S01E05 Dopamine - neurotransmitter that gets us going

Is health the absence of sickness, or is there more to it? 

This question is crucial in today’s healthcare, and nowhere more relevant than in the area of brain health. So it is no wonder that Kim and Alessia have picked to discuss it as the conclusion of this journey called BrainHealth podcast.

 As a co-founder and CEO of Brain+, Kim has a lot to share about the topic. The app-based cognitive rehabilitation platform his company makes is equally concerned with developing healthy habits (via a feature called BrainCoach, found in Enhance and Recover apps), as it is with cognitive training. 

In our 8th episode, prof. Eero Castren explains that we need to keep the brain active for it to stay healthy.
However, in this one, Kim goes beyond discussing neuroplasticity, and touches upon general lifestyle issues that affect brain health:
- is there such a thing as healthy brain food?
- how socialization affects the brain?
- what is it that mindfulness meditation does?

Additionally, Alessia and Kim also share some knowlegde about what happens with the brain during sleep, and discuss the concept of deliberate practice, developed by the psychologist Anders Ericsson.

This is the 2nd half of a two-part interview - listen to the 1st one here.

Kim Baden-Kristensen is the co-founder and CEO of Brain+, a digital therapeutics company that helps people with brain disorders and injuries to recover their fundamental cognitive brain functions and daily life capabilities by using an app-based cognitive rehabilitation platform, which is developed in close collaboration with patients, clinicians and researchers.https://www.linkedin.com/in/kbadenk/  |

Alessia Covello is a life science IT consultant working in the field of healthcare technology implementation, and advocating for better services for people with brain conditions and learning disabilities.https://www.linkedin.com/in/alessiacovello/

Discussion points:

8.39 The dangers of retirement - what it does to brain plasticity

11.01 Training the brain as a whole vs. training skills?

15.18 “Deliberate practice” - what makes champions special, and what it tells us about the brain

25.56 Lifestyle and the brain - key areas we can improve on a daily basis:

• 26.41 Sleep
• 31.06 Social life 
• 34.33 Physical exercise
• 42.56 Diet

55.51 Meditation and mindfulness - out of spiritual practices and into our everyday lives

Disclaimer:

All references to products, companies, and organizations in this podcast and the article that accompanies it are included with the purpose to inform, rather than promote or advertise. The podcast authors do not receive financial compensation for any of these references.

What does it mean to have a healthy brain? Is brain training possible and how?

Instead of focusing on a particular topic, in this episode Kim and Alessia discuss brain health in general - how we know if we possess it, what we need to protect it from, and most importantly, how to take good care of it. 

A long-time brain health enthusiast and an entrepreneur in the domain of digital healthcare for brain disorders, Kim has a lot to share regarding the topic - current statistics on most common brain diseases, the mechanisms behind neuroplasticity, as well as health tips that apply to the brain. 

Special attention is paid to the solutions to the problem of brain health that digital health technology can offer. Namely, Kim Baden-Kristensen is a co-founder and CEO of Brain+, a digital therapeutics company that developed an app-based cognitive rehabilitation platform in collaboration with health and education institutions, like the Copenhagen Center for Rehabilitation of Brain Injury and the Copenhagen University. In this interview, he describes the Brain+ approach to cognitive training and other areas in brain-related healthcare, and lays out how it is rooted in current neuroscience. 

This is the first half of a two-part interview - the next episode focuses on which changes in our lifestyle can improve brain health.

Kim Baden-Kristensen is the co-founder and CEO of Brain+, a digital therapeutics company that helps people with brain disorders and injuries to recover their fundamental cognitive brain functions and daily life capabilities by using an app-based cognitive rehabilitation platform, which is developed in close collaboration with patients, clinicians and researchers. https://www.linkedin.com/in/kbadenk/  |
Alessia Covello is a life science IT consultant working in the field of healthcare technology implementation, and advocating for better services for people with brain conditions and learning disabilities. https://www.linkedin.com/in/alessiacovello/

Topics discussed:

• 3.43 Introduction to the podcast
• 6.43 What made Kim start Brain+
  • 10.58 The power of neuroplasticity
• 17.02 The general problematic of brain health 
• 22.37 Finding the technological solution to the brain health problems - the mission of Brain+
  • 25.48 Brain+ Games
  • 27.12 Brain coach, offered by Brain+
• 31.14 What does it mean to have a healthy brain? 
• 35.30 Brain training - the importance of lifelong learning

Disclaimer:

All references to products, companies, and organizations in this podcast and the article that accompanies it are included with the purpose to inform, rather than promote or advertise. The podcast authors do not receive financial compensation for any of these references.

