As we age, most of us tend to get a little fuzzy in the head. We become more forgetful and easily confused. The unluckiest develop Alzheimer’s or dementia.

But is it inevitable?

Dr. Tommy Wood doesn’t think so.

“I believe age-related cognitive decline and dementia are largely preventable,” says Wood, an assistant professor at the University of Washington specializing in neuroscience and brain health.

In this talk given at the CrossFit for Health Summit on Feb. 3, 2024, in Austin, Texas, Wood presents evidence for the “demand-driven theory of age-related cognitive decline and dementia.”

The brain, he says, is just like muscle in its requirements for optimal functioning: it needs proper nutrition and rest, but it also needs to do work.

“If you don't lift weights, then you don't get jacked,” he says. “With the brain, and most tissues in the body, their structure and function is directly proportional to the demand that you place on them.”

CrossFit, Wood says — with its unique combination of varied physical and mental demands in a social environment — is a boon for fighting age-related cognitive decline.

“Is it that our function declines over time? Or is it that we just use our brains less over time and then function follows?” he asks. “And … can we change this trajectory with something like CrossFit? I think we can.”

CHAPTERS
0:00-1:46 - Introduction and overview.
1:48-3:26 - The trajectory of cognitive decline.
3:38-6:01 - Risk factors for cognitive decline.
6:02-8:21 - Preventing cognitive decline: the demand-driven theory of age-related cognitive decline and dementia (or why your brain is like your biceps).
8:22-9:42 - For increased cognitive function, challenge your brain.
9:45-11:25 - Risk and lifestyle factors that affect cognitive function.
11:28-14:07 - Like the muscles, the brain is trainable and adaptive.
14:09-15:29 - To maintain function, the brain requires ongoing stimulation.
15:38-18:18 - Reduced glucose intake in the brain: a problem of availability or demand?
18:20-19:03 - Three critical variables to improve the trajectory of cognitive function.
19:05-20:30 - Typical cognitive demand across a lifespan.
20:40-21:39 - Can CrossFit change the trajectory of cognitive decline?
21:40-26:14 - The connections between exercise, cognitive function, and emotional resilience.
26:17-29:34 - Coordinative vs. unimodal exercise and cognitive function.
29:36-31:39 - Aerobic fitness and brain plasticity.
31:14-33:53 - Changes in the brain caused by social isolation.
33:55-37:04 - How CrossFit supports long-term cognitive function and prevents decline.

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