What stresses you out ?

Whatever it is, how you respond to it may have more consequences than you think. Let me show you how.

Recapping from last months article (see Stress and Neural Wreckage: Part of the Brain Plasticity Puzzle)…our bodies are a complex balancing act between systems working full time to keep us alive and well. Any change which threatens this balance can be referred to as stress. Cortisol, a key component of the stress response, does an excellent job of allowing us to adapt to most stressors which last more than a couple of minutes. However, having to endure a high stressor for longer than about 30 minutes to an hour negatively impacts the brain in various ways.

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Starting this week, you will start seeing a growing number of Expert Contributors writing in our blog and website, so that we can collectively discuss the latest research and trends on cognitive and emotional training, brain fitness and health, and the implications of brain research in general for our everyday lives. All of it, spiced up by stimulating brain teasers.

So, if you haven’t already, make sure to subscribe to our newsletter (above) and our RSS feed (on the right).

Let me introduce, In alphabetical order, the Expert Contributors who will share their knowledge with us in January and February.

- Wes Carroll, SB in Computer Science and Engineering from MIT, and Puzzle Master for Ask a Scientist lecture series.

- Simon Evans, PhD., and Paul Burghardt, PhD., who collaborate in the University of Michigan’s Department of Psychiatry and the Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience Institute, to study the effects of nutrition and exercise on brain function.

- Greater Good Magazine, a quarterly magazine published by a UC-Berkeley center to “highlights ground breaking scientific research into the roots of compassion and altruism.” 

- Gregory Kellett, a recent graduate from the Cognitive Neurology/Research Psychology Masters program at SFSU.

- Eric Jensen, author of Enriching the Brain: How to Maximize Every Learner’s Potential, and well-known synthesizer of brain research information with implications for K12 education.

- Pascale Michelon, Ph. D., an Adjunct Faculty at Washington University in Saint Louis, Psychology Department.

- Tom O’Brien, professor emeritus in mathematics education, Southern Illinois University, and author of prize-winning games.

- Joshua Steinerman, M.D., Postdoctoral Clinical Fellow in the Department of Neurology at Columbia University Medical Center.

- David Rabiner, Ph.D., Senior Research Scientist and Director of Undergraduate Studies at Duke University. Dr. Rabiner maintains the highly-regarded Attention Research Update.

Please Note: if you would like to become an Expert Contributor, Read the rest of this entry »

Another great week full of interesting and relevant articles. We will start a new tradition: we will end up the week (either on Friday or during the weekend) with a round-up of the articles we haven’t been able to comment on during the week. Please feel free to send us your suggestions too!

(You can join our monthly newsletter by subscribing at the top of this page).

Brave Heart: does will power reside in heart?

• “A recent study has looked into the issue of whether cognitive self -regulation (will power / motivation) is also associated with HRV. The study reported that higher baseline HRV was associated with more will-power and ability to resist temptation.”

Book review: Train Your Mind, Change Your Brain by Sharon Begley

• “Train Your Mind, Change Your Brain is as entertaining as it is edifying. This unlikely page turner fascinates, and suggests optimism about your brain’s capacities.
  Considering the aging baby boom generation and the demands this group has created in every phase of life, if a culture of mental fitness develops, it won’t surprise me. Being a boomer myself, I’m all for it. I just hope I don’t have to become a bodhisattva to reap the benefits.”

Newsweek: Clear link between exercise and improved cognition

• “Last week, in a landmark paper, researchers announced that Read the rest of this entry »