Dr. Ryan Cedermark

10/19/2025

🧠 The Way You Talk to Yourself Shapes Your Brain

Every thought you repeat sends an electrical signal through your brain.
Do it often enough, and that pathway strengthens — that’s neuroplasticity in action.

💭 Negative self-talk fires stress circuits in your brain, keeping you stuck in patterns of fear and self-doubt.
💬 Supportive self-talk activates areas like your prefrontal cortex — the region that helps you stay calm, focused, and in control.

Over time, your inner voice becomes your brain’s blueprint.
Speak to yourself the way you’d train a brain you want to grow.

✨ Repetition rewires.
✨ Compassion reshapes.
✨ Your words are brain training.

10/16/2025

Overthinking literally reshapes your brain.

When you ruminate, you strengthen the default mode network, the same circuits tied to worry, self-criticism, and replaying the past.

Over time, those pathways get faster and stronger through neuroplasticity, making overthinking your brain’s default.

But neuroplasticity works both ways.
You can rewire out of overthinking by training new patterns:

✅Mindful focus (quiet the DMN)
✅Aerobic exercise (boost prefrontal control + BDNF)
✅Breathwork or vagus nerve stimulation (calm the amygdala)
✅Cognitive redirection (strengthen focus circuits)

Every time you interrupt the spiral, you teach your brain peace instead of rumination.

09/25/2025

Our 4-Day Functional Neurology Conference kicks off tomorrow!

I have the first lecture at 9am, discussing the cerebellum.

You can still register: https://www.iafnr.org/iafnr-2025-fall-conference

09/09/2025

is currently taking pre-orders for their 2nd batch of Pro headphones (only 300 available)

Make sure to use the link down low and use the code “cedermark10” at checkout out to save some money if you are looking for an amazing device to stimulate your vagus nerve⚡️🧠

https://hoolest.com/?sca_ref=5172963.DkLrKmowtK

08/31/2025

08/11/2025

In functional neurology, the prefrontal cortex (PFC)–amygdala relationship is one of the core regulatory loops that determines how a patient responds to the world, learns new skills, and recovers from injury.

Here’s the breakdown:

1. The Prefrontal Cortex (PFC)–Amygdala Circuit

Amygdala: Rapid emotional and threat detector — processes fear, stress, and emotional salience before conscious thought.

PFC: Executive control center — plans, inhibits, regulates emotion, and applies logic.

Healthy Relationship: The PFC exerts top-down regulation over the amygdala, helping you pause, assess, and respond instead of react.

Dysfunctional Relationship: If the amygdala is hyperactive (as in chronic stress, TBI, or neurodevelopmental disorders), its signals can overwhelm the PFC, impairing decision-making, attention, and emotional control.

2. In Neurodevelopment

In children, the PFC is still maturing (well into the mid-20s), so emotional regulation relies more heavily on subcortical structures like the amygdala.

Early stress or adverse experiences can strengthen amygdala reactivity while weakening PFC control circuits.

Therapies that train sustained attention, working memory, and inhibition help wire stronger PFC-amygdala connections.

3. In Brain Injury

TBIs, especially frontal lobe injuries, can weaken inhibitory control over the amygdala, leading to impulsivity, irritability, and emotional lability.

Functional neurology therapy often pairs executive function tasks with autonomic calming strategies (e.g., vagus nerve stimulation, breath work) to help re-establish regulation.

4. In Chronic Stress

Long-term stress → high cortisol → structural changes:

PFC volume & connectivity can shrink

Amygdala becomes more excitable

This creates a feed-forward loop where stress further reduces regulation, increasing reactivity.

Therapy focuses on breaking the loop via neuroplastic training + autonomic balance work.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352289514000101

08/05/2025

Using photobiomodulation (PBM) on the cerebellum in a functional neurology clinic can be a strategic intervention to enhance neuroplasticity, metabolic function, and recovery in patients with neurological disorders. Here’s a breakdown of the clinical reasoning:

1. The Cerebellum’s Role in Neurological Function

Traditionally associated with motor coordination and balance.

