Aging has long been characterized as a loss of complexity. The body loses the ability to adapt to various forms of stress, which gradually results in disease and loss of function. This is most evident in the muscles and bones, but neuroimaging has revealed that this occurs in the brain as well. The aging brain becomes less specialized than that of younger counterparts. We see increased secondary activation in areas of the brain that are not typically involved, possibly as a way to compensate for poorer signal transmission.   One intervention that we know helps to restore complexity and plasticity is exercise. No big surprise there. Another, oddly enough, is beetroot juice. In today’s episode of humanOS Radio, Dan talks to Dr. Jonathan Burdette. Dr. Burdette is a neuroradiologist and researcher at Wake Forest School of Medicine, who uses advanced MR imaging techniques to study the brain as a complex and interconnected network. Recently, he and his team designed a clinical trial to investigate whether beetroot juice - in combination with an exercise regimen - could enhance neuroplasticity and improve brain function in measurable ways.