Get the most out of that noggin with 'Supercharge Your Brain'

NPR's Book of the Day

NPR

Books, Arts

4.2 • 671 Ratings

🗓️ 12 January 2022

⏱️ 8 minutes

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Summary

Author James Goodwin has written about brain trauma, which, as you can guess, is something you want to avoid at all costs. His new book, Supercharge Your Brain: How to Maintain a Healthy Brain Throughout Your Life, looks at both the effects of brain damage and how you can boost your brain's health. He told Morning Edition's A Martinez that keeping your brain in good working condition is easier than you might think.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Hey, it's NPR's Book of the Day. I'm Andrew Limbaung. If you're a fan of football or MMA or
0:08.2	really any activity or sport where concussions are a regular thing, you know that the brain is
0:14.6	really sensitive and can only take so much. But other things can hurt it too. Poor oral hygiene, your diet, loneliness.
0:23.8	That's according to James Goodwin. He's a physiology professor who just wrote a book called Supercharge
0:29.0	your brain. And he talked to NPR's A. Martinez about what steps you can take to help boost
0:34.0	your brain's health. Because, well, even if you're not in the NFL or whatever, your brain is bound to take some hits.
0:42.0	In 1848, Phineas Gage was working in railway construction when he suffered a brain injury.
0:48.2	Before the accidents, he was personable, well-mannered, great with people.
0:53.8	That's James Goodwin, who writes about Phineas Gage in his book, Supercharge Your Brain.
0:58.4	An iron bar tore through Gage's left cheek. Now, he survived, but he was never the same.
1:04.4	After the accident, he became irascible, profane, argumentative, and aggressive. And his doctor came to the conclusion that, in fact,
1:15.6	these changes had been the result of the loss of brain tissue.
1:19.1	It's a case that James Goodwin says changed our understanding of the brain. Now, I asked
1:23.3	him for his advice for anyone who might experience brain trauma.
1:26.3	I think the first thing I would say is
1:28.3	take all possible steps to avoid blows to the head. You show me a case of concussion, and I will
1:34.4	show you a damaged brain. Now, over the years, these points of damage may be very small. I remember my
1:40.9	father was a boxer. He eventually got dementia. When they did a scan of his brain,
1:46.2	there were hundreds of little tiny white marks in the gray matter. They were the scars from the many
1:50.8	injuries from blows to the head. So you need to remember if you're in a high risk professional
1:55.4	occupation that every blow to the head is going to build up over time. Some people can get away with this,
2:01.6	but the general rule is you show me a concussion. I will show you a change in personality.
	...

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