Untangle

Today’s guest is Dr. Emily Rogalski, the Rosalind Franklin Professor of Neurology and the Director of the Healthy Aging & Alzheimer’s Care (HAARC) Center, both at the University of Chicago. She is a clinical and cognitive neuroscientist researching aging, Alzheimer’s, and related dementias. 

Here’s the question we explore today: 

Why do some people maintain extraordinary memory well into their 80s and 90s, while others experience cognitive decline much earlier?

Why do some resist dementia and others not so much? 

Dr. Emily Rogalski studies Superagers, adults in their 80s and beyond who have memory abilities comparable to people decades younger. She and her colleagues are studying them to understand what makes their brains so remarkable.

What can these exceptional agers teach us about our own brain health? How much comes down to genetics, how much might be influenced by lifestyle, and what can we do today to give ourselves the best chance of aging well?

This discussion is rich with fascinating science and lot’s of practical information you can use.

She describes the difference between normal forgetfulness and dementia, new developments in Alzheimer's biomarkers, and the surprising clues researchers are finding in everything from brain structure to social connection to lifelong learning.

And while there isn't a magic formula for keeping our brains young, this conversation offers a hopeful new perspective on what it means to age well.

NEXT...

Check out the new book gleaned from Untangle. The Questions that make a Life, by Patricia Karpas. It includes quotes, prompts and reflections gathered from the last 10 years of Untangle interviews. It’s part book, part journal, One testimonial calls it "A wise, warm, and deeply human companion for anyone navigating the messiness of life." It’s available on amazon or here's a link to a faster way to order:

https://store.bookbaby.com/book/the-questions-that-make-a-life

For more on Dr. Emily Rogalski, go to https://neurology.uchicago.edu/faculty/emily-joy-rogalski-miller

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What would you do if you had a 50 percent chance of developing a devastating genetic form of dementia—and you could take a test to find out whether you carried the mutation?

In this episode, Journalist and Bestselling Author Robert Kolker joins me to talk about his newest book The Vanishing Family, Love, Fate and the Quest to End Dementia and the extraordinary family at the center of his story.

The family lives with an inherited form of frontotemporal dementia (FTD), a disease that can dramatically alter personality and behavior while leaving memory relatively intact in the early stages. Their experience raises enormous questions—not only about dementia and medical research, but about identity, family, parenting, caregiving, and how we choose to live when we cannot know what the future holds.

In this conversation, we explore:

• Why Bob Kolker became fascinated with this family's story
• The family's rare genetic form of frontotemporal dementia
• What it means to face a 50 percent chance of inheriting a disease-causing mutation
• The agonizing decision of whether—or whether not—to undergo genetic testing
• Why some family members chose to know their genetic status while others chose not to
• How the younger generation faces questions about marriage, children, IVF, and genetic risk
• Why frontotemporal dementia can look so different from the dementia most people associate with Alzheimer’s
• How personality, behavior, and social awareness can change while memory remains intact
• The question of whether a person with advanced dementia has truly “vanished”
• What Bob learned about the personalities and skills that can make someone an effective caregiver
• Why caregiving can become isolating—and why caregivers may need far more support
• The challenge of developing treatments for rare diseases when there aren't enough patients to make traditional drug development financially attractive
• Why rare genetic diseases may offer important clues for understanding more common neurological diseases
• The emerging scientific interest in tau and its potential connection to future dementia treatments
• The complicated question of whether having more genetic information actually gives us more control
• And what Bob learned from this family about living in the present and spending our energy on what really matters

One of the most powerful ideas in our conversation is that dementia isn't necessarily an on/off switch—and that a person doesn't simply “vanish” when their memory or personality changes. Bob talks about the possibility of recognizing the person who remains, even amid profound neurological change.

He also reflects on how the experience changed his own life: he plans less, lives more in the present, and tries not to waste energy on things that ultimately don't matter.

About Bob Kolker

Bob Kolker is an award-winning journalist and author whose work often explores families confronting extraordinary circumstances. In this conversation, he brings together deeply reported family stories with questions about genetics, neuroscience, dementia, caregiving, and the future of medical research.

Resource: Robertkolker.com

Gratitude to our amazing sponsors: Quince, Berkeley Life, Vinted, Jones Road Beauty, Warby Parker

As Always, Untangle is the podcast from Muse, the brain sensing headband. Go to choosemuse.com/untangle and use code untangle15 for your discount. 

NEW: NEW: You can pre-order the book The Questions That Make A Life, featuring the best of our Untangle guests, by Patricia Karpas.

