In this episode 75 protocols
▶ 0:13 Norwegian 4x4 HIIT Behaviors “And the third group did a high intensity interval training intervention, which was the Norwegian four by four protocol. So four minutes, 85 to 95% of maximum heart rate.” ▷ 12:29 Continue Cognitively Engaging Hobbies Behaviors “you definitely see that those who continue to engage in hobbies and activities that are cognitively engaging or cognitively demanding and that can be lectures that can be volunteering that can be reading crosswords that kind of stuff Those individuals tend to either have slowed rates of decline or better maintenance of function over time and or lower rates of dementia.” ▷ 13:19 Novel Cognitive Activities Behaviors “However, there's an increasing body of literature that shows that by engaging older adults in novel cognitive activities, you see improvements in function.” ▷ 17:29 Online Brain Training Behaviors “And they had online brain training there was something similar done in the pointer trial uh which was in older adults now 60s and 70s that was done here in the u.s” ▷ 18:45 Memory Training Behaviors “The training groups did memory training and mnemonics, memory palaces, that kind of stuff to help them remember.” ▷ 18:53 Reasoning Training Behaviors “There was reasoning training, which is kind of like looking for patterns in numbers and letters.” ▷ 18:58 Processing Speed Training Behaviors “And then there was processing speed training, where in this example, it's visual processing speed So things flash up on a screen in increasingly small increments So it could be hundreds of milliseconds And as you get better at doing it that time gets shorter And you have to remember what you saw and where you saw it on a screen.” ▷ 23:44 Choose Focused and Challenging Cognitive Tasks Behaviors “whereas if we're trying to build capacity you need to spend some time doing something where you are both focused and challenged cognitively” ▷ 23:56 Learn New Skills Behaviors “so that can come from learning new skills be they motor language social” ▷ 27:46 Dancing Behaviors “if you're thinking about some of the things that we have very good evidence for that kind of hit multiple networks at the same time dancing is probably number one” ▷ 28:24 Helmet Tools “I think skateboarding would be a great example, as long as you wear a helmet and don't hit your head too often.” ▷ 29:12 Creative Visual Arts Behaviors “there's some really interesting data on some other creative arts that do seem to have some effect on um you know network stability and function in the brain particularly the networks like the front of parietal network that we know is really important for like focus and attention” ▷ 29:34 Video Games Behaviors “again um similar effects from learning to play video games yes of course there no big motor patterns involved but you having to solve complex problems react quickly to a changing environment” ▷ 50:04 Practice Regularly Behaviors “what they found was that the most important predictor of how well somebody performed at those piano specific skills was not their age. It was how much they practice.” ▷ 53:00 Structured Practice Sessions Behaviors “what they found was that they tended to practice for about two sessions of 60 to 90 minutes a day. And I think that's a pretty good rule, right?” ▷ 54:12 Pomodoro Technique Behaviors “so like that's why pomodoro even though there's no like good studies on the pomodoro technique like for those time periods you know 25 minutes for the five minute break a few times, they do kind of fit into that kind of rhythm.” ▷ 55:54 Eliminate Distractions for Deep Work Behaviors “one of the best ways to like truly get deep focused work done is to eliminate distractions right that's one of the most important things that you can do” ▷ 59:05 Meditation Behaviors “Maybe this is why meditation is such a useful tool for improving focus is that it's just a forced no breaks thing.” ▷ 1:00:28 Mediterranean/MIND Diet Diet “Most interventions in the sort of cognitive and psychological space are focused on some version of the Mediterranean diet.” ▷ 1:02:42 Whole Foods and Nutrient-Dense Foods Diet “So what that tells me is it's much more about whole foods, they're nutrient dense, rather than avoiding any, you have to eat, you have to consume lots of olive oil, right?” ▷ 1:05:10 Avoid Chronic Caloric Excess or Restriction Diet “So the first thing to do is to make sure that you're