205. Beyond Rest and Recovery: What Actually Heals the Brain After Concussion | Marissa McCarthy, MD

But we're now entering a territory where brain health is becoming a big topic too, and treating some-- an organ that thinks about itself in a way, but also is really new on the frontier aspect of-

of-... things.

What is the thread that you're holding onto? You've had a lot of experience, right? You've been at the VA, you're at USF, you're now at the Performance Lab, so you've definitely been in a lot of different settings.

What is this common thread that you've been hanging onto, and what is really pulling you forward?

I would say neurogenesis and neuroplasticity.

The fact that the brain has the ability to rewire and reroute if we treat it correctly.

There is that opportunity for healing, recovery, prevention of early cognitive decline.

'Cause just beyond brain injury itself, a lot of people will come to me and say, "Am I gonna get Alzheimer's? Am I gonna get some type of frontal lobe dementia because I hit my head one time?" I think that is almost like a fear factor for a lot of people.

And if I can give a shout-out to Dale Bredesen from the UCLA Buck Institute, he wrote The End of Alzheimer, and I read that book probably 15 years ago or so.

And to be honest with you, I feel like that has been my Bible in terms of brain injury recovery, prevention, again, of that early cognitive decline or early onset dementia.

I did have two grandparents who suffered from dementia, and it is an awful way to go, not just for them, but for their family members.

Not being able to recognize my mom and her sister, I think that really takes a toll on people, again, not just the person suffering from it, but really the family surrounding them.

So that was something that I kinda took to heart, and how can we really tackle that and still provide them with a great quality of life? And if you read that book, you'll understand why.

What's the name of that book again?

It's called The End of Alzheimer's.

End of Alzheimer's.

Okay.

And it's not just about Alzheimer's, it's about a lot of... that you can do to help your, your mind and your brain be a lot more in tune and will age well.

I think a lot of the things that we are all focused on at this point is how long can we stay looking young, acting young, feeling young, and the same thing goes for your brain.

And honestly, that's where it all comes from in the first place.

I mean, your muscles aren't gonna function as well if your brain isn't functioning well.

A lot of it, again, is also lifestyle related.

The biggest factor, and I'll tell you this from my perspective, and people make fun of me because I always say I have a love affair with sleep.

They don't understand how I have four kids, I work four jobs, and I still sleep nine hours a night.

Yeah.

But we're now entering a territory where brain health is becoming a big topic too, and treating some-- an organ that thinks about itself in a way, but also is really new on the frontier aspect of-

of-... things.

What is the thread that you're holding onto? You've had a lot of experience, right? You've been at the VA, you're at USF, you're now at the Performance Lab, so you've definitely been in a lot of different settings.

What is this common thread that you've been hanging onto, and what is really pulling you forward?

I would say neurogenesis and neuroplasticity.

The fact that the brain has the ability to rewire and reroute if we treat it correctly.

There is that opportunity for healing, recovery, prevention of early cognitive decline.

'Cause just beyond brain injury itself, a lot of people will come to me and say, "Am I gonna get Alzheimer's? Am I gonna get some type of frontal lobe dementia because I hit my head one time?" I think that is almost like a fear factor for a lot of people.

And if I can give a shout-out to Dale Bredesen from the UCLA Buck Institute, he wrote The End of Alzheimer, and I read that book probably 15 years ago or so.

And to be honest with you, I feel like that has been my Bible in terms of brain injury recovery, prevention, again, of that early cognitive decline or early onset dementia.

I did have two grandparents who suffered from dementia, and it is an awful way to go, not just for them, but for their family members.

Not being able to recognize my mom and her sister, I think that really takes a toll on people, again, not just the person suffering from it, but really the family surrounding them.

So that was something that I kinda took to heart, and how can we really tackle that and still provide them with a great quality of life? And if you read that book, you'll understand why.

What's the name of that book again?

It's called The End of Alzheimer's.

End of Alzheimer's.

Okay.

And it's not just about Alzheimer's, it's about a lot of... that you can do to help your, your mind and your brain be a lot more in tune and will age well.

I think a lot of the things that we are all focused on at this point is how long can we stay looking young, acting young, feeling young, and the same thing goes for your brain.

And honestly, that's where it all comes from in the first place.

I mean, your muscles aren't gonna function as well if your brain isn't functioning well.

A lot of it, again, is also lifestyle related.

The biggest factor, and I'll tell you this from my perspective, and people make fun of me because I always say I have a love affair with sleep.

They don't understand how I have four kids, I work four jobs, and I still sleep nine hours a night.

Yeah.