Dr. Richard Isaacson and His AD Masterclass - Episode 3
The Alzheimer’s Hub of Hope has four sections: Heroes, Highlights, Headlines and Helpers/Caregivers. This post is aligned to the Highlights section.
This post in third in a series of four that cover Dr. Richard Isaacson’s Masterclass. The first two posts can be found here and here. During this third episode I’ll cover courses:
Physical Exercise and Habits
4 Minute HIIT Exercise
Cognitive Engagement, Educational Attainment, and Brain Training
Stress Management
Below are links to all 19 of the Masterclasses.
Physical Exercise and Habits
By far the #1 thing you can do today to improve your mind and reduce the risk of AD is to exercise.
10,000 steps a day is good for brain maintenance but is really an “activity” and not exercise. Exercise needs to be more intense to turn back the clock and improve cognitive performance.
Sitting is the new smoking. Sitting between five and eight hours a day is like smoking several cigarettes.
The two basic types of exercise are cardio and weight/resistance training.
The best type of cardio is HIIT (high intensity interval training) where a person sprints for a brief period and then rests for a brief period. This forces the heart rate to rise to a high level which provides much benefit.
Weight and resistance training builds muscle mass which is critical in optimizing brain function.
Women and men respond to fat differently. Belly fat for women increases the risk of AD by 39%. Men are impacted by body fat too but muscle mass is more important.
A typical person will loose 1% of muscle mass per year after the age of 65. Building muscle speeds up metabolism.
It is better to build strength than muscle.
A good measure of a person’s cardio fitness is their resting heart rate. A one beat reduction adds three months to life span, improves longevity and brain span.
It takes 30 to 40 minutes of cardio to burn the carbs in the body’s system before fat starts being burnt.
HIIT stimulates the mitochondria which is the energy source of cells.
Exercise is like miracle grow for the brain. It stimulates BDNF which can grow brain cells.
12. 4 Minute HIIT Exercise
This is a short 5-minute video demonstrating a form of HIIT called Tabata.
Tabata requires doing an exercise intensely for 20 seconds and resting for 10.
The video demonstrates Tabata using sit-ups, push-ups, air squats and lunges in a 4 minute routine.
13. Cognitive Engagement, Educational Attainment, Brain Training
There are numerous interventions that mitigate and reduce AD risk.
Education starting in elementary school is a key modifiable risk factor. Each additional year of schooling is protective.
Education and learning throughout a lifespan can reduce risk. Learning a new language or musical instrument in mid-life or later has been shown to reduce AD risk. Engaging in music throughout life is protective.
Brain training activities that engage the brain in specific areas is helpful. A short, six-week cognitive training program using tablets has shown to improve brain processing speed. A follow-up study shows that the people who did the training had fewer car accidents.
A brain has language pathways, music pathways and educational pathways. All are important and support brain health. Learning a new language later in life may be the best brain activity.
Dr. Isaacson “prescribes” doing cognitive training twice a week for 30 minutes for his patients.
Dr. Isaacson completes cognitive assessments of his patients, often before symptoms, to identify specific areas of suboptimal performance so he can “prescribe” specific types of cognitive training. This is a type of percision medicine.
A combination of cognitive training and physical training performed at the same time produces better outcomes than when they are performed separately. This 1 + 1 = 3 is known as the biological principle of synergy. An example is riding a stationary bicycle while doing cognitive training on a tablet.
Listening to music, even in the background, can be brain stimulating.
14. Stress Management
Stress impacts a variety of brain pathways and biological processes.
The worst type of stress for AD is worry or rumination, thinking the same thought over and over again. This is called repetitive negative thinking (RNT). It creates inflammation and leads to shrinkage of certain parts of the brain.
RNT is associated with higher levels of amyloid and tau accumulation in a person’s brain which is characteristic of AD.
High stress levels lead to poorer cognitive outcomes as we age.
People should have a plan to reduce or mitigate their stress levels such as deep breathing, meditation, long weekends or vacations.
Transcendental meditation and mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) are well studied and effective methods to reduce stress. MBSR is a healing technique that combines meditation and yoga and has been shown to protect cognitive health.
AD fast forwarding can be countered (slowed down) by participating in stress management techniques.
Depression is an AD modifiable risk factor but if treated properly may be protective for AD.
Stress reduction improves lifespan, brain span, and longevity.
The Twilight Zone
Like the Twilight Zone TV show of the 1960s, the Twilight Zone section of a post will have thought provoking paradoxes and surprises that makes one think deeply.
The above meme was posted by Classic Guitar Rock on X/Twitter and meets my Twilight Zone definition.
The Rolling Stones’ Keith Richard is the epitome of the phrase “sex, drugs and rock-n-roll”. He’s 80 years old and still touring. I believe he’s is of sound mind and body. Per this article he gave up heroin, cocaine and cigarettes (after 55 years of smoking) but he still likes to drink. Perhaps all of those years of smoking is helping with his cognition. Check out my post Can Nicotine Improve Focus, Memory and Cognition? for more information.
The video below demonstrates his lack of health consciousness.
Contrast Keith Richards with Fitness guru, Richard Simmons who recently passed from natural causes one day after his 76th birthday.
Simmons was a celebrity and appeared on US television for many years advocating the benefits of exercise and eating healthy. Per Google he emphasized fruits and vegetables, with a minimum of seven servings of fruits and vegetables each day.
You would think that he would outlive Keith Richards but that didn’t happen. That makes it Twilight Zone worthy.