Your Brain On

• Your Brain On... Creatine

  Creatine for Alzheimer’s — let’s separate the hype from the hope. A new study has caused a stir in June 2025, but lead researcher Matthew K. Taylor told us: “ I don’t think I can recommend it to a patient that this is going to ultimately have some sort of cognitive influence.” We speak to Dr. Taylor and Dr. Russell Swerdlow in this episode, discussing: • Role of creatine in your brain, and why it matters for energy metabolism • What the 2025 study found (and why it wasn’t designed to prove effectiveness) • How scientific nuance gets lost in supplement hype • Why even promising early data must be handled with care • The vital difference between hype and hope Dr. Russell Swerdlow, MD is Director of the University of Kansas Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center. Dr. Matthew Taylor, PhD, RD is Associate Professor of Dietetics & Nutrition at the University of Kansas Medical Center. This is... Your Brain On Creatine. SUPPORTED BY: NEURO World. Help your brain thrive, now and into the future: https://neuro.world/  ‘Your Brain On’ is hosted by neurologists, scientists, and public health advocates Ayesha and Dean Sherzai.  ‘Your Brain On... Creatine’ • SEASON 5 • EPISODE 8 LINKS  Dr. Taylor at the University of Kansas: https://www.kumc.edu/mtaylor3.html Dr. Swerdlow at the University of Kansas: https://www.kumc.edu/rswerdlow.html REFERENCES 1. Smith AN, Choi IY, Lee P, Sullivan DK, Burns JM, Swerdlow RH, Kelly E, Taylor MK. Creatine monohydrate pilot in Alzheimer's: Feasibility, brain creatine, and cognition. Alzheimer's & Dementia: Translational Research & Clinical Interventions. 2025 Apr;11(2):e70101. 2. Taylor MK, Burns JM, Choi IY, et al. Protocol for a single-arm, pilot trial of creatine monohydrate supplementation in patients with Alzheimer’s disease. Pilot Feasibility Study. 2024;10(1):42.  3. Habeck C, Risacher S, Lee GJ, et al. Relationship between baseline brain metabolism measured using [18 F]FDG PET and memory and executive function in prodromal and early Alzheimer’s disease. Brain Imaging Behav. 2012;6(4):568-83.  4. Kreider RB, Kalman DS, Antonio J, et al. International Society of Sports. Nutrition position stand: safety and efficacy of creatine supplementation in exercise, sport, and medicine. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2017;14:18.

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• Your Brain On... Stress

  Stress isn’t just a threat to your brain. It’s also one of its best tools for growth. We often hear that stress is bad for your brain. And it can be. Chronic, unpredictable, and uncontrollable stress can damage cognition, harm memory, and accelerate aging. But we don’t talk enough about how the right kind of stress can actually improve brain function, grow your hippocampus, and help you feel happier and more purposeful. In this episode of Your Brain On..., we explore the science of stress with two brilliant guests: Dr. Sharon Bergquist, Yale- and Harvard-trained internal medicine physician and author of ‘The Stress Paradox’ Dr. Mithu Storoni, neuroscientist and author of ‘Stress-Proof’ and ‘Hyper Efficient’ Together, we explore: • The biological difference between good and bad stress • Why ‘eustress’ (good stress) can actually build your brain • Balancing stress: not too little, not too much • How to use stress as a tool to enhance resilience and protect against aging • What brain imaging reveals about stress hormones, attention, and burnout • Practical ways to reframe, recover from, and even seek out positive stress This is... Your Brain On Stress. SUPPORTED BY: NEURO World. Help your brain thrive, now and into the future: https://neuro.world/  ‘Your Brain On’ is hosted by neurologists, scientists, and public health advocates Ayesha and Dean Sherzai. ‘Your Brain On... Stress’ • SEASON 5 • EPISODE 7 LINKS Dr. Sharon Bergquist’s website: https://drsharonbergquist.com/  ‘The Stress Paradox’: https://www.harpercollins.com/products/the-stress-paradox-sharon-horesh-bergquist Dr. Mithu Storoni’s website: https://www.mithustoroni.com/ Stress-Proof: https://www.mithustoroni.com/stress-proof CONNECT WITH US Join NEURO World: https://neuro.world/  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebraindocs YouTube: https://youtube.com/thebraindocs Website: TheBrainDocs.com

