Seema Mathur sits down with Dr. S. Thomas Carmichael—neuroscientist, neurologist and Chair of Neurology at UCLA—to explore a question that could change stroke recovery: What if a pill could help repair the brain?

Stroke is a leading cause of adult disability, and even with intense therapy, many people never fully regain movement—especially in the arm and hand. Dr. Carmichael explains neuroplasticity and the brain’s “sensitive period” after stroke, when the brain is most open to rewiring. He then shares the science behind a surprising target: a receptor called CCR5, which becomes highly active after stroke and can lock down the brain’s ability to form new connections. His team is studying whether blocking CCR5—using a drug originally developed for HIV—could help “reopen” plasticity and strengthen recovery.

Seema also reflects on her own experience with neuroplasticity and what it means to fight your way back—one repetition at a time.

In this episode:

• Why stroke recovery is often limited—even with rehab
• What neuroplasticity really is (and what it isn’t)
• The brain’s post-stroke “sensitive period” and the window of opportunity
• CCR5: the molecule that may limit recovery by locking down connections
• Why an FDA-approved HIV drug is now in clinical trial for stroke rehabilitation
• What researchers hope to improve most: meaningful arm and hand function
• If the treatment could be extended to multiple variations of traumatic brain injury

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the premiere episode of Brain In Progress, Seema Mathur sits down with ABC News journalist—and longtime friend—Kyra Phillips for the most personal conversation of her career.

Seema shares the story she has never told publicly: her brain tumor diagnosis at 19 and what it means to live today with a second rare, currently incurable brain disease. She reflects on how being close to death can make embracing life feel unmistakably clear.

This episode introduces Seema—and launches her deeper exploration of the brain in future episode conversations.

In this episode:

• The moment everything changed
• The fortune of surviving multiple brain conditions and brain trauma
• Using your life for purpose
• Living with ongoing uncertainty
• Why Seema is launching Brain In Progress now

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Award-winning medical journalist Seema Mathur turns her journey with brain disease into purpose. Her story — how Western medicine is saving her life and Eastern practices help her heal — becomes the thread that launches a deeper exploration of the brain.

In Brain In Progress, Seema speaks with the world’s leading neuroscientists, physicians, and integrative experts to investigate the future of brain health — from neuroplasticity and brain implants to meditation and consciousness.

This is a show about possibility. About resilience. About unlocking the brain’s potential and deepening our understanding of the organ that shapes how we perceive ourselves and the world.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.