Now on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Questions-That-Make-Life-Required/dp/B0HHMFBGBM/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2F9Y0J4VRF3U8&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.2qyZZW4cR-h-puqXomsUaTW5uA5Zm9ujmTixdiGDQuUewL7FvO1YV046kntTG8CgUkaF43gkXOvS4-krFOirLok0pi5a3z5P0V-X_uY2OnkLyt6bk_NGiQVR5qUoXApJOTU9tmkfbuIJyxnjCibfA5TH7ALhs-oglpLW4ImtIFQp8OGDDRDFW1jgzuaHFbs7nWtY-i3qUihonew6L-3Kw6SqwpJpRN9XNxB7jUKsoFk.V7f6pO_BsTLEu8mBvm482Oak1nryHBXbj8ZYXBQe_Y4&dib_tag=se&keywords=the+questions+that+make+a+life&qid=1790960931&sprefix=the+questions+that+make+a+lif%2Caps%2C192&sr=8-1

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Encore: Today I sit down with neurologist and neuroscientist Dr. Majid Fotuhi to unpack the science of neuroplasticity — the brain’s remarkable ability to change, rewire, and grow at any age. He’s adjunct professor at Johns Hopkins and author of the book The Invincible Brain: The Clinically Proven Plan to Age-Proof Your Brain and Stay Sharp for Life. We discuss many things related to his book, from building new connections to strengthening memory-related regions of the brain, to the five pillars of brain health…fitness, sleep, nutrition, mindset and brain training. , Dr. Fotuhi explains why “age-related cognitive decline” and even Alzheimers isn’t as inevitable as we’ve been led to believe. I was particularly intrigued with his concept of "the soup of abnormalities." There’s lot’s of great stuff here.

NEW: You can pre-order the book The Questions That Make A Life, featuring the best of our Untangle guests, by Patricia Karpas.

Now on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Questions-That-Make-Life-Required/dp/B0HHMFBGBM/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2F9Y0J4VRF3U8&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.2qyZZW4cR-h-puqXomsUaTW5uA5Zm9ujmTixdiGDQuUewL7FvO1YV046kntTG8CgUkaF43gkXOvS4-krFOirLok0pi5a3z5P0V-X_uY2OnkLyt6bk_NGiQVR5qUoXApJOTU9tmkfbuIJyxnjCibfA5TH7ALhs-oglpLW4ImtIFQp8OGDDRDFW1jgzuaHFbs7nWtY-i3qUihonew6L-3Kw6SqwpJpRN9XNxB7jUKsoFk.V7f6pO_BsTLEu8mBvm482Oak1nryHBXbj8ZYXBQe_Y4&dib_tag=se&keywords=the+questions+that+make+a+life&qid=1790960931&sprefix=the+questions+that+make+a+lif%2Caps%2C192&sr=8-1

Resource:

https://neurogrow.com/

https://drfotuhi.com/ 

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Today's meditation is by Melli O'Brien and was created to inspire you to connect with what matters most. It can also be found on the Muse and Meditation Studio apps.

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Today, we’re exploring this question…What does it mean to feel truly worthy? Our guest is Psychologist, relationship expert and best selling author Dr. Marisa G. Franco. You may know her from her previous book, Platonic, which completely transformed how we think about friendship. In this discussion, We explore her groundbreaking new book, Worth, The New Science of Self Esteem and Secure Attachment. She begins by sharing her own vulnerable personal story of how her relationship's collapse revealed what she calls a "secure facade"—a protective play-acting of security that masked deep unworthiness and self-abandonment.

She unpacks why our culture’s obsession with secure attachment has turned it into an exhausting status symbol. Marisa explains why the path to genuine healing isn't pretending we are perfectly secure, but embracing a "secure-ish" life where we acknowledge our anxieties and avoidances instead of shaming them. From the neuroscience of repressed emotions to practical exercises like memory reconsolidation, tapping, and present-moment reparenting, this conversation offers a powerful, science-backed roadmap to restoring your attachment to yourself. This is an episode about, letting go of the need to prove ourselves, and finding the freedom to to be exactly who you need to be. 

Resources: drmarisagfranco.com

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Today we have the absolute joy of welcoming back a very dear friend and brilliant author, Anese Cavanaugh.

We all experience endings—relationships, jobs, friendships, identities, and chapters of life we never expected to leave behind. But what if the way we navigate an ending can truly shape the quality of what comes next? Can help us become more of who we were always meant to be. 

