1 00:00:00,240 --> 00:00:05,560 Speaker 1: Now here's a highlight from Coast to Coast AM on iHeartRadio. 2 00:00:05,080 --> 00:00:07,760 Speaker 2: And welcome back to Coast to Coast George Nori with you. 3 00:00:07,800 --> 00:00:10,959 Speaker 2: We've got a fascinating program for you tonight. Doctor Majid 4 00:00:11,039 --> 00:00:15,080 Speaker 2: Fortouohei with US, earned his PhD in neuroscience from John 5 00:00:15,120 --> 00:00:18,840 Speaker 2: Hopkins University back in nineteen ninety two and his medical 6 00:00:18,880 --> 00:00:22,279 Speaker 2: degree from Harvard Medical School in ninety seven. Currently, he 7 00:00:22,320 --> 00:00:25,759 Speaker 2: serves as an adjunct professor at the Mind Body Institute 8 00:00:25,800 --> 00:00:29,800 Speaker 2: at John Hopkins University, while also teaching at George Washington 9 00:00:29,880 --> 00:00:34,000 Speaker 2: University and Harvard's Medical School. With thirty seven years of 10 00:00:34,040 --> 00:00:39,320 Speaker 2: experience in teaching, clinical practice and neuroscience research, doctor Fortouhi 11 00:00:39,760 --> 00:00:44,800 Speaker 2: has pioneered a multidisciplinary approach to enhancing brain vitality and 12 00:00:44,920 --> 00:00:48,240 Speaker 2: cognitive performance at any age, and he has a book 13 00:00:48,280 --> 00:00:51,640 Speaker 2: coming out called The Invincible Brain. Doctor Magid, welcome to 14 00:00:51,680 --> 00:00:53,120 Speaker 2: the program. 15 00:00:53,479 --> 00:00:55,680 Speaker 3: Thank you very much for inviting me, George, that's such 16 00:00:55,680 --> 00:00:56,400 Speaker 3: an honor for me. 17 00:00:57,160 --> 00:01:00,800 Speaker 2: Well, we're looking forward to this and my gosh, how 18 00:01:00,840 --> 00:01:04,080 Speaker 2: did you get involved in brain study? 19 00:01:04,200 --> 00:01:07,280 Speaker 3: I was fascinated by the brain since I was a child. 20 00:01:07,760 --> 00:01:10,319 Speaker 3: My father told me the story of a girl who 21 00:01:10,400 --> 00:01:13,040 Speaker 3: was born without arms and had learned to paint and 22 00:01:13,040 --> 00:01:16,759 Speaker 3: do everything in the house, from cooking to weaving carpets 23 00:01:16,800 --> 00:01:20,360 Speaker 3: with her toes. And he said, you know, Maji, your 24 00:01:20,360 --> 00:01:23,920 Speaker 3: brain has no limit, and the more you use it, 25 00:01:23,959 --> 00:01:27,280 Speaker 3: the stronger it gets. So I became fascinated by my brain. 26 00:01:27,319 --> 00:01:29,040 Speaker 3: And he said, by the way, I want you to 27 00:01:29,160 --> 00:01:32,800 Speaker 3: learn some languages and become an author, become a researcher, 28 00:01:32,840 --> 00:01:36,880 Speaker 3: become a professor. You can do anything. So I was inspired, 29 00:01:36,880 --> 00:01:38,520 Speaker 3: and when I was fourteen years old, I wrote a 30 00:01:38,520 --> 00:01:42,120 Speaker 3: book How to Become Successful. Seven Secrets have Become Successful, 31 00:01:42,520 --> 00:01:46,840 Speaker 3: talking about how anyone has the potential to do amazing 32 00:01:46,880 --> 00:01:47,840 Speaker 3: things with their brains. 33 00:01:48,480 --> 00:01:54,720 Speaker 2: At fourteen, you wrote the book that's about with your 34 00:01:54,760 --> 00:01:58,560 Speaker 2: father was your father was right? He was right for sure. 35 00:01:58,920 --> 00:02:02,760 Speaker 4: What is it about the brain that is so different 36 00:02:02,800 --> 00:02:07,960 Speaker 4: from the kidneys, the liver that allows itself to perform 37 00:02:08,400 --> 00:02:10,480 Speaker 4: memory and do the things that it does. 38 00:02:12,639 --> 00:02:15,519 Speaker 3: I think one of the most fascinating thing about the 39 00:02:15,600 --> 00:02:20,720 Speaker 3: brain is neuroplasticity, which means that our brain has a 40 