Dec 29, 202210 Ways to Delay or Prevent DementiaDementia is one of the leading causes of disability and death among the elderly, affecting more than 50 million people worldwide. Currently, there is no cure for dementia, but scientists have found that certain risk factors are modifiable through a healthier lifestyle. Regular exercise, a heart-healthy diet, and increased social…Brain Health5 min readBrain Health5 min read
Dec 22, 2022Why Climate Science Shouldn’t Forget to Factor in Brain HealthScientists need to learn more about climate change’s negative impact on the nervous system in order to mitigate it. — Climate change is the biggest global health threat facing us today. According to the Lancet Countdown’s 2022 report that came out in October, the climate crisis is “undermining every dimension of global health monitored.” …Climate Change4 min readClimate Change4 min read
Sep 13, 2021Remembering Ben Barres, the trailblazing trans neuroscientist and mentor, on his birthdayThe legacy of the researcher, teacher, and gender equality advocate lives on Today is the birthday of the legendary neuroscientist, Ben Barres, who passed away four years ago from pancreatic cancer. If he were alive today, he would have been 67 years old. While many of his fellow neurobiologists focused…Neuroscience5 min readNeuroscience5 min read
May 12, 2021How COVID-19 has worsened the lives of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s patientsPoor health outcomes and quarantines have accelerated the progress of motor and neurological dysfunction Alicia Del Blanco — a 68-year-old retired French teacher from Madrid, Spain — had big plans. She was about to become a grandmother for the second time, was going to spend the summer in her house…Alzheimers5 min readAlzheimers5 min read
Mar 23, 2021Tracking the Shift Toward Digital HealthA Stanford report highlights the rise in machine learning research in this rapidly evolving field. From wearable trackers to mental health chatbots to AI-based cancer screening, digital health now supports clinicians in decision making, accurate diagnosis, disease treatment, and individualized healthcare delivery. The global pandemic could help propel the field further as demand for virtual and technology-enabled services like telemedicine and remote patient monitoring shift from short-term needs to a new normal.Artificial Intelligence5 min readArtificial Intelligence5 min read
Feb 23, 2021My Role Model Taught Me How To Be a Strong Woman in ScienceGrowing up in Turkey as a Muslim with Turkish origins, I didn’t know what it felt like to be different. But, that changed when I moved to the U.S. to pursue higher education. Here, I am a foreigner. Even after spending half of my life in this country, when I…Women In STEM5 min readWomen In STEM5 min read
Feb 10, 2021A Fast Route to the Latest Neurodegeneration ResearchPublication numbers in neurodegeneration are soaring. Meta’s curated collection of feeds can help you stay up to date. By Michaela Torkar and Burcin Ikiz Neurodegenerative diseases are devastating disorders that cause an immense economic and social burden on modern societies. This area of biomedical research is important to us at…Neurodegenerative Disease6 min readNeurodegenerative Disease6 min read
Jan 30, 2021Building better products: how we learn at MetaPrototyping in collaboration with researchers By Burcin Ikiz, Ph.D. & Michael Czerwinski, Ph.D. Our goal of making Meta more powerful and useful to researchers requires a deep understanding of their knowledge discovery needs. Over the past year, we learned that these needs extend beyond the scientific literature, i.e., journal articles…Research4 min readResearch4 min read
Jan 18, 2021The cure for Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s may be hiding in the gutRecent research suggests new treatment options for neurodegenerative diseases involving the gut microbiome By Burcin Ikiz, Ph.D. Bowels don’t readily come to mind when talking about a neurological disorder. But for James Parkinson, they did. In his 1817 essay on shaking palsy, Parkinson described a syndrome that would later be…Alzheimers5 min readAlzheimers5 min read
Oct 15, 2020A Pandemic AI Engine Without BordersResearchers worldwide build a decentralized learning model to improve COVID-19 diagnosis. A few months ago, Daniel L. Rubin, a professor of biomedical data science, of radiology, and of medicine at Stanford, received an unexpected request for collaboration. A group of researchers from China and Thailand were developing a new machine…Aritificial Intelligence4 min readAritificial Intelligence4 min read