Today we discuss her newest book, Excellent Endings. Anese shares how her own divorce—an experience she describes as the “completion” of a chapter—inspired a guide to moving through life’s hardest transitions with greater intention, self-compassion, and care.

We talk about her Intentional Energetic Presence methodology which you may recall from her previous interview, why confidence is an inside job, and how to stay aligned with yourself when emotions are running high. Anese also explains why gratitude isn’t about pretending everything is fine, how to recognize when you’re holding on too tightly, and why moving from grief to curiosity can open the door to learning and renewal.

This is a compassionate, honest conversation about giving yourself permission to pause, honor what hurts, and become more fully yourself through every ending and new beginning.

Resource: Anesecavanaugh.com

Many thanks to our amazing sponsors: Quince, Jones Road Beauty, Berkeley Life, Vinted.

Use code UNTANGLE at jonesroadbeauty.com to get a Free Gift with your first purchase! 

Check out the Muse brain sensing headband at choosemuse.com and use code Untangle15 for your discount.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

A Soothing meditation to guide you to a peaceful sleep.

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Everyone once in a while…life changes. Unexpectedly. One day you’re going about your business as if things will always be as they are, and the next, it feels like the furniture of your future has been completely rearranged. 

In this deeply moving conversation, bestselling author and Obama White House alum, Marisa Renee Lee shares how a devastating battle with long COVID, layered on top of profound family loss and caregiving, transformed her understanding of grief, identity, resilience, and hope. Marisa is known for her groundbreaking books, Waiting For Dawn, Living with Uncertainty and Grief Is Love, She shares some of the unexpected lessons from living with chronic illness and why joy isn't something we find after suffering—it's something we can intentionally cultivate alongside it.

She also shares her coping strategies to help us stay connected to joy. 

Together, we explore self-compassion, the courage to accept help, resilience, and the small moments that can sustain us through life's darkest seasons.

And…one of her biggest joys at the moment is her 4 month old Portuguese water dog Luna…and you will hear her little squeals in the background. She clearly wanted to play while we were chatting. it made me smile. 

Resource: marisareneelee.com 

Check out the Muse Brain Sensing Headband at choosemuse.com and use code Untangle15 for your discount.

A giant thank you to our amazing sponsors: Quince, Berkeley Life, Jones Road and Vinted.

Use code UNTANGLE at jonesroadbeauty.com to get a Free Gift with your first purchase! 

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Welcome to a weekly special edition of Untangle, Meditation Mondays. We’re taking this time to share meditations from our sister app, Meditation Studio. We know that life gets messy and, when it does, Meditation is here to help us find a sense of calm and inner peace. Whether you’re facing daily work or relationship stress, unexpected challenges, or just want to improve focus, we hope meditation Monday’s will be your go to for a weekly guided meditation treat. And if you’re craving more…which I always do…the Meditation Studio app offers over 800 expert-guided meditations from over 70 of the world’s top meditation experts.

And best of all, you can now unlock 30 days of Meditation Studio for free at choosemuse.com/meditationstudio.

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Todays encore episode is with Dr. MaryCatherine McDonald, Trauma researcher and Author of the book, "The Joy Reset: Six Ways Trauma Steals Happiness and How to Get It Back.” Her book isn’t just about finding joy; it’s about rewiring our brains and rediscovering our power to cultivate joy EVEN in the darkest moments of life. 

She describes the barriers that keep us from accessing joy—hypervigilance, emotional numbing, fear of loss, conditioning, guilt, and shame—and then defines ways to tap into positive emotions that can become the very foundation of psychological resilience.

 In our interview she shares some exercises that make joy, hope and gratitude both bite-sized and accessible and how they can show up even in our toughest moments.

I love how she weaves neuroscience into her exploration of trauma and joy, explaining how our brains are biologically wired to both adapt to trauma and heal from it. And…good news…we ARE always biologically capable of joy. 

Quote from her website: "Joy does not exist only in the moments that are free of pain. In fact, the brightest, tiniest, most important pieces can only be found in the dark. I want to teach you how to harness and amplify the power of that glinting magic–because this sustainable, endless light source will do more than help you get through your darkest, scariest, loneliest times."

As always, we’re untangle, the podcast from Muse the brain sensing headband that helps to transform your brain. Use promo code untangle 15 at choosemuse.com for your discount. 

Resource: https://www.drmcmcdonald.com/

Thanks, as always, to our sponsors. Rula. Quince. Born Shoes. 

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