How is the neuroscience research community responding to its increasing societal importance? Why is international cooperation essential to its progress? What can an aspiring neuroscientist hope for? 

FENS (Federation of European Neuroscience Societies) is an organization trying to offer answers to questions like those. Founded in 1998, FENS has since then grown into a huge network representing 22 000 scientists in 33 European countries. They facilitate knowledge exchange and application, advocate for and promote neuroscience, and provide essential training for researches, all with the purpose of understanding the brain and helping it withstand challenges. 

As their executive director, Lars Kristiansen tells us more about their mission, where they see neuroscience and its role in the future, and helps us understand the progress of neuroscience. Pointing out that Alzheimer’s disease used to only be diagnosable post-mortem, he emphasizes that it is a lot of small steps that eventually make a condition less harmful and patients’ lives better. This is why, Kristiansen states, availability of all the accumulated knowledge is key to progress.

To see how FENS contributes to this availability and how you can be a part of it, we are posting links to:
- FENS neuroscience conferences: Forums of Neuroscience and Regional Meetings
- advocacy and promotion activities: Brain Awareness Week and European Journal of Neuroscience, and
- options for aspiring neuroscientists: hands-on training course programs and grants.

Kim Baden-Kristensen is the co-founder and CEO of Brain+, a digital therapeutics company that helps people with brain disorders and injuries to recover their fundamental cognitive brain functions and daily life capabilities by using an app-based cognitive rehabilitation platform, which is developed in close collaboration with patients, clinicians and researchers.https://www.linkedin.com/in/kbadenk/ |
Alessia Covello is a life science IT consultant working in the field of healthcare technology implementation, and advocating for better services for people with brain conditions and learning disabilities.https://www.linkedin.com/in/alessiacovello/

Topics discussed:

• 6:52 What is FENS? Their mission, activities, and funding
• 19:30 Practical advice to neuroscientists, aspiring and established
• 24:52 Major questions in neuroscience and why they need answers
• 31:51 Value chain of research and the importance of knowledge accumulation
• 35:23 Recent discoveries in neuroscience resulting in new treatment options
• 38:41 The future of neuroscience
• 42:53 Digital technology and neuroscience research
• 50:53 Take-home message

Disclaimer:
All references to products, companies, and organizations in this podcast and the article that accompanies it are it are included with the purpose to inform, rather than promot

What does depression do to our brain and can antidepressants help? This topic, abound with misconceptions and controversy, is becoming more relevant as depressive disorder climbs on the list of greatest health burdens.

To  find out what current research is showing, Kim and Alessia talk to Eero Castren, a professor at the University of Helsinki and a principal investigator at the Neuroscience Center there. A trained medical doctor with a PhD in neuropharmacology, our guest has a remarkable resume as a researcher, including work with Bethesda National Institute of Mental Health, Columbia University, and Max Planck Institute. 

His main area of expertise are neurotrophic factors - biomolecules that make neural connections possible. “Neurons,” Castren explains, “do not work alone, but as a network”, and neurotrophic factors allow establishment, maintenance, and, eventually, change of neural networks. These networks, in turn, represent all the things in our memory. Neurotrophic factors are, therefore, essential to the ability to learn and evolve - brain plasticity or neuroplasticity. 

In this talk, Castren pays special attention to the effects of depression on neuroplasticity, especially on BDNF - a particularly important factor. He discusses findings on antidepressants and provides some advice on how to fight depression. Besides depression treatment, Castren also tackles new developments in treatment of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease, as well as stroke. Non-patients are not forgotten - our guest tells us about how to keep our brains plastic and make memory stronger. 

