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Understanding the difference between ‘normal’ forgetfulness and actual memory loss, practical ways to stave off Alzheimer’s disease, and meditation’s role in brain health.

Lisa Genova has a Ph.D. in Neuroscience from Harvard University. She is the New York Times bestselling author of several novels including Still Alice—which was adapted into a film starring Julianne Moore who won the 2015 Best Actress Oscar for her role as Alice Howland, Love Anthony, and Every Note Played. Her first work of nonfiction is Remember: The Science of Memory and the Art of Forgetting. Genova’s first TED talk, What You Can Do To Prevent Alzheimer's has been viewed over eight million times and her most recent TED talk, How Memory Works--and Why Forgetting is Totally OK was the sixth most watched TED talk of 2021.

In this episode we talk about:

The difference between ‘normal’ forgetting and actual memory loss
The difference between dementia and Alzheimer’s disease
Meditation’s role in brain health
What the Memory Paradox is
The best foods and types of exercise for staving off Alzheimer's
The three things happening in your brain while you sleep that are helpful for memory
Why brain games (like crossword puzzles and sudoku) don’t actually improve memory
The first necessary ingredient for creating a memory
How memories are formed
And the relationship between memories and music

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