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★★★★★

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The Think Neuro podcast from Pacific Neuroscience Institute takes you into the clinic, operating room and laboratory with doctors and surgeons who are tackling the most challenging brain diseases and disorders. You’ll go deep into the brain and beyond, exploring the neurological processes and structures that control our health, hormones, behaviors, movements, moods, and emotions. You’ll learn about new therapies that are giving hope for sufferers of the most challenging diseases, and you’ll hear about some habits you can develop to keep your brain in good working order for years to come. We’ll show you why patients from around the world are coming to Pacific Neuroscience Institute for novel treatments that are in many instances, available at few other institutions. pacificneuro.org | (310) 582-7640 Think Neuro’s has two co-hosts, Anthony Effinger and Dan Fost. Anthony Effinger is an award-winning journalist who is fascinated with neuroscience and the workings of the brain. Anthony spent 24 years at Bloomberg News, where he covered money and finance, with deep forays into science and health. In 2006, the Association of Health Care Journalists awarded him first prize for Playing the Odds, an in-depth piece on the changing strategies used to treat prostate cancer. These days, he is a staff writer at Willamette Week, a Pulitzer Prize-winning newspaper in Portland, Oregon, where he lives with his wife and two children. He won the 2022 award for health care journalism from the Association of Alternative Newsmedia for his piece on the disproven Covid remedy ivermectin and the anti-vaxx Portland biologist who was its biggest booster. Dan Fost is a veteran journalist who has written for the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, and the Washington Post. A former staff writer for the San Francisco Chronicle, he covers health, science, and technology, making complex subjects accessible to a broad audience. Dan has written extensively for the University of California, San Francisco, one of the nation’s leading health science universities, where he’s reported on leading scientists (including Nobel Prize winners), global health, and biotechnology innovations that have led to the launch of new companies. Dan is the author of “Giants Past and Present,” a book about the San Francisco baseball team. A native of New Jersey and a graduate of Boston University, Dan lives in Marin County, Calif., with his wife. They have one adult son.

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Check latest episodes from Think Neuro podcast

Hearing Loss, Cognition, Dementia, and the CELEBRATE Protocol with Rebecca Lewis, AuD

2026/10/07

Hearing loss is common as we age, but its effects reach far beyond the ears. Research increasingly links untreated hearing loss to a higher risk of cognitive decline and dementia, while treating hearing loss with hearing aids or cochlear implants may help protect memory and quality of life. At PNI’s Ear, Hearing & Balance program, our audiologists and ENT specialists work together to evaluate your hearing and recommend the right next step, whether that’s hearing aids, cochlear implants, or another treatment path.

Common Questions About Cochlear Implants with Rebecca Lewis, AuD

2026/09/30

Hearing loss is one of the leading causes of overall disability worldwide, affecting approximately 466 million adults and children. In this video, Rebecca Lewis, AuD, the Audiology Director of the Adult & Pediatric Cochlear Implant Program at Pacific Neuroscience Institute, answers common questions about cochlear implants. For more information:https://www.pacificneuroscienceinstitute.org/patient-care/treatments/cochlear-implants/

Investigating Hormone Imbalances That Cause Irregular Cycles with Noa Tal, MD

2026/09/23

The pituitary gland may be tiny, but it plays a significant role in a woman’s health. When functioning properly, this master gland regulates essential hormones that influence many of bodily functions, from menstrual cycles to metabolism. Therefore, when pituitary gland disorders arise, they can disrupt reproductive health, energy levels, and overall quality of life. In this article, we’ll explore the role of the pituitary gland in women’s health, common disorders, symptoms to watch for, and how these conditions can be diagnosed and treated.

79. Restoring Hearing Health with One Cochlear Implant at a Time with Courtney Voelker, MD, PhD

2026/09/16

It sounds almost too good to be true: A simple solution to a major health issue, that’s safe, effective and covered by insurance—yet most of the people who would benefit from this procedure don’t even know about it. We’re talking about cochlear implants—a well-established procedure that can restore hearing loss. Dr. Courtney Voelker has made it her life’s work to spread the word about this remarkable surgery. One of her patients, Sharon, also wants people to know how her cochlear implant completely changed her life, restoring her ability to hear everything from her pet birds to her yoga teacher to actors on stage in theatrical performances. Dr. Voelker and Sharon share those stories with us today.

