What stimulus builds cognitive reserve

Tommy describes complex learning, motor skills, music, language and challenge as drivers of cognitive reserve.

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Episode notes

Most conversations about brain health focus on intelligence or genetics. True cognitive performance depends on how the brain is trained, supported, and allowed to recover across decades of life.

In this episode of Extend, we sit down with Dr. Tommy Wood, neuroscientist and performance expert working at the intersection of elite motorsport and clinical brain research, to uncover how the brain adapts under extreme cognitive demand and how those same principles apply to long term brain health. We break down the 3S model of Stimulus, Supply, and Support, why recovery matters as much as training, and how sleep, nutrition, and blood flow shape both performance and dementia risk.

We also explore how learning cadence, focused work, brain injury prevention, blood pressure control, and targeted nutrients influence cognitive resilience from early development through aging.

Dr. Tommy Wood is an Associate Professor of Pediatrics and Neuroscience at the University of Washington, where his research focuses on brain health across the lifespan, from newborn brain injury to adult trauma and cognitive decline. He also serves as Head Scientist for Motorsport at Hintsa Performance, Chief Science Officer at BetterBrain, Head of Research for the dementia prevention charity Food for the Brain, co host of the Better Brain Fitness podcast, and author of the forthcoming book The Stimulated Mind.

What We Discuss: