Dementia Researcher Vodcast

Dementia Researcher
Dementia Researcher

A biweekly podcast for early career researchers, bringing together fantastic guests to discuss their research, careers + much more. Dedicated to sharing the science, encouraging collaborations, attracting more people to the field of Alzheimer's and other dementias research, and supporting those already here to succeed. Brought to you by https://www.dementiaresearcher.nihr.ac.uk at University College London, in association with Alzheimer's Association, Alzheimer's Research UK, Alzheimer's Society and Race Against Dementia - everything you need, all in one place. supporting early career researchers across the world Register today to recieve weekly bulletins, with news, funding opportunities, jobs, and events.

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  1. 11h ago ·  Video

    XXplored - The Neuroscience of Motherhood

    Around 80% of women worldwide will become mothers, and pregnancy triggers the largest hormonal shift the body will ever experience. So what does it do to the brain, and does any of it last? In this episode of XXplored, host Dr Laura Stankeviciute, University of Gothenburg is joined by Dr Magdalena Martínez-García, Scientific Director of Maternal Health at the Ann S. Bowers Women's Brain Health Initiative, University of California Santa Barbara, and Dr Laura Pritschet, an NIH funded postdoctoral scholar at the University of Pennsylvania who leads the Maternal Brain Mapping Project. They get into the hormonal cascade that drives the whole process, what those widely reported grey matter reductions actually mean, and how one volunteer scanned 26 times from IVF to two years postpartum filled in the gap between before and after. They also take on baby brain, whether repeat pregnancies stack up in the brain, what the UK Biobank data hints at for later life dementia risk, the near total absence of miscarriage and stillbirth from this research, and where postpartum care falls short. Both guests are living through matrescence themselves while studying it, and they talk openly about what that has been like. Key takeaways Pregnancy brings hormone surges into the hundreds and thousandfold, far beyond anything seen across the menstrual cycle, and sensitivity to those shifts matters more than the absolute levels.Grey matter reductions across pregnancy are among the most replicable findings in neuroscience, and larger reductions are linked to stronger postpartum bonding rather than damage.Follow-up work found some of those changes still present six years after birth, suggesting they may be long-lasting or permanent.A second pregnancy produces the same pattern of change but less pronounced, and UK Biobank data suggests a trace of parity in the brain that levels off around four or five births.Baby brain gets reframed rather than dismissed: subjective reports are real, objective differences are slight and temporary, and increased cognitive load may carry later advantages.Miscarriage, stillbirth and abortion are almost entirely missing from maternal brain research, and both guests believe those women would be among the most motivated participants.Research now treats the perinatal period as a neurological transition, but healthcare has not caught up, with a single six week check standing in for what should be ongoing postpartum care. -- A transcript of this show, links and show notes and profile on all our guests are available on our website at https://www.dementiaresearcher.nihr.ac.uk. If you prefer to watch rather than listen, you will find a video version of this podcast on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, and on our website. Leave us a tip: https://dementia-researcher.captivate.fm/support Follow us on social media: https://www.instagram.com/dementia_researcher/ https://www.facebook.com/Dementia.Researcher/https://www.twitter.com/demrescommunityhttps://www.linkedin.com/company/dementia-researcher https://bsky.app/profile/dementiaresearcher.bsky.social Download and Register with our Community App: https://www.onelink.to/dementiaresearcher We gratefully acknowledge the support of our funders: Alzheimer’s Association, Race Against Dementia, Alzheimer’s Research UK, Alzheimer’s Society, and the National Institute for Health and Care Research. The views and opinions expressed by guests in this podcast are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the producers, funders, or sponsors. Subscribe to our sister show 'Dementia Researcher The Blogs': https://podfollow.com/dementia-researcher-blogs

