Restore Youthfulness & Vitality to the Aging Brain & Body | Dr. Tony Wyss-Coray

For the first time, we could take an old brain, and we could give factors from a young organism and ask, "Is that going to change the age of the brain?" And that's indeed what it did. So we saw that, uh, there are stem cells in the brain of these mice, that they got reactivated. There was less inflammation, more activity, um, that we can measure in the brain. And then most importantly, we actually saw that their memory function improved.

[upbeat music] Welcome to the Huberman Lab Podcast, where we discuss science and science-based tools for everyday life. I'm Andrew Huberman, and I'm a professor of neurobiology and ophthalmology at Stanford School of Medicine. My guest today is Dr. Tony Wyss-Coray. Dr. Tony Wyss-Coray is a professor of neurology at Stanford School of Medicine and an expert in identifying factors that can help prevent and reverse organ degeneration and aging. Today, we discuss the factors that are present in young blood, yes, you heard that right, and the factors that are present in blood after exercise that have been shown to rejuvenate the brain and other tissues in older individuals. Dr. Tony Wyss-Coray's lab has discovered several proteins that are present in high amounts when we are young and that circulate in the blood and that diminish with age, and if these are supplied to the aged body and brain, can reverse key features of aging, including improved cognition, tissue recovery from stress, damage, and more. We also discuss how aging is nonlinear. It does not progress uniformly across the lifespan. And we discuss the fact that there are certain phases, such as puberty, your early 40s, and your early 60s, when aging is accelerated and then slows again. We also discuss how different organs in your body age at different rates and how you can measure that. Today's discussion is a very important one because so often these days we hear about anti-aging and longevity, but today you're going to hear about the real science of organ rejuvenation. We also are going to talk about the role of sunlight, fasting, hormones, and the use of specific molecular approaches to improve your vitality and health. We also, of course, discuss exercise and social interactions, but in the context of the specific molecules they release into your blood to promote and enhance health, and how you can leverage that information. Tony Wyss-Coray is a celebrated pioneer in the science of these topics because of the rigor he applies to the work. He's not just talking about some molecule that someday there'll be a drug or some activity that we already know promotes health. He's an avid tool developer for measuring and reversing aging. So today we discuss all of that, and you're sure to come away from the discussion with both tools to improve your immediate and long-term health, as well as a deeper understanding of the biology. Before we begin, I'd like to emphasize that this podcast is separate from my teaching and research roles at Stanford. It is, however, part of my desire and effort to bring zero cost to consumer information about science and science-related tools to the general public. In keeping with that theme, today's episode does include sponsors. And now for my discussion with Dr. Tony Wyss-Coray. Dr. Tony Wyss-Coray, welcome.