Kim Baden-Kristensen is the co-founder and CEO of Brain+, a digital therapeutics company that helps people with brain disorders and injuries to recover their fundamental cognitive brain functions and daily life capabilities by using an app-based cognitive rehabilitation platform, which is developed in close collaboration with patients, clinicians and researchers.https://www.linkedin.com/in/kbadenk/  
Alessia Covello is a life science IT consultant working in the field of healthcare technology implementation, and advocating for better services for people with brain conditions and learning disabilities.https://www.linkedin.com/in/alessiacovello/ 

Topics discussed:

4:57 - What are neurotrophic factors? How are they relevant for learning?
13:00 - Neuroplasticity and age
15:37 - TIPS: Can we influence the activity of neurotrophic factors and how?

19:38 - New treatments for Huntington’s disease, Alzheimer’s dementia, and Parkinson’s disease
23:34 - Causes of deficiency in neurotrophic factors - genetic and other

26:40 - Drugs that stimulate production of BDNF - study of antidepressants
36:08 - TIPS: How to make depression treatment truly effective? Advice on physical activity and other ways to deal with depression
41:45 - Brain plasticity and depression
43:50 - Other uses of antidepressants (e.g. stroke)
45:38 - Common misconceptions about antidepressants

48:30 - Take home messages

Disclaimer:
All references to products, companies, and organizations in this podcast and the article that accompanies it are included with the purpose to

1 in 3 people will at some point in their life suffer from a brain disorder, according to the Global Burden of Disease report and this number might be growing. Understanding these conditions has, therefore, become more important than ever.

Donna Walsh, a patient advocate, tells us about daily challenges of people suffering from brain diseases and neurological conditions, including productivity issues and mental illness stigma. She also discusses the broader socioeconomic implications, and the technologies that can help.  

Donna Walsh is the executive director of EFNA (European Federation of Neurological Associations), an organization with a mission to improve the life quality for patients in Europe by influencing policy makers and the general public, and facilitating access to necessary healthcare. 

What makes EFNA special is that they focus on what is common to various disorders, like multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, stroke, brain tumor, epilepsy, Alzheimer’s disease, etc. The approach is apparent in their campaigns on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, like:

#UnderTheUmbrella
#BrainLifeGoals
#BrainMindPain

Kim Baden-Kristensen is the co-founder and CEO of Brain+, a digital therapeutics company that helps people with brain disorders and injuries to recover their fundamental cognitive brain functions and daily life capabilities by using an app-based cognitive rehabilitation platform, which is developed in close collaboration with patients, clinicians and researchers.https://www.linkedin.com/in/kbadenk/  
Alessia Covello is a life science IT consultant working in the field of healthcare technology implementation, and advocating for better services for people with brain conditions and learning disabilities.https://www.linkedin.com/in/alessiacovello/ 

The talking points:

5:06 The concept of patient advocacy and EFNA’s mission 

8:30 Overcoming the stigma of neurological disorders

11:32 How common are brain disorders, what is the burden on society, and how important is it that brain disorders are addressed on a large scale? 

15:00 Chronic and fluctuating conditions - what makes neurological disorders different and what impact they have in patients’ professional lives?

20:14 Developing a community of patients and a common agenda

27:56 Patient advocate training and how it relates to treatment accessibility

31:50 The role of digital technology in treatment of neurological disorders

35:40 Take-home messages to policy makers, medical and clinical community, research community, the industry, and patients and their families

Disclaimer:

All references to products, companies, and organizations in this podcast and the article that accompanies it are included with the purpose to inform, rather than promote or advertise. The podcast authors do not receive financial compensation for any of these references.

Is work in the world of digital technology really easier than hard manual work? Or is it just that we do not yet truly understand the nature and consequences of cognitive fatigue?

To answer these and many other questions concerning workers of the digital age, the BrainHealth Podcast team interviews Max L. Wilson, Assistant Professor at the School of Computer Science, Nottingham University. Wilson comes from the emerging field of human-computer interaction (HCI) and is especially interested in measuring brain activity of people using digital technology, and studying the long-term effects of such activity. 