    XXplored - The Neuroscience of Motherhood

  2. Jul 20 ·  Video

    AAIC Day Four 2026 Highlights

    In this episode, we share highlights from the fourth day of the 2026 Alzheimer’s Association International Conference (AAIC). Adam Smith chats with Dr Niying Li, Assistant Professor at the University of Georgia; Dr Natasha Anita, a Research Fellow at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital; and Lillian Morgado, Research Coordinator at Georgia State University. The AAIC brings together researchers from all areas of research to share their work, theories and breakthroughs while exploring opportunities to accelerate work and elevate careers. Key topics The practical barriers to delivering new anti-amyloid treatmentsRural and international inequalities in access to diagnosis and careWhat p-tau217 could tell us about future cognitive declinePromising results from new tau-targeting therapiesBehavioural and personality changes as possible early signs of neurodegenerationWomen’s brain health, inflammation and Alzheimer’s riskThe ethical and legal questions surrounding biomarker disclosureWhy research must include more countries and underrepresented populations Find out more about the conference at https://aaic.alz.org/ and on social media with #AAIC26 -- A transcript of this show, links and show notes and profile on all our guests are available on our website at https://www.dementiaresearcher.nihr.ac.uk. If you prefer to watch rather than listen, you will find a video version of this podcast on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, and on our website. Leave us a tip: https://dementia-researcher.captivate.fm/support Follow us on social media: https://www.instagram.com/dementia_researcher/ https://www.facebook.com/Dementia.Researcher/https://www.twitter.com/demrescommunityhttps://www.linkedin.com/company/dementia-researcher https://bsky.app/profile/dementiaresearcher.bsky.social Download and Register with our Community App: https://www.onelink.to/dementiaresearcher We gratefully acknowledge the support of our funders: Alzheimer’s Association, Race Against Dementia, Alzheimer’s Research UK, Alzheimer’s Society, and the National Institute for Health and Care Research. The views and opinions expressed by guests in this podcast are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the producers, funders, or sponsors. Subscribe to our sister show 'Dementia Researcher The Blogs': https://podfollow.com/dementia-researcher-blogs

    AAIC Day Four 2026 Highlights

  3. Jul 15 ·  Video

    AAIC Day Three 2026 Highlights

    In this episode, we share highlights from the third day of the 2026 Alzheimer’s Association International Conference (AAIC). Adam Smith chats with Cari Randa-Beaulieu, Provincial Coordinator, Knowledge Mobilization at the Alzheimer Society of British Columbia and Yukon; and Abrar AbuHamdia, a PhD candidate at Hamad Bin Khalifa University in Qatar. The AAIC brings together researchers from all areas of research to share their work, theories and breakthroughs while exploring opportunities to accelerate work and elevate careers. Key topics Alzheimer's disease subtypes and precision medicineBiomarkers and diagnostic accuracy in dementiaMicroglia and neuroinflammation therapiesGlobal efforts in brain health promotionCo-design and lived experience in research Find out more about the conference at https://aaic.alz.org/ and on social media with #AAIC26 Note: We apologise for issues with the sound quality in the first part of this recording.-- A transcript of this show, links and show notes and profile on all our guests are available on our website at https://www.dementiaresearcher.nihr.ac.uk. If you prefer to watch rather than listen, you will find a video version of this podcast on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, and on our website. Leave us a tip: https://dementia-researcher.captivate.fm/support Follow us on social media: https://www.instagram.com/dementia_researcher/ https://www.facebook.com/Dementia.Researcher/https://www.twitter.com/demrescommunityhttps://www.linkedin.com/company/dementia-researcher https://bsky.app/profile/dementiaresearcher.bsky.social Download and Register with our Community App: https://www.onelink.to/dementiaresearcher We gratefully acknowledge the support of our funders: Alzheimer’s Association, Race Against Dementia, Alzheimer’s Research UK, Alzheimer’s Society, and the National Institute for Health and Care Research. The views and opinions expressed by guests in this podcast are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the producers, funders, or sponsors. Subscribe to our sister show 'Dementia Researcher The Blogs': https://podfollow.com/dementia-researcher-blogs

    AAIC Day Three 2026 Highlights

  4. Jul 13 ·  Video

    AAIC Day Two 2026 Highlights

    In this episode, we share highlights from the second day of the 2026 Alzheimer’s Association International Conference (AAIC). Adam Smith chats with Nathania from Universitas Airlangga in Indonesia, Dr Arezoo Talebzadeh from Ghent University in Belgium, and Dr Suelyn Koerich from the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston The AAIC brings together researchers from all areas of research to share their work, theories and breakthroughs while exploring opportunities to accelerate work and elevate careers. Key topics Anti-amyloid immunotherapies and personalized medicineCultural sensitivity in dementia assessmentThe role of environment and architecture in dementia careNeuroinflammation and neuroprotective factorsBiomarker validation and minimally invasive testingImpact of social determinants on dementia riskSoundscape and sensory health in dementia management Find out more about the conference at https://aaic.alz.org/ and on social media with #AAIC26 -- A transcript of this show, links and show notes and profile on all our guests are available on our website at https://www.dementiaresearcher.nihr.ac.uk. If you prefer to watch rather than listen, you will find a video version of this podcast on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, and on our website. Leave us a tip: https://dementia-researcher.captivate.fm/support Follow us on social media: https://www.instagram.com/dementia_researcher/ https://www.facebook.com/Dementia.Researcher/https://www.twitter.com/demrescommunityhttps://www.linkedin.com/company/dementia-researcher https://bsky.app/profile/dementiaresearcher.bsky.social Download and Register with our Community App: https://www.onelink.to/dementiaresearcher We gratefully acknowledge the support of our funders: Alzheimer’s Association, Race Against Dementia, Alzheimer’s Research UK, Alzheimer’s Society, and the National Institute for Health and Care Research. The views and opinions expressed by guests in this podcast are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the producers, funders, or sponsors. Subscribe to our sister show 'Dementia Researcher The Blogs': https://podfollow.com/dementia-researcher-blogs

