The Dr. Gabrielle Lyon Show

Dr. Tommy Wood: Can Cognitive Decline Be Reversed?

54 snips
Mar 24, 2026
Guest
Tommy Wood
Dr. Tommy Wood, neuroscientist and author of The Stimulated Mind, studies cognitive aging and lifestyle fixes to protect the brain. He discusses how exercise and resistance training shape brain structure. He explains white matter changes and potential reversibility. He covers ketones, MCTs and fuel switching for a glucose-starved brain. He highlights social connection as a powerful driver of brain health.
Ask episode
AI Snips
Chapters
Books
Transcript
Episode notes
ADVICE

Use Breath And Sensory Reduction To Calm Fast

  • Use bottom-up physiology tricks to downregulate stress quickly like slow exhalation-heavy breathing and closing your eyes.
  • Tommy Wood recommends 3-7 paced breathing, longer exhales, and reducing sensory inputs to activate the vagus nerve and slow heart rate.
INSIGHT

AI As Orthotic Or Prosthetic For The Brain

  • AI can be either a cognitive orthotic that augments skills or a cognitive prosthetic that replaces them.
  • Tommy Wood warns widespread prosthetic use risks de-skilling researchers and professionals if we stop engaging cognition ourselves.
INSIGHT

Learning Changes Brain Volume Rapidly

  • The brain shows structural growth with learning and shrinks when practice stops, often within months.
  • Tommy Wood cites juggling and London taxi driver studies where cortical volume increases in relevant regions then recede when practice stops.
Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode
Get the app