During the interview, Wilson sheds some light on the still unclear topic of mental workload, providing some productivity tips that help avoid mental fatigue and increase cognitive performance. He also discusses some currently available brain computer interfaces (e.g. Muse) and their potential in everyday life and healthcare.

Besides his academic research projects, some of which he describes in detail during the interview, Wilson is also involved in several technological projects which provide glimpses into the future of both work environments and how we take care of our brains.  One, DigiTop, aims to “optimise productivity and communication between human workers and robots”. The project “Fitbit for the brain” aims to enable monitoring our mental well-being through insightful measures of mental workload and stress that goes with it. The last but not the least, Wilson is cooperating with the digital therapeutics company Brain+ on a project dealing with digital tools for early detection and prevention of Alzheimer’s disease. 

Kim Baden-Kristensen is the co-founder and CEO of Brain+, a digital therapeutics company that helps people with brain disorders and injuries to recover their fundamental cognitive brain functions and daily life capabilities by using an app-based cognitive rehabilitation platform, which is developed in close collaboration with patients, clinicians and researchers.https://www.linkedin.com/in/kbadenk/ |

Alessia Covello is a life science IT consultant working in the field of healthcare technology implementation, and advocating for better services for people with brain conditions and learning disabilities.https://www.linkedin.com/in/alessiacovello/

05:07 - Human-computer interaction - HCI - and measuring brain-computer interaction

10:10 - Brain computer interface - uses in everyday life and healthcare (e.g. ADHD, Alzheimer )

19:17 - What is cognitive workload?

22:37 - Mental workload and stress

27:00 - App-based tracking of cognitive activity

 30:20 - Wilson’s technological project - DigiTop

33:34 - PRODUCTIVITY HACKS: increasing mental work capacity and reducing cognitive fatigue 

39:42 - TOOL-RELATED TIPS: What software and UI designs generate most mental fatigue?

47:58 - “Fitbit for the Brain" - finding a way to measure mental workload and stress 

53:17 - Take-home messages - advice for everyday life and current research trends

Disclaimer:

All references to products, companies, and organizations in this podcast and the article that accompanies it are included with the purpose to inform, rather than promote o

Thanks to pop culture, dopamine is commonly associated with pleasure-seeking and addiction, but its function goes way beyond that. 

Despite the fact that only about 400 000 out of 10 billion neurons in our brain produce it, the importance of natural dopamine for our survival is tremendous. It is responsible for us making a difference between what is good and what is bad for us, our ability to compare expectations to reality, but also for basic functions like physical movement. And it’s not only survival of humans it has a role in - dopamine systems are something we share with organisms as simple as fruit flies.

To find out about dopamine function and current research into it, Kim and Alessia interview professor Ulrik Gether, head of the Department of Neuroscience at Copenhagen University. A trained medical doctor, Gether studied at Copenhagen University and Stanford University Medical School, and is now a leading researcher on neurotransmitters, dopamine in particular. He currently co-manages the project called Attention to Dopamine, an interdisciplinary endeavor aiming to provide better understanding of the relations between dopamine and  Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).

Even more importantly, he tells us about practical ways in which we can affect dopamine production to improve our lifestyles - its role in changing habits and how to prevent relapse into old bad habits. Furthermore, we find out about the applications of dopamine in Parkinson’s disease treatment, ADHD, and schizophrenia, and get to peek into the cutting-edge research of dopamine Gether does at his lab at Mærsk Tower, Copenhagen.

Kim Baden-Kristensen is the co-founder and CEO of Brain+, a digital therapeutics company that helps people with brain disorders and injuries to recover their fundamental cognitive brain functions and daily life capabilities by using an app-based cognitive rehabilitation platform, which is developed in close collaboration with patients, clinicians and researchers.https://www.linkedin.com/in/kbadenk/  

Alessia Covello is a life science IT consultant working in the field of healthcare technology implementation, and advocating for better services for people with brain conditions and learning disabilities.https://www.linkedin.com/in/alessiacovello/

Talking points include: 

4:13 What is dopamine and why is it important?