    AAIC Day Two 2026 Highlights

  5. Jul 13

    AAIC Day One 2026 Highlights

    In this episode, we share highlights from the first day of the 2026 Alzheimer’s Association International Conference (AAIC). Adam Smith chats with Sarah Graef from Rush University Medical Center and Muthia Huda Islami from the National Brain Centre Hospital Mahar Mardjono in Jakarta. The AAIC brings together researchers from all areas of research to share their work, theories and breakthroughs while exploring opportunities to accelerate work and elevate careers. Key topics Biomarkers for Alzheimer's diseaseGenetic epidemiology in diverse populationsLifestyle interventions and dementia preventionInnovative drug delivery methods for neurodegenerative diseasesGlobal research collaborations and underrepresented populations Find out more about the conference at https://aaic.alz.org/ and on social media with #AAIC26 -- A transcript of this show, links and show notes and profile on all our guests are available on our website at https://www.dementiaresearcher.nihr.ac.uk. If you prefer to watch rather than listen, you will find a video version of this podcast on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, and on our website. Leave us a tip: https://dementia-researcher.captivate.fm/support Follow us on social media: https://www.instagram.com/dementia_researcher/ https://www.facebook.com/Dementia.Researcher/https://www.twitter.com/demrescommunityhttps://www.linkedin.com/company/dementia-researcher https://bsky.app/profile/dementiaresearcher.bsky.social Download and Register with our Community App: https://www.onelink.to/dementiaresearcher We gratefully acknowledge the support of our funders: Alzheimer’s Association, Race Against Dementia, Alzheimer’s Research UK, Alzheimer’s Society, and the National Institute for Health and Care Research. The views and opinions expressed by guests in this podcast are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the producers, funders, or sponsors. Subscribe to our sister show 'Dementia Researcher The Blogs': https://podfollow.com/dementia-researcher-blogs

    AAIC Day One 2026 Highlights

  6. Jul 4 • Subscribers Only

    The B-Sides - Dr Carla Abdelnour

    Same researchers, different track. The B Sides is the bonus series from Dementia Researcher, available exclusively for our YouTube and Apple Podcasts subscribers. Recorded alongside our main episodes, these shows provide a more personal conversation about the twists, motivations, habits, and moments that shape a life in research. In this episode, Adam Smith is joined by Dr Carla Abdelnour, fresh from recording our main ISTAART Relay discussion on the Clinical Trials Advancement and Methods PIA. In this B-Sides conversation, Carla reflects on the curiosity that first drew her towards biology, neurology and the brain, and how working with patients continues to shape the questions she asks as a researcher. She talks about joining the European Dementia with Lewy Bodies Consortium, the value of being in the right place at the right time, and why patient conversations are such a rich source of research ideas. Carla also shares her love of music, fashion and fabric, before recalling a powerful experience as a medical student in Venezuela that still motivates her to do work that feels meaningful for society. -- Follow us on social media: https://www.instagram.com/dementia_researcher/ https://www.facebook.com/Dementia.Researcher/ https://www.twitter.com/demrescommunity https://www.linkedin.com/company/dementia-researcher https://bsky.app/profile/dementiaresearcher.bsky.social -- Download and Register with our Community App: https://www.onelink.to/dementiaresearcher Leave us a tip: https://dementia-researcher.captivate.fm/support

