Your Complex Brain – Season 1

Release Date: March 22, 2022 |  Run Time: 25:18 |  Download the transcript

With the controversial approval of Alzheimer's drug, Aducanumab, in the United States, we speak with neurologist and medicinal chemist, Dr. Donald Weaver, to break down the science, sift through the hype, and help us understand why it's so difficult to diagnose and treat a disease that affects more than 55 million people worldwide. As the co-Director of Krembil Brain Institute and with 30 years of experience as both a doctor and a scientist, Dr. Weaver is not convinced this new drug is the answer. But he says progress is being made and there's plenty of reason for hope.

Plus, we go on an inspiring journey with Patty Kim, who is caring for her mother with Alzheimer's, and there are tangible tips on how to reduce your chances of getting Alzheimer's or dementia.

Listen now to the full episode on Apple Podcasts or on the player below.

Featuring Dr. Weaver, Neurologist, Medicinal Chemist, and co-Director, Krembil Brain Institute. Special thanks to Patty Kim for sharing her story.

Release Date: April 5, 2022 |  Run Time: 32:23 |  Download the transcript

The medical after-effects of a stroke can be mild or severe. But for young stroke patients, the consequences of returning to their lives after a stroke, can be just as devastating. In fact, only half of stroke survivors under the age of 65 ever return to work – and far more cope with depression, anxiety, and extreme fatigue.

On the latest episode of Your Complex Brain, host Heather Sherman meets with Dr. Aleksandra Pikula, a pioneer in the field of stroke in young adults. They discuss the latest research, including a new study led by Dr. Pikula, looking at how lifestyle interventions post-stroke may help to improve long-term outcomes. Plus, we hear from two of Dr. Pikula's patients to gain a deeper perspective on how they are reclaiming their lives, and we'll speak with a Nurse Practitioner about what it's like when a 'Code Stroke' is called and the team jumps into action.

"We can say that roughly 50% of young stroke survivors will not return to work and about 25% will require modifications in their workplace. It's even more dramatic that about 80% will have some sort of psychosocial complaints in the form of depression, anxiety, fatigue, 50-70% will have sleep disturbances and 30-40% will have some cognitive dysfunction. So, we're really talking about a lot of invisible disabilities that people don't often think when talking about stroke." - Dr. Aleksandra Pikula

Listen now to the full episode on Apple Podcasts or on the player below.

Featuring Dr. Aleksandra Pikula, Neurologist, Clinician Investigator and Director of Stroke Research with Krembil Brain Institute at UHN. Special thanks to La Croix Calloo, Marianne Fedunkiw and Tim Stewart for sharing their stories.

Release Date: April 19, 2022 |  Run Time: 30:58 |  Download the transcript

Mozart was just 25 years old when he composed his Sonata for Two Pianos in D major. Now, hundreds of years later, his enchanting melody is offering hope to those living with epilepsy, a brain disease often characterized by debilitating seizures.

On this episode of Your Complex Brain, Heather speaks with Dr. Marjan Rafiee and Dr. Taufik Valiante to discuss the latest research around the therapeutic role that music may play in neurological disorders such as epilepsy, a mystery which is still not fully understood.

"I'm hoping to get a better understanding about, what are the important features in a musical piece that could have such an effect in individuals with epilepsy," said Dr. Rafiee. "Ultimately, one day, the dream is to be able to create our own musical pieces using a machine learning algorithm, for individuals with epilepsy, to reduce their seizures."

As we learn during the conversation, even these leading researchers were surprised by the results they uncovered.

"From a scientific point of view, it was a little bit hard to imagine that we would actually ultimately see the kinds of effects that we did, and I think that's really where the pleasant surprise came," said Dr. Taufik Valiante.

Plus, we hear directly from a patient who took part in the Mozart and Epilepsy study.

Listen to the full episode and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and everywhere else you get your podcasts.

Special thanks to Scott Dainty for sharing his story.

Release Date: May 3, 2022 |  Run Time: 41:57 |  Download the transcript

Rowan Stringer was a 17 year-old rugby player who sustained several concussions over a series of matches, before passing away in 2013. Her family, and others like them, are fighting hard to make sure something like this never happens again, through education and advocacy. But there is currently no method for accurately diagnosing a concussion or predicting the length of recovery. And there are no effective treatments.

On the latest episode of Your Complex Brain, host Heather Sherman speaks with Dr. Carmela Tartaglia to discuss the latest research on the link between multiple concussions and neurodegeneration, or progressive loss of brain function – a symptom that's consistent with diseases such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's.

"In concussion, at least in my clinic, we are really trying to move towards precision medicine and personalized medicine, because you and I will not experience a brain injury in the same way," says Dr. Tartaglia. "We'll have different symptoms that we have to deal with, we have different contexts. So, we try to move towards individualized treatment."

