Your Brain On... Being A Woman

03/13/24 • 23 min

1 Listener

Are there differences between the brains of women and men?

In this episode of Your Brain On, we explore the unique aspects of the female brain, and how the male-biased history of medical science has left us with enormous gaps in our knowledge of women’s distinctive neurology.

We discuss:

• The striking uniformity in the structure of the female and male brain

• The possible physiological and sociological reasons why women have a higher risk of developing neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s

• The recent progress that’s been made in making neuroscientific studies more inclusive

• What current research says about Hormone Replacement Therapy, a common treatment for postmenopausal drops in neuroprotective hormones

We’re joined by Dr. Margaret McCarthy, James & Carolyn Frenkil Endowed Dean's Professor at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, where she is also Professor and Chair of the Department of Pharmacology, renowned for her research into the neuroscience of sex differences, and Dr. Lise Eliot, Professor of Neuroscience at the Chicago Medical School at Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science.

‘Your Brain On’ is hosted by neurologists, scientists and public health advocates, Ayesha and Dean Sherzai.

‘Your Brain On... Being A Woman • SEASON 1 • EPISODE 7

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LINKS

Dr. Margaret McCarthy’s website: https://www.mccarthylab.com/

Dr. Lise Eliot at Rosalind Franklin University: https://www.rosalindfranklin.edu/academics/faculty/lise-eliot/

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Join the NEURO Academy: NEUROacademy.com

Instagram: @thebraindocs

Website: TheBrainDocs.com

More info and episodes: TheBrainDocs.com/Podcast

Are there differences between the brains of women and men?

We discuss:

• The striking uniformity in the structure of the female and male brain

• The possible physiological and sociological reasons why women have a higher risk of developing neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s

• The recent progress that’s been made in making neuroscientific studies more inclusive

• What current research says about Hormone Replacement Therapy, a common treatment for postmenopausal drops in neuroprotective hormones

‘Your Brain On’ is hosted by neurologists, scientists and public health advocates, Ayesha and Dean Sherzai.

‘Your Brain On... Being A Woman • SEASON 1 • EPISODE 7

———

LINKS

Dr. Margaret McCarthy’s website: https://www.mccarthylab.com/

Dr. Lise Eliot at Rosalind Franklin University: https://www.rosalindfranklin.edu/academics/faculty/lise-eliot/

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Join the NEURO Academy: NEUROacademy.com

Instagram: @thebraindocs

Website: TheBrainDocs.com

More info and episodes: TheBrainDocs.com/Podcast

Previous Episode

Your Brain On... ADHD

1 Recommendations

What actually is ADHD? What caused the sharp increase in cases? How does diagnosis work?

ADHD. Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. 60 years ago, it wasn’t mentioned at all in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. Now, it’s one of the most broadly-discussed disorders in the world.

In this episode of ‘Your Brain On’, we discuss:

• What’s distinct about the brains of people with ADHD

• The past, present, and future of ADHD diagnosis

• How social media has simultaneously crushed mental health stigmas AND contributed to a dangerous trend of misguided self-diagnosis

Clinical psychologist Dr. Nicole Barile, who's known on social media for debunking trending neuroscience mistruths, joins us to discuss how online misinformation and cultural disparities have caused a paradoxical overdiagnosis and underdiagnosis of ADHD. Nicole also explains ADHD’s overlap with other disorders, and how such comorbidities can make diagnosis challenging.

Dr. Margaret Sibley elaborates on the diagnosis disparity between various communities and demographics, unpacks what we know about how genetics and environment affect the prevalence of ADHD, and further ponders the relationship between social media discourse and the rising pervasiveness of ADHD. Margaret is a clinical psychologist and Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the University of Washington and Seattle Children’s Hospital. She also details the current interventions for ADHD, and shares what she’s excited about for the future of the disorder’s treatment.

And we speak to Ari Tuckman, a clinical psychologist specializing in diagnosing and treating people with ADHD, about the disorder’s subtypes, how ADHD affects children and adults differently, and why management can be just as important as treatment.

‘Your Brain On’ is hosted by neuroscientists and public health advocates Ayesha and Dean Sherzai.

‘Your Brain On... ADHD’ • SEASON 1 • EPISODE 6

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LINKS

Nicole’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/feedyourmental

Nicole’s website: https://www.feedyourmental.com/

Margaret’s website: https://www.margaretsibley.com/

Ari’s website: https://tuckmanpsych.com/

Ari’s book, Success Strategies for Adults with ADHD: https://adultadhdbook.com/

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Join the NEURO Academy: NEUROacademy.com

Instagram: @thebraindocs

Website: TheBrainDocs.com

More info and episodes: TheBrainDocs.com/Podcast

Next Episode

Your Brain On... Alzheimer’s

1 Recommendations

How does Alzheimer’s alter the brain, and how do we create a future without the disease?

Alzheimer’s, the most common form of dementia, threatens to single-handedly collapse our healthcare systems. But our knowledge of how to prevent it is stronger than ever.

In this episode of ‘YOUR BRAIN ON’, we discuss:

• The power of stories and the importance of community for finding comfort and confidence following an Alzheimer’s diagnosis

• What we know about preventing cognitive decline through brain-healthy living

• The neurochemistry of how Alzheimer’s physically changes the brain

• Genetic predisposition to neurodegenerative diseases, and why women have a higher risk of developing Alzheimer’s

• Why we should approach brain health in the same way we approach heart health

We’re joined by Dr. Lisa Genova, neuroscientist and writer of ‘Still Alice’, a book which allows the reader to step into the shoes of a woman experiencing the onset of Alzheimer’s. ‘Still Alice’ was adapted into a feature film, for which Julianne Moore won an Academy Award for Best Actress in 2015. Lisa talks to us about how stories can help us find a sense of hope and empathy in the face of ‘scary’ diagnoses.

Dr. Charles DeCarli, Director of the the University of California Davis Alzheimer’s Disease Center, explains a broad range of Alzheimer’s risk factors — from amyloid and tau proteins to cardiovascular diseases — and offers advice on thinking about brain health as part of the body’s wider functionality, not a standalone system.

And Dr. Lisa Mosconi, neuroscientist, educator, and author of ‘The Menopause Brain’, highlights how the hormonal shifts caused by menopause contribute to a higher prevalence of Alzheimer’s in women, and unpacks the controversial history and potential future of hormone replacement therapy.

‘Your Brain On’ is hosted by neuroscientists and public health advocates Ayesha and Dean Sherzai.

‘Your Brain On... ADHD • SEASON 1 • EPISODE 8

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LINKS

Lisa Genova:

Website and books: https://www.lisagenova.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authorlisagenova

Lisa Mosconi:

Website: https://www.lisamosconi.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dr_mosconi

Book, ‘The Menopause Brain’: https://www.amazon.com/Menopause-Brain-Transition-Knowledge-Confidence/dp/0593541243

Dr. Charles DeCarli at UC Davis Health: https://health.ucdavis.edu/medical-center/team/639/charles-decarli---neurology---dementia---alzheimer-s-disease-sacramento/