Better Brain Fitness with Drs. Josh Turknett and Tommy Wood

48:57

Your Brain's 400 Miles of Blood Vessels (Interview...

Better Brain Fitness with Drs. Josh Turknett and... ·

2026/10/02

Your brain runs on roughly 400 miles of blood vessels, and most of them are too small to see on a standard scan. Vascular neurologist Dr. Jason Hinman of UCLA studies how those tiny vessels keep the brain's white matter healthy, and why vascular injury shows up alongside Alzheimer's disease in at least half of patients. We talk about: new blood tests and MRI techniques that can pick up vascular changes years before today's scans do, the subtle signs clinicians tend to miss, and the most practical

en

17:52

Josh's new book: The Genius and the Impostor

Better Brain Fitness with Drs. Josh Turknett and... ·

2026/08/03

To grab your copy of the book, head to GeniusAndImpostor.com. To submit a question for us to answer on the podcast, go to brainjo.academy/question. To subscribe to the free Better Brain Fitness newsletter, join us when we record live, and get our Guide and Checklist to essential blood tests and nutrients, go to: betterbrain.fitness. To learn more about how you can boost brain fitness with neuroscience-based musical instruction, head to brainjo.academy. Intro and Outro music composed and produced

en

01:03:44

Preventing the Wrong Kind of Brain Plasticity, with...

Better Brain Fitness with Drs. Josh Turknett and... ·

2026/06/03

Henry Mahncke is the CEO of Posit Science and the creator of BrainHQ, the most researched brain training platform in the world. A neuroscientist who did his PhD with Michael Merzenich, considered the father of adult brain plasticity, Henry has spent two decades translating brain plasticity science into tools that actually improve brain health. In this conversation, we dig into why most brain training criticism misses the point, what the largest clinical trials really show, and why the future of

en

28:46

Can This Vaccine Help Prevent Alzheimer's?

Better Brain Fitness with Drs. Josh Turknett and... ·

2026/05/07

Can a shingles vaccine cut your dementia risk by 20%? A series of landmark studies — published in Nature, Cell, and JAMA — say yes. In this episode, Tommy unpacks the research: how natural experiments in four countries produced one of the most compelling signals in dementia prevention, what might explain the effect beyond infection prevention, and what it means for your own vaccination decisions. In this episode: 00:00 — Introduction 00:52 — The new data on shingles vaccination and Alzheimer's

en

28:31

Can a Blood Test Predict Alzheimer's?

Better Brain Fitness with Drs. Josh Turknett and... ·

2026/04/14

A recent study published in Nature Medicine claims a blood test can predict when you'll develop Alzheimer's disease, and it got a lot of attention. But how well does it actually work, and should you rush out and get tested? In this episode, we break down the study behind the headlines to understand what it really shows, where the major limitations lie, and what it means for anyone thinking about getting this kind of test. Topics and Questions Covered What P-Tau 217 is and why it's become the

en

21:18

An Existential Crisis for Alzheimer's Research?

Better Brain Fitness with Drs. Josh Turknett and... ·

2026/02/28

In this episode, we discuss a study published in PLOS One that compared living brain tissue to post-mortem brain tissue and found dramatic molecular differences between the two. The findings raise serious questions about decades of Alzheimer's research built on post-mortem analysis and may help explain why pharmaceutical treatments for the disease have been so disappointing Study: A Study of RNA Splicing and Protein Expression in the Living Human Brain -------------- To submit a question for us to

en

Video Games That Boost Brain Function

Better Brain Fitness with Drs. Josh Turknett and... ·

2026/02/10

In this episode, we explore a rigorous meta-analysis examining how action video games, particularly first and third-person shooters, affect cognitive function in young adults. The research reveals promising evidence that these games can enhance processing speed and selective attention, with the strongest benefits coming from games requiring rapid environmental responses and decision-making under time pressure. What we discussed: How action video games like Halo and Call of Duty improve processing

en

29:31

Does Computerized Brain Training Help?

Better Brain Fitness with Drs. Josh Turknett and... ·

2026/01/30

In this episode, we dig into a recent McGill University study on computerized cognitive training and its effects on brain chemistry in older adults. What you'll learn: Why certain brain training games reversed a decade of age-related cognitive decline in just 10 weeks—and how researchers finally measured actual biological changes in the brain The critical difference between activities that genuinely enhance your brain versus mental junk food like Candy Crush or Solitaire The single organizing

en

34:54

What's Wrong With The New Food Pyramid.

Better Brain Fitness with Drs. Josh Turknett and... ·

2026/01/16

To submit a question for us to answer on the podcast, go to brainjo.academy/question. To subscribe to the free Better Brain Fitness newsletter, join us when we record live, and get our Guide and Checklist to essential blood tests and nutrients, go to: betterbrain.fitness. Click here to pre-order Dr. Wood's book, "The Stimulated Mind." Click here to grab Dr. Turknett's bestselling book, "Anyone Can Play Music" Intro and Outro music composed and produced by Julienne Ellen.

en

23:49

This Brain Aging Study Is Our New Favorite!

Better Brain Fitness with Drs. Josh Turknett and... ·

2025/12/18

Much of what we talk about on Better Brain Fitness resolves around the demand-driven decline model we published. Well...a new study just published in Nature Communications gave that model the best test to date, and the results are pretty darn exciting. So of course we had to do an episode about it! The study looks at the relationship between brain aging and creative activities like music, dance, art, and video gaming. Tommy walks through the study and explains why this matters for anyone thinking

en

26:36

How to Neutralize the Impact of Hearing Loss on...

