There’s a huge amount that we can do on the lifestyle front to affect a trajectory regardless of where we are on it – Dr. Tommy Wood
Your brain is not necessarily doomed to significant cognitive decline with age.
But it does need a reason to keep adapting.
That is the premise behind the book The Stimulated Mind and it is why this conversation with author and neuroscientist Dr. Tommy Wood may change how you think about aging, retirement, frustration, and the things you normally avoid because they feel difficult.
Dr. Wood is Associate Professor of Pediatrics and Neuroscience at the University of Washington. Biochemistry from Cambridge, a medical degree from Oxford, a PhD from Oslo. He’s the head scientist for motorsport at Hintsa Sports Performance, so he’s literally keeping Formula 1 drivers sharp. He’s also the chief science officer at the brain-health company BetterBrain.
Some highlights from the episode:
06:00 The counterclockwise study
08:00 Beliefs about aging
11:00 Age limits and cognitive ability
14:00 Cognitive baseline testing
16:00 Challenge and brain adaptation
19:00 Why frustration can be beneficial
21:00 Reading versus listening
23:00 Hearing and vision loss
26:00 Alzheimer’s versus dementia
30:00 The best exercise for the brain
34:00 Overstimulation versus real stimulation
37:00 Retirement and cognitive decline
39:00 Food and brain health
41:00 Dementia biomarker testing
44:00 Improving cognition after decline
46:00 Advice for caregivers
48:00 Do crossword puzzles and brain games work?
Resources / Links
- Site: Dr. Tommy Wood
- Book : The Stimulated Mind: Future-Proof Your Brain from Dementia and Stay Sharp at Any Age
- Counterclockwise by Ellen Langer,
- BetterBrian
- Creatine and cognative function
- The brisk-walking/hippocampal-volume study