We also hear from Anna Vasileuskaya, a 5^th year PhD student in Dr. Tartaglia's lab at Krembil Brain Institute, about her research looking at new ways to diagnose CTE (Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy), a progressive and often fatal brain disease.

Listen to the full episode and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and everywhere else you get your podcasts.

Featuring Dr. Carmela Tartaglia is a cognitive neurologist and Clinician Investigator at Krembil Brain Institute. She also co-leads the UHN Memory Clinic. Special thanks to Anna Vasileuskaya, for sharing her story.

Release Date: May 17, 2022 |  Run Time: 43:40 |  Download the transcript

Glioblastoma is the most common and most aggressive type of malignant brain tumour.

It strikes suddenly, often in the prime of life, and is a devastating diagnosis for patients and loved ones.

But innovative new research, such as a blood test to detect and diagnose brain cancer, is showing promise and bringing hope to a field in desperate need of new treatment options.

In this episode of Your Complex Brain, Heather speaks with Dr. Gelareh Zadeh, a neurosurgeon and scientist on a mission to cure brain cancer. Together they discuss Dr. Zadeh's efforts to improve the quality of life and long-term outcomes, for patients.

Dr. Zadeh, Krembil Brain Institute's Medical Director, explains how the science has evolved in the 20+ years she has treated patients with brain cancer. She also discusses her pioneering research, which includes leading a team that is developing a blood test (and other diagnostic methods) to diagnose brain cancer earlier and with more accuracy.

"I think the shift that we need to happen is to know, 'What is that one test that's going to tell us that you're at risk of developing brain cancer?'" she says. "Because we know that if we're able to intervene when the tumour is smaller, the outcome is better. And so how do we get there for every patient? That would be really the golden ticket to transform how we manage brain cancer patients."

At the top of the show, we hear from Rick Arkell, who lost his wife Ally to brain cancer when she was just 35 years old. Later, we meet Dr. Farshad Nassiri, a senior neurosurgery resident at Krembil Brain Institute and The University of Toronto, about his role in developing a blood test to detect and diagnose brain cancer.

Listen to the full episode and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and everywhere else you get your podcasts.

Featuring Dr. Gelareh Zadeh is Medical Director of Krembil Brain Institute. She is also the head of Neurosurgery at UHN, and the head of Surgical Oncology and a Senior Scientist at The Princess Margaret Cancer Centre. Special thanks to Rick Arkell and Dr. Farshad Nassiri for sharing their stories.

Release Date: May 31, 2022 |  Run Time: 36:01 |  Download the transcript

You've likely never heard of Degenerative Cervical Myelopathy (DCM). But this progressive condition is the most common cause of spinal cord injury in the world, and it just might be the cause of your mystery back or neck pain.

If left untreated, DCM can lead to profound and permanent nerve damage, often resulting in paralysis and a thousand-fold increased chance of spinal cord injury.

On the latest episode of Your Complex Brain, host Heather Sherman meets with Dr. Michael G. Fehlings, a neurosurgeon and senior scientist with Krembil Brain Institute at UHN. He's on a mission to spread awareness about DCM and improve the quality of life for those living with spinal cord injuries.

Dr. Fehlings is also a pioneer in the treatment of spinal conditions, and one of the first clinician-researchers to identify the benefits of early spinal decompression surgery, for DCM and other spine-related conditions.

"Essentially, what we've shown with early surgical treatment, is we've shifted the recovery profile," said Dr. Fehlings. "So, we have about one in three people walking away from an injury that they would not have been able to walk away from before."

The episode also features Analynne Salas, a patient of Dr. Fehlings, who underwent spinal decompression surgery for DCM after a fall, and Rosalie Magtoto, an Advanced Practice Nurse with the Spine team at Krembil Brain Institute.

Listen to the full episode and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and everywhere else you get your podcasts.

Special thanks to Analynne Salas and Rosalie Magtoto for sharing their stories.

Release Date: June 14, 2022 |  Run Time: 28:40 |  Download the transcript

More than 50 years after emerging as a potential treatment for anxiety and depression, addiction, post-traumatic stress disorder and other chronic illnesses, psychedelics appear to be making a comeback. But where does the research stand currently on psychedelics and what do we really know about how these compounds may affect the brain?

With the number of people living with mental health conditions on the rise and the re-emergence of psychedelics as a possible therapy, this topic is very timely. Some may call it a "perfect storm" – one the medical and scientific communities will need to carefully navigate.