9:19 Dopamine and addiction - how compulsive behaviors arise, what they do to receptors in the brain, and how to defeat addiction

18:44 The power of habit and changing habits: The process of “cue-behavior-reward”

21:37 Dopamine and movement - dopamine gets us going

22:13 Dopamine in Parkinson's disease (PD) and Parkinson’s treatment

28:45 Schizophrenia, dopamine, and related treatments

32:42 ADHD, dopamine, and related treatments

37:36 Current research on dopamine - what we have learned in the recent years and how

42:03 Research in Gether’s lab - genetic factors and dopamine, its relation to early onset Parkinson, effects of drugs, etc.

48:06 The future of dopamine research - gene editing and its potential in brain treatments

Disclaimer:

All references to products, companies, and organizations in this podcast and the article that accompanies it are included with the purpose to inform, rather than promote or advertise. The podcast authors do not receive financial compensation

The phrase psychological trauma can be roughly translated as “the wound of the soul”. Contemporary neuropsychology shows us that the wound is not metaphorical, as this poetic-sounding phrase might suggest, but rather a real one, detectable in the brain’s neural networks. 

To understand what these wounds look like, how we acquire them, and what we can do about them, the Brain Health podcast team interviews a practitioner of eye movement desensitization and reprocessing therapy (EMDR), Isabel Fernandez. A cognitive-behavioral psychologist and a psychotherapist, Fernandez is trained in EMDR therapy and currently serves as the president of both EMDR Europe (a professional association of EMDR therapists) and its Italian branch (EMDR Italy). Besides discussing psychological trauma treatment, Fernandez also shares her rich knowledge of childhood trauma and trauma symptoms. 

EMDR Europe was founded in 1999 with a mission to use EMDR treatment to help people suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and emotional trauma, as well as mental illness, to overcome their issues. Having started with a few hundred, the association is now 23 000 therapists strong, and has 31 national committees in Europe. Furthermore, they work with EMDR International Association and EMDR Research Foundation within EMDR Global Alliance, and promote the therapy in the Middle Eastern and African countries. They often provide psychological first aid where there is a high risk of trauma - refugee hotspots, and sites of terror attacks and tragic accidents. 

Kim Baden-Kristensen is the co-founder and CEO of Brain+, a digital therapeutics company that helps people with brain disorders and injuries to recover their fundamental cognitive brain functions and daily life capabilities by using an app-based cognitive rehabilitation platform, which is developed in close collaboration with patients, clinicians and researchers.https://www.linkedin.com/in/kbadenk/

Alessia Covello is a life science IT consultant working in the field of healthcare technology implementation, and advocating for better services for people with brain conditions and learning disabilities.https://www.linkedin.com/in/alessiacovello/

Talking points include :

• 5:03  What is EMDR therapy and how it works
• 9:27 Psychological trauma: Basic facts
• 14:47 - Trauma symptoms in the brain: the physiological level, stress reactions, hormonal reactions
• 23:24 - What happens with the memory of a traumatic experience and how EMDR helps
• 27:56 - Childhood trauma: Why children don’t talk about their traumas and what to do about it
• 31:18 - What are our natural “tools” against traumatic experience, and when in life do they develop?
• 35:49 - Risk factors: Practical advice
• 44:22 - Recovery from trauma - different phases and obstacles
• 47:52 – Protective factors: Practical advice
• 53:47 – Exposure therapy relying on virtual reality (VR)

Disclaimer:
All references to products, companies, and organizations in this podcast and the article that accompanies it are included with the purpose to inform, rather than promote or advertise. The podcast authors do not receive financial compensation for any of these references.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a central nervous system disorder that an estimated 2.3 million people around the globe live with. To help us understand this often unpredictable condition and life with it, we interview Alexandre Guedes da Silva, the director and vice-president of Multiple Sclerosis Society of Portugal (SPEM). 

SPEM is a member organization of the broader European Multiple Sclerosis Platform (EMSP), an association founded in 1989 in order to make sure the patients with multiple sclerosis diagnosis have a voice in determining health policies and research goals on the European level. Currently, the platform relies on “a growing network of 40 member societies in 35 European countries”. 

