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Ever feel like you need your faith in humanity restored? Wondering what brilliance is percolating in the minds of our youth? Desperately hoping that intelligent people will discover medical breakthroughs to solve the leading cause of disability in the U.S? There is an ultra-inspiring event in this country every year that knocks our socks off in its illustration that super smart people have their heads and their hearts in exactly the right place. It’s …

Three years ago, in October of 2016, The Brain Donor Project began operating to make sure people know about the critical need for people to donate their brains to neuroscience when they die. Those of us who had written the “business plan” for this non-profit were asked to project what sort of results we may be able to achieve. Based on what, exactly? We didn’t have a clue what to expect. We did know …

Kathy McKenzie said a final goodbye to her husband Michael on December 5, 2017. She had taken care of him as he suffered through Parkinson’s Disease and Lewy Body Dementia for more than ten years. The idea of donating his brain for neurologic research had come up during that period, but Kathy hadn’t really decided to do it until late in Michael’s life, in the final weeks before he died when a hospice physician …

It’s no secret that scientists these days are coming at Parkinson’s Disease with everything they have—including enhanced brain imaging technologies, advancements in the search for biomarkers and a better understanding of the role played by alpha-synuclein. All complicated and highly sophisticated research. But there is a very simple way that Parkinson’s patients and the people who care about them, who don’t even have the disease, can contribute in a major way to understanding it. …

You may have come to know and admire him during his six seasons as an NFL defensive back – four with the Cincinnati Bengals. Maybe you followed his television broadcasting career after that, including the 16 years he spent at CBS Sports.  He knows a thing or two about sports and health. He is putting that knowledge to work with strategic communication on behalf of biotech and medical companies.  He is a powerful presence. …

I owe a lot to someone I’ve never met. He’s gone now…but he lived to be 101 years old and was said to be very astute up until the time he died. His brain turned out to be slightly larger and showing fewer signs of deterioration than a typical person his age, and there’s probably a correlation. That’s what neuroscientists told me about him. And that’s the information I shared with a TEDx audience …

Here we are six months into folks signing up to donate their brains when they die through the Brain Donor Project – and the results have been pretty phenomenal: We’ve heard from people who suffer from 40 different categories of neurological diseases and disorders. Those with autism, essential tremor, dementia, mental illness, ME/CFS, epilepsy, ataxia, PTSD and more have committed to donating their brains when they die. Thank you for that…the more diverse this …

The Brain Donor Project is featuring stories during this Brain Awareness Week of those who’ll donate their brain to neurologic research when they die. For some, it is highly personal, inspired by someone they love. For many, it’s a natural way to leave a gift at the end of their life. In our minds’ eye we see a better future thanks to brain research. In these “Mind’s Why” articles, we uncover our donors’ reasons …

The Brain Donor Project is featuring stories during this Brain Awareness Week of those who’ll donate their brain to neurologic research when they die. For some, it is highly personal, inspired by someone they love. For many, it’s a natural way to leave a gift at the end of their life. In our minds’ eye we see a better future thanks to brain research. In these “Mind’s Why” articles, we uncover our donors’ reasons …

The Brain Donor Project is featuring stories during this Brain Awareness Week of those who’ll donate their brain to neurologic research when they die. For some, it is highly personal, inspired by someone they love. For many, it’s a natural way to leave a gift at the end of their life. In our minds’ eye we see a better future thanks to brain research. In these “Mind’s Why” articles, we uncover our donors’ reasons …

The Brain Donor Project is featuring stories during this Brain Awareness Week of those who’ll donate their brain to neurologic research when they die. For some, it is highly personal, inspired by someone they love. For many, it’s a natural way to leave a gift at the end of their life. In our minds’ eye we see a better future thanks to brain research. In these “Mind’s Why” articles, we uncover our donors’ reasons …

Try this one on for size – one day you wake up exhausted after a full night’s sleep, notice a few more aches and pains than normal, and mentally things are just not clicking. Over time, it doesn’t get any better. There are headaches, some severe ones, and an on-and-off sore throat. Could be a virus, maybe some kind of bug, but the symptoms refuse to go away. So you go to your doctor …

So we’re off to a strong start at The Brain Donor Project – in 2016, brain donors across the age spectrum signed up in cities all across the country. They represent a number of the most pervasive brain diseases…and some that aren’t.  This is great news. It’s critical for scientific investigations that the supply of brain tissue is highly diverse and representative of many different kinds of people who were powered by these brains when …

President Obama this week signed the long-awaited the 21st Century Cures Act into law. It’s a $6.3 billion dollar piece of legislation that was recently passed by both the House and Senate after two years of revisions and some very heavy lobbying. It will fund some key priorities including the President’s Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies® (BRAIN) Initiative, plus provide much-needed resources for mental illness, efforts to stem the opioid addiction crisis, and the Cancer …

The following post was written by a father who chooses to remain anonymous. His decision to donate his brain was inspired by his daughter who had to wait way too long for a diagnosis. Neurological research using donated brain tissue will make a difference. From an early age my daughter was unique.  She showed her love for art and her creativity in many ways.  There was the time that she outlined the furniture sitting …

I’m starting to feel bad about football. Ever since my brothers and my dad helped me begin to understand the game, I’ve loved watching football. Tried to learn more and more so I could appreciate the nuances – I still ask probably too many questions between plays – but I truly enjoy hangin’ with the sporting folk on game day. College or NFL; doesn’t matter. And don’t even get me started on game-day snackage. …

Human post-mortem brain donation is getting more attention as professional football players and racecar drivers make public their decisions to donate, to find answers about the long-term effects of brain injury. They’re not the only ones whose brains have value for researchers. Here are five solid reasons you may not know about, for anyone to consider registering in advance to donate your brain when you die. It could be the only way to definitively …

There are certain words we say to each other to try and provide some comfort when a loved one dies. They’ve become pretty cliché, actually. Please accept my condolences. At least he or she is not suffering anymore. He or she is in a better place. That last one really tripped up my dad when he was suffering from Lewy Bodies Dementia. When his daughter-in-law’s mother died after a long, agonizing struggle with Alzheimer’s …