eating enough, but not too much, right?” ▷ 1:05:34 Iron Supplements “The ones that we have the best evidence for are vitamin D, iron, omega-3 fatty acids, the B vitamins involved, and the B vitamins involved in methylation.” ▷ 1:05:34 Vitamin D Supplements “The ones that we have the best evidence for are vitamin D, iron, omega-3 fatty acids, the B vitamins involved, and the B vitamins involved in methylation.” ▷ 1:05:43 Folate Supplements “So particularly B12 and folate, also potentially B6 and riboflavin although that might depend a little bit more on the individual” ▷ 1:05:43 Riboflavin Supplements “So particularly B12 and folate, also potentially B6 and riboflavin although that might depend a little bit more on the individual” ▷ 1:05:43 Vitamin B12 Supplements “So particularly B12 and folate, also potentially B6 and riboflavin although that might depend a little bit more on the individual” ▷ 1:05:43 Vitamin B6 Supplements “So particularly B12 and folate, also potentially B6 and riboflavin although that might depend a little bit more on the individual” ▷ 1:05:45 Zeaxanthin Supplements “the carotenoids that make things orange yellow and red lutein zeaxanthin astaxanthin” ▷ 1:05:45 Polyphenol-Rich Foods and Drinks Diet “so many of the antioxidant polyphenols things that you get from berries coffee tea chocolate” ▷ 1:05:45 Lutein Supplements “the carotenoids that make things orange yellow and red lutein zeaxanthin astaxanthin” ▷ 1:05:58 Astaxanthin Supplements “the carotenoids that make things orange yellow and red lutein zeaxanthin astaxanthin if it comes from seafood that's what makes shrimp and salmon pink” ▷ 1:06:06 Dietary Fiber Diet “and then you know some other aspects like dietary fiber seems to have you know some some benefits as well” ▷ 1:06:17 Ethanolamine Supplements “then there's some of the structural lipid components things like choline and ethanolamine” ▷ 1:06:17 Zinc Supplements “and in general i think um and so magnesium uh zinc” ▷ 1:06:17 Choline Supplements “then there's some of the structural lipid components things like choline and ethanolamine” ▷ 1:06:26 Nuts, Seeds, and Eggs Diet “that you might get from um nuts and seeds or eggs” ▷ 1:11:50 Eat Fish Earlier in the Week if Needed Diet “so this is a really long way of me telling you if you eat some fish early in the week you don't then have to supplement later in the week” ▷ 1:13:00 Test Nutrient Status Behaviors “so the best advice if you have access to it is to test your levels test your vitamin d levels” ▷ 1:13:55 B Vitamins to Lower Homocysteine Supplements “But we have very good evidence that if you then supplement when somebody is above that range and you bring that down, you see significant improvements in cognitive function or slowed cognitive decline.” ▷ 1:16:16 Basic Multivitamin Supplements “So in the kind of general population, I think you could say that something like that is probably a reasonable strategy.” ▷ 1:16:23 Cocoa Flavanols Supplements “But what they also showed was that supplementing with this antioxidant cocoflavanol was only beneficial in those who tend to have a poor quality diet to start with” ▷ 1:16:32 Eat Fruits and Vegetables Diet “If you're drinking a lot of coffee, eating a lot of berries, seeing a lot of fruits and vegetables, you probably don't need it because you're already getting it.” ▷ 1:21:22 Improve Food Quality Diet “So, like, that really is improving food quality” ▷ 1:21:44 Supplement if You Cannot Get Needed Nutrients from Food Behaviors “And if you can't get those nutrients from food, I think we should supplement.” ▷ 1:33:38 Track How You Feel Behaviors “And I am a big proponent of thinking about or tracking how somebody feels, right?” ▷ 1:37:18 Exercise Before Learning Behaviors “So with exercise in particular, we know very well that some period of exercise can be resistance training, aerobic exercise, very brief sprints, increase arousal, improve cognitive function across multiple domains, improve learning and retrieval.” ▷ 1:38:05 Avoid Truly Exhaustive Exercise Before Cognitive Work Behaviors “improves learning as long as it's not truly exhaustive exercise” ▷ 1:41:19 20 to 30 Minute Jog Behaviors “the protocol that has like the best evidence for it is like a 20 to 30 minute jog, right?” ▷ 1:44:00 Zone 2 Cardio Behaviors “they had them do brisk walking three times a week 40 minutes um And when you kind of read the study and the heart rate levels they were