đ Neuro Nook Recap: April 2026â The Women's Brain Book
đThe Women's Brain Book: The Neuroscience of Health, Hormones and Happiness by Dr. Sarah McKay, Ph.D.
âA lifetime of experiencesâ gender, culture, relationships, and ageâ shapes every brain in a unique way.â
â Dr. Sarah McKay, Ph.D., in The Womenâs Brain Book
Whatâs This Book Aboutâ
In this fully revised and updated edition, neuroscientist Dr Sarah McKay delivers the essential guide to understanding women's brain health and wellbeing, redefining how we think and talk about the female brain across the lifespan.
đ Words From The Author:
âMy goal for this book is to take you on a chronological tour of the life and times of the female brain, starting with conception and progressing through each stage of life. think of it as a journey from â womb to tombâ, where we'll explore how biology shapes the brain from the bottom up, while outside and experiences and talk down influencesâ like thoughts, feelings, and expectationsâ also play a role.â
âśď¸ Exclusive Video Message From the Author
If you missed our monthly book club gathering, here are a few highlights from our exclusive video with Dr. Sarah McKayâs that make this a must-watch session:
Highlights from the conversation:
The story behind why she wrote The Womenâs Brain Book
Dr. McKay shared how she saw a major gap in how brain science was being communicated to women and why she felt a responsibility to translate complex neuroscience into practical knowledge people can use in daily life.
What has changed in womenâs brain health research over the past decade
She discussed how the science has evolved and why researchers are finally paying closer attention to how life stages such as puberty, pregnancy, and menopause shape brain health outcomes.
The biggest surprises she found while writing the book
One unexpected insight was how strongly social experiences shape brain health. Relationships, stress exposure, and environment all interact with biology more than many people realize.
Why a lifespan approach to brain health matters
Dr. McKay emphasized that brain health does not start in older adulthood. It is shaped early and influenced by everyday habits, education, and life experiences.
Some of her favorite findings from the research
She highlighted how lifestyle factors such as sleep, movement, stress management, and social connection play a major role in protecting cognitive health.
Her message for anyone wanting to understand their brain better
Education builds confidence. Understanding how your brain works helps you make informed decisions about your health and well-being.
Why watch the full conversation?
This discussion goes beyond the science. Dr. McKay shares personal insights from her research journey, explains why this work matters now, and offers practical insights you can apply to support brain health across the lifespan.
If you care about brain health, womenâs health, or how neuroscience applies to everyday life, this is a conversation worth watching.
đ Neuro Nook Rx from The Womenâs Brain Book:
Baby Brain Rx (The First 1000 Days):
From conception to covering a childâs first two years is just as importantâ
a diet rich in nutrients, lots of love and attention, and
safe, stimulating environments help childrenâs brains flourish.
Neuro Nook (Rx) for Dementia Prevention:
The evidence from modern neuroscience and ancient wisdom is clear:
how we eat, move, sleep, form relationships, and find meaning
is intimately connected to how our brains grow, think, feel, and, ultimately, age.
đ¨ď¸ A Final Message of Hope (*Author Approved!)
âRelationships shape our brains.
Connection helps to build resilience, joy, synchrony, and meaning, and leaves deep scars when absent.
Our brains are shaped by the lives we live and the connections we build. Our individual life stories are enmeshed with the life stories of other people.
A story of âmeâ is actually of âweâ.â
âď¸ Sign the petition to support âmatresenceâ to be added to the dictionary!
Your brain rewires. Your identity shatters. Your body transforms.
The dictionary has no word for it.
Matrescence, the complete biological, psychological, and emotional transformation of becoming a mother, is the largest neurological reorganization of the adult human brain ever observed.
It was coined by anthropologist Dana Raphael in 1973.
53 years later, itâs still not in the Oxford English or Merriam-Webster dictionaries. Your phoneâs keyboard doesnât even recognize it.
When we donât name what happens to mothers, we donât study it. We donât fund it. We donât support it.
67% of mothers have never heard the term matrescence. They go through one of the most destabilizing experiences of their lives thinking theyâre broken. Thinking theyâre alone. Thinking something is wrong with them.
Thereâs nothing wrong with them. Thereâs something wrong with the dictionary.
Sign this petition. Demand that Oxford, Merriam-Webster, and tech companies add matrescence.
Itâs time language caught up with lived experience.
Itâs time to GAF about mothers.
đŠ Join Dr. Sarah McKayâs Weekly Newsletter-
In Her Head!
Receive a weekly email newsletter that includes short "micro-briefings" on womenâs brain health. She curates her news from journals, conferences, policy, femtech, and trusted researchers, then writes it up in plain language, including links.
âśď¸ Exclusive Author Appearance next month! đ
đď¸ Thursday, May 7, 2025 | đ 12:00-12:45 PM EDT
đ The Art Cure: The Science of How the Arts Save LivesâNeuro Nook (Book Club) with Dr. Daisy Fancourt, Ph.D.
âWhatâs it aboutâ
ââA groundbreaking exposĂŠ showing how the artsâalongside diet, sleep, exercise, and natureâare the forgotten fifth pillar of health.
đŹ Summary:
âFrom cradle to grave, engaging in the arts has remarkable effects on our health and well-being. Music supports the architectural development of childrenâs brains. Artistic hobbies help our brains to stay resilient against dementia. Dance and magic tricks build new neural pathways for people with brain injuries. Arts and music act just like drugs to decrease depression, stress, and pain, reducing our dependence on medication. Going to live music events, museums, exhibitions, and the theater decreases our risk of future loneliness and frailty. Engaging in the arts improves the functioning of every major organ system in the body, even helping us to live longer.
This isnât sensationalism, itâs science: the results of decades of studies gathering data from neuroimaging, molecular biomarkers, wearable sensors, cognitive assessments, and electronic health records. From Professor Daisy Fancourt, an award-winning scientist and science communicator and director of the World Health Organizationâs Collaborating Centre for Arts and Health, this book will fundamentally change the way you value and engage with the arts in your daily life and give you the tools to optimize how, when, and what arts you engage in to achieve your health goals. The arts are not a luxury in our lives. They are essential.
đď¸ Upcoming Neuro Nook Meetings
Join me at the Virtual Brain Health Center with Brain Health Mentors for the upcoming Neuro Nook Book Club discussions, where we explore thought-provoking books that deepen our understanding of brain health and wellness.
Save the date for our future book club meeting from 12:00-12:45 PM EST on:
May 7, 2026: â **LIVE Author Appearance** â Art Cure: The Science of How the Arts Save Lives by Dr. Daisy Fancourt, Ph.D.
June 4, 2026:
July 9, 2026: *Please note the date changeâ4th of July holiday in the US*
August 6, 2026:
In brain health & wellness,
- Krystal