The Brain Podcast – Details, episodes & analysis

Welcome to the 32th episode of The Brain Podcast - the official podcast of the journals Brain and Brain Communications. 

This episode features a discussion with first author Dr Philipp J Koch of the Brain article entitled: Neurotransmitter-informed connectivity maps and their application for outcome inference after stroke

We discuss a fascinating method to map neurotransmitter-informed brain network maps. From here, the authors examine two separate stroke cohorts and examine the degree of lesion-related disruption of these neurotransmitter connectomes. Of note, disproportionately high damage to dopamine-transporter–weighted networks consistently predicted worse functional recovery. This may lead to exciting therapeutic avenues. 

Check out the full article on the Brain website as part of the November 2025 issue: https://doi.org/10.1093/brain/awaf185

This episode was co-hosted, edited and produced by Michael and Adam Handel, co-produced by Xin You Tai and Antonia Johnston, original music by Ammar Al-Chalabi.

Welcome to the 31th episode of The Brain Podcast - the official podcast of the journals Brain and Brain Communications. 

This episode features a discussion with first author Dr Ifrah Zawar of the Brain article entitled: The association of seizure control with neuropathology in dementia

We discuss an impressive post-mortem investigation of the link between seizures and the associated neuropathology of dementia. Higher tau and beta-amyloid burden is associated with Alzheimer's disease and also other forms of dementia. Listen as Dr Zawah discusses how seizures may drive neurodegeneration and that this, in turn, may lead to worse seizures and cognitive difficulties. This is an under-recognised and important problem in the clinical management of dementia.

Check out the full article on the Brain website as part of the July 2025 issue: https://doi.org/10.1093/brain/awaf017

This episode was co-hosted, edited and produced by Xin You Tai and Roberto Bellanti, co-produced by Xin You Tai and Antonia Johnston, original music by Ammar Al-Chalabi.

Welcome to the 22nd episode of The Brain Podcast - the official podcast of the journals Brain and Brain Communications. 

This episode features a discussion with senior author Dr Torsten Baldeweg of the Brain article entitled: Long-term neuropsychological trajectories in children with epilepsy: does surgery halt decline?

Dr Baldeweg discusses fascinating insight into the long term cognitive outcomes from an impressively large cohort of 500 children who had undergone epilepsy surgery and neuropsychological assessment at Great Ormond Street Hospital (1990–2018). Their findings suggest that there are long term cognitive benefits from epilepsy surgery by preventing firther seizures. This has important clinical implications on the importance of achieving seizure freedom for our patients and the role of surgery in this regard.

The Brain podcast team is very happy to introduce a new co-host Dr Roberto Bellanti in this episode and to the team!

Check out the full article on the Brain website as part of the August 2024 issue: https://doi.org/10.1093/brain/awae121

This episode was co-hosted by Michael David and Roberto Bellanti,  edited and produced by Chaitra and Xin You Tai, co-produced by Antonia Johnston, original music by Ammar Al-Chalabi.

Welcome to the 21th episode of The Brain Podcast - the official podcast of the journals Brain and Brain Communications. 

This episode features a discussion with the first author Dr Selina Yogeshwar of the Brain article entitled: HLA-DQB1*05 subtypes and not DRB1*10:01 mediates risk in anti-IgLON5 disease 

Dr Yogeshwar offers exciting insight into the genetic mechanisms of a relatively recently discovered disease anti-IgLON5. She also discusses foundational information into how neuroimmunology, neurogenetics and neurodegeneration intersect in this fascinating condition. This exciting episode is not to be missed! 

Check out the full article on the Brain website: https://doi.org/10.1093/brain/awae048

This episode was co-hosted by Adam Handel and Chaitra Sathyaprakash,  edited and produced by Chaitra and Xin You Tai, co-produced by Antonia Johnston, original music by Ammar Al-Chalabi.

Welcome to the 20th episode of The Brain Podcast - the official podcast of the journals Brain and Brain Communications. 

This episode features a discussion with the final author Dr Jun Li of the Brain article entitled: PAK2 is necessary for myelination in the peripheral nervous system

How are peripheral nerve cells myelinated and what proteins are invoved? Is there a difference between PAK1 and PAK2? Listen for this and more in this exciting episode.

Check out the full article on the Brain website: https://doi.org/10.1093/brain/awad413

This episode was co-hosted by Andreas Thermistocleous and David Michael,  edited and produced by David and Xin You Tai, co-produced by Antonia Johnston, original music by Ammar Al-Chalabi.

