering dialogue, challenging stigma, and creating spaces where communities can learn, heal, and advocate together.

Learn more about C. Nathaniel Brown:

www.ExposeDementia.org.

Read and watch more:

Remember Me: Dementia and Alzheimer's Disease in the African American Community

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt31958645/

Papa’s Song – Short Film About a Family Navigating Dementia

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D2ms3GOT3fA

Expose Dementia Conference

https://exposedementia.org/conference

Join a national survey led by Expose Dementia and Dr. Natalie Douglas from the University of Louisiana, Lafayette to better understand the Experiences Around Dementia Diagnosis and Care – specifically among the African American community

https://forms.cloud.microsoft/pages/responsepage.aspx?id=zrCzE3XNpEm_6goDsB_xq2fP86K4aSJBnluew-DLwLtUMDJaVlFESlpQSTBJN0dDUVBRSTM4RUo1NS4u&route=shorturl

This episode of Dancing into Brain Health was edited and produced Magda Kaczmarska and Hilary Brown-Istrefi. The music for this show is the title cut from the album, Critical Path by Joe Venegoni and Carl Weingarten.

Our senses of smell and taste shape some of life’s most meaningful and pleasurable experiences — from the perfume of a spring day to the familiar aroma of our grandmother’s apple pie. Yet we rarely stop to consider how deeply these everyday sensory experiences are connected to the brain and its health.

In this episode, we are joined by Dr. Rona Graham, a neuroscientist whose research explores olfactory function as an early biomarker for cognitive impairment. Together, we unpack how this often-overlooked sensory process is intimately tied not only to the richness of our daily lives, but also to cognition, memory, and overall brain health.

Visit our website for show notes, links and more and be sure to follow us! If you like what you hear, please leave us a review!

https://dancestreamprojects.org/dancing-into-brain-health-podcast

Learn more about Dr. Rona Graham:

https://sites.google.com/view/ronakgraham/home

Dr. Rona Graham is the Associate Professor in the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Research Centre on Aging, Universite de Sherbrooke. Her research interests include olfactory system dysfunction in Neurodegenerative diseases, olfactory therapy as a measure to delay symptoms in Mild Cognitive Impairment and Alzheimer disease, the development of a public Smell and Taste Clinic of offer olfactory testing and training, leading olfactory therapy clinical trials, the development of clinical tests to detect premanifest dementia and other therapeutic approaches including caspases and cell death pathways.

The overall goal of Professor Graham’s health science research program is to delineate mechanisms in the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases that will allow approaches to therapy that will halt progression or lead to a cure for such disorders. In particular her focus is on Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI), Alzheimer (AD) and Huntington disease (HD) and the olfactory system dysfunction. Her long-term goal is developing a multi-modal, longitudinal approach, to relate the imaging measures to the age-dependent behavioral and neuropathological changes in MCI, AD and HD. This will enable delineation of underlying mechanisms, determination of early and robust clinical endpoints for trials, and identification of drug targets.

Read more about the connection of smell, taste and the brain:

Volumetric MRI Demonstrates Atrophy of the Olfactory Cortex in AD

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33327913/

Olfactory Dysfunction Associated with Cognitive Decline in an Elderly Population

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36545820/

Specific olfactory deficit patterns observed in seniors and associated with cognitive decline

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37120003/

Amelioration of Cognitive and Olfactory System Deficits in APOE4 Transgenic Mice with DHA Treatment

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37329383/

Early deficits in olfaction are associated with structural and molecular alterations in the olfactory system of a Huntington disease mouse model

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32436947/

Diet enriched in omega-3 fatty acids alleviates olfactory system deficits in APOE4 transgenic mice

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34549475/

This episode of Dancing into Brain Health was edited and produced Magda Kaczmarska and Hilary Brown-Istrefi. The music for this show is the title cut from the album, Critical Path by Joe Venegoni and Carl Weingarten.

Dance has long been described as a universal language — a form of expression that transcends words, cultures, and generations. Through rhythm, gesture, and movement, dance allows us to communicate emotion, tell stories, and connect with one another in deeply human ways. Whether we are moving ourselves or witnessing others move, dance has a remarkable ability to draw us in, awaken something within us, and make us feel understood without a single word being spoken.

But what if dance does more than communicate? What if it can actually help us speak?

In this episode of Dancing into Brain Health, we explore the fascinating intersection of dance, neuroscience, and communication with dancer and neuroscientist Dr. Constantina Theofanopoulou. Her groundbreaking research investigates the neural substrates of speech and the ways movement — particularly dance — may support, strengthen, and even rehabilitate our ability to communicate.

