Straight from a Scientist Medical Research Education and Discussion Podcast

This week's episode is with the host of The Blunt Report podcast: Konner Blunt. Connor and Konner talked about ALzheimer's disease, the experience of podcasting, science communication, and Jiu Jitsu among other things.

Check out The Blunt Report here: http://www.thebluntreport.com/

More about Alzheimer's disease: https://www.straightfromascientist.com/alzheimers-disease/

Tayler is a PhD candidate in the College of Veterinary Medicine at Murdoch University in Perth, Western Australia. Her research focuses on the pharmacology and toxicology of supposed 'fertility-boosting' herbal supplements on sperm cells, using flow cytometry to elucidate their effects at a cellular level. She is also a science communicator in her spare time, and posts regular pharmacology-based series online. You can find her on Instagram at @taylercatherine

Link to a good general review on oxidative stress: https://www.nature.com/articles/35041687 Link to a review of herbal medicine safety issues: https://www.mja.com.au/journal/2017/206/2/what-risks-do-herbal-products-pose-australian-community

Sean Jackewicz is a research student at the University of Georgia who is studying for his degree in Genetics, with the goal of being a medical doctor. Sean's research in the lab has focused on cancer development and cancer therapies, while his work outside of the lab focuses on the role of genomics in people's lives. Sean is currently leading the development of a clinical genotyping tool that he hopes will give health practitioners the ability to personalize treatment plans for patients like never before. Sean is also passionate about communicating the upcoming change genetic technology will cause throughout all areas of life. The best way to talk with Sean and follow his journey through healthcare is through his Instagram: @chemical_reacsean

Alzheimer's disease is a terrifying neurodegenerative disorder characterized by impaired memory, cognitive deficits, and neuronal loss. With few treatments and no cure after decades of research, scientists are starting to think outside the box for better ways to ward off Alzheimer's disease. In this episode, we discuss the links between mental health and neurodegenerative disorders like Alzheimer's, and how common strategies for better mental health have great promise for Alzheimer's disease treatment. In general, the best protective strategies for Alzheimer's disease are things that improve mental health, such as trying new things and staying active.

In this episode, we talk with Dr. Harry Steinbusch from Maastricht University. Dr. Steinbusch has a wide array of research interests centered mostly around how everyday activities might help protect against neurodegenerative disorders, and how genetic modifications like epigenetics are important in disorders like Alzheimer's disease. We also talk about how Dr. Steinbusch runs his lab from all over the world, and his founding of the AD Fast Track conference

Some actionable tips for better mental health:

• Use it or lose it - an active brain is a healthy brain! Learning new things and traveling to new places stimulates adult neurogenesis, the birth and development of new neurons in the brain
• Exercise, particularly group exercise, was found to be most beneficial
• Learning more than one language is also linked to better mental health

Citations and further reading:

1. Andrew Crowther, soon to be PhD from the Song Lab talks with Connor Wander about his research- serotonin and adult neurogenesis.
2. Epigenetic changes in Alzheimer's disease neurons
3. Some other great places to start for exercise induced neurogenesis.

This episode marks the final part of the AD Fast Track series. Check out all previous episodes, and stay tuned for more some summary episodes on Alzheimer's disease.

Genome-wide association studies, or GWAS, are very helpful in telling researchers where to focus their attention. They point out genetic linkers that have the potential to be used as medicines or diagnostics. GWAS identify genes or clusters of genes associated with greater risk for diseases and disorders.

But GWAS aren't a silver bullet...

Dr. Liz Tunbridge studies genetic risk factors for various psychiatric disorders. She has noted that while GWAS are very useful, they have many limitations, and the interpretations of such studies can be very complicated. Listen in to learn more about the challenges of turning this statistical information into something tangible and the complex therapeutic impacts of gene families.

About Dr. Tunbridge

Dr. Elizabeth "Liz" Tunbridge is an Associate Professor at Oxford University. Her research focuses on how individual genetic variants change brain function in psychiatric disorders, with the hope that understanding this can lead to better treatments for patients.

Dr. Tunbridge is very active on Twitter!

Check out her TED Talk titled "Would there be mental illness in a utopia?"