Increasingly recognized for its role in:
• Cognition and attention
• Emotional regulation
• Eye movements and postural control
• Autonomic integration
• Vestibular processing

Damage or dysfunction in the cerebellum can affect all of the above, especially in conditions like concussion, developmental disorders, dysautonomia, and neurodegenerative diseases.

2. Mechanisms of PBM on the Cerebellum

Photobiomodulation (typically using red or near-infrared light in the 660–1100 nm range) can:

Enhance mitochondrial activity (cytochrome c oxidase activation)

Increase ATP production to fuel neural repair and synaptic activity

Reduce oxidative stress and inflammation

Improve local blood flow and oxygenation

Stimulate neurogenesis and synaptogenesis

These effects may be particularly valuable in hypoactive, inflamed, or degenerating cerebellar regions.

3. Clinical Applications in Functional Neurology

PBM to the cerebellum may benefit patients with:

Concussion or mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI)
Cerebellar hypoplasia or ataxia
Balance and coordination deficits
Autonomic dysfunction (via cerebellar-autonomic connections)
Developmental delays (e.g., autism spectrum)
Vestibular dysfunction and oculomotor issues
Cognitive impairments (via cerebello-thalamo-cortical circuits)

07/09/2025

How Can the RAS Improve Your Life?

1. Sharpening Your Focus

Your RAS helps you notice more of what aligns with your goals. For example, if you’re focused on improving your health, you might start noticing fitness articles, healthy food options, or people around you who are also health-minded.

2. Reinforcing Positive Change

When you consciously set intentions (like “I am healing” or “I can find solutions”), your RAS begins tuning into experiences and cues that support those beliefs. It acts as a feedback loop between your thoughts and your environment.

3. Overcoming Limiting Beliefs

If you constantly tell yourself you’re stuck, your RAS will filter the world to confirm that belief. But if you reframe your thoughts (“There’s always a way forward”), your brain starts filtering for possibility instead of limitation.

4. Enhancing Neuroplasticity

By consistently focusing on growth, healing, or learning, you activate your RAS to reinforce those pathways — literally helping rewire your brain over time.

How to Activate Your RAS Intentionally

✅Set Clear Goals – Write down or visualize what you want. Your RAS needs something specific to filter for.

✅Use Positive Affirmations – Repetition helps tell your RAS what matters.

✅Practice Gratitude – The more you look for the good, the more your brain shows it to you.

✅Control Your Inputs – Surround yourself with people, environments, and content that support the changes you want.

Bottom line:

Your Reticular Activating System is always working. When you train your mind to focus on what you want — rather than what you fear — your brain begins showing you the path forward. That’s powerful brain science in action.

07/01/2025

How Balance Training, Walking, and Pickleball Improve Functional Neurology Outcomes After Brain Injury or Stroke

1. Balance Training (Standing on Whole-Body Vibration)

Balance is the foundation of functional recovery. Standing on vibration platforms stimulates proprioceptive input from the feet and spine, directly activating the cerebellum, vestibular nuclei, and somatosensory cortex.

✅Enhances posture and midline control
✅Primes the brain for neuroplastic change
✅Improves vestibular function and sensory integration

Vibration also boosts muscle spindle sensitivity and motor readiness, helping patients with stroke or TBI regain foundational control and reduce fall risk.

2. Walking

Once basic balance is supported, walking reintroduces rhythmic, cross-pattern movement that stimulates interhemispheric communication and neurovascular coupling.

✅Improves frontal lobe activation and gait control
✅Boosts BDNF and neurogenesis in motor pathways
✅Re-engages coordination between the cerebellum, brainstem, and cortex

Walking is a natural and powerful tool to support recovery, especially when paired with dual-task cognitive or sensory challenges.

3. Pickleball

Pickleball combines all of the above…balance, dynamic movement, cognitive processing, and coordination…in an engaging, real-world setting.