Better Brain Fitness with Drs. Josh Turknett and... ·

2025/12/12

In this episode, we tackle a question from listener Carolyn in Michigan about the potential cognitive impacts of long-term hearing loss. What You'll Learn: The research linking hearing loss to increased dementia risk and what the evidence actually shows How hearing aids impact the risk of cognitive decline The mechanisms behind why hearing loss might affect brain health Practical strategies for maintaining cognitive health when dealing with hearing loss Innovative technologies for hearing

en

38:08

Are Microplastics Causing Dementia?

Better Brain Fitness with Drs. Josh Turknett and... ·

2025/11/04

You may have heard the alarming headline about a recent study that showed the typical brain had about a teaspoon of microplastics inside of it. And that amount appears to be increasing each year. In equally alarming fashion, that same study also revealed that those with dementia had over 5 times the amount of plastic in their brains as those without. Needless to say, it's an issue worth paying attention to. So, in this episode, we break down what is known about microplastics and their impact on

en

01:03:55

Hacking the Brain: TMS, Brain-to-Brain Communication,...

Better Brain Fitness with Drs. Josh Turknett and... ·

2025/10/28

To submit a question for us to answer on the podcast, go to brainjo.academy/question. To subscribe to the free Better Brain Fitness newsletter, join us when we record live, and get our Guide and Checklist to essential blood tests and nutrients, go to: betterbrain.fitness. Click here to pre-order Dr. Wood's book, "The Stimulated Mind." Click here to grab Dr. Turknett's bestselling book, "Anyone Can Play Music" Intro and Outro music composed and produced by Julienne Ellen.

en

59:29

Why Your Brain Needs Friends, with guest Dr. Ben Rein

Better Brain Fitness with Drs. Josh Turknett and... ·

2025/10/15

Click here to grab Ben's new book, "Why Your Brain Needs Friends"! To submit a question for us to answer on the podcast, go to brainjo.academy/question. To subscribe to the free Better Brain Fitness newsletter, join us when we record live, and get our Guide and Checklist to essential blood tests and nutrients, go to: betterbrain.fitness. Click here to pre-order Dr. Wood's book, "The Stimulated Mind." Click here to grab Dr. Turknett's bestselling book, "Anyone Can Play Music" Intro and Outro

en

24:15

Unpacking the surprising results from the POINTER trial

Better Brain Fitness with Drs. Josh Turknett and... ·

2025/10/07

To submit a question for us to answer on the podcast, go to brainjo.academy/question. To subscribe to the free Better Brain Fitness newsletter, join us when we record live, and get our Guide and Checklist to essential blood tests and nutrients, go to: betterbrain.fitness. Click here to pre-order Dr. Wood's book, "The Stimulated Mind." Click here to grab Dr. Turknett's bestselling book, "Anyone Can Play Music" Intro and Outro music composed and produced by Julienne Ellen.

en

34:53

Dr. Tommy Wood's Exciting Announcement!

Better Brain Fitness with Drs. Josh Turknett and... ·

2025/09/25

Click here to pre-order a copy of Dr. Wood's book, The Stimulated Mind! To subscribe to the free Better Brain Fitness newsletter, join us when we record live, and get our Guide and Checklist to essential blood tests and nutrients, go to: betterbrain.fitness. To submit a question for us to answer on the podcast, go to brainjo.academy/question. To learn more about how you can boost brain fitness with neuroscience-based musical instruction, head to brainjo.academy. Intro and Outro music composed and

en

55:50

How To Thrive In An Always On World, with Dr. James...

Better Brain Fitness with Drs. Josh Turknett and... ·

2025/09/09

Click here to check out James's book, Regenerative Performance. To submit a question for us to answer on the podcast, go to brainjo.academy/question. To subscribe to the free Better Brain Fitness newsletter, join us when we record live, and get our Guide and Checklist to essential blood tests and nutrients, go to: betterbrain.fitness. To learn more about how you can boost brain fitness with neuroscience-based musical instruction, head to brainjo.academy. Intro and Outro music composed and

en

01:04:00

#82: Why Your Brain Is (Perfectly) Weird:...

Better Brain Fitness with Drs. Josh Turknett and... ·

2025/08/26

To submit a question for us to answer on the podcast, go to brainjo.academy/question. To subscribe to the free Better Brain Fitness newsletter, join us when we record live, and get our Guide and Checklist to essential blood tests and nutrients, go to: betterbrain.fitness. Click here to pre-order Dr. Wood's book, "The Stimulated Mind." Click here to grab Dr. Turknett's bestselling book, "Anyone Can Play Music" Intro and Outro music composed and produced by Julienne Ellen.

en

41:26

Your Brain on Caffeine: the REAL story

Better Brain Fitness with Drs. Josh Turknett and... ·

2025/08/15

en

56:30

Statins, Cholesterol, and Brain Health: Our...

Better Brain Fitness with Drs. Josh Turknett and... ·

2025/07/31

To submit a question for us to answer on the podcast, go to brainjo.academy/question. To subscribe to The Better Brain Fitness newsletter and get our Guide and Checklist to essential blood tests and nutrients, go to: betterbrain.fitness. To learn more about how you can boost brain fitness with neuroscience-based musical instruction, head to brainjo.academy. Intro and Outro music composed and produced by Julienne Ellen.

en

All Episodes

Similar Podcasts

Rabbit Hole of Research

Jotham Austin, II PhD, Nick Elizalde,...

Sleep Science

Sleep Science

PBS News Hour - Science

PBS News

Sur les traces de la Préhistoire

ICI Périgord

La Brújula de la Ciencia

Alberto Aparici