On the latest episode of Your Complex Brain, host Heather Sherman explores the fascinating world of psychedelics in medicine and research. She meets with Dr. Susan Abbey, Psychiatrist-in-Chief at the University Health Network and a Clinician Investigator with the Toronto General Hospital Research Institute, as well as Dr. Lakshmi Kotra, a Medicinal Chemist and Senior Scientist with Krembil Brain Institute and Co-Founder and CEO of Lucid Psycheceuticals.

Together, they discuss the re-emergence of psychedelics for mental health and the importance of research to truly understand and tap the potential of psychedelics, cautiously and safely.

"There are really significant numbers of people that are treatment-resistant, that our current treatments don't work for, who are endlessly frustrated," says Dr. Abbey. "I think what has the mental health field so excited about these psychedelic compounds is that, at least in the preliminary work that's been done, it looks like this may be a real game-changer for people who haven't gotten benefits so far."

"But it's not yet ready for prime time," she adds. "We still need years of research."

Listen to the full episode and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and everywhere else you get your podcasts.

Release Date: June 28, 2022 |  Run Time: 46:07 |  Download the transcript

More than 100,000 Canadians are living with Parkinson's disease (PD), a progressive brain disease that can impact mobility, cognitive function and speech, just to name a few of the early symptoms.

In the latest episode of Your Complex Brain, host Heather Sherman meets two people living with Parkinson's who have becomes advocates for the PD community, learning not just to live with the disease, but to live well - with more meaning and purpose. Now, they want to help others on the same journey.

"Patients want answers to very practical questions like, 'Why am I constipated? Can you do something about my pain? Can I move better? Can I stop falling?' These are the main questions that they have," says Dr. Alfonso Fasano. "It's not about tremor. This is what people think but it's not, and unless you talk to patients and see what they want to achieve, you don't necessarily know that and you focus on something that is not relevant."

The podcast features Dr. Fasano and the two patients, who are all members of the Patient Advisory Board (PAB) at Krembil Brain's world-renowned Movement Disorders Clinic, the largest clinic of its kind in Canada. The PAB's efforts are helping to redefine how healthcare professionals and patients communicate with each other – and that's making a huge difference, they say.

"This group of clinicians and staff is different. They actually want to know what the patients and care partners think and feel. And not only that, they actually want to do something with it," says Hugh Johnston, Founding Chair and PAB member. "They often don't ask a question unless they plan to do something with the answer."

The PAB hopes this innovative approach to patient partnership could help move the Parkinson's field forward and improve patient outcomes in the long term.

"I think it's important for collaboration to occur because only patients know what their life experience is," says Dr. Soania Mathur. "Studies have also shown that patient retention and patient recruitment are definitely improved when you have a patient involved in the research process or helping to develop the research study. So these are really tangible and positive outcomes of collaboration between patients and the medical & research communities."

Listen to the full episode and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and everywhere else you get your podcasts.

Release Date: July 12, 2022 |  Run Time: 54:30 |  Download the transcript

Imagine not being able to brush your teeth, eat a sandwich or cuddle your children because of the intense pain. That's the reality for many people living with trigeminal neuralgia, an unrelenting form of chronic facial pain.

For many of these patients, a smile, a kiss, or even a gust of wind can unleash a throbbing so severe, some describe it as a 'lightning bolt to the face.' And as we learn in the latest episode of Your Complex Brain, many patients live with this condition for years – often decades – without a diagnosis or proper treatment.

"These patients find themselves going from doctor to doctor, telling them about their suffering. Sometimes, it's heard. Sometimes, it's not heard," says Dr. Mojgan Hodaie, a Neurosurgeon and Senior Scientist with Krembil Brain Institute. "Patients come to me after having had this condition upwards of 10, 20, 30 years. 30 years of suffering with this pain is just unimaginable and speaks volumes as to how silent this pain is."

Because trigeminal neuralgia is so rare and so misunderstood, some physicians have never even heard of it. Luckily, many patients here in Canada, and from around the world, find their way to Dr. Hodaie, who performs more procedures to treat trigeminal neuralgia than any other neurosurgeon in Canada. In fact, a recent CBC story celebrated her 1,000^th surgery for the condition.

But Dr. Hodaie isn't satisfied with just treating patients. On the podcast, she discusses her quest to better understand where the pain originates from and where it travels within the brain, so that she can develop new – and more personalized – treatment options for patients. Dr. Hodaie also hopes her groundbreaking research and the advanced imaging techniques her team is pioneering, may one day help those who suffer with other types of chronic pain disorders, as well.

"If you add up the number of people that suffer from chronic pain and the number of people that suffer from other disorders, such as heart disease, and so on, chronic pain is by far larger in numbers," she says. "It really needs to be attended to and we really need to advance the ways that we look after our patients."

Listen to the full episode and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and everywhere else you get your podcasts.