Dr. Tunbridge is also a writer for The Conversation.

Learn more about her research here.

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This episode features was recorded in San Diego, CA, where Connor Wander attended the BrightFocus Alzheimer's Disease Fast Track conference, followed by the Society for Neuroscience annual meeting. The Society for Neuroscience (SfN) is a well-known conference, drawing 28 thousand people annually.

Any other questions? Let us know! We appreciate your feedback.

You can now support the podcast at https://www.patreon.com/sfspodcast. Many thanks to our past and present supporters!

Thanks to Plant Warrior for their support. Use discount code SFS10 at checkout for 10% off your purchase of plant-based protein.

Women are almost twice as likely to develop Alzheimer's disease as men. However, this is NOT because they live longer. When we look into the aging brain, males and females experience different timelines. The molecular underpinnings of these sex differences could make a huge impact on our understanding of Alzheimer's disease. Dr. Roberta Diaz Brinton is spearheading research into sex differences in Alzheimer's disease. She works to discover how to protect the aging female brain from these increased risk factors.

This episode features another throwback recorded in San Diego, CA, where Connor Wander attended the BrightFocus Alzheimer's Disease Fast Track conference, followed by the Society for Neuroscience annual meeting.

About Dr. Brinton

Dr. Roberta Diaz Brinton leads the Center for Innovation in Brain Science at the University of Arizona that studies diseases of aging, Alzheimer's, Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinson's and ALS. Dr. Brinton is an internationally recognized expert in the systems biology of Alzheimer's disease. She is developing the first regenerative therapeutic to regenerate the degenerated brain. Her analysis focuses on the brain at greatest risk for Alzheimer's: the aging female brain. Her findings show that the sex difference in Alzheimer's disease is not because women live longer than men, as commonly thought, but rather because the disease starts earlier in the female brain. Her insights into these key transition states of the aging brain provide therapeutic opportunities to prevent, delay, and treat neurodegenerative disease.

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Read more about Dr. Roberta Diaz Brinton's research and scholarship.

Learn more on the Brinton Lab Website.

The Society for Neuroscience (SfN) is a well-known conference, drawing 28 thousand people annually. In contrast, AD Fast Track is a much smaller conference put on by BrightFocus, a foundation built to support AD and glaucoma research and awareness. Many of the speakers at the event were directly supported by BrightFocus (Lamb, Brinton, Head, Grinberg).

Alzheimer's disease research is reinventing itself in the wake of past failures. New understandings of disease complexity, paired with recent advances in technology and a renewed surge in funding for research fuels new hope for a cure or treatment. Yet we aren't putting all our eggs in one basket. This series explores Alzheimer's disease research and the variety of research strategies with the common goal of curing Alzheimer's disease.

Any other questions? Let us know! We appreciate your feedback.

You can now support the podcast at https://www.patreon.com/sfspodcast. Many thanks to our past and present supporters!

Thanks to Plant Warrior for their support. Use discount code SFS10 at checkout for 10% off your purchase of plant-based protein.

This week's episode features another throwback recorded in San Diego, CA, where Connor Wander attended the BrightFocus Alzheimer's Disease Fast Track conference, followed by the Society for Neuroscience annual meeting. We talked with Dr. Elizabeth Head, who studies the link between Down Syndrome and Alzheimer's disease with the hopes of improving lives for both patient classes. Listen to hear about this super interesting and very promising work!

About Dr. Elizabeth Head

Dr. Elizabeth Head has recently moved from the University of Kentucky to the University of California, Irvine (UCI) and joined the UCI MIND institute.

Dr. Head has published over 150 peer reviewed papers, over 30 review papers and book chapters and serves as a grant reviewer for the National Institutes on Health. Dr. Head has dedicated over 20 years to the study of aging and Alzheimer's disease with a focus on people with Down Syndrome.

Catch Dr. Head's livestream where she answers the question: "Are there any promising vaccines for Alzheimer's" on May 3rd, 2019.

More Information

Learn more about The International Brain Bank for Down Syndrome-Related Alzheimer's disease mentioned in the podcast.

Also watch a presentation by Dr. Head on how to improve quality of life in Down Syndrome and Alzheimer's disease.