00:02:20,800 --> 00:02:26,880 Speaker 3: capacity to change, adapt, and rewire at any age. Our 41 00:02:26,919 --> 00:02:31,359 Speaker 3: brain is constantly changing, actually on a daily basis. Our 42 00:02:31,400 --> 00:02:36,440 Speaker 3: brain changes at a microscopic level our brain. Habits can 43 00:02:36,680 --> 00:02:41,760 Speaker 3: change our brain for worse. So habits like stress and 44 00:02:42,400 --> 00:02:47,280 Speaker 3: poor diet and obesity can shrink the brain, whereas habits 45 00:02:47,360 --> 00:02:53,440 Speaker 3: like exercising, avoiding stress, reading, learning new things can grow 46 00:02:53,480 --> 00:02:57,280 Speaker 3: the brain. So our brain is unique in its capacity 47 00:02:57,320 --> 00:02:58,760 Speaker 3: to have neuroplasticity. 48 00:03:00,280 --> 00:03:02,840 Speaker 2: Let's talk about some of the ailments of the brain. 49 00:03:02,919 --> 00:03:07,440 Speaker 2: Doctor that they are out there. There's dementia, all Heimer's disease, 50 00:03:08,919 --> 00:03:13,320 Speaker 2: all kinds of other issues. What causes those things? 51 00:03:14,120 --> 00:03:18,280 Speaker 3: Okay, so let's get some terminologies straight for your audience. 52 00:03:18,840 --> 00:03:22,559 Speaker 3: So memory loss is something that many people have, and 53 00:03:22,639 --> 00:03:27,160 Speaker 3: when you get older, there's something called age associated memory impairment, 54 00:03:27,320 --> 00:03:30,400 Speaker 3: which means that when you're in sixties, you're entitled to 55 00:03:30,480 --> 00:03:33,600 Speaker 3: forget your keys, forget an appointment. You know it is 56 00:03:33,639 --> 00:03:36,880 Speaker 3: what it is. And then there's a condition called mild 57 00:03:37,080 --> 00:03:41,080 Speaker 3: cognitive impairment, which is more than just forgetting your keys. 58 00:03:41,200 --> 00:03:44,280 Speaker 3: You may repeat yourself a few times during the day. 59 00:03:44,960 --> 00:03:48,280 Speaker 3: And then there is dementia. Dementia means that you have 60 00:03:48,520 --> 00:03:54,520 Speaker 3: lost your capacity to function independently because your brain has degenerated, 61 00:03:55,400 --> 00:03:58,600 Speaker 3: and different forms of dementia. For example, a person can 62 00:03:58,640 --> 00:04:02,920 Speaker 3: have alcoholic dementia. Too much alcohol can shrivel the brain 63 00:04:03,120 --> 00:04:08,040 Speaker 3: and make a person become dependent on others for daily life, 64 00:04:08,960 --> 00:04:13,240 Speaker 3: and there is no Parkinson's related dementia and vascular dementia 65 00:04:13,280 --> 00:04:15,680 Speaker 3: when somebody has too many strokes, and then it is 66 00:04:15,880 --> 00:04:20,800 Speaker 3: Alzheimer's dementia which is characterized by these proteins were called 67 00:04:20,880 --> 00:04:27,640 Speaker 3: amyloid plaques and tau tangles. So, in short, Alzheimer's is 68 00:04:27,680 --> 00:04:31,400 Speaker 3: a form of dementia, and we believe that a soup 69 00:04:31,440 --> 00:04:37,400 Speaker 3: of problems cause brain atrophy, which then causes Alzheimer's disease. 70 00:04:39,360 --> 00:04:41,040 Speaker 2: Is any of this reversible? 71 00:04:42,080 --> 00:04:47,880 Speaker 3: That's an excellent question, George. Many people believe that these 72 00:04:47,920 --> 00:04:51,480 Speaker 3: plaques and tangles are the whole story when it comes 73 00:04:51,520 --> 00:04:54,680 Speaker 3: to Alzheimer's disease. But my research and the work of 74 00:04:55,160 --> 00:04:59,039 Speaker 3: many other neurologists and neuroscientists have shown that the super 75 00:04:59,120 --> 00:05:03,960 Speaker 3: problems cause a brain atrophy which then causes alzheimer to cease. 