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On this week’s episode of Free Lunch by The Peak, we sat down with Dr. Allison Sekuler, the Chair in Cognitive Neuroscience at the Rotman Research Institute and Vice-President of Research at Baycrest Health Sciences, to talk about how to slow our brains’ aging process.
What is the case for someone in their 30s to think about brain health?
“We often don't really start talking about Alzheimer's or other types of dementia until people get older, despite the fact that dementia actually starts when we're younger. Tiny changes in your life decrease your dementia risk in the long term, and the sooner you can get started on that, the easier it is for you to continue that through your lifetime and into old age.”
How do we know that sleep is so important for the brain?
“Things like sleeping and eating better, exercising, being social, not drinking in excess, and minimizing stress are all important. One reason that sleep relates to a decrease in dementia is that your body takes advantage of that state to clean the garbage out of your brain. If you aren't reaching a good sleep state, that clearing of the garbage in your brain can't happen.”
Could large language models improve enough to function like a human brain?
“I think AI could get to the point where it's going to be indistinguishable. We haven't seen it doing as well in the creative areas, because creativity, by definition, is the unexpected. We may get there, but I think that's just gonna be a lot harder to crack. I’m excited about AI and its application for treatment, detection, and prevention of degrading cognitive health.”
This interview has been edited for clarity and length. Listen to the full conversation here.