Best Of - Does New Science of Brain Aging Require New Rules, or Tough Decisions?

[00:00:00]The stages they gave for the brain was like zero to nine, which is like, you know, your your initial development. And then that's like the child phase. The The one that was really surprising to me was from like nine or 10 to like the mid early 30s, like 32 was adolescence. So, we normally in a society we think adolescence in 18, you know, you're old enough to you're you're legally a person, you know, you're legally an adult, 21, you're old enough to to drink, 25, you're old enough to rent a car without crazy crazy all these extra fees or whatever. But, they're saying the the the adolescent brain kind of has the same structure and function all the way to 32. And then then you got the adult brain from like 32 to to mid-60s and then the old age after that.

[00:00:45]Um and then they had an extra category of super agers, which they don't know a lot about because there just aren't a bunch of people who have well-functioning brain brains over 83.

[00:00:52]>> They do. I was reading about the actual MRI technique just real quick and what they did is at a molecular level they pushed water through the like brains and they and they watched how the water diffuse in different parts of the brain.

[00:01:04]And you know, long story short, I just think it like, you know, 30 years ago this technology just didn't exist to do that.

[00:01:10]>> Yeah, that's murder 30 years ago.

[00:01:12]>> Yeah.

[00:01:12]>> [laughter] >> Yeah, exactly.

[00:01:15]I was thinking about that um like that that third Hannibal Lecter movie where he was having dinner with the guy after he cut his brain open, remember? [laughter] They do like lobotomy, game of lobotomy, you know, like that kind of thing, right? That's how you'd have to do it. But, so now the fact we do have people in their 70s and 80s that can still function and be leaders in society and businesses and all that. Um do you think we should society should uh look at how we I guess organize people in the workforce and and certain responsibilities in society differently or not based on this information?

[00:01:45]>> In places where it seems like where where where we have decided we care, um we have put restrictions on it, you know, like and so and then pilots being an example of that. Like, it which lines up actually pretty good with this information. And you know, where when pilots aren't allowed to fly anymore.

[00:02:03]Um broadly speaking, I don't think we have to do anything as far as like what what the poli- political leadership or or corporate leadership needs to have to have sunsets to where they move to advisory roles or something after a certain age. Um I would not I'm not one to think that that's necessary um at least as of right now from what we see now. If it be come if things become an issue, then maybe we would have to.

[00:02:27]Like we do see political leadership, you know, we've seen, you know, recently and or recently, you know, in in the last 20 years or so, people just staying on for they they they're not leaving. Once they get in power and we know the seduction of power is is real. So, it it you know, it may be difficult for people once they as they get older or as they're not as capable to let go, but I think we live in a democratic society.

[00:02:49]So, I think that we have mechanisms to take care of that. Now, whether we do take care of that or not is something totally different. And so, maybe I'm I'm one to look at at at us, the people, and say, "Okay, well, if we don't think that the the people who's who who have the old people brains, you know, post-66 should be running the show, then we need to look at ourselves and say, 'Okay, well, should we be voting for those people?'" You know, like in that kind of sense. So, I'm not one to think you there should be hard and fast rules.

[00:03:18]At yet now, but this can be updated though. This belief of mine can be updated if thing if if with more information if we say, "Hey, like yeah, the people who are in power or there's so many people over 66 they just they they they they they're like, 'Oh yeah, we're screw you guys.

[00:03:33]We're not going to let you vote us out or whatever.'" Then, you know, maybe we look at it at certain time then. But, society does very specifically, you know, like the the the decision was made a long time ago for presidency. Like, hey, you got to be over a certain age. You got to have an adult brain, not an adolescent brain to to run for president in our country. So, you know, it it it's not the craziest thing in the world to me.

[00:03:53]But, I'm one to to think that if we're going to live in a democratic society, we should sort that stuff stuff out ourselves, you know, and in corporate corporations it's a little harder, but still, you know, it's something that you hope competition would make sure that the people in on the inside would want to make sure that they have have the sharpest minds working for them. And if they decide else you know, they make another decision and if they you know, like competition has to take care of that. It shouldn't be a regulation necessarily unless again, unless situation change and you something for some reason you feel like you need to at that point.

