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Think Neuro

Think Neuro

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

The Think Neuro Podcast has two co-hosts, Anthony Effinger and Dan Fost.

Think Neuro host Anthony Effinger is an award-winning journalist fascinated by neuroscience and the workings of the brain.

Anthony spent 24 years at Bloomberg News, where he covered finance and made 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 look at changing strategies for treating prostate cancer.

After a stint at the World Bank, Anthony joined Willamette Week, the Pulitzer Prize-winning newsweekly in Portland, Oregon. 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.

His 2023 examination of Oregon’s black-market psilocybin economy, “The Mushroom Underground,” won first prize in AAN Publishers’ exploratory reporting category. The Society of Professional Journalists Northwest gave him and colleague Lucas Manfield its top business award for “Junk Ambulances,” a 2023 exposé of private equity’s mismanagement of Multnomah County’s ambulance contractor.

In 2026, AAN awarded him first place for health care reporting for “Operation: Merger,” his examination of Oregon Health & Science University’s failed bid to merge with rival Legacy Health.

Raised in Copper Mountain, Colorado, Anthony lives in Portland with his wife, Diana Bianco. They raised two children there: one is a journalist, the other a fluids engineer.

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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  • 25 episodes
  • weekly
  • Avg 27 min
  • English
Counted on this page — what you have heard stays on this device, so it is not something the list can be paged by.
  • April 22 · 1 min

    Brain Aneurysm Management with Ashkan Mowla, MD

    In general, aneurysms are only detected after they have burst although they may sometimes be detected during the course of other tests. Operating on the arteries of the brain may feel scary but there have been tremendous advances in the way that aneurysms are surgically treated. The interventional neuroradiologist has several options for treating the aneurysm from the inside of the blood vessel based on the patient’s status. These kinds of surgery, called endovascular neurosurgery or embolizatio

  • #74
    April 15 · 56 min

    74. Understanding the Full Spectrum of Parkinson's Disease with Melita Petrossian, MD

    Parkinson’s disease is a neurologic movement disorder. It affects the brain and causes difficulty with movement, with the most common motor symptoms being tremors, stiffness or rigidity of muscles, and slowness of movement. According to the American Parkinson Disease Association, it is the fastest growing neurodegenerative disease in the world, and the second most common after Alzheimer’s disease, with an estimated 1 million people in the U.S. and more than 10 million people worldwide living wit

  • April 8 · 50 min

    Spotlight Replay: 34. Treating the Wonder that is the Voice Box | Dr. Omid Mehdizadeh

    Two slender muscles carry out some of the most important—and taken-for-granted—tasks in our lives. These muscles make up what we have come to call our “voice box,” and they not only produce the sounds that we make—they also close on cue to protect our lungs as we swallow. In this Spotlight Replay, we revisit a conversation with Dr. Omid Mehdizadeh, who treats voice and swallow disorders, in which he helps us appreciate the vital role of this unsung hero, our voice box. Let’s listen in!

  • April 1 · 45 min

    Spotlight Replay: Episode 50. Loneliness, a Panel Discussion: Drs. Shanthi Gowrinathan, Amit Kochhar and Courtney Voelker

    Survey after survey is telling us that Americans are increasingly feeling lonely. It’s a trend that’s been growing for years and, while it was exacerbated during the pandemic when we were instructed to socially isolate, it continues even as society has reopened. In this Spotlight Replay, we revisit a panel discussion in which three doctors at Pacific Neuroscience Institute tell how they help people deal with different causes of loneliness. Doctors at PNI discover loneliness in their patients, of

  • March 25 · 2 min

    Meet Dr. Noa Tal

    Fellowship trained, Noa Tal, MD, is a devoted endocrinologist committed to delivering exceptional care and striving for excellence in her field. With a diverse background encompassing medicine, research, teaching, and wellness, she endeavors to make significant contributions to healthcare. At the Pituitary Disorders Center at Pacific Neuroscience Institute®, Dr. Tal cares for patients with endocrine issues as a result of pituitary tumors. Dr. Tal earned her medical degree from Tel Aviv Universi

Showing 21–25 of 25 episodes