Welcome to the 18th episode of The Brain Podcast - the official podcast of the journals Brain and Brain Communications. 

This episode features a discussion with first author author Dr Stefanie Grabrucker of the Brain article entitled: Microbiota from Alzheimer's patients induce deficits in cognition and hippocampal neurogenesis

How does lifestyle and the environment affect cognition in Alzheimer's disease via the gut and what can we do about it? Listen for this and more in this exciting episode.

Check out the full article on the Brain website: https://doi.org/10.1093/brain/awad303

This episode was co-hosted by Chaitra Sathyaprakash and Adam Handel,  edited and produced by Chaitra and Xin You Tai, co-produced by Antonia Johnston, original music by Ammar Al-Chalabi.

Welcome to the 17th episode of The Brain Podcast - the official podcast of the journals Brain and Brain Communications. 

This episode features a discussion with senior author Dr Bénédicte Ballanger of the Brain article entitled: Noradrenergic alterations in Parkinson's disease: a combined 11C-yohimbine PET/neuromelanin MRI study

Can this multi-modal study examining the role of Noradrenaline in Parkinson's disease offer insight into important neurotrasmitter pathophysiology and provide the basis for a non-dopamine therapeutic strategy?

Check out the full article on the Brain website: https://doi.org/10.1093/brain/awad338

This episode was co-hosted by Andreas Themistocleous and Michael David,  edited and produced by Michael David and Xin You Tai, co-produced by Antonia Johnston, original music by Ammar Al-Chalabi.

Welcome to the 16th episode of The Brain Podcast - the official podcast of the journals Brain and Brain Communications. 

We are very excited to feature a January issue Brain article, where we speak with senior author Dr Lasse M Giil entitled:  Impaired glucose utilization in the brain of patients with delirium following hip fracture

Delirium is a common condition with significant impact on patient outcome. This episode discussed potential intrinsic brain mechanisms that may underly delirium. The team explores the evidence that delirium is more than just a systemic process that extends into the brain but may involve pathophysiological alterations of brain function. Listen to how this may change clinical practice. 

Check out the full article on the Brain website: https://doi.org/10.1093/brain/awad296

This episode was co-hosted by Andreas Themistocleous and Michael David,  edited and produced by Michael David and Xin You Tai, co-produced by Antonia Johnston, original music by Ammar Al-Chalabi.

Welcome to the 15th episode of The Brain Podcast - the official podcast of the journals Brain and Brain Communications. 

We are very excited to feature our first article from Brain Communications, where we speak with first author Dr Kiel Telesford of the article entitled: Neuron-binding antibody responses are associated with Black ethnicity in multiple sclerosis during natalizumab treatment

This episode discussed racial differences in antibody response to natalizumab treatment for individuals of black ethnicity with multiple sclerosis. Further, they consider potential mechanisms which may underly differences and the implications on treatment. 

Check out the full article on the Brain Communications website: https://doi.org/10.1093/braincomms/fcad218

This episode was co-hosted by Andreas Themistocleous and Debra Ehrlich,  edited and produced by Michael David and Xin You Tai, co-produced by Antonia Johnston, original music by Ammar Al-Chalabi.

Welcome to the 14th episode of The Brain Podcast - the official podcast of the journals Brain and Brain Communications. 

In this episode we speak with Fu-Chin Liu, senior author of the article entitled: Speech- and language-linked FOXP2 mutation targets protein motors in striatal neurons. 

This article explores a potential genetic basis for disordered speech by a mutation in the transcription factor FOXP2. This was discovered in KE family members with speech disturbances was a landmark example of the genetic control of vocal communication in humans. The author and colleagues examine an animal model of the KE family FOXP2R553H mutation to explore cellular pathomechanisms involving intracellular dynein-dynactin 'protein motors' in the striatum.

Check out the full article on the Brain website: https://doi.org/10.1093/brain/awad090

We also hear from our new podcast host, Dr Chaitra Sathyaprakash, who is a post-doctoral fellow at National Institute of Neuroscience, Kodaira, Tokyo, Japan- welcome to the team!

This episode was co-hosted by Adam Handel and Chaitra Sathyaprakash,  edited and produced by Xin You Tai, co-produced by Antonia Johnston, original music by Ammar Al-Chalabi.