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Tales From The Cortex

Dr. Andrew Micieli & Dr. Michelle Jaeggi

Tales From the Cortex is a story-driven medical podcast that takes you inside the mysteries of the human brain.


Hosted by Canadian neurologists Dr. Andrew Micieli and Dr. Michelle Jaeggi, Tales From the Cortex explores neurological diseases through first-person clinical stories. Behind every case is a unique patient trying to understand what is happening to them while navigating the healthcare system. Each episode begins with a patient, a symptom, and a clinical mystery. Follow the story as it unfolds and become the patient's neurologist. What questions would you ask? Where would you localize the problem? Which tests would you order? And what would you do next? Understand how neurologists think, make decisions, and navigate uncertainty—one case at a time. 


This is a different kind of medical podcast, one that makes neurological disease understandable to everyone, with bonus educational content for clinician listeners. 


No medical degree required. Just curiosity.


Every symptom is a clue. Every brain has a story.

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  • 4 episodes
  • Avg 25 min
  • English

Episodes 4

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  • S1 · E3
    Monday · 36 min

    Episode 3: A Familiar Feeling

    Daniel is 34 years old, newly single, anxious, and increasingly afraid that something is happening to his mind, similar to what happened to his uncle with schizophrenia. It starts with brief, unsettling moments that are difficult to explain. They come without warning, disappear within seconds, and are easy to dismiss—until one night everything changes. In Episode 3 of Tales From the Cortex, we explore how neurological symptoms can hide in plain sight and how diagnostic anchoring can delay the right diagnosis. A story about memory, fear, the temporal lobe, and the importance of recognizing a pattern. Every symptom is a clue. Every brain has a story. ___________________ The bonus teaching segment turns the narrative into a practical guide for clinicians, and trainees. Send us Fan Mail

    • Transcript
  • S1 · E2
    August 14 · 32 min

    Episode 2: Between The Notes

    Jasmine is a gifted teenage pianist, but something is beginning to interrupt the music. What starts as an occasional headache gradually becomes harder to ignore. The pain grows more frequent. Sound becomes unbearable. School, piano, and daily life begin to slip out of reach. Her family tells her it's “just a headache.” Over-the-counter medications help—until they don’t. Then come the emergency department visit, the brain scans, the uncertain MRI report, and months of waiting for answers. In episode 2 of Tales From the Cortex, we follow Jasmine through the fear, frustration, and isolation of worsening headaches. Sometimes, the most important part of the story is what happens between the notes. Every symptom is a clue. Every brain has a story. _____________ The bonus teaching segment at the end turns the narrative into a practical guide for clinicians, and trainees. Send us Fan Mail

    • Transcript
  • August 9 · 2 min

    Trailer

    Welcome to Tales From The Cortex: Stories From Inside The Brain. A story-driven neurology podcast that takes you inside the mysteries of the human brain. Send us Fan Mail

    • Transcript
  • S1 · E1
    August 9 · 31 min

    Episode 1: Last Seen Normal

    Within minutes, an ordinary morning becomes a medical emergency when Laura a healthy 50-year-old suddenly can't get words out and the right side of her face and arm weaken. In the first episode of Tales From the Cortex, follow Laura from the moment her symptoms begin through the rapid decisions that follow. Step into the neurologist’s chair as the clock starts ticking: What’s happening inside her brain? What would you do next? And how do you make critical decisions when every minute matters? Along the way, we’ll explore how neurologists approach an acute neurological emergency, to reach the correct diagnosis, administer fast treatment, and the relentless search for why it happened. Every symptom is a clue. Every brain has a story. ___________________ The bonus teaching segment turns the narrative into a practical guide for clinicians, neurology trainees, and emergency physicians learning to examine a suspected stroke under time pressure where time is clot. It emphasizes the NIH Stroke Scale as the standardized tool, while acknowledging its limitations. The episode offers high-yield exam priorities, flags common pitfalls (including stroke mimics), and unusual exam findings. The overall takeaway is simple and urgent: recognize stroke fast, activate emergency care immediately, and use focused, pragmatic assessment and imaging to deliver reperfusion therapy without delay. Send us Fan Mail

    • Transcript
Showing 1–4 of 4 episodes