for anyone dealing with cognitive decline ...
the other thing about cognitive health --- blood flow is probably along with diet the most important thing. nutrient deficiencies and added toxins or inflammatory compounds like added sugar are terrible, and there are literally hundreds of natural compounds in healthy foods that are neuroprotective. but back to blood flow, high intensity interval training (HIIT) and sprint interval training (SIT) are tremendously helpful for cognitive health. I've probably spent 200 hours researching brain health because of my illness last year and what became clear is that it's really hard to heal a brain but it some case it can happen but whether it's healing or halting a decline the fundamental key is blood flow - in every single case getting max blood flow to the brain is critical.
unfortunately it's really hard to get that blood pumping to the far reaches of the brain but the one thing that does it, strenuous exercise.
going for a jog is great, and HIIT can be helpful for even those beginning a journey of wellness in the gym, but if you are in good shape (which is a prereq for SIT), it's time to up it to the next level, sprint interval training (SIT) and that shit will get blood to everything. basically you exert max effort for 30 seconds then rest for up to 4 minutes and do that a bunch of times. I do 6-8 sprints on a stationary bike with a minute or less in between to mimic an all out tennis point (you only get 20 seconds to rest between points). my way is probably ill advised an I think I may revise to 6-8 times with a 90 second break because by the 4th or 5th time I'm not fully recovered in my 20-40 second rest period. but it's undeniable how helpful strenuous exercise is for brain health.
another blood flow treatment is EECP - I used it to help with micro-vascular and brain injury from long covid and it was a fucking miracle. there is emerging interest in its effectiveness for neurodegenerative illnesses... I spent hours working on understanding it before I committed to a seven week treatment protocol - every single work day for seven weeks - but it was a game changer. Too lazy to deep dive again, I asked chatgpt to tell me, here's the excerpt...
while the insurance issue is legit, you can probably find a cardiologist that will recommend it. my cardiologist was able to get it approved for long covid with a heart injury focus.