Rapid Stroke Treatment at Comprehensive Stroke Centers with Jason Tarpley, MD, PhD

2026/09/09

With four Comprehensive Stroke Centers at Providence hospitals in the greater Los Angeles region, Pacific Neuroscience Institutes specialists have expert teams to treat stroke patients. Working with EMS, neurointerventional teams are standing by to provide immediate, advanced treatment. Using the latest in leading-edge imaging and minimally invasive clot-retrieval and clot busting techniques, we are able to treat strokes right away, maximizing the chance of recovery.

What is Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus? | With Garni Barkhoudarian, MD

2026/09/02

Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus (NPH) can cause symptoms of dementia, but these are reversible. NPH is a neurological condition that occurs when cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) builds up in the brain’s ventricles, causing them to enlarge. It most commonly affects older adults and can lead to a unique set of symptoms, including difficulty walking, problems with bladder control, and cognitive decline. Because its symptoms often overlap with those of other neurological conditions, NPH can be challenging to diagnose but is often treatable once identified. 310-582-7450 pacifichydrocephalus.com

Multiple Sclerosis: 6 Lifestyle Pillars for Brain Health | Dr. Barbara Giesser

2026/08/26

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic autoimmune neurological disorder that affects the central nervous system, specifically the brain and spinal cord. MS is managed by disease modifying therapies (DMTs), symptom management medications, and lifestyle interventions. Lifestyle interventions focus on six pillars of brain health: nutrition, exercise, sleep, stress management, social connection and avoidance of harmful substances. Learn more. pacificms.org

78. Revolutionizing Brain Tumor Surgery with Minimally Invasive Techniques with Daniel Kelly, MD

2026/08/19

The world of brain surgery has changed dramatically over the past generation. Surgeons are able to remove many tumors and other problems from the brain, often using new approaches that have much shorter recovery times and much better long-term outcomes. Many of these surgeries are much less invasive than old methods that saw the need to cut into a patient’s skull. Dr. Daniel Kelly and the team at Pacific Neuroscience Institute have pioneered many of these new approaches, and they’ve published peer-reviewed papers on their work in an effort to spread the word through the field. Dr. Kelly, the CEO and co-founder of PNI, joins us today to talk about some of these papers and what he and the team have found. For more information, visit: pacificneuro.org

Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS): The All-Important Pre-Operative Phase

2026/08/12

Walavan Sivakumar, MD, explains how Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) is used at PNI to help patients with brain tumors through the neurosurgical process. ERAS unfolds in three phases, and Dr. Sivakumar details why the preoperative stage plays a key role in setting patients up for success.⁠

Dopamine Neuron Cell Replacement Therapy for Parkinson's Disease with Melita Petrossian, MD

2026/08/05

Parkinson's disease begins with the quiet loss of the brain cells that make dopamine, and dopamine is what carries your movement, your mood and the drive that gets you through the day. As those cells disappear, so does everything they were holding up, which is why the disease eventually shows itself in so many different ways at once. For years the central question in Parkinson's research has been whether any of that can be given back, and stem cells offer one of the more hopeful answers, since they can be turned into the very dopamine neurons the brain can no longer make on its own.

77. The Little Gland with a Very Big Job with Garni Barkhoudarian, MD

2026/07/15

For a tiny organ, the pituitary gland carries outsized responsibilities in the human body. The size of a pea, the so-called “master gland” produces vital hormones that regulate many important bodily functions, including growth, stress, thirst, and even reproductive development. So it only follows that when things go awry with the pituitary gland, the body can suffer many other problems. Dr. Garni Barkhoudarian is a director of the Pacific Pituitary Disorders Center at Pacific Neuroscience Institute and he joins us today to discuss the positive parts—and the pitfalls—of the pituitary gland. Christine, one of Dr. Barkhoudarian’s patients, also joins us to share her story of the long and arduous road to get her pituitary tumor diagnosed—and the happy ending she experienced when Dr. Barkhoudarian finally removed the tumor. For more information, visit: PacificNeuro.org

Spotlight Replay - Episode 23: Scanning the Eye for Signs of Multiple Sclerosis | Dr. Barbara Giesser and Dr. Howard Krauss