Together, we uncover how rhythm and movement may activate some of the brain’s deepest communication networks, opening new possibilities for understanding speech, connection, and the profound relationship between the moving body and the speaking mind.

Visit our website for show notes and links to learn more: https://dancestreamprojects.org/dancing-into-brain-health-podcast

To learn more about Dr. Constantina Theofanopoulou: 

https://www.constantinatheofanopoulou.com/

Read more about the connection of dance, communication and speech

“Dancing towards speech improvement: Repurposing dance for motor speech deficits in neurodegenerative diseases” https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/epub/10.1177/13872877241313304

“Impact of Amazonian Dance on Speech Performance in People with Parkinson’s Disease” https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.01.12.699086v1.full

“Mobile brain imaging in butoh dancers: from rehearsals to public performance”

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39506628/

Join Dr. Theofanopoulou’s Research Study - Investigating the brain mechanisms of a dance-based intervention in Parkinson’s Disease

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfdhdt8B0KFXuF2UR7GZ-Fh-TDTb7psmbT9zsIIalPAza8Wyg/viewform

This episode of Dancing into Brain Health was edited and produced Magda Kaczmarska and Hilary Brown-Istrefi. The music for this show is the title cut from the album, Critical Path by Joe Venegoni and Carl Weingarten.

In honor of Mental Health Awareness Month 2026, DanceStream Projects executive director Magda Kaczmarska sat down with Mark Timmons, artist, advocate and person living with dementia, for a conversation about the intersections of mental health and brain health.

Resources: 

Mental Health Month Action Guide

https://mhanational.org/2026-mental-health-month-action-guide/

Pathways To Wellbeing with Dementia: https://daanow.org/pathways/

Mark Timmons Poetry: https://marktimmonsphotography.com/poetry/

About Mark Timmons: 

Mark Timmons is an active member of the Eden Alternative and serves as a leader within the Dementia Action Alliance (DAA). Since being diagnosed with dementia in early 2017 at age 48, he has drawn on his personal experience to inform his advocacy and leadership. As his condition has progressed, Timmons has focused on the creative arts, strongly supporting the link between artistic expression, movement, and brain health. He is a member of the Eden Alternative’s Speakers Bureau, is the longest-serving member of DAA’s Advisory Board and co-hosts several of DAA’s Virtual Engagement Programs and Discussion Groups. Mark also routinely collaborates with DanceStream Projects on artistic and advocacy projects.

In addition to his work with DAA, Timmons is a photographer, writer/poet, and advocates for causes related to homelessness and mental health. You may find him in the garden, on a hike (always with his camera), or researching family histories. 

Content Note: 

This conversation includes personal experiences related to mental health, including discussion of suicide loss and eating disorders.

We recognize that these topics may feel sensitive or activating for some listeners and readers.

We invite you to engage with this conversation in whatever way feels most supportive for you, whether that means taking breaks, listening with support, or choosing to return to it at another time.

Our hope is that this conversation offers compassion, connection, and a reminder that no one has to navigate these experiences alone.

More than one billion people in the world live with mental illness. You are not alone. If you or someone you love is in crisis, please call or text 988 or contact the Crisis Text Line by texting TALK to 741741. 

Brain health is not merely the absence of disease; it is the sum of our physical, emotional, social, and cognitive well-being. Designing social and physical environments that support brain health as we age is essential to ensuring dignity, autonomy, and security across the lifespan.

In this episode of the Dancing into Brain Health Podcast, we are joined by Macarena Espina Díaz, whose work centers on building precisely these kinds of supportive environments. With a focus on inclusivity and human-centered design, she cultivates social and physical spaces that uphold dignity and enhance quality of life for people living with dementia.

Macarena brings together her expertise as an industrial designer and artist to bridge academic, community, and policy spheres. Through her work, she fosters meaningful dialogue, advances policy, and promotes environmental adaptations that expand equitable access to resources for people living with dementia in her home country of Chile.

As an Atlantic Fellow for Equity in Brain Health at Trinity College Dublin, she collaborated with the University and local housing organizations to develop policy briefs, educational seminars, and design recommendations. These efforts contributed to envisioning Ireland’s first brain health–focused intergenerational housing community.

Together, we explore the importance of inclusive design—particularly for those living with dementia—and consider how each of us can engage more intentionally with our social and physical environments to support brain health for all.