The Society for Neuroscience (SfN) is a well-known conference, drawing 28 thousand people annually. In contrast, AD Fast Track is a much smaller conference put on by BrightFocus, a foundation built to support AD and glaucoma research and awareness. Many of the speakers at the event were directly supported by BrightFocus (Lamb, Brinton, Head, Grinberg).

Alzheimer's disease research is reinventing itself in the wake of past failures. New understandings of disease complexity, paired with recent advances in technology and a renewed surge in funding for research fuels new hope for a cure or treatment. Yet we aren't putting all our eggs in one basket. This series explores Alzheimer's disease research and the variety of research strategies with the common goal of curing Alzheimer's disease.

Listen to our Alzheimer's Fast Track Series

Ep. 39: Alzheimer's Disease Research Part I with Drs. Diane Bovenkamp, Frank LaFerla, and Bruce Lamb

Ep. 41: Alzheimer's Disease Research roundtable with Drs. Cynthia Lemere, Charles Glabe, and Lea T. Grinberg

Any other questions? Let us know! We appreciate your feedback.

You can now support the podcast at https://www.patreon.com/sfspodcast. Many thanks to our past and present supporters!

Thanks to Plant Warrior for their support. Use discount code SFS10 at checkout for 10% off your purchase of plant-based protein.

This episode is all about neuronal apoptosis. In Dr. Mohanish Deshmukh's eyes, some cells are willing to undergo apoptosis, while others are very cautious. Understanding these differences could be the key to understanding, treating, or curing diseases that haunt us in modern times. Research in Dr. Deshmukh's lab at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, focuses on pathways for neuronal apoptosis and the ways that survival and death work in different cells.

Apoptosis is programmed cell death. In apoptosis, cells commit "suicide" quietly to minimize inflammation and damage to their neighbors. Apoptosis is a normal and vital process which helps protect us from cancer and other disease states. However, it becomes a problem in neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's and ALS. When it comes to apoptosis, neurons are special. Neuronal apoptosis seems to be distinct from other cell types.

Listen in to hear how neurons resist triggers that would kill other cells. Also learn about the difference between apoptosis and necrosis, as well as how that understanding has changed over time. We discuss the importance of synaptic pruning. Finally, we speculate some on the possible presence and effect of bacteria in the brain.

About Dr. Deshmukh

Dr. Mohanish Deshmukh is a Professor of Cell Biology & Physiology and the Neuroscience Center at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.

Visit the Deshmukh Lab website to learn more about current research.

Also follow the Deshmukh Lab on Instagram.

More Information

To get a background of apoptosis in other cells, check out Episode 23: The Role of Apoptosis with Georgia Smith. She tells us about apoptosis in the context of influenza.

Any other questions? Let us know! We appreciate your feedback.

You can now support the podcast at https://www.patreon.com/sfspodcast. Many thanks to our past and present supporters!

Thanks to Plant Warrior for their support. Use discount code SFS10 at checkout for 10% off your purchase of plant-based protein.

This week's episode marks the 2nd of a series focused on Alzheimer's disease (AD) research. All episodes were recorded in San Diego, CA, where Connor Wander attended the BrightFocus Alzheimer's Disease Fast Track conference, followed by the Society for Neuroscience annual meeting.

The Society for Neuroscience (SfN) is a well-known conference, drawing 28 thousand people annually. In contrast, AD Fast Track is a much smaller conference put on by BrightFocus, a foundation built to support AD and glaucoma research and awareness. Many of the speakers at the event were directly supported by BrightFocus (Lamb, Brinton, Head, Grinberg).

Alzheimer's disease research is reinventing itself in the wake of past failures. New understandings of disease complexity, paired with recent advances in technology and a renewed surge in funding for research fuels new hope for a cure or treatment. Yet we aren't putting all our eggs in one basket. This series will explore Alzheimer's disease research and the variety of research strategies with the common goal of curing Alzheimer's disease.

In This Episode

Listen in to a roundtable with Drs. Cynthia Ann Lemere, Charles Glabe, and Lea T. Grinberg to learn about current research on the causes and possible treatments for Alzheimer's Disease. We also discuss possible misrepresentations of the Amyloid cascade hypothesis, as well as applications of 3D printing in brain scan models.

