Aug 3, 2017
Today’s guest on the OPP is Dr. Cyrus Raji, a neuroradiologist
at UCSF conducting structural and functional neuro imaging (brain
scans) to investigate neuropsychiatric disorders, cognitive decline
and head trauma.
He was recently awarded the 2017 Alzheimer’s Grant by the ASNR
and his colleague during his training at the University of
Pittsburg was Bennet Omalu - the man portrayed by Will Smith in the
movie Concussion.
On the OPP today, we talk about the 7 modifiable lifestyle
choices that could reduce Alzheimer’s diagnoses by 1 million
worldwide.
We discuss the amyloid plaques seen on brain scans for
Alzheimer’s, why waiting for these to show up is too late and why
amyloid removing drugs don’t work (Hint: neural cells are already
dead) and how we might correct this with Growth Factors and
lifestyle choices - like exercise - that stimulate the release of
BDNF, aka Miracle-Gro for the brain.
We also discuss the differences between depression and
cognitive decline, what each looks like on the MRI, the difference
between structural and functional brain scans, and the procedures
that led to Bennet Omalu’s CTE discovery, and of course, the
current news on NFL players and CTE.
Dr. Cyrus Raji is truly a leader in the field of brain imaging
to investigate depression, cognitive decline, Alzheimer’s
and CTE (Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy) - He has published
over 30 peer-reviewed papers on these topics in such journals such
as Neurology, Human Brain Mapping, the American Journal of
Preventive Medicine, and the American Journal of
Neuroradiology.
I had a blast chatting with Dr. Raji and I’m sure you’ll love
this episode.