Learn more about Macarena Espina Díaz:

https://www.gbhi.org/profiles/macarena-espina-diaz

Read and watch more:

https://www.viviendocondemencia.cl/

Inclusive Design for People Living with Dementia in Chile

[In Spanish/ En Español]

https://www.canal9.cl/episodios/nuestra-casa/2021/05/05/viviendo-con-demencias-caja-de-herramientas-para-adecuar-el-hogar-de-quienes-viven-con-demencia

[In Spanish/ En Español] The “Living with Dementia” toolkit free download via the following link | La caja de herramientas «Vivir con demencia» disponible para su descarga gratuita a través del siguiente enlace:https://www.uchile.cl/publicaciones/174559/caja-de-herramientas-viviendo-con-demencias

[In Spanish / En Español] Launch and Discussion: "Let's Talk About Living with Dementia" | Lanzamiento y conversatorio "Hablemos de Vivir con Demencia"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s18pImHoglg

Inclusive Environments for People Living with Dementia from Rural Areas of Chile and their Families

https://www.gbhi.org/projects/inclusive-environments-people-living-dementia-rural-areas-chile-and-their-families

Fostering the Enjoyment of Eating through Inclusive Strategies for People Living with Dementia

https://www.gbhi.org/news-publications/fostering-enjoyment-eating-through-inclusive-strategies-people-living-dementia

Tool Kit: Strategies to facilitate eating and swallowing in people living with early-stage dementia (2025)

https://libros.uchile.cl/1494

Caja de herramientas “Estrategias para favorecer la alimentación y deglución de personas con demencia en etapas tempranas”

https://uchile.cl/publicaciones/217343/caja-de-herramientas-estrategias-para-alimentacion-y-demencias

Built environments that foster lifelong brain health

Brain Health and Housing (Global Brain Health Institute – Trinity College Dublin and Respond Housing Association – Ireland)

https://www.gbhi.org/projects/brain-health-and-housing

Bringing brain health home: the importance of housing and the urban environment for building this generation’s brain health

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/23748834.2024.2327815

This episode of Dancing into Brain Health was edited and produced Magda Kaczmarska and Hilary Brown-Istrefi. The music for this show is the title cut from the album, Critical Path by Joe Venegoni and Carl Weingarten.

Creativity is one of the most admired and universal human attributes, taking form across genres, ages, and levels of professionalism. Whether it contributes to an individual’s sense of flow and multimodal expression or inspires awe in those who witness the artistic output of others, creativity undeniably evokes—and amplifies—what makes us most human.

From a neuroscientific perspective, creativity is a highly complex and multifaceted process, engaging numerous regions of the brain in dynamic interplay. Yet despite its universality, much about creativity remains a mystery.

In this episode of the Dancing into Brain Health Podcast, we are joined by two individuals helping to illuminate that mystery: renowned behavioral neurologist Dr. Bruce Miller and award-winning actor and writer Jake Broder.

Their conversation is brought together through the story of Anne Adams—a woman whose emergent artistic expression in the face of a progressive neurodegenerative condition radically reshaped how neuroscientists understand creativity in the brain. Through Anne’s journey, Dr. Miller and Jake Broder invite us to look beyond a deficit-based narrative of dementia and toward a more expansive view—challenging long-held assumptions about degeneration and revealing how shifts in neural networks can give rise to new forms of expression and meaning.

Together, they take us on a journey through the intersection of neuroscience, art, and lived human experience, inviting us to reconsider what creativity is, where it lives in the brain, and how it can persist, transform, and even flourish in the face of profound change.

Learn more about Dr. Bruce Miller:

https://memory.ucsf.edu/people/bruce-miller

Learn more about Jake Broder:

www.jakebroder.com

https://www.gbhi.org/profiles/jake-broder

Read and watch more:

UnRavelled Play

https://www.unravelledplay.com/

Creativity & FTD: Past Present Future: The Story of Dr. Anne Adams and Maurice Ravel

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-tCG6m79pk&t=1s

‘UnRavelling’ Stigma to Find Common Threads

https://localnewspasadena.com/2025/unravelling-stigma-to-find-common-threads/

Unravelling Boléro: progressive aphasia, transmodal creativity and the right posterior neocortex 

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18057074/

Art & Creativity: UCSF Memory and Aging Center

https://memory.ucsf.edu/brain-health/art-creativity

Emergence of visual artistic creativity in frontotemporal dementia

https://alz-journals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/alz.065202

Prevalence, Timing, and Network Localization of Emergent Visual Creativity in Frontotemporal Dementia

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36848111/

Unraveling Bolero

https://radiolab.org/podcast/unraveling-bolero

This episode of Dancing into Brain Health was edited and produced Magda Kaczmarska and Hilary Brown-Istrefi. The music for this show is the title cut from the album, Critical Path by Joe Venegoni and Carl Weingarten. Follow us on our website: https://dancestreamprojects.org/dancing-into-brain-health-podcast

Even as global populations age and the incidence of dementia continues to increase, the collective narratives of what it means to be aging and living with dementia continue to perpetuate deficit driven, one-note narratives of loss. Such narratives drive fear and stigma, driving wedges between generations, further siloing individuals and expanding age-based isolation.

