Comments on: What You Can do to Improve Memory (and Why It Deteriorates in Old Age) http://www.sharpbrains.com/blog/2008/08/20/what-you-can-do-to-improve-memory-and-why-it-deteriorates-in-old-age/ Brain Fitness and Cognitive Health news Sat, 10 Jan 2009 00:16:00 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.0.5 by: Lorne S. Label,MD http://www.sharpbrains.com/blog/2008/08/20/what-you-can-do-to-improve-memory-and-why-it-deteriorates-in-old-age/#comment-184907 Tue, 09 Sep 2008 08:03:07 +0000 http://www.sharpbrains.com/blog/2008/08/20/what-you-can-do-to-improve-memory-and-why-it-deteriorates-in-old-age/#comment-184907 Being a practicing meditator, the results make complete sense. Nice study. Being a practicing meditator, the results make complete sense. Nice study.

]]> by: Mark Waldman http://www.sharpbrains.com/blog/2008/08/20/what-you-can-do-to-improve-memory-and-why-it-deteriorates-in-old-age/#comment-182159 Fri, 29 Aug 2008 01:05:31 +0000 http://www.sharpbrains.com/blog/2008/08/20/what-you-can-do-to-improve-memory-and-why-it-deteriorates-in-old-age/#comment-182159 In a recent study completed at the University of Pennsylvania, Andrew Newberg, MD, established that a 12-minute chanting meditation improved a range of memory and cognition problems in cognitively impaired older adults. None had practiced meditation before, and the improvements ranged from 10-20% after 8 weeks of practice. Apparently, meditation "trains" the brain to be more alert, focused, and organized, and most meditation techniques affect the same neural circuitry which affects the parietal/precuneal area, the anterior cingulate, parts of the basal ganglia, and many areas in the frontal and prefrontal cortex. The paper will be published shortly and reported on in the forthcoming book, How God Changes Your Brain, to be released in March 2009. Mark Waldman Associate Fellow Center for Spirituality and the Mind University of Pennsylvania In a recent study completed at the University of Pennsylvania, Andrew Newberg, MD, established that a 12-minute chanting meditation improved a range of memory and cognition problems in cognitively impaired older adults. None had practiced meditation before, and the improvements ranged from 10-20% after 8 weeks of practice. Apparently, meditation "trains" the brain to be more alert, focused, and organized, and most meditation techniques affect the same neural circuitry which affects the parietal/precuneal area, the anterior cingulate, parts of the basal ganglia, and many areas in the frontal and prefrontal cortex. The paper will be published shortly and reported on in the forthcoming book, How God Changes Your Brain, to be released in March 2009.

Mark Waldman
Associate Fellow
Center for Spirituality and the Mind
University of Pennsylvania

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