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• Your Brain On... Stroke

  Stroke is one of the biggest causes of death in the world — but also one of the most preventable. Up to 80–90% of strokes could be avoided with more awareness, resources, and a firmer focus on prevention over intervention. In this episode, we’re joined by renowned stroke neurologist and public health pioneer Dr. Olajide Williams, MD, MS, whose ‘Hip-Hop Stroke’ movement is a shining example of enacting culturally-sensitive community-wide healthcare change. In this episode, we discuss: • What actually causes a stroke (and how to spot one in seconds using the ‘act FAST’ acronym) • Why blood pressure is the #1 modifiable risk factor (and how stress and sleep impact it) • How social determinants like ZIP code and health literacy shape stroke risk • How Dr. Williams’ Hip Hop Stroke campaign helped kids teach their parents how to save lives • What every family should know about TIAs (‘mini-strokes’) and silent strokes Whether stroke runs in your family, or you simply want to protect your brain, this episode could change (and save) lives. This is... Your Brain On Stroke. SUPPORTED BY: NEURO World. Help your brain thrive, now and into the future: https://neuro.world/  ‘Your Brain On’ is hosted by neurologists, scientists, and public health advocates Ayesha and Dean Sherzai. ‘Your Brain On… Stroke’ • SEASON 5 • EPISODE 6 LINKS Dr. Olajide Williams at Columbia: https://doctors.columbia.edu/us/ny/new-york/olajide-a-williams-md-ms-710-west-168th-street The Hip-Hop Public Health project: https://www.hhph.org/

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• Your Brain On... The Food Industry

  How can we eat better when we’re constantly marketed to in a way that hijacks our attention and habits? To complement the incredible discussions we regularly have about brain-healthy nutrition, in this episode, we’ve having a very important conversation about how the food industry works against our best intentions, and how we can break through the psychological barriers they use to hold us back. We’re joined by Marion Nestle, Professor of Nutrition, Food Studies, and Public Health, Emerita, at New York University, whose name is practically synonymous with food policy: a pioneering nutritionist, public health advocate, and author of some of the most important books in this space, including Food Politics, What to Eat, and Unsavory Truth. In this episode, we discuss: • The neuroscience of why food choices aren’t “just willpower” • Why access, not just knowledge, is the biggest barrier to good nutrition • The importance of schools, policy, and local food programs in shaping food culture • The role of stress, fatigue, and decision overload in weakening dietary choices • Why social media is a double-edged sword for nutrition information  • How we can make a difference at the community level This is... Your Brain On The Food Industry. SUPPORTED BY: NEURO World. Help your brain thrive, now and into the future: https://neuro.world/  ‘Your Brain On’ is hosted by neurologists, scientists, and public health advocates Ayesha and Dean Sherzai. Find out more about Marion Nestle’s work: https://steinhardt.nyu.edu/people/marion-nestle ‘Your Brain On... The Food Industry’ • SEASON 5 • EPISODE 5 ——— FOLLOW US Join NEURO World: https://neuro.world/  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebraindocs YouTube: https://youtube.com/thebraindocs Website: TheBrainDocs.com

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• Your Brain On... Lyme Disease

   A tiny bite from a tiny tick can trigger a complex disease which speaks to some huge problems with our healthcare system. In this episode, we explain the biology, controversy, and cultural blind spots around Lyme disease, a condition that reflects much more than just a bacterial infection. It’s also a mirror for our most urgent public health issues: inequality, misinformation, climate change, and the growing mistrust of science. We speak with two world-class experts: • Dr. John Aucott: Director of the Johns Hopkins Lyme Disease Clinical Research Center and leading voice on post-treatment Lyme disease syndrome (PTLDS) • Dr. Richard Marconi: Professor of microbiology and immunology at Virginia Commonwealth University, and a pioneering scientist behind next-generation Lyme vaccines Together, we explore: • Why Lyme disease symptoms can linger long after treatment • What makes Lyme so neurologically disruptive (and so hard to diagnose) • How climate change, suburban development, and racial disparities intersect with the rise of tick-borne illness • The dangers of alternative medicine grifters preying on desperate patients • The truth about the original Lyme vaccine, and what’s coming next... We also share practical prevention tips and discuss how Lyme disease is shaping the future of infectious disease research, diagnostics, and brain health. This is... Your Brain On Lyme Disease. ‘Your Brain On’ is hosted by neurologists, scientists, and public health advocates Ayesha and Dean Sherzai. SUPPORTED BY: NEURO World. Help your brain thrive, now and into the future: https://neuro.world/  ‘Your Brain On... Lyme Disease’ • SEASON 5 • EPISODE 4 ——— FOLLOW US Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebraindocs YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/thebraindocs Website: https://thebraindocs.com/

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