76 00:05:04,520 --> 00:05:12,920 Speaker 3: And those risk factors are diabetes, will be ct sleep, apnea, insomnia, 77 00:05:13,120 --> 00:05:18,080 Speaker 3: too much stress. These things individually can shrink your brain 78 00:05:18,160 --> 00:05:22,360 Speaker 3: at the microscopic level every day, and if you continue 79 00:05:22,400 --> 00:05:25,680 Speaker 3: to have these then your brain will shrink a lot 80 00:05:25,960 --> 00:05:27,480 Speaker 3: by the time you get to your seventies and. 81 00:05:27,440 --> 00:05:32,719 Speaker 2: Eighties, when our military comes back from war, some of 82 00:05:32,760 --> 00:05:36,400 Speaker 2: them have PTSD. Is that part of the brain. 83 00:05:38,560 --> 00:05:43,120 Speaker 3: Yeah, PTSD is when somebody can't forget something. You know, 84 00:05:44,160 --> 00:05:47,120 Speaker 3: many of us complain that we forget things. And actually 85 00:05:47,120 --> 00:05:49,640 Speaker 3: sometimes forgetting things is a good thing, you know, if 86 00:05:49,640 --> 00:05:52,560 Speaker 3: something bad happened to you when you were in your twenties, 87 00:05:52,600 --> 00:05:55,400 Speaker 3: it's a good thing to forget them. Yeah, And patients 88 00:05:55,400 --> 00:05:59,880 Speaker 3: will have PTSD have difficulty forgetting something bad that happened 89 00:05:59,880 --> 00:06:03,719 Speaker 3: to them, and they keep remembering it and many things 90 00:06:03,880 --> 00:06:07,280 Speaker 3: trigger those memories. We call that PTSD, and it is 91 00:06:07,320 --> 00:06:11,320 Speaker 3: a brain problem. It's rewarding the brain in a negative 92 00:06:11,360 --> 00:06:15,760 Speaker 3: way where a person goes over the same memory over 93 00:06:15,920 --> 00:06:17,279 Speaker 3: and over and over again. 94 00:06:19,120 --> 00:06:21,680 Speaker 2: Now, what doctor, What kind of doctor is the one 95 00:06:21,680 --> 00:06:25,640 Speaker 2: that diagnoses all Heeimber's for example? Is that a neurologist 96 00:06:25,680 --> 00:06:26,279 Speaker 2: that would do that? 97 00:06:27,040 --> 00:06:31,799 Speaker 3: Yes, So Alzheimer's disease is a condition that neurologists usually 98 00:06:31,880 --> 00:06:32,880 Speaker 3: evaluate and treat. 99 00:06:35,320 --> 00:06:40,640 Speaker 2: Is how do they come up with that rationale that 100 00:06:41,000 --> 00:06:42,800 Speaker 2: you know, you've got this or you've got that. 101 00:06:44,040 --> 00:06:50,040 Speaker 3: Yeah, it's actually quite challenging, you know, because you know, 102 00:06:50,080 --> 00:06:53,479 Speaker 3: as people get old, many things can affect their memory. 103 00:06:54,160 --> 00:06:59,160 Speaker 3: And for example, you know, a person can have steep apnea, 104 00:06:59,520 --> 00:07:03,039 Speaker 3: which means the snore at night and they feel tired 105 00:07:03,080 --> 00:07:05,960 Speaker 3: in the day, they feel sleeping in a day, and 106 00:07:06,000 --> 00:07:10,720 Speaker 3: they may forget things, and so the neurologist has to 107 00:07:10,760 --> 00:07:14,720 Speaker 3: determine is this memory loss because of the sleep issue, 108 00:07:15,320 --> 00:07:20,120 Speaker 3: or there's a brain degeneration going on. And something exciting 109 00:07:20,200 --> 00:07:23,640 Speaker 3: that has happened in recent years is that for the 110 00:07:23,720 --> 00:07:27,680 Speaker 3: first time, you have a blood test that can show 111 00:07:28,440 --> 00:07:31,960 Speaker 3: the abermalities in the brain. This is a total revolution 112 00:07:32,120 --> 00:07:35,360 Speaker 3: in the field of neurology. In the past two three years, 113 00:07:35,600 --> 00:07:40,640 Speaker 3: new blood tests have become available where neurologists can look 114 00:07:40,680 --> 00:07:43,240 Speaker 3: at them and say, oh, it looks like you have 115 00:07:43,360 --> 00:07:45,760 Speaker 3: high levels of these bad proteins in your brain. 