Special thanks to all podcasts guests and to Martha and Rachel from BrightFocus!

More Information

Listen to a brief summary of Alzheimer's disease signs and symptoms with Dr. Diane Bovenkamp.

Find more quick chats on the BrightFocus Foundation website, including some tips and support for Alzheimer's disease caregivers.

The Amyloid cascade hypothesis is commonly discussed in Episode 41: Alzheimer's disease roundtable.

Listen to a discussion of Amyloid beta's putative role as an ancient ant-microbial peptide in the brain in Episode 13: Amyloid Beta: Villain, or Hero in Alzheimer's Disease?

This possible role for Amyloid beta is important in the Amyloid cascade hypothesis; the idea that amyloid beta is the first thing to go wrong in AD, and triggers a chain reaction causing tau to aggregate and kill neurons. This is a commonly discussed hypothesis in Alzheimer's research, and is often referenced in this series.

Learn more with a detailed infographic on the Amyloid cascade hypothesis. It's in a perspective piece discussing the recent developments in AD research by Biogen, and Eisai, two companies working on Alzheimer's disease therapeutics like such as anti-amyloid or anti-tau antibodies, which have shown some promise in AD clinical trials.

For more in-depth analysis of developments in AD and other neurodegenerative diseases, check out Alzforum.org for Alzheimer's disease background reading.

Read about and see images of protein maps in the human brain that help identify markers of brain disease.

Any other questions? Let us know! We appreciate your feedback.

You can now support the podcast at https://www.patreon.com/sfspodcast. Many thanks to our past and present supporters!

Thanks to Plant Warrior for their support. Use discount code SFS10 at checkout for 10% off your purchase of plant-based protein.

To honor our recent collaboration with TheSciCommunity, we sat down with the founders Dan and Gabe and discussed the importance of science communication. Dan and Gabe share their values and mission to spread science in a transparent and direct way. Also in this episode, we discuss our pathways into science, how to improve the dialogue between scientists and the public, and fake news. We also talk about the Skype A Scientist program that connects scientists with classrooms around the world. Finally, we answer the question: Is scicomm enough?

About Dan

Dan is a science writer and founder of Instagram's theSciCommunity, a science-centered networking page that strives to bring scientists and science enthusiasts from all over the world together to share their love of the STEAM fields. Dan strives to prove to as many people willing to listen that science is for everyone.

Connect with Dan on Instagram.

About Gabe

Gabe Santos is a paleontologist from Los Angeles, California where he is the Collections Manager and Outreach Coordinator for the Raymond M. Alf Museum of Paleontology. As Collections Manager, Gabe is responsible for the care, cataloging, and organization of the Alf Museum's research fossils. Also as Outreach Coordinator, he organizes the museum's outreach and education programs, such as Skype in the Classroom and Discovery Days. Gabe also assists in teaching the Museum After School program. He received his B.Sc. in biology at University of California-Irvine, and his M.Sc. in geology at California State University-Fullerton. His research interests focus on the Eocene vertebrate fauna of Southern California and the paleobiology of marine mammals, particularly in the extinct hippo-like desmostylians. Gabe is also an active science communicator and co-founder of the Cosplay for Science Initiative, which connects pop culture with science education to make science more relatable and scientists more approachable.

Connect with Gabe on Instagram.

Also check out Cosplay for Science.

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Follow even more awesome science communicators on Instagram

@silli_scientist

@beyond.the.ivory.tower

@susannalharris

@chem.with.kellen

@becky.outside

@animedia_science

@science.bae

@caimarison

@patrickkelly_

@thescalex.of.science

@mark_thescienceguy

@ph_d_epression

Want to learn more about science communication? Listen to Episode 20: Biomedical Engineering and Science Education with Stephanie Teeter to hear a discussion about difficulties in science education recorded at ComSciCon Triangle.

Any other questions? Let us know! We appreciate your feedback.

You can now support the podcast at https://www.patreon.com/sfspodcast. Many thanks to our past and present supporters!

Thanks to Plant Warrior for their support. Use discount code SFS10 at checkout for 10% off your purchase of plant-based protein.