Ormond Neuroscience

Ormond Neuroscience Neuropsychology in the real world. We're here to help.
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Ormond Neuroscience diagnose, treat and deal with brain-related problems, from stroke to anxiety, from brain injury to depression, from ADHD to ASD.

Brain training sounds logical.Practise memory tasks → improve memory.But research shows something different:You get bett...
11/04/2026

Brain training sounds logical.

Practise memory tasks → improve memory.

But research shows something different:

You get better at the task you practise…
but those gains rarely carry over into everyday life.

That’s because cognition isn’t just a skill.
It’s the output of a regulated system.

Read more: https://www.ormond.co.za/cognition/mild-cognitive-impairment-memory-problems/


Alzheimer's South Africa Dementia SA

We tend to think of memory as a single function.In reality, memory depends on a network of biological systems:sleepmetab...
09/04/2026

We tend to think of memory as a single function.

In reality, memory depends on a network of biological systems:
sleep
metabolism
stress regulation
brain signalling

When those systems are under strain, cognition suffers. This is why simply “exercising the brain” won't solve the problem.

Read more: https://www.ormond.co.za/cognition/mild-cognitive-impairment-memory-problems/


Alzheimer's South Africa Dementia SA

Modern medicine saves lives.In many conditions, using multiple medications is necessary and appropriate.But when several...
08/04/2026

Modern medicine saves lives.

In many conditions, using multiple medications is necessary and appropriate.

But when several medications — especially those acting on the brain — are combined, the effects are not always straightforward.

In some cases, people become:
slowed
emotionally blunted
less engaged
less able to think clearly

And here’s the difficult question:

How much of what we are seeing is the condition…
and how much reflects the treatment?

This is not about avoiding medication.

It is about ensuring that treatment supports brain function — rather than suppressing it.

Read more: https://www.ormond.co.za/brain-health/polypharmacy/


African Society For Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine

Something feels off...You forget names more easily.You often lose your train of thought.You start to wonder if this is h...
07/04/2026

Something feels off...

You forget names more easily.
You often lose your train of thought.
You start to wonder if this is how it begins.

But here’s the important point:

Not all memory problems are dementia.

There is a stage called mild cognitive impairment — and in many cases, it does not inevitably progress.

Understanding what’s actually going on is the first step.

Read more: https://www.ormond.co.za/cognition/mild-cognitive-impairment-memory-problems/


Alzheimer's South Africa Dementia SA

Photo by Alena Darmel

By now, you’ve probably noticed a pattern.Mood doesn’t sit on its own. It shifts with sleep, stress, cognitive load, and...
02/04/2026

By now, you’ve probably noticed a pattern.

Mood doesn’t sit on its own. It shifts with sleep, stress, cognitive load, and the general state of your body. That’s why it can feel so inconsistent — and also why it can improve.

When the physiological systems that support regulation begin to stabilise — even a little — things start to feel more manageable.

Not perfect. Not fixed. But steadier.

And from there, change becomes possible.

One of the most powerful ways to stabilise mood is also one of the most overlooked.Sleep.It’s not just how long you slee...
26/03/2026

One of the most powerful ways to stabilise mood is also one of the most overlooked.

Sleep.

It’s not just how long you sleep, but more importantly how regular your sleep is.

When sleep timing shifts from day to day, the systems that regulate energy, mood, and stress have to keep recalibrating. Over time, that makes everything feel less stable.

A more consistent sleep rhythm doesn’t solve everything, but it gives your system something to anchor to.

From there, regulation and stabilising your mood become easier.

Living with a mood disorder can be difficult because your emotions start to feel unpredictable. Some days are manageabl...
19/03/2026

Living with a mood disorder can be difficult because your emotions start to feel unpredictable. Some days are manageable, others are not, and it’s hard to see what’s helping and what is not.

One of the difficulties is that many people are trying to solve a systems problem without a clear plan or structure. You make a few changes here and there, but nothing quite holds.

In practice, regulation tends to improve when support becomes more consistent and more intentional. This usually involves regular sleep, reduced overload, predictable rhythms, and supporting the body as well as the mind.

Over time, these patterns begin to stabilise the system, and mood becomes less fragile.

At Ormond Neuroscience, we call this approach Neuroharmonics.
We explore this regulation-based perspective on brain and emotional health in more detail here:
https://www.ormond.co.za/mood-disorders/mood-disorders-and-regulation/

When mood is low, it’s tempting to look for a single cause. We blame some recent stressful event, or point the finger at...
12/03/2026

When mood is low, it’s tempting to look for a single cause. We blame some recent stressful event, or point the finger at our partner, or even blame our personality!
The truth is that mood is rarely driven by one factor alone. Sleep disruption, sustained stress, cognitive overload, metabolic strain, and autonomic imbalance all place pressure on the same regulatory systems.

That’s why recovery often involves small changes across several domains rather than one dramatic solution. When your system is supported in multiple ways, regulation gradually returns.

When regulation improves, mood usually follows.

I'll be talking about vagal nerve stimulation (VNS) with particular emphasis on the clinical benefits of VNS for mood di...
10/03/2026

I'll be talking about vagal nerve stimulation (VNS) with particular emphasis on the clinical benefits of VNS for mood disorders. It's really fascinating stuff and you're welcome to attend. It's online, happening at 7:00pm on Wednesday 11 March and will last an hour. You do not need to be a health care professional to attend. The talk is free and open to all, but you need to register before hand. Please use the link below to register.

f8a0257d-ab80-4a35-a2e8-e8f31ce035d0@e344119f-d2fc-4fd0-9c36-784e0a0de32c/registration" rel="ugc" target="_blank">https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/f8a0257d-ab80-4a35-a2e8-e8f31ce035d0@e344119f-d2fc-4fd0-9c36-784e0a0de32c/registration

When your mood feels unstable, the instinct is often to push harder.You want to fix it quickly — so you try to think mor...
25/02/2026

When your mood feels unstable, the instinct is often to push harder.

You want to fix it quickly — so you try to think more positively, work harder, exercise harder.

But regulation rarely improves under pressure.

In the early stages of recovery, stability matters more than intensity.

That means:
Sleep regularity.
Reducing cognitive load.
Predictable rhythms.

When your system stabilises, flexibility returns — and mood becomes less fragile.

The ups and downs of mood disorders can be confusing. You’re fine one day and then crash the next. It can feel discour...
18/02/2026

The ups and downs of mood disorders can be confusing. You’re fine one day and then crash the next. It can feel discouraging and it’s easy to assume you’re back to where you started.
But regulation is dynamic and improvement never unfolds in a straight line.
There’s no need to lose hope: variability reflects a living system trying to recalibrate, not failing.

We think of mood disorders as emotional problems. Understandably so. But mood is only one output of a much larger syste...
11/02/2026

We think of mood disorders as emotional problems. Understandably so. But mood is only one output of a much larger system.

Sleep, stress, cognitive load, blood sugar, and the autonomic nervous system all shape how mood is experienced day to day.

When that system loses flexibility, everything feels harder. Energy drops. Resilience narrows.

We explore this regulation-based perspective in more detail here:
https://www.ormond.co.za/mood-disorders/mood-disorders-and-regulation/

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Netcare Rehabilitation Hospital
Johannesburg
2092

Opening Hours

Monday 08:30 - 16:00
Tuesday 08:30 - 16:00
Wednesday 08:30 - 16:00
Thursday 08:30 - 16:00
Friday 08:30 - 14:00

Telephone

+27813264509

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