A stethoscope for the brain

  • April 5, 2022
A stethoscope for the brain

Ayan Mandal has written a book on brain diseases and the latest research on how to manage them.

My hope is that, in reading this book, people will discover the promise behind preventative approaches to protect the brain.

Ayan Mandal

A Gates Cambridge Scholar is fundraising to publish a book about proactive strategies to prevent brain diseases.

Ayan Mandal’s book A Stethoscope for the Brain aims to explain why brain diseases are so difficult to treat and what research is being done to learn how to better manage these conditions.

Ayan [2018], who is currently a medical student and neuroscientist at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, wrote his Cambridge PhD thesis on network neuroscience and brain tumours. His research has been presented at several national and international conferences and published in multiple peer-reviewed journals.

Ayan’s decision to write the book stems from his interest in both writing and science communication.

It covers brain diseases and neuroscience research, including lessons from a sisterhood of Catholic nuns who taught the world the secret to avoiding dementia; genes which predict the onset of neurodegenerative disorders like ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease), and how they may facilitate early treatment; and proactive measures to blunt multiple sclerosis, an autoimmune condition which causes significant disability.

Ayan says: “My hope is that, in reading this book, people will discover the promise behind preventative approaches to protect the brain. In this book, I hope to instill in others the same sort of passion and excitement that I have for neuroscience and health. Ultimately, I want people to see this book as a tool to help them think about the future of brain health, especially as it relates to protecting both their own brain and those of their loved ones.”

 *To support Ayan’s pre-sale campaign to cover the publishing costs of the book and to find out more, click here.

Latest News

What does it mean to see the world as a zero-sum competition?

It’s an age-old question: Why don’t people cooperate even when it is in their best interest to do so? It’s also an urgent question as we face huge global challenges mired in conflict and polarisation. A new paper in The Journal of Personality and Social Psychology offers fresh psychological insights into this question through the lens […]

Breaking through the health boundaries

Ghufran Al Sayed was beginning her clinical work as a medical student in Manchester when Covid hit. Like many medical students at the time, she was redeployed onto Covid wards and the experience was hugely challenging. It also made her rethink what she wanted from a career in medicine. Ghufran’s parents had raised her with […]

New thinking for education leaders

A Gates Cambridge Scholar has co-authored a new book which is being described by leading educationalists as transforming the way schools think about change. The Pruning Principle offers a new approach to educational leadership, drawing inspiration from horticulture to address the chronic issues of overwork and inefficiency in schools. The authors, Gates Cambridge Scholar Dr Simon […]

A passion for biotech innovation in Africa

Taryn Adams has long been interested in bridging the gap between science and business in order to ensure science has practical, useful applications. Coming from South Africa, she says the innovation that results from linking science and business, particularly in biotech, is still in its early stages, but she feels there is room to make […]