✅Activates frontal, parietal, cerebellar, and motor networks
✅Enhances reaction time, gaze stability, and timing
✅Promotes social interaction, motivation, and autonomic regulation

Pickleball is an ideal late-stage rehab tool to reinforce integration of brain networks and improve functional outcomes in real-life scenarios.

Clinical Application Tip:
👉 Progressive layering is key—start with static balance, move to locomotion, then introduce dynamic coordination.
👉 Use vibration or neuromodulation (e.g., tVNS, PBM) before walking or sport to enhance plasticity.

05/22/2025

Photobiomodulation—using red or near-infrared light (600–1100 nm)—stimulates mitochondria and improves cellular energy production, particularly in neurons. This directly impacts neuroplastic potential.

🧠 Key Mechanisms:

1. ↑ ATP Production

PBM activates cytochrome c oxidase in mitochondria → increases ATP synthesis.

More ATP = more energy for synaptic transmission, axonal growth, and remyelination.

2. ↑ BDNF and Neurotrophins

PBM stimulates the expression of BDNF, NGF, and other growth factors.

These promote synaptogenesis, dendritic sprouting, and neuronal survival—all core to strengthening neural circuits.

3. ↓ Inflammation and Oxidative Stress

Reduces levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines (e.g., TNF-α, IL-1β).

Increases antioxidant enzymes (e.g., SOD, catalase), creating a neuroprotective environment ideal for plasticity.

4. Enhances Cerebral Blood Flow

PBM causes vasodilation and improves oxygen delivery to targeted brain regions.

Better perfusion supports neuronal metabolism and functional recovery.

5. Modulates Brain Oscillations

Studies show PBM can influence gamma and alpha band activity in EEG.

This reflects changes in network synchronization, especially in the prefrontal cortex and default mode network, related to cognitive control and recovery.

05/19/2025

Walking with a weighted vest can enhance neuroplasticity by increasing proprioceptive input, vestibular engagement, and sensorimotor integration—all of which stimulate brain regions critical for movement coordination, balance, and body awareness.

Neuroplasticity Reasons to Begin Walking with a Weighted Vest:

1. Enhanced Proprioceptive Feedback

The added weight increases stimulation of joint and muscle receptors, which boosts sensory input to the somatosensory cortex and cerebellum. This sensory-rich environment supports plastic changes in areas responsible for motor control and balance.

2. Improved Vestibular-Cerebellar Integration

Walking under load subtly challenges balance and gait stability, increasing demands on the vestibular system and cerebellar processing, both of which are plastic and trainable systems involved in postural control.

3. Cortical Engagement via Load Compensation

Carrying weight recruits additional neural circuits in the motor cortex, premotor areas, and supplementary motor area to coordinate the increased physical demand, promoting corticospinal plasticity.

4. Stimulates Default Mode Network Disruption

The physical challenge of walking with a vest can help shift brain activity away from the default mode network (associated with passive states) toward task-positive networks, improving attention, body awareness, and cognitive-motor coupling.

5. Supports Gait Rehabilitation and Pattern Reinforcement

For individuals recovering from brain injury or neurological dysfunction, weighted walking reinforces central pattern generators (CPGs) in the spinal cord and brainstem, especially when paired with neuromodulation strategies.

6. Activates Neurotrophic Factors

The physical exertion from weighted walking increases production of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and IGF-1, which support synaptic growth, learning, and adaptation.

We have licensed chiropractors in Atlanta, Georgia, passionate about helping those suffering where other healthcare options have failed.

05/06/2025

What a great group!

I have wanted to do this class in person for a long time and I had an absolute blast teaching and meeting new, cool people.

Thank you to everyone who traveled in for this from all over (Canada, California, Texas, Oklahoma, Ohio, Missouri, Arizona, Florida, Tennessee, Virginia, Iowa, Chicago, Massachusetts, North Carolina and of course Georgia) it truly means a lot to me.

I took a lot of great things away from the weekend from everyone who attended so I hope you did too!

Big thank you to our sponsors:








Stay Nerdy🤓😎