The Brain Matters Podcast

The Brain Matters Podcast brings together powerful conversations between researchers, doctors and people with first-hand experience of brain conditions to discuss the past, present and future of brain health.

Listen here or on the below platforms, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Brain Matters episodes

Coming soon: Episode 5 – What connects a toothbrush, an MRI and brain surgery?

Amber Starlight’s life as a teen was dictated by her seizures, sometimes happening several times a day. Her doctor knew something had to be done to gain seizure control – but with so many treatment routes to go down, it could be a long and challenging road ahead.

In this episode, we speak to: Amber; neurologist Dr David Vaughan who is also a clinical researcher at The Florey and works on how MRIs can pinpoint sites for brain surgery; and physicist Associate Professor Heath Pardoe, head of neuroimaging at The Florey, who is interested in using neuroimaging to measure brain health.
Episode 4 – What does it take to achieve seizure control?

Epilepsy is the most common neurological condition in the world, affecting 50 million people. But the myriad of seizures types, seizure severity, clinical history, genetics and responses to medication can make it increasingly difficult to fully diagnose and treat.

But does the digital era hold the key to improving outcomes for patients with epilepsy? What role can AI play in giving more people seizure control?

In this episode, we speak to: Max Luca, who has absence seizures – a type of epilepsy that causes brief lapses in consciousness; Professor Graeme Jackson, Clinical Director from The Florey, who has spent decades treating epilepsy patients and more recently leading the Australian Epilepsy Project; and Professor Aileen McGonigal, Clinical Director of the Epilepsy Unit at Mater Hospital in Brisbane.
Episode 3 – What's next in the fight against multiple sclerosis?

Multiple sclerosis, or MS, is a highly complex condition to diagnose, treat and live with.

Affecting 1 in 1000 people, and with symptoms usually presenting in people between the age of 20 and 40, the impact of MS can vary person to person. Any part of the central nervous system can be impacted – from vision, to sensory perception and sometimes cognition.

In this episode, we dive into the complexities of this disease with perspectives from leading MS clinician and researcher Professor Trevor Kilpatrick, Florey scientist Michele Binder, and Catherine, a doctor who has lived with MS for 20 years.
Episode 2 – How does the brain become addicted?

How does the human brain become addicted? Why are addictions so difficult to treat? And what does the future look like for people experiencing these neuropsychological problems?

Together with The Florey’s Professor Andy Lawrence, Turning Point’s Professor Dan Lubman and Lisa Rebecca, who has been in recovery for 12 years, we explore different perspectives on these complex questions.
Episode 1 – What will dementia look like for the next generation?

Globally, someone is diagnosed with dementia every 3 seconds. It’s a scary prospect for many of us as we age. But with blood tests for diagnosing dementia and promising medications on the horizon, does the future look brighter for this disease?

Joining our conversation is Nawaf Yassi, a neurologist at the Royal Melbourne Hospital. Annemarie, whose husband was diagnosed at the age of 61. And Rebecca Nisbet, a neuroscientist at the forefront of developing treatments for dementia.