Several recent news (including video of our recent panel discussion):
1) Study Finds Improved Cognitive Health among Older Americans (Journal of the Alzheimer's Association)
- "Societal investment in building and maintaining cognitive reserve through formal education in childhood and continued cognitive stimulation during work and leisure in adulthood may help limit the burden of dementia among the growing number of older adults worldwide".
- "Cognitive impairment dropped from 12.2 percent in 1993 to 8.7 percent in 2002 among people 70 and older."
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Given the current political climate, we are pleased to host this thought-provoking article by 2 of our Expert Contributors. Dear Mr or Mrs Next President: how can you help our minds take better care of our brains?
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Ask Not What The Health System Can Do For You...
-- By Simon J. Evans, PhD and Paul R. Burghardt, PhD.
With the presidential debates gearing up again we are sure to hear more about health care. But we propose a slightly different question. In addition to asking how we can get more people healthcare coverage, we should also ask why so many people are sick in the first place.
The words of John Kennedy might today be, “Ask not what the health care system can do for you. Ask what you can do to reduce the health care burden”. But before delving into what we can do, let’s take a look at some realities that our next president could face in their first ‘State of the Union’ address.
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Do you want to change your brain? (for the better, we all hope!). Keep reading Dr. Pascale Michelon's blog post...
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You may have heard that the brain is plastic. As you know the brain is not made of plastic! Neuroplasticity or brain plasticity refers to the brain’s ability to CHANGE throughout life. The brain has the amazing ability to reorganize itself by forming new connections between brain cells (neurons).
In addition to genetic factors, the environment in which a person lives, as well as the actions of that person, play a role in plasticity.
Neuroplasticity occurs in the brain:
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A CDC report estimated that, in 2003, 4.4 million youth ages 4-17 lived with diagnosed ADHD, and 2.5 million of them were receiving medication treatment. Now, which is the core deficit underlying ADHD-so that treatments really address it? and how are ADHD and brain development related? Keep reading...
ADHD & the Nature of Self-Control - Revisiting Barkley's Theory of ADHD
--- By David Rabiner, Ph.D
As implied in the title of his book, ADHD and the Nature of Self-Control
, Dr. Barkley argues that the fundamental deficit in individuals with ADHD is one of self-control, and that problems with attention are a secondary characteristic of the disorder.
Dr. Barkley emphasizes that during the course of development, control over a child's behavior gradually shifts from external sources to being increasingly governed by internal rules and standards. Controlling one's behavior by internal rules and standards is what is meant by the term "self-control".
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Physical fitness. Cognitive/ brain fitness. Both require novelty, variety and challenge. Professor Schlomo Breznitz, a scientific and business leader in the cognitive fitness field, explains why, eloquently, below. Perhaps "we want change" really means "we need change". Enjoy!
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Why are everyday life challenges not sufficient to keep our brains fit?
-- By Prof. Shlomo Breznitz
Often, when describing the benefits of MindFit to brain health, I am asked by people in the audience whether this software is really needed. After all, so they argue, life provides continues cognitive challenges, which should suffice for ensuring brain fitness. From the moment we wake up until we go to sleep our brains have to attend to complex stimuli, plan many activities, some of them quite complex, and carry us through whatever the day offers. These tasks should provide sufficient "brain exercise" without the need to engage in specific mental workout.
This line of argument sounds oddly familiar, since it is an exact duplication of claims made in the recent past against the need for physical exercise. One jumps into the car and from the car and perhaps even climbs a few stairs before sitting in the chair, which should be enough to burn the calories and keep fit.
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Two interesting company press releases, one yesterday one today, showing how cognitive interventions may be helpful no matter our age, from kids to seniors, as long as we understand what those "tools" are supposed to do and don't expect, or are promised, miracles:
Dakim ® , Inc. Secures $10.6 Million Series C Funding Led by Galen Partners
- "an innovator in brain fitness technology solutions, today announced Continue Reading »
Cognitive training (the basis for what we call "brain fitness" these days) has a wide array of applications. The most recent
one, which is capturing public's imagination, monopolizing media coverage, and creating certain confusion, is Healthy Brain Aging. We are fortunate to have Dr. Joshua Steinerman, one of our new Expert Contributors, offer today his great voice to this conversation. Enjoy!
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Minding the Aging Brain
-- By Joshua R. Steinerman, M.D.
Scientists, philosophers, artists, and experts from all fields of human endeavor lament: it ain’t easy getting older. It? Do they refer to frailty and disability? To bodily disease? To life at its essence?
It’s all in your head
The mind is not set in stone, but it is encased by bone. It’s really all about the brain, the hyphen in the mind-body conundrum. That squishy gray neuronal jungle is the interface between internal life and environmental sensations and stimulation. As expected, the brain shows signs of aging just as a wrinkled brow, a stooped posture, or an arthritic finger might. The most common brain changes observed in aging and in age-associated neuropsychiatric disease include:
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A couple of excellent collections of blog posts:
-The Tangled Bank: all things science, with a very clear presentation.
-Medicine 2.0: intersection of Health and Web 2.0, hosted by Bertalan Mesko, its creator.
Dear Mr or Mrs Next US President,
Thank you for stopping during recess for a quick study sessi
on. 35 educators have collaborated to present this Carnival of Education as a useful lesson plan for you and your education policy team on what our real concerns and suggestions are.
In case this is your first visit to our SharpBrains blog, let me first of all point out some useful resources to stay sane during the rest of the campaign: selected Brain Teasers, a list of 21 great Brain Books, over a dozen interviews with leading scientists on learning and brain-based topics, and more.
Without further ado, let's proceed to the issues raised. We hope they provide, at the very least, good mental stimulation for you and your advisors.
Education as a System
and gathering steam. We have prepared this "revival" edition just for you, so you can be well informed and impress us all during the upcoming 