Think Twice Podcast

Can digging for gold cause Alzheimer's disease? A recent review paper published in the journal biomolecules seems to suggest so and media headlines are spreading the word fast and far. But how strong is the scientific evidence? In this journal club-style episode, we break down the neuroscience, provide you with a summary of the paper in question, and critically analyze its limitations and implications. Listen to hear what neuroscientists in training think about if and how picking your nose could cause of Alzheimer's disease.

References:

Zhou, X., Kumar, P., Bhuyan, D. J., Jensen, S. O., Roberts, T. L., & Münch, G. W. (2023). Neuroinflammation in Alzheimer's Disease: A Potential Role of Nose-Picking in Pathogen Entry via the Olfactory System?. *Biomolecules*, *13*(11), 1568. https://doi.org/10.3390/biom13111568

Chacko, A., Delbaz, A., Walkden, H., Basu, S., Armitage, C. W., Eindorf, T., Trim, L. K., Miller, E., West, N. P., St John, J. A., Beagley, K. W., & Ekberg, J. A. K. (2022). Chlamydia pneumoniae can infect the central nervous system via the olfactory and trigeminal nerves and contributes to Alzheimer's disease risk. *Scientific reports*, *12*(1), 2759. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-06749-9

Authors: Eve Racette, Elena Koning, Deanne Pinto, Dure Khan, Shima Hassanpour

Email: [email protected]

Instagram: @thinktwice_podcast

LinkedIN: Think Twice Podcast

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ThinkTwicePodcast

Disclaimer: Think Twice is a podcast for general information and entertainment purposes only. The content discussed in the episodes does not reflect the views of the podcast committee members or any institution they are affiliated with. The use of the information presented in this podcast is at the user’s own risk and is not intended to replace professional healthcare services.

Who isn’t stressed these days? Whether you’re a student, working in a hypercompetitive career space, or dealing with trauma, stress has become a normalized experience for all. But, have you ever stopped to consider how stress is impacting your body and brain? Emerging research is demonstrating that, while some stress can be good for us, toxic and chronic levels of stress can contribute to severe and harmful changes in metabolism, immune function, aging and mental health. So, why are healthcare professionals overlooking the role of toxic stress on our health and what tools can we implement in our daily lives to overcome the negative effects of stress? In this episode, we sit down with an expert in the field to answer all these questions and provide solutions to the problem of toxic stress.

Dr. Lawson Wulsin a professor of psychiatry and family medicine at the University of Cincinnati. Dr. Wulsin has a special interest in stress and metabolic disorders and very recently published the book titled Toxic Stress: How Stress is Making Us Ill and What We Can Do About It. He has devoted much of his career to training physicians to practice both family medicine and psychiatry, and he has served in leadership roles for several professional organizations and academic journals related to the integration of medicine and psychiatry.

Dr. Wulsin's Book: https://www-cambridge-org.proxy.queensu.ca/core/books/toxic-stress/677FA62B741540DBDB53E2F0A52A74B1

Author: Elena Koning

Email: [email protected]

Instagram: @thinktwice_podcast

LinkedIN: Think Twice Podcast

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ThinkTwicePodcast

Disclaimer: Think Twice is a podcast for general information and entertainment purposes only. The content discussed in the episodes does not reflect the views of the podcast committee members or any institution they are affiliated with. The use of the information presented in this podcast is at the user’s own risk and is not intended to replace professional healthcare services.

Are you interested in publishing your research but don't know how to succeed? Or are you navigating the early years of grad school and don't know what to expect? In this episode, PhD candidates in neuroscience at Queen's University chat about their secrets to success when writing and presenting research in grad school, including topics like what to include in a scientific publication, how to identify predatory journals, being ESL in grad school, as well as how to present your work at lab meetings, committee meetings, thesis defenses and conferences. Sharpen your pencils because the journey to producing your best work begins here!