trying to attain it was basically zone two work.” ▷ 1:46:06 High-Intensity Interval Training Behaviors “This study directly shows that working really hard releasing a lot of cortisol in high interval training actually improves hippocampal structure and function over time” ▷ 1:49:16 Maintain a Healthy Morning Cortisol Peak Behaviors “You want your morning cortisol high. It's going to make you sleep better at night, more energy during the day.” ▷ 1:54:36 Resistance Training Behaviors “you go in the gym you do a couple of sets you not maxing out um you know it it probably going to be your fairly typical couple of sets of uh 8 to 12 reps kind of 80 percent of of max something like that you do compound movement” ▷ 1:58:28 Do Both Aerobic and Strength Training Behaviors “So resistance training is a really great way to then create these boosts of IGF-1. So that's probably part of why we see that difference. But that's why you need to do both.” ▷ 2:07:32 Get Enough Sleep Behaviors “I do think that people need to get enough sleep” ▷ 2:16:29 Minimize Chances of Getting Really Sick Behaviors “if you want to maintain function over long periods of time, one of the best things you can do is minimize your chances of getting really sick.” ▷ 2:17:54 Vaccination to Reduce Serious Illness Time Behaviors “So I think that one reason why some of these vaccinations could be beneficial, is just you're minimizing the time you spend really sick as you're older” ▷ 2:19:43 Seek Immediate Medical Evaluation After Concussion Behaviors “yes you should be seen by a doctor” ▷ 2:20:44 Prevent Hyperthermia After Concussion Behaviors “What seems to be important is preventing hyperthermia.” ▷ 2:21:36 Avoid Super Sugary Refined Carbohydrates After Concussion Diet “I think an easy thing to just say is I would avoid any super sugary refined carbohydrates” ▷ 2:21:49 Avoid Alcohol After Concussion Diet “So alcohol I would avoid as well, mainly because it impairs sleep.” ▷ 2:21:56 Avoid Caffeine Acutely After Concussion Diet “Some people would say something similar about caffeine acutely after injury because it's a stimulant.” ▷ 2:22:52 Creatine Supplements “The best trial was actually done in a pediatric group, although very broad. It was like one year old to 18 years old, but they gave 0.4 grams per kilo per day.” ▷ 2:25:48 Magnesium Supplements “So magnesium so 400 milligrams once or twice a day” ▷ 2:26:39 Omega-3 Fatty Acids Supplements “If you're somebody who's at risk of a concussion, because of your sport or your job, I would just, you know, take a reasonable omega-3 supplement just long term, because we have some reasonable evidence for that.” ▷ 2:26:56 Melatonin Supplements “So if you have sleep issues, then there's studies that used melatonin, and that's shown improvements” ▷ 2:27:42 Branched-Chain Amino Acids Supplements “they were taking up to 60 grams of branched chain amino acids.” ▷ 2:29:04 Citicoline Supplements “Cyticholine. So best evidence is for one to two grams a day.” ▷ 2:29:22 Boswellia Supplements “The one that probably has the most evidence for it is Boswellia.” ▷ 2:29:33 Enzogenol Supplements “Enzogenol, which I think is a pine extract, slightly less evidence than Boswellia.” ▷ 2:29:49 Return to Physical Activity Early After Concussion Behaviors “Then beyond that, we know that return to physical activity as soon as possible is really important.” ▷ 2:30:41 Physical Therapy for Persistent Post-Concussion Symptoms Behaviors “So like the standard of care is generally physical therapy If you have any ongoing cognitive or physical symptoms sort of a month plus after any kind of traumatic brain injury” ▷ 2:30:41 Virtual or Augmented Reality Physical Activity for Post-Concussion Symptoms Behaviors “There some evidence that like virtual reality or augmented reality, physical activity might improve cognitive symptoms” ▷ 2:31:03 Vestibular Therapy Behaviors “vestibular therapy for balance and dizziness issues” ▷ 2:31:03 Ocular Motor Training Behaviors “there's a focus on sort of ocular motor training for like convergence or other eye issues that are very common after concussions” ▷ 2:31:20 Eye Tracking Assessment After Concussion Behaviors “But increasingly kind of eye tracking and these kinds of things are done, particularly in professional sports or other arenas after brain injuries to kind of ideally you'd have a baseline, you figure out what's changed, and then you would track that over time.”