2026/07/01

July is Healthy Vision Month, and the National Eye Institute—part of the National Institutes of Health—reminds us to take care of our eyes, by eating a healthy diet and exercising, and also by understanding the connection between our vision and other diseases. Multiple sclerosis, or MS, is one of those diseases. Dr. Barbara Giesser, who specializes in treating patients with MS at Pacific Neuroscience Institute, says that often times, a sudden loss of vision is the first indication that a person might have MS. Dr. Howard Krauss, one of the founders of Pacific Neuroscience Institute and a neuro ophthalmologist, notes that 40 percent of the brain’s activity is related to vision—so it makes sense that a disease of the brain like MS would have such a big impact on vision. We’re revisiting this conversation between these two doctors who have partnered in ways that can detect MS very early in the process, and to monitor the optic nerve to see how well MS treatments are working. Let’s listen in!

76. Getting the Right Diagnosis for Facial Paralysis with Dr. Amit Kochhar

2026/06/17

Every medical treatment needs to start with a diagnosis, but sometimes that diagnosis proves elusive. Sometimes it may appear that a person has one thing needing treatment, and after that treatment doesn’t work, doctors have to consider other possibilities. Dr. Amit Kochhar at Pacific Neuroscience Institute sees patients with facial paralysis, which is often diagnosed as Bell’s Palsy or Ramsey Hunt Syndrome—but sometimes turns out to be a cancerous tumor on a facial nerve. Doctors try to figure that out as quickly as possible, so they can remove the tumor and begin the work of restoring the patient’s appearance. In today’s episode, Dr. Kochhar describes these various symptoms and explains how he reaches the right diagnosis and treatment for his patients.

Spotlight Replay - Episode 56: Dr. Michael Yong on Seasonal Allergies

2026/06/10

If you suffer from seasonal allergies, you probably kept a close eye on the pollen count this spring—and you may have felt those all-too-familiar symptoms that affect one in five people: Congestion, sneezing, runny nose, stuffy nose. That’s known as allergic rhinitis or, more commonly, hay fever. And that’s why now is a good time to revisit this Think Neuro podcast with Pacific Neuroscience Institute’s Dr. Michael Yong, an otolaryngologist with focused training in neuro-rhinology who specializes in treating these seasonal allergies. We’ll learn about what causes allergies and what the different treatment options are. Let’s listen in!

Chronic Subdural Hematoma with Ashkan Mowla, MD

2026/05/27

When blood collects in the skull outside the brain and below the outermost layer of tissue surrounding the brain (dura), a subdural hematoma results. This may occur due to head trauma when it is called an acute subdural hematoma. Chronic subdural hematomas may occur due to aging and the increased fragility of blood vessels. The pooled blood may resolve on its own or may require surgical intervention as development of a subdural hematoma can be a life-threatening condition. Symptoms of subdural hematoma can include headache, confusion, change in behavior, dizziness, nausea and vomiting, lethargy or excessive drowsiness, weakness, apathy, and seizures. Subdural hematomas are generally diagnosed by CT scan or MRI imaging. Ashkan Mowla, MD, FAHA, FAAN, is neuro-interventional surgeon at the Pacific Neuroscience Institute® (PNI). He specializes in minimally invasive endovascular procedures to treat conditions and diseases of the brain and spine, including stroke, brain aneurysm, brain and spine arteriovenous malformation and fistula and carotid and intracranial disease. Accepting new patients: 424-212-5361

Podcast reviews

Read Think Neuro podcast reviews

5 out of 5

21 reviews

★★★★★

AnthonyEff 2020/09/22

Learned a ton

There is so much to know about neuroscience and what we can do to strengthen our brains. Listen to this podcast- it’s informative and fun.

★★★★★

ttkmgc 2020/09/02

So glad I found this podcast

I’ve listened to two episodes and really enjoyed both. The tone is casual and conversational, but both episodes were densely packed with fascinating i...

★★★★★

BingBong82 2020/07/22

Informative

I love how they have indepth episodes I really like this podcast a lot. It is facinating how complex the brain actually is. I love the shorter bonus e...

★★★★★

kalikayap 2020/06/05

Dr Kelly

I really admire Dr Kelly and the team at Pacific Neuroscience Institute. Great podcast

★★★★★

VrepitSa 2020/04/30

Fascinating!

Anthony Effinger is a great interviewer. I learned a lot. Looking forward to new episodes!

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