Authors: Elena Koning, Dure Khan, Eve Racette

Email: [email protected]

Instagram: @thinktwice_podcast

LinkedIN: Think Twice Podcast

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ThinkTwicePodcast

Disclaimer: Think Twice is a podcast for general information and entertainment purposes only. The content discussed in the episodes does not reflect the views of the podcast committee members or any institution they are affiliated with. The use of the information presented in this podcast is at the user’s own risk and is not intended to replace professional healthcare services.

What's it like to be a woman in neuroscience and STEM? How did a team of 5 manage to plan and execute a ~100 person conference while being full-time graduate students? What's stopping you from making a positive change for future generations in your field? In this episode, we're thrilled to amplify the voices of Women in Neuro (WiN), a recently established outreach program at Queen's University that hopes to address the gender disparity in neuroscience research programs and the larger workforce. Run entirely by student volunteers, WiN provides an environment for supportive research discussions, coaching from female leaders in academia and/or industry, and mentorship for future female scientists. They ran their first annual conference in March 2024 and are currently planning their second conference for March 2025.

Blake is a PhD candidate at Queen's University studying under Dr. Doug Munoz. Dr. Linda Booij, and Dr. Sarosh Khalid-Khan. Her research aims to identify distinct eye movement patterns in youth with depression as part of a larger effort to develop a detection tool for psychiatric conditions. Blake established Women in Neuro in 2022 and remains the current lead of the initiative.

After completing a BScH in Life Sciences at Queen’s University, Robyn went on to pursue a PhD in Neuroscience researching and developing gene therapy drugs to treat genetic neurological disorders. Working under the supervision of Jagdeep Walia at Queen’s University, she specializes in pre-clinical development and testing of these therapeutics with the purpose of translating them to clinical use and commercial development. She has previously held the role of community outreach coordinator and is soon to be the fundraising coordinator for Women in Neuro at Queen’s helping to bring awareness to women in STEM that are often underrepresented in the roles of academic supervisors and mentors for graduate students.

To learn more about WiN or keep up to date with events, you can follow them on Instagram at @win_queensu or visit womeninneuro.ca

Authors: Eve Racette, Elena Koning

Email: [email protected]

Instagram: @thinktwice_podcast

LinkedIN: Think Twice Podcast

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ThinkTwicePodcast

Disclaimer: Think Twice is a podcast for general information and entertainment purposes only. The content discussed in the episodes does not reflect the views of the podcast committee members or any institution they are affiliated with. The use of the information presented in this podcast is at the user’s own risk and is not intended to replace professional healthcare services.

What is misinformation and why does it have such pervasive effects on society? How do our brain's thinking patterns facilitate the beliefs and consequences of misinformation? In this episode, we explore these questions as well as solutions in an effort to reduce misinformation and the sometimes dangerous effects it can have.

Authors: Deane Pinto, Elena Koning, Eve Racette

Email: [email protected]

Instagram: @thinktwice_podcast

LinkedIN: Think Twice Podcast

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ThinkTwicePodcast

Disclaimer: Think Twice is a podcast for general information and entertainment purposes only. The content discussed in the episodes does not reflect the views of the podcast committee members or any institution they are affiliated with. The use of the information presented in this podcast is at the user’s own risk and is not intended to replace professional healthcare services.

What is generative AI and how is it fuelling the spread of misinformation and public distrust in scientific consensus? How should graduate students be using ChatGPT, if at all? In this episode, we discuss the rise of generative AI and the unique concerns associated with it, including the spread of misinformation, creation of deep fakes and promotion of science denial. We are joined by Dr. Gale Sinatra, a professor from the University of Southern California and co-author of the book Science Denial: Why It Happens and What to Do About It.

Authors: Elena Koning

Email: [email protected]

Instagram: @thinktwice_podcast

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ThinkTwicePodcast

Disclaimer: Think Twice is a podcast for general information and entertainment purposes only. The content discussed in the episodes does not reflect the views of the podcast committee members or any institution they are affiliated with. The use of the information presented in this podcast is at the user’s own risk and is not intended to replace professional healthcare services.