[00:04:23]>> All right, so my response is going to be now you're going to force me to be a glutton for regulation cuz I >> [laughter] >> definitely totally disagree with you on that one. Um, but in in fairness, I'm going to say this. I looked up on my Google machine here. Um, the average age We're almost there. The average age for the United States Senate is 63.9 years.

[00:04:45]So, I'll round it up to 64.

[00:04:47]>> Oh my god.

[00:04:48]>> if you as you said, they only need a few more terms to get to 66. So, we're good.

[00:04:53]>> Well, that term is 6 years. One term.

[00:04:55]>> So, one year we'll one term, sorry, we'll be there. But, um, but now so here's the thing, man. It's funny you say that. This is where I know we're we're finishing up the conversation here, but but I'll have some fun where we disagree. Reason why I'm already like, man, it's already time to regulate this is because um, uh, it we're already there. Like I'm thinking and this is not to knock on individuals or people listening who they like politically and all that cuz it's you know, to me it's beating up, you know, our our system right now, not not a political party, but >> I mean, you're beating up the voters.

[00:05:26]You're beating up the >> beating up the voters.

[00:05:27]>> Well, yeah, that too. I'm I'm happy to do that. Um, but but it's it's in in since January of 2017, seriously, it's 2026 now.

[00:05:37]So, for 9 years we've been led by two different presidents uh, from two different parties that both have shown signs of mental decline and and and frailty in that side like mental frailty.

[00:05:51]So you're right and it's not just them, it's the discussions we had a couple shows on people like Dianne Feinstein, Ruth Bader Ginsburg. We got Chuck Grassley who's the head of the Senate like Judiciary Committee. The guy's in his mid-90s. He's like 95. So my point is is that not to pick on them as human beings, but I don't know anywhere else where a 95-year-old is expected to perform at a high level every day.

[00:06:18]Like you would want somebody who's the head of the Judiciary Committee in the United States Senate to be able to perform. And so I do think that we're already at a point where whether it's term limits, I think you that's a gracious idea like you said at a certain age, maybe they don't get totally kicked out of a system, but they got to serve maybe an advisory role or something where they're just not the person responsible day-to-day. Because I think I think it's unfair to us as the public cuz cuz it's kind of like all any of us who've been around people over 85, we can I I I don't believe that Maxine Waters at 89 as the ranking member of the Democrats in the Banking Committee uh really understands crypto.

[00:06:58]Or that RBG before she died with cancer in her late 80s was really out there writing her opinions and all that herself about what she talked about on the Supreme Court. So >> Well, I mean you had to your point we had also you know another one Kay Granger was in a nursing >> home.

[00:07:15]>> Yeah, during her term.

[00:07:16]>> Yeah, >> You know, thank you.

[00:07:19]>> There's a lot of examples. We couldn't remember them all. We won't be able to remember them all. There's a lot of them.

[00:07:23]>> but hold on.

[00:07:24]>> But isn't that a shame?

[00:07:25]>> A sitting member of Congress was found in a nursing home while she was serving her term.

[00:07:31]>> During her term. Yes.

[00:07:32]>> And that was in the last 5 years. That didn't make like national head like it would not we didn't all stop as voters and say what's going on.

[00:07:40]>> our voters? You know, like so so you're saying take take the choice out of the voters' hands then.

[00:07:44]>> Correct. That's the regulation I'm I'm clamoring for. Is that we as the public seem to not be It's just like putting on seat belts or not driving drunk. People have shown that they're going to drive drunk. So, we have a law about not driving drunk. Just like we had a show just now the first part of this discussion was about insider trading.

[00:08:00]People who have insider knowledge have shown that they will make use of it, so we have regulations against that. So, I do think like you said, people in positions of power have shown that they're not going to give them up voluntarily. So, and then they don't perform when they reach a certain age.

[00:08:15]So, what are we doing here?