Dr. Tommy Wood: Can Cognitive Decline Be Reversed?
3/24/20261 hr 30 min
Up to 70% of dementia may be preventable, so why aren’t more people talking about what actually drives cognitive decline? In this episode, I’m with Dr. Tommy Wood, neuroscientist and author of “The Stimulated Mind,” to explore the lifestyle levers that protect your brain across a lifetime. Learn how white matter hyperintensities develop and whether they can reverse, what MCTs and ketones actually do for a glucose-starved brain, and why social connection may be the most underrated variable in cognitive aging. What is the one change you could make today that would most protect your brain tomorrow?
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First 90 secondsTommy Wood· Guest0:00
Alzheimer's, often we assume it's related to memory, but it's also executive function, numbers, decision-making. One of the best sort of early predictors of later Alzheimer's disease was people losing the ability to keep track of their finances.
Gabrielle Lyon· Host0:12
If the human condition is to choose the path of least resistance, then we have these computers thinking and doing work for us. We lose these tactical skills of thinking and processing.
Tommy Wood· Guest0:24
Either you can use these tools to augment what you're currently capable of, or you can allow them to drive atrophy of those skills. But it still requires us to engage our brain in that process, or do we just let it take over and do the work for us?
Gabrielle Lyon· Host0:36
I don't think we have any data because we've never been in this position, and I can't imagine the brain volume would decrease exponentially, but who knows? They say that Alzheimer's is not reversible- Mm ... that prevention is the best metric versus once you have problems, you're in trouble.
Tommy Wood· Guest0:56
Fully reversible right now is controversial. When you start to lose brain volume, the first thing that happens is not that you're losing cells. What they're doing is they're, they're shrinking down.
Gabrielle Lyon· Host1:06
What must they do?
Tommy Wood· Guest1:07
Sleep is important. We know that people who consistently sleep for less than six hours a night have an increased risk of dementia.
Gabrielle Lyon· Host1:12
If you wanted to say, "If you want to multiply your risk of dementia, here's what I would have you do."
Tommy Wood· Guest1:18
The biggest risk factors that we know exist are...
Unknown speaker1:21
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