Our guest today on the Dancing into Brain Health Podcast is Michelle Memran, a documentary filmmaker and dementiaadvocate who has dedicated her life’s work to transforming these narratives. Through collaborative visual storytelling alongside individuals living with dementia, Michelle amplifies the voices that most need to be heard while transforming the entire ecosystem of what we perceive living with dementia canand should be.

Together we discuss her latest projects and consider the role of artists in collaboration with communities living with dementia to shape new narratives and inform social change.

Learn more about Michelle Memran here:

https://www.michellememran.com/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelle-memran/

Read and watch more:

The Rest I Make Up

https://www.therestimakeup.com/

Let This Be A Symphony

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@LetThisBeaSymphony

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/letthisbeasymphony/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/let-this-be-a-symphony/

https://www.caringfortheages.com/article/S1526-4114(22)00495-4/fulltext

https://www.newyorker.com/culture/the-front-row/an-extraordinary-documentary-portrait-of-a-playwright-facing-alzheimers-disease

https://bombmagazine.org/articles/2018/11/21/in-a-dark-time-the-eye-begins-to-see-michelle-memran-interviewed/

https://www.library.ucsf.edu/news/we-as-a-way-forward-notes-from-the-hiv-aids-epidemic-collection/

This episode of Dancing into Brain Health was edited and produced Magda Kaczmarska and Hilary Brown-Istrefi. The music for this show is the title cut from the album, Critical Path by Joe Venegoni and Carl Weingarten.

Dementia in an umbrella condition defined by a change in brain function that affects daily activities. Dementia can be caused by a number of underlying pathologies, but despite extensive advances being made in diagnosis and understanding of some forms of dementia, such as Alzheimer’s Disease, those navigating other forms of dementia are still frequently met with a very different experience, one of misdiagnosis and lack of support.  

Lewy Body Dementia is the second most common form of progressive dementia, yet for the estimated 1.4 million individuals living with Lewy Body Dementia in the US and around 11 million globally, much remains to be done to ensure their journey is met with understanding and guidance.

Our guest today on the Dancing into Brain Health Podcast, Helen Bundy Medsger, has dedicated her life to changing this reality. Transmuting decades of partnership in care to three family members living with Lewy Body Dementia, she is a passionate advocate across research, clinical, public and policy spaces, paving a way forward and building community along the way.

Together, we discuss the role of lived experience experts at every stage of the dementia care journey, reflect on lessons learned from a lifetime of advocacy and envision a future where all those who receive a diagnosis of Lewy Body Dementia are met with clarity, community and hope.

Learn more about Helen Medgser and her work:

https://www.lbda.org/lbda_story/helen-medsger-volunteer-of-the-year/

Learn more and engage with Lewy Body Dementia Association:

www.lbda.org

Read more – articles co-authored by Helen:

Implications and Opportunities Regarding Biological Frameworks in Overt and Prodromal Dementia with Lewy bodies, July 2025, Alzheimer’s & Dementia, The Journal of the Alzheimer’s Association https://doi.org/10.1002/alz.70470

Research Priorities in Neuropalliative Care: A Consensus Statement from the International Neuropalliative Care Society, JAMA Neurology, Published online February 03, 2025. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamaneurol.2024.4932

Long-term Effects of Collaborative Dementia Care on Quality of Life and Caregiver Well-being, November 2024, Alzheimer’s & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer’s Association, https://doi.org/10.1002/alz.14370

Public and Participant Involvement as a Pathway to Inclusive Dementia Research, November 2024, Alzheimer’s & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer’s Association, https://doi.org/10.1002/alz.14350

A Global Conversation with Care Partners – Commemorating the United Nations International Day of Care and Support, November 2023, https://www.gbhi.org/news-publications/global-conversation-care-partners-commemorating-united-nations-international-day

Optimizing Brain Health Across the Life Course, 2022, World Health Organization, Geneva, CH, https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240054561

Peer Mentorship with Lewy Body Disease: A Protocol for Co-developing and Piloting a Program for Post-diagnostic Support, June 2023, Alzheimer’s & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer’s Association, https://doi.org/10.1002/alz.066048

This episode of Dancing into Brain Health was edited and produced Magda Kaczmarska and Hilary Brown-Istrefi. The music for this show is the title cut from the album, Critical Path by Joe Venegoni and Carl Weingarten.

