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Better Brain Fitness (a Brainjo Production)

Science & Technology News

Hosted by Drs. Josh Turknett and Tommy Wood, Better Brain Fitness explores the frontiers of how to keep our brain fit and healthy, so that we can perform at our best and do the things that we love for as long as possible.

Location:

United States

Description:

Hosted by Drs. Josh Turknett and Tommy Wood, Better Brain Fitness explores the frontiers of how to keep our brain fit and healthy, so that we can perform at our best and do the things that we love for as long as possible.

Language:

English


Episodes
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An Existential Crisis for Alzheimer's Research?

2/28/2026
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 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 by Julienne Ellen.

Duration:00:21:18

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Does Computerized Brain Training Help?

1/30/2026
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 principle you can use to evaluate whether any cognitive activity is actually helping your brain or wasting your time 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 by Julienne Ellen.

Duration:00:29:31

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What's Wrong With The New Food Pyramid.

1/16/2026
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.

Duration:00:34:54

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This Brain Aging Study Is Our New Favorite!

12/18/2025
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 about their long-term cognitive health. What You'll Learn: A more sensitive way to measure brain aging than structural scans The connection between music, dance, art, and video gaming on brain aging The effect of 30 hours of video gaming on brain aging, the kinds of video games that have the greatest impact (and why traditional "brain games" haven't been as successful) What this research tells us about whether cognitive decline is reversible The dose-response relationship between complex activities and brain health 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.

Duration:00:23:49

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How to Neutralize the Impact of Hearing Loss on Dementia Risk

12/12/2025
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 loss that could provide new forms of cognitive stimulation 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.

Duration:00:26:36

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Are Microplastics Causing Dementia?

11/4/2025
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 brain health, and we discuss the specific measures we're both taking to reduce our own exposure to microplastics and enhance their clearance. Because brain plasticity is a great thing, but a plastic brain is not! ----- 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.

Duration:00:38:08

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Hacking the Brain: TMS, Brain-to-Brain Communication, and Predicting Your Cognitive Future (with Dr. Andrea Stocco)

10/28/2025
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.

Duration:01:03:55

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

10/15/2025
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 music composed and produced by Julienne Ellen.

Duration:00:59:29

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Unpacking the surprising results from the POINTER trial

10/7/2025

Duration:00:24:15

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Dr. Tommy Wood's Exciting Announcement!

9/25/2025
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 produced by Julienne Ellen.

Duration:00:34:53

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

9/9/2025
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 produced by Julienne Ellen.

Duration:00:55:50

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#82: Why Your Brain Is (Perfectly) Weird: Understanding Individual Differences (with Dr. Chantel Prat)

8/26/2025
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.

Duration:01:04:00

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Your Brain on Caffeine: the REAL story

8/15/2025

Duration:00:41:26

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Statins, Cholesterol, and Brain Health: Our Unfiltered Take

7/31/2025
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.

Duration:00:56:30

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Does Red Light Therapy Boost Brain Health?

7/24/2025
06To submit a question for us to answer on the podcast, go to brainjo.academy/question. To subscribe to The Better Brain Fitness Substack 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.

Duration:00:30:13

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What's More Important For The Brain: Diet or Exercise?

7/8/2025
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. Intro and Outro music composed and produced by Julienne Ellen.

Duration:00:24:44

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Why Does Sleep Quality Decline as We Age (and what can we do about it!)?

6/24/2025
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.

Duration:00:19:37

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Can the Brain Heal Itself After Years of Poor Sleep Habits?

6/10/2025
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.

Duration:00:28:17

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Can a Long Layoff Really Boost Your Performance?

5/27/2025
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.

Duration:00:17:49

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Can We Train Our Brain To Improve Focus?

5/15/2025
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. Intro and Outro music composed and produced by Julienne Ellen.

Duration:00:31:18