What are the safety risks of cannabis exposure? Did legalization occur too soon? In part III of the cannabis series, we are joined by Kristen Yeh, a PhD Candidate studying environmental chemistry at the University of Toronto. Her research focuses on the chemical evolution of emissions produced from smoking

cannabis and the impacts of these emissions on air quality.

Authors: Elena Koning

Email: [email protected]

Instagram: @thinktwice_podcast

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ThinkTwicePodcast

Disclaimer: Think Twice is a podcast for general information and entertainment purposes only. The content discussed in the episodes does not reflect the views of the podcast committee members or any institution they are affiliated with. The use of the information presented in this podcast is at the user’s own risk and is not intended to replace professional healthcare services.

Is cannabis actually effective as a pain management tool or is it all just placebo? How does the media portrayal of cannabis research impact research? In part II of the cannabis series, we are joined by Dr. Filip Gedin, a postdoc in the Pain Neuroimaging Lab at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden. Dr. Gedin obtained his Ph.D. in health economics from Karolinska Institutet in 2020. In his PhD thesis, he explored the costs associated with back pain and the effectiveness of primary care interventions for individuals with persistent low back pain through systematic reviews, clinical trials, and register-based studies. He has previously worked at the Swedish Agency for Health Technology Assessment and Assessment of Social Services (SBU) as a health economist. SBU is tasked by the government with assessing healthcare and social service interventions via the use of systematic reviews. The focus of his postdoctoral research is to further understand how chronic pain develops through the PrePain project, along with continuing to evaluate treatments for pain.

Authors: Elena Koning

Dr. Filip Gedin's Lab Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kipainandbrain/

Email: [email protected]

Instagram: @thinktwice_podcast

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ThinkTwicePodcast

Disclaimer: Think Twice is a podcast for general information and entertainment purposes only. The content discussed in the episodes does not reflect the views of the podcast committee members or any institution they are affiliated with. The use of the information presented in this podcast is at the user’s own risk and is not intended to replace professional healthcare services.

Weed, Pot, Mary Jane, Dope, Janga, the Devil's Lettuce!! By now, we’re all familiar with what these names are referring to. The cannabis industry is growing worldwide and so is the presence of cannabis-related content on social media. Despite the hype, there is surprisingly little evidence for a beneficial effect of cannabis in humans. In fact, in some cases, it causes more harm than good. So how does cannabis REALLY impact the brain? Which therapeutic claims are actually backed by science? And what are the safety risks? We explore it all in the 3-part series on the neuroscience of cannabis.

Authors: Elena Koning

Email: [email protected]

Instagram: @thinktwice_podcast

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ThinkTwicePodcast

Disclaimer: Think Twice is a podcast for general information and entertainment purposes only. The content discussed in the episodes does not reflect the views of the podcast committee members or any institution they are affiliated with. The use of the information presented in this podcast is at the user’s own risk and is not intended to replace professional healthcare services.

ASMR is all over social media these days, whether it’s someone cooking for you, tapping their fingers on random objects or just comforting whispers. These simple sounds can cause tingly and fuzzy feelings of euphoria, and this response is known as the autonomous sensory meridian response (ASMR for short). Some claim that ASMR promotes relaxation, helps sleep, improves mood and even helps combat pain. So, what’s really going on in our brains during ASMR? Why do some people experience ASMR and others don’t? Could it actually have a therapeutic or anti-anxiety effect? We’re going to address it all in this episode on the mysterious neuroscience of ASMR.

Authors: Elena Koning

Email: [email protected]

Instagram: @thinktwice_podcast

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ThinkTwicePodcast

Disclaimer: Think Twice is a podcast for general information and entertainment purposes only. The content discussed in the episodes does not reflect the views of the podcast committee members or any institution they are affiliated with. The use of the information presented in this podcast is at the user’s own risk and is not intended to replace professional healthcare services.