logo
episode-header-image
May 2023
12m 43s

Could we treat Alzheimer's with light an...

TED
About this episode
What if we could use brain waves to treat Alzheimer's? Professor and neuroscientist Li-Huei Tsai details a promising new approach to artificially stimulate gamma brain waves using light and sound therapy, to increase connectivity and synchrony and delay the onset of this deadly disease. This non-invasive therapy has already been shown to work in mic ... Show More
Up next
Yesterday
Could we detect breast cancer with a fingerprint? | Simona Francese
Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women globally. And yet, many people pass up opportunities to get screened for the disease, often because of the invasive and sometimes painful process of mammograms. Chemist and professor Simona Francese presents a potentially ground ... Show More
13m 23s
Aug 26
Why you should spend less time with your kids | Lenore Skenazy
Whether it’s micromanaging playtime, constantly hovering or incessantly texting, the adult takeover of childhood has created a crisis of anxiety in both children and parents, says Lenore Skenazy, cofounder and president Let Grow, an organization dedicated to normalizing childhood ... Show More
14m 40s
Aug 25
How AI could generate new life-forms | Eric Nguyen
If DNA is just a string of letters, could AI learn to read it … or even write it? Bioengineering researcher Eric Nguyen reveals how AI has upended the rules of biology, potentially creating a future where disease is cured with personalized medicine, extinct species are resurrecte ... Show More
13m 5s
Recommended Episodes
Apr 2023
Audio long read: Conquering Alzheimer’s — a look at the therapies of the future
Last year, researchers announced that the Alzheimer’s drug lecanemab lowered the amount of amyloid protein plaques associated with the disease in the brains of participants in a clinical trial, and slowed their cognitive decline.Now, researchers are looking to drug combinations, ... Show More
17m 31s
Feb 2021
What you can do to prevent Alzheimer's | Lisa Genova
Alzheimer's doesn't have to be your brain's destiny, says neuroscientist and author of "Still Alice," Lisa Genova. She shares the latest science investigating the disease -- and some promising research on what each of us can do to build an Alzheimer's-resistant brain. Hosted on A ... Show More
14m 6s
Feb 2021
Jack Price, "The Future of Brain Repair: A Realist's Guide to Stem Cell Therapy" (MIT Press, 2020)
A scientist assesses the potential of stem cell therapies for treating such brain disorders as stroke, Alzheimer’s disease, and Parkinson’s disease.Stem cell therapies are the subject of enormous hype, endowed by the media with almost magical qualities and imagined by the public ... Show More
1h 4m
Feb 2021
Jack Price, "The Future of Brain Repair: A Realist's Guide to Stem Cell Therapy" (MIT Press, 2020)
A scientist assesses the potential of stem cell therapies for treating such brain disorders as stroke, Alzheimer’s disease, and Parkinson’s disease. Stem cell therapies are the subject of enormous hype, endowed by the media with almost magical qualities and imagined by the public ... Show More
1h 4m
Mar 2024
A New Headset Aims to Treat Alzheimer’s With Light and Sound
An experimental device developed by Cognito Therapeutics seeks to slow cognitive decline in Alzheimer’s patients using light and sound. 
6m 33s
Sep 2022
A brain implant that turns your thoughts into text | Tom Oxley | TED Tech
"What if you could control digital devices using just the power of thought? That's the incredible promise behind the Stentrode -- an implantable brain-computer interface that collects and wirelessly transmits information directly from the brain, without the need for open surgery. ... Show More
17m 48s
Apr 2024
Forward Thinking: Is it ethical to live longer?
Nobel Prize-winning scientist Venki Ramakrishnan considers both why we might live longer, and the dilemmas this raises. In the last few years, medical advances have led to treatments that really do offer the potential to tackle life-threatening cancers and debilitating diseases s ... Show More
49m 10s
Sep 2019
101: Have we found a cure for Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, Depression and ALS? | Dr. Jay Lombard
If you’ve ever “gone with your gut” to make a decision or felt “butterflies in your stomach” when nervous, you’re likely getting signals from an unexpected source: your second brain. Hidden in the walls of the digestive system, this “brain in your gut” is revolutionizing medicine ... Show More
49m 46s
Aug 2023
What difference could new Alzheimer’s disease drugs make?
Until recently, breakthroughs in treating Alzheimer’s disease were non-existent. But two new drugs have shown promise in moderately slowing memory and thinking problems for people with early-stage disease. While welcoming the idea of a ‘new era’ for treating Alzheimer’s disease, ... Show More
28m 37s