We launched the Dancing into Brain Health Podcast out of a desire to hold space for conversations that expand our understanding of the role dance can play in supporting and sparking brain health. By bringing together leading researchers, doctors, artists, lived-experience advocates, and thought leaders, the podcast builds new bridges between neuroscience, community practice, and the arts.

In the first episode of Season 2, we open with a conversation rooted in reflection, personal story, inspiration, and hope for new beginnings. This episode returns to the core intention behind the podcast—exploring the early seeds of impact we hope it is cultivating and sharing our evolving vision for where this work is headed next.

Our guests for this episode are Szewah Chin, communications expert and journalist, and Hilary Brown-Istrefi, dancer and choreographer. Both share a deep connection with DanceStream Projects: Szewah serves as our Board Chair, and Hilary is our podcast editor and a lead teaching artist.

Drawing from their personal stories, practices, and perspectives, they articulate a shared vision forward and underscore the vital need for more conversations that bridge what may seem like disparate fields—but are, in fact, deeply interconnected: the arts, neuroscience, and community.

To learn more about Szewah Chin here: 

Asians in Art Podcast:

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@AsiansinArt

Instagram: @aiashow

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0KBj2lY0OGjgZAaNEevJ78?si=9c7fa37dad0548d1

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/asians-in-art/id1848559972

Learn more about Hilary Brown-Istrefi here:

Same As Sister: https://sameassister.com/

Instagram: @sameassister

This episode of Dancing into Brain Health was edited and produced by Magda Kaczmarska and Hilary Brown-Istrefi. The music for this show is the title cut from the album, Critical Path by Joe Venegoni and Carl Weingarten.

Our senses are one of the primary ways in which we encounter, interact with and make sense of the world around us. But what happens when our sensory perception begins to disintegrate and transform? And how might engaging through the arts help us heal and better understand these conditions?

Our guest on the Dancing into Brain Health Podcast is Dr. Anusha Yasoda-Mohan, a perceptual neuroscientist whose work illuminates the ways our sensory perception influences our brain health and how using the arts may build pathways toward healing for those living with neurodegenerative conditions.

We discuss the interconnection of our senses, specifically auditory perception, and brain health and ways Dr. Yasoda-Mohan is partnering with artists and communities to build awareness and inspire wellbeing among individuals living with dementia and sensory processing disorders.

To learn more about Dr. Anusha Yasoda-Mohan here: https://www.gbhi.org/profiles/anusha-mohanand https://www.linkedin.com/in/anusha-yasoda-mohan-a397363a/

Read more:

The Longitudinal Relationship Between Tinnitus and Cognitive Decline https://www.gbhi.org/projects/longitudinal-relationship-between-tinnitus-and-cognitive-decline

Tinnitus – Can the Experience of a Phantom Sound be Expressed Through Creative Movement? https://www.gbhi.org/news-publications/tinnitus-can-experience-phantom-sound-be-expressed-through-creative-movement

Auditory illusory models as proxies to investigate bottom-up and top-down neural networks of phantom perception https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40800848/

Unveiling the mind's ear: Understanding the science behind auditory processing using illusions https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40020557/

Namaste from India: “Reaching the Unreached” in Dementia and Brain Health https://www.gbhi.org/news-publications/namaste-india-reaching-unreached-dementia-and-brain-health

Adaptive and maladaptive neural compensatory consequences of sensory deprivation—From a phantom percept perspective ⁠https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0301008216301605

Chronic pain – A maladaptive compensation to unbalanced hierarchical predictive processing ⁠https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1053811924002052

Facebook Group for Lewy Community Ireland https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1AcWbfqs9e/?mibextid=wwXIfr

Lewy Body Dementia Association https://www.lbda.org/

Lewy Body Ireland https://lewybodyireland.org/

The Lewy Body Society https://www.lewybody.org/

EMERALD-Lewy Research Program to Address Gaps in Diagnosis and Care ⁠https://www.gbhi.org/news-publications/emerald-lewy-research-program-address-gaps-diagnosis-and-care⁠

World Lewy Body Day – Open Event hosted by EMERALD-Lewy at Trinity College Dublin https://drive.google.com/file/d/1mEtU02hDBqXyGa6JqtPdm4GkMQddX0T8/view?usp=sharing

This episode of Dancing into Brain Health was edited and produced by Magda Kaczmarska and Hilary Brown-Istrefi. The music for this show is the title cut from the album, Critical Path by Joe Venegoni and Carl Weingarten.