Engineer by profession, Silva is not only an advocate trying to raise awareness about the disorder, but also a  patient himself, living with remitting-relapsing MS for decades. Answering Kim’s and Alessia’s questions, he shares his personal experience with MS symptoms and thoughts on what society could do about the quality of life among patients with MS, while also touching upon the current ideas about what causes MS. 

Kim Baden-Kristensen is the co-founder and CEO of Brain+, a digital therapeutics company that helps people with brain disorders and injuries to recover their fundamental cognitive brain functions and daily life capabilities by using an app-based cognitive rehabilitation platform, which is developed in close collaboration with patients, clinicians and researchers. https://www.linkedin.com/in/kbadenk/  

Alessia Covello is a life science IT consultant working in the field of healthcare technology implementation, and advocating for better services for people with brain conditions and learning disabilities.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/alessiacovello/


Talking points: 

●        Multiple Sclerosis - basic information (min. 3:35-10:10)
-          What if the multiple sclerosis diagnosis arrives too late? (5:15)
-          Current theories and different forms of the disease (6:10) 
-          Phases of the disease (8:05)

●        How it begins and how difficult it is to diagnose MS (min. 10:35 - 17:00)
●        Living with multiple sclerosis symptoms - situations to avoid (min. 17:20-26:30)
●        Available treatments and the role of EMSP (min. 26:45-32:00)
●        Possibilities for neurorehabilitation and similarities between dementia and MS (min. 32:10-35:20)
●        Digital technologies and robotics as assistive technologies for patients with MS: improving the quality of life through widespread communication technologies (min. 35:27-39:40)
●        Improving research and data-collection (min. 39:50-42:40)
●        Distribution of MS - geographic, genetic, and lifestyle factors (min. 42:55-48:45)
●        Overall quality of life: Physical rehabilitation, job adaptations, personalized approach (min. 48:55-51:10)
●        Take-home messages for researchers, clinicians, and patients (min. 51:20)


Disclaimer:

All references to products, companies, and organizations in this podcast and the article that accompanies it are included with the purpose to inform, rather than promote or advertise. The podcast authors do not receive financial compensation for any of these references. 

Brain disorders are becoming more and more prevalent in the population. Kim’s and Alessia’s guest - Frédéric Destrebecq, executive director of European Brain Council (EBC) - is here to tell us about how society can cope with this tendency, discussing prevention and treatment of brain diseases as well as topics like effects of depression, mental illness stigma, stress disorders and burnout syndrome. 

 European Brain Council is a non-profit organization that brings together patient associations, research institutions, and representatives of the relevant industries, with a mission to improve the quality of life among people suffering from neurological disorders. Founded in Brussels in 2002, EBC have spent the last 16 years facilitating communication between their member organizations, as well as between research, industry and policy-makers. 

Furthermore, they have been influencing European Commission and European Parliament to invest more in brain health. Besides the pan-European level, EBC works with National Brain Councils and National Action Groups (check this map to see if you country has one) too,  and on global partnerships.

Kim Baden-Kristensen is the co-founder and CEO of Brain+, a digital therapeutics company that helps people with brain disorders and injuries to recover their fundamental cognitive brain functions and daily life capabilities by using an app-based cognitive rehabilitation platform, which is developed in close collaboration with patients, clinicians and researchers. https://www.linkedin.com/in/kbadenk/  

Alessia Covello is a life science IT consultant working in the field of healthcare technology implementation, and advocating for better services for people with brain conditions and learning disabilities. https://www.linkedin.com/in/alessiacovello/ 

Discussion points include: 

●     Brain health statistics: prevalence in the population, costs of treatment, current issues (4:00 - 16:20)
●     The role of education and awareness, especially in work environments (13:22)
●     Technology in hospital care and daily life (16:24-22:00)
●     The role, the achievements, and the priorities of EBC (22:15-27:30)  
●     Treatment and prevention - what is more important? (27:44-33:45) 
●     Allocation of the EU sources to brain research (34: 04-46:00)
●     Role of the industry (46:36-48:30)
●     Patient-centered care (48.38-50:45)

Disclaimer:
All references to products, companies, and organizations in this podcast and the article that accompanies it are included with the purpose to inform, rather than promote or advertise. The podcast authors do not receive financial compensation for any of these references.