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Solving brain diseases by treating them like crime scenes

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In this 2013 photo, a researcher holds a human brain in a laboratory at Northwestern University's cognitive neurology and Alzheimer's disease center. (Scott Eisen/AP)
In this 2013 photo, a researcher holds a human brain in a laboratory at Northwestern University's cognitive neurology and Alzheimer's disease center. (Scott Eisen/AP)

Imagine you're on your way to work or the grocery store and you come across a bad car accident. There's yellow police tape surrounding the area. The police and fire departments are recording the scene and documenting evidence - whether that's broken glass or skid marks. They don't know what caused the crash, but they're collecting evidence to find out. Every car crash is different but in the end, there are similarities that could be used to prevent or stop future accidents.

For one neurologist, this is how he and his colleagues approach studying brain diseases like Parkinson's, Multiple Sclerosis, or Alzheimers. They see each disease, and its effect on the brain, as a crime scene, offering clues that could eventually lead to cures.

Dr. Howard Weiner is the Robert L. Kroc professor of neurology at Harvard Medical School, director and founder of the Brigham MS Center, and co-director of the Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases at Brigham and Women's hospital.

In his new book, "The Brain Under Siege: Solving the Mystery of Brain Disease and How Scientists Are Following the Clues to a Cure", Dr. Weiner explores the so-called crime scenes of five brain diseases: Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, ALS and Glioblastoma.

Dr. Weiner joins us now to talk about the book, what we know, and what we don't know about these so-called crime scenes.

This segment aired on November 8, 2021.

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Amanda Beland is a producer and director for Radio Boston. She also reports for the WBUR newsroom.

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Tiziana Dearing is the host of Radio Boston.

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