    The B-Sides - Dr Carla Abdelnour

  7. Jul 4 ·  Video

    Relay Podcast - Clinical Trials Advancement and Methods PIA 2026

    Welcome to the seventh season of the Dementia Researcher X ISTAART PIA Relay Podcast. Across six episodes, leading early career and senior researchers hand the mic from one ISTAART PIA to the next, giving you an honest, peer-to-peer tour of where dementia research is actually heading, from wearables and biomarkers to policy and trial design, in the run-up to AAIC. Series closer, and the relay comes full circle: Carla Abdelnour, who hosted episode one, returns as the guest. Carla is a clinician scientist in Barcelona and incoming Chair of the ISTAART Clinical Trials Advancement and Methods PIA, working on mixed neurodegenerative disease, particularly Lewy body and Alzheimer's pathology together. With host Sindhuja Tirumalai Govindarajan she explains why co-pathology is so common and what it means for treatment: does someone with both alpha-synuclein and Alzheimer's pathology respond to an anti-amyloid drug the same way as someone without? They discuss why she leans on fluid biomarkers, the wish for a synuclein PET tracer, and how trials might stratify or include people by co-pathology. Carla makes a useful point for anyone designing research, that clinical trial methods translate straight to observational studies, and previews the CTAM PIA's AAIC programme, including a panel and featured session on global representation in trials. Takeaways Mixed pathology is common, and co-occurring alpha-synuclein and Alzheimer's pathology may change how people respond to treatment.Trials could stratify or include people by co-pathology, but alpha-synuclein is currently detectable only in CSF, which limits that.Fluid biomarkers offer the specificity to track different proteinopathies and, potentially, response to treatment.Clinical trial design transfers straight to observational research: the same inclusion criteria, outcomes and sample-size thinking.Global representation in trials is a live priority, with a CTAM panel launching at AAIC. -- The Alzheimer’s Association International Society to Advance Alzheimer’s Research and Treatment (ISTAART) convenes the global Alzheimer’s and dementia science community. Members share knowledge, fuel collaboration and advance research to find more effective ways to detect, treat and prevent Alzheimer’s and other dementias. Professional Interest Areas (PIA) are an assembly of ISTAART members with common subspecialties or interests. There are currently 30 PIAs covering a wide range of interests and fields, from Neuroimaging to Diversity and Disparities and everything in between. Find out more at https://istaart.alz.org/ -- A transcript of this show, links and show notes and profile on all our guests are available on our website at https://www.dementiaresearcher.nihr.ac.uk. If you prefer to watch rather than listen, you will find a video version of this podcast on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, and on our website. Leave us a tip: https://dementia-researcher.captivate.fm/support Follow us on social media: https://www.instagram.com/dementia_researcher/ https://www.facebook.com/Dementia.Researcher/https://www.twitter.com/demrescommunityhttps://www.linkedin.com/company/dementia-researcher https://bsky.app/profile/dementiaresearcher.bsky.social Download and Register with our Community App: https://www.onelink.to/dementiaresearcher We gratefully acknowledge the support of our funders: Alzheimer’s Association, Race Against Dementia, Alzheimer’s Research UK, Alzheimer’s Society, and the National Institute for Health and Care Research. The views and opinions expressed by guests in this podcast are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the producers, funders, or sponsors. Subscribe to our sister show 'Dementia Researcher The Blogs': https://podfollow.com/dementia-researcher-blogs

    Relay Podcast - Clinical Trials Advancement and Methods PIA 2026

  8. Jul 3 • Subscribers Only

    The B-Sides - Dr Sindhuja Govindarajan

    Same researchers, different track. The B Sides is the bonus series from Dementia Researcher, available exclusively for our YouTube and Apple Podcasts subscribers. Recorded alongside our main episodes, these shows provide a more personal conversation about the twists, motivations, habits, and moments that shape a life in research. In this episode, Adam Smith is joined by Dr Sindhuja Govindarajan, fresh from recording our main ISTAART Relay podcast. In this B-Sides conversation, Sindhuja reflects on the winding route that took her from biomedical engineering into neuroimaging, brain health and dementia research. She talks about learning to handle difficult feedback, the conference conversations that helped her think differently about sharing science, and how research careers often look very different from the outside than they do once you are living them. Sindhuja also shares why researchers should not wait for a perfect moment to build a life beyond work, and recalls the advice that helped her recognise the value of the skills she already had. -- Follow us on social media: https://www.instagram.com/dementia_researcher/ https://www.facebook.com/Dementia.Researcher/ https://www.twitter.com/demrescommunity https://www.linkedin.com/company/dementia-researcher https://bsky.app/profile/dementiaresearcher.bsky.social -- Download and Register with our Community App: https://www.onelink.to/dementiaresearcher Leave us a tip: https://dementia-researcher.captivate.fm/support

    The B-Sides - Dr Sindhuja Govindarajan
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About

A biweekly podcast for early career researchers, bringing together fantastic guests to discuss their research, careers + much more. Dedicated to sharing the science, encouraging collaborations, attracting more people to the field of Alzheimer's and other dementias research, and supporting those already here to succeed. Brought to you by https://www.dementiaresearcher.nihr.ac.uk at University College London, in association with Alzheimer's Association, Alzheimer's Research UK, Alzheimer's Society and Race Against Dementia - everything you need, all in one place. supporting early career researchers across the world Register today to recieve weekly bulletins, with news, funding opportunities, jobs, and events.

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