BrainStorm by UsAgainstAlzheimer's

If you're facing the challenge of caring for a parent with dementia, you are not alone. In this episode of BrainStorm Brent Forester, MD, MSc, Psychiatrist in Chief, Chairman of the Department of Psychiatry, and Director of Behavioral Health at Tufts Medical Center, discussed the complexity of dementia care and the importance of a holistic approach with host Meryl Comer. Dr. Forester, author of The Complete Family Guide to Dem...

Join us for part 2 of BrainStorm’s interview with Dr. Pierre Tariot, former Director for Banner Alzheimer's Institute and Co-Director of The International Alzheimer's Prevention Project. Host Meryl Comer and Dr. Tariot delve into the neuropsychiatric features of dementia and highlight advancements on how to manage these challenging symptoms and behaviors in order to keep a loved one at home. You won’t want to miss this ep...

By 2030, all baby boomers will be 65 years of age or older, equating to over 71 million people. As the aging population grows, a shortage of neurologists and geriatric doctors puts early diagnosis in jeopardy. In this episode of BrainStorm Dr. Pierre Tariot, former Director for Banner Alzheimer's Institute and Co-Director of The International Alzheimer's Prevention Project discussed the challenges of diagnosing and treati...

Join us for part 2 of BrainStorm’s interview with Dr. Rudy Tanzi, Director of Genetics and Aging Research Unit and The McCance Center for Brain Health. Host Meryl Comer delves into whether Dr. Tanzi practices what he preaches on brain health and the efficacy of different brain health supplements to increase cognitive longevity. Dr. Tanzi, the Kennedy Professor of Neurology at Harvard Medical School, also spoke about the role AI pla...

Brain health and lifestyle interventions play an important role in longevity.  Dr. Rudy Tanzi, Director of the Genetics and Aging Research Unit, Director of The McCance Center for Brain Health at Massachusetts General Hospital, and Kennedy Professor of Neurology at Harvard Medical School, spoke with host Meryl Comer about the latest brain health research. Dr. Tanzi explains the tools for presymptomatic detection and the importance ...

Breakthrough advances in research coupled with health-conscious strategies around brain health continue to bring us closer to the prevention of Alzheimer’s and related dementias In part 2 of a conversation with George Vradenburg, Chairman and Co-Founder of UsAgainstAlzheimers, discusses the shift in the Alzheimer’s treatment paradigm as well as prevention that comes along with people taking ownership of their brain health. Medicine...

2023 has brought exciting advances in the prevention, detection, and treatment of Alzheimer’s.  George Vradenburg, Chairman and Co-Founder of UsAgainstAlzheimer's, Chairman of the Global CEOi and Founding Chair with the Davos Alzheimer's Collaborative, spoke with BrainStorm host Meryl Comer about the shared research commitment to get a vaccine, or immunotherapy intervention, on market by the end of the decade. Listen as G...

Lewy Body Dementia, the second most progressive form of dementia impacting one million people in the US, is often confused with Alzheimer’s disease. In part 2 of BrainStorm’s interview with Mary Lou Falcone, author of “I Didn’t See It Coming: Scenes of Love, Loss and Lewy Body Dementia” she describes her very personal journey with her husband Nicky Zann, famed musician and painter. She reflects with host Meryl Comer what prepared h...

Lewy Body Dementia is the second most progressive form of dementia after Alzheimer's and impacts an estimated one million individuals in the United States. Symptoms typically present at age 50 or older and are often confused with Alzheimer's disease. Like Alzheimer’s, there is no cure. In this episode of BrainStorm, host Meryl Comer talks with Mary Lou Falcone, author of “I Didn't See It Coming: Scenes of Love, Loss ...

In this episode of BrainStorm host Meryl Comer continues her care partner conversation with Leigh Callahan, a respected epidemiologist and researcher about her journey with her husband, Dr. John Winfield, a distinguished career as a researcher and rheumatologist until Alzheimer's changed everything. Listen as Dr. Callahan reflects on the challenges of managing his agitation and why she thinks the FDA needs to hear and consider...

The care partner is the keeper of the secrets and their perspective is essential to break through the silence and stigma of Alzheimer’s disease. In this episode of BrainStorm host Meryl Comer talks with Leigh Callahan, a respected epidemiologist and researcher focused on rheumatic disease. Her husband, Dr. John Winfield, had a distinguished career as a researcher and rheumatologist until Alzheimer's changed everything. Dr. Cal...

Chronic loneliness affects young and old and has been cited by the 21st US Surgeon General, Vice Admiral Vivek H. Murthy, MD as a major health crisis.  Research shows that loneliness can reduce life expectancy by 30% and increases the risk of dementia by 40%, Dr. Jeremy Nobel, a primary care physician and public health expert on the faculty at the Harvard Medical School, is Founder and President of the Foundation for Art and Healin...

There is nothing more powerful than the stories of people who are directly affected by Alzheimer’s. This week’s BrainStorm host, Jon Summers, Chief Communications Officer at UsAgainstAlzheimer’s, spoke with a few patients and caregivers who share their deeply personal experiences to help raise awareness of Alzheimer’s. They discuss the disproportionate impact of the disease on Black and Latino people, and the hope they have for the...

What do technology, AI and the Arts have in common? In part 2 of an interview with Susan Magsamen, founder and director of the International Arts and Mind Lab Center for Applied Neuroaesthetics at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Ms. Magsamen talks with BrainStorm host Meryl Comer about how technology and AI are best used to advance the evolving science of neuroaesthetics. Neuroaesthetics is an expanding field of resear...

Art for Art's sake is about to become passe with the emerging science of neuroaesthetics, an expanding field of research aimed at the intersection of psychological aesthetics, biological mechanisms, and human evolution. Susan Magsamen, founder and director of the International Arts and Mind Lab Center for Applied Neuroaesthetics at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine talks with BrainStorm host Meryl Comer about the hea...

Alzheimer’s disease spares no one… and this story could easily be anyone’s story. Debra Tann Ed D., author of The Race of Dementia talks with host Meryl Comer about juggling her advocacy work while caring for her husband with dementia at home. Recipient of the 2023 Bright Focus Foundation Community Impact Award, Dr. Tann breaks the silence of the Alzheimer’s journey and talks about the stigma of Alzheimer’s and her push for educati...

The Alzheimer’s journey tests and complicates the interpersonal dynamics in families as they try to protect the dignity and privacy of their loved ones. When the family is influential and privileged it’s even harder.  That’s why breaking the silence of the journey is both a gift and a necessity to break through the stigma of the disease. In this episode of BrainStorm, Lily Johnson White speaks out for the first time six years after...

Should Alzheimer’s drugs be treated like all other drugs when it comes to Medicare coverage? The Alliance for Aging Research CEO Sue Peschin and BrainStorm host Meryl Comer dive into polling data that reveals most American voters, regardless of party, disagree with CMS’s policy that will limit access. Their conversation sheds light on how the coverage decision, if it stands, will create not only greater disparities, but also have w...