116 00:07:47,520 --> 00:07:50,240 Speaker 2: I hear a lot about dopamine these days. Doctor. What 117 00:07:50,360 --> 00:07:52,400 Speaker 2: does it and what does that do to the brain? 118 00:07:54,760 --> 00:08:00,800 Speaker 3: Dopamine is a molecule that associated with our sense of pleasure. 119 00:08:01,320 --> 00:08:05,680 Speaker 3: So for example, when you eat a delicious chocolate, when 120 00:08:05,720 --> 00:08:10,600 Speaker 3: you kiss someone you're like when you win a prize. 121 00:08:12,440 --> 00:08:15,000 Speaker 3: You know, in some cases drugs, the things that make 122 00:08:15,080 --> 00:08:19,280 Speaker 3: you feel good make you feel good because there is 123 00:08:19,480 --> 00:08:23,040 Speaker 3: high levels of dopamine in the brain. So, dopamine is 124 00:08:23,040 --> 00:08:28,040 Speaker 3: a small molecule which, when acts on specific cells in 125 00:08:28,080 --> 00:08:34,000 Speaker 3: the brain, gives the sensation of pleasure. Now, dopamine is 126 00:08:34,040 --> 00:08:37,560 Speaker 3: related to memory in that if you do something and 127 00:08:37,600 --> 00:08:41,640 Speaker 3: you like it, you're more likely to remember. For example, 128 00:08:41,880 --> 00:08:45,839 Speaker 3: let's say you go to a small town and you 129 00:08:45,920 --> 00:08:49,720 Speaker 3: stop by store and you get some ice cream and 130 00:08:49,720 --> 00:08:53,040 Speaker 3: it turns out to be delicious. So next time you 131 00:08:53,080 --> 00:08:56,520 Speaker 3: go to that town, you remember that place where you 132 00:08:56,559 --> 00:08:58,320 Speaker 3: get the ice cream, you go back and get the 133 00:08:58,360 --> 00:09:03,199 Speaker 3: ice cream. And so the dopamine and the pleasure systems 134 00:09:03,200 --> 00:09:06,520 Speaker 3: in the brain help us remember things better. 135 00:09:08,040 --> 00:09:11,080 Speaker 2: What causes stress and anxiety in the brain? 136 00:09:12,960 --> 00:09:17,600 Speaker 3: Yeah, yeah, that's a that's an excellent question. A lot 137 00:09:17,640 --> 00:09:23,040 Speaker 3: of times we generate our own stress because we have 138 00:09:23,120 --> 00:09:29,120 Speaker 3: certain expectations of our family members, of our co workers, 139 00:09:29,360 --> 00:09:31,400 Speaker 3: of you know, how things should be running in the 140 00:09:31,480 --> 00:09:38,280 Speaker 3: country in general, and when things happen that are below expectations, 141 00:09:38,840 --> 00:09:43,600 Speaker 3: we get disappointed and stress out. And so a lot 142 00:09:43,640 --> 00:09:50,840 Speaker 3: of stress and anxiety is self generated. And unfortunately, when 143 00:09:51,200 --> 00:09:54,200 Speaker 3: you stress out, there are these chemicals in the brain 144 00:09:54,280 --> 00:09:59,959 Speaker 3: called cortisol, and high levels of cortisol can actually shrink 145 00:10:00,120 --> 00:10:04,080 Speaker 3: the brain. The more a person stresses, the more their 146 00:10:04,120 --> 00:10:09,079 Speaker 3: brain shrinks. In fact, chronic stress when a person is stressed, 147 00:10:09,280 --> 00:10:12,280 Speaker 3: you know, a year after year after year can shrink 148 00:10:12,320 --> 00:10:16,240 Speaker 3: the brain in a dose dependent manner, which means the 149 00:10:16,320 --> 00:10:19,880 Speaker 3: longer they they have stress and anxiety, the more their 150 00:10:19,920 --> 00:10:25,000 Speaker 3: brain shrinks. And again, as I mentioned, stress and anxiety 151 00:10:25,040 --> 00:10:29,040 Speaker 3: are often self generated. You know, people do it to themselves. 152 00:10:29,559 --> 00:10:32,840 Speaker 1: Listen to more Coast to Coast AM every weeknight at 153 00:10:32,840 --> 00:10:35,800 Speaker 1: one a m. Eastern and go to Coast to coastam 154 00:10:35,840 --> 00:10:36,920 Speaker 1: dot com for more