Neuroscientist Ranks The Top Types of Exercise for Brain Health — Dr. Tommy Wood
These notes were generated by AI and may contain inaccuracies.
Different types of exercise affect the brain differently, requiring a variety of activities for global brain support. Coordinated exercise or open skill exercise, especially with a navigational component, is particularly beneficial. These are sports or activities where you constantly respond to the environment and adapt, unlike closed skill or unimodal exercise like jogging or cycling.
Activities with the same physical challenge but higher cognitive challenge due to open skill nature show greater benefits in brain structure and cognitive function.
Open skill means high level of unanticipated variety and complex motor skills required, some of which can be learned.
Dancing is an example; you learn the steps.
Dance seems to have the highest effect size for dementia prevention compared to other physical activities, also benefiting mental health like depression.
Dance has multiple components: learning steps, social aspect, music. Open skill sports also include board sports, ball sports, team sports where you react to environment and others. Martial arts are good if avoiding head punches, kicks, or chokes.
Beyond physical strain, these require reaction speed, challenge processing speed, learned complex motor skills, leading to outsized effects on cognitive function.
For aerobic or closed skill unimodal sports like running or cycling, benefits are intensity-dependent. Walking decreases dementia risk if sedentary, but higher intensity improves hippocampal structure and function (measured via MRI).
Australian study used Norwegian 4x4 protocol three times a week for several months (6 or 12 months intervention): four sets of 4 minutes on treadmill at 85-95% max heart rate with 4 minutes rest. Significant improvements in hippocampal structure and function maintained for 5 years post-trial.
Driven by lactate, which enters the brain and acts as histone deacetylase inhibitor, activating local BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor). Muscle BDNF doesn't readily enter brain; local BDNF is key. Ketones and osteocalcin (from bone loading) do similar.
Generating lactate via high-intensity sports, combined with open skill activities, is beneficial.
Jiu-jitsu (3-5 minute rounds with breaks) can be intense, avoiding frequent injuries like broken limbs.
Threshold for intensity varies by lactate threshold; aim above it to generate several millimolar lactate (e.g., 6-7+ mmol/L).
No talk test equivalent for lactate range; it's misery-related. Protocols like short sprints (30 seconds flat out on bike/rower with several minutes rest, 6-8-10 rounds) or 45 seconds max effort with 6 minutes recovery generate significant lactate without continuous effort.
No commercial breath-based lactate monitor yet, but continuous monitors nearing availability. Not necessary; just do something really hard for short periods (20-40 seconds) with breaks, regularly.
Sled pushing/pulling achieves this without treadmill wolf-chase misery.
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