Think about this: How can anyone take care of his or her brain when every week brings a new barrage of articles and studies which seem to contradict each other?

Do supplements improve memory? Do you need both physical and mental exercise –or is one of them enough? Which brain training approach, if any, is worth one’s time and money?

We tried to address these questions, and many others, in our recent book, The SharpBrains Guide to Brain Fitness (182 pages, $24.95), that we presented at Games for Health Conference last week. The book is the result of over two years of extensive research including more than a hundred interviews with scientists, professionals and consumers, and a deep review of the scientific literature, led by neuropsychologist Elkhonon Goldberg and myself with the help of cognitive scientist Pascale Michelon. As we wrote in the Introduction, what we wanted to do first of all was to debunks these 10 myths on brain health and brain training:

Myth 1. Genes determine the fate of our brains.
Facts: Lifelong neuroplasticity allows our lifestyles and actions to play a meaningful role in how our brains physically evolve, especially given longer life expectancy.

Myth 2. Aging means automatic decline.
Facts: There is nothing inherently fixed in the precise trajectory of how brain functions evolve as we age.

Myth 3. Medication is the main hope for cognitive enhancement.
Facts: Non-invasive interventions can have comparable and more durable effects, side effect-free.

Myth 4. We will soon have a Magic Pill or General Solution to solve all our cognitive challenges.
Facts: A multi-pronged approach is recommended, centered around nutrition, stress management, and both physical and mental exercise.

Myth 5. There is only one “it” in “Use It or Lose it”.
Facts: The brain is composed of a number of specialized units. Our life and productivity depend on a variety of brain functions, not just one.

Myth 6. All brain activities or exercises are equal.
Facts: Varied and targeted exercises are the necessary ingredients in brain training so that a wide range of brain functions can be stimulated.

Myth 7. There is only one way to train your brain.
Facts: Brain functions can be impacted in a number of ways: through meditation, cognitive therapy, cognitive training.

Myth 8. We all have something called “Brain Age”.
Facts: Brain age is a fiction. No two individuals have the same brain or expression of brain functions.

Myth 9. That “brain age” can be reversed by 10, 20, 30 years.
Facts: Brain training can improve specific brain functions, but, with research available today, cannot be said to roll back one’s “brain age” by a number of years.

Myth 10. All human brains need the same brain training.
Facts: As in physical fitness, users must ask themselves: What functions do I need to improve on? In what timeframe? What is my budget?

Do you have other myths in mind you would like  us to address?

We have started to receive great feedback from the healthcare community, such as this email from a neurosurgeon in Texas:

“I really like the book, it is comprehensive without being too technical. I have recommended it to several patients. There are some other books that I expected would be greeted with enthusiasm, but were too complex for most of my patients. I think this book is right in the sweet spot”.

And this great book review by an Internist Physician and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Fellow, titled Is Your Brain A Couch Potato?:

“…a short, sweet, entertaining read of a complex topic, with timely (written in 1/09) reviews of 21 top technology products, as well as informed and expert predictions of where this burgeoning brain-fitness field is headed. More importantly, after you read it, you’ll have a good, detailed sense of where you, personally, can act to improve your own couch-potato brain – and how to keep it fit and flexible your whole life. The SharpBrains Guide To Brain Fitness reminds of us all why books (and not just googling a topic) can be well worth your time and money. Two Stethoscopes Up – check it out. life.”

—Doc Gurley, book review for SFGate.com (06/08/09)

The book:  The SharpBrains Guide to Brain Fitness (available via Amazon.com Here, review copies available upon request).

Description: While most of us have heard the phrase “use it or lose it,” very few understand what “it” means, or how to properly “use it” in order to maintain brain function and fitness. The SharpBrains Guide to Brain Fitness is an invaluable guide that helps readers navigate growing brain research and identify the lifestyle factors and products that contribute to brain health and fitness. By gathering insights from eighteen of the world’s top scientists and offering tools and detailed descriptions of over twenty products, this book is an essential guide to the field of brain fitness, neuroplasticity and cognitive health. An accessible and thought-provoking read, The SharpBrains Guide to Brain Fitness educates lifelong learners and professionals in healthcare, education, business, etc., on emerging trends and forecasts of what the future will hold.

Products Reviewed (we reviewed scientific studies published before January 2009, when the manuscript text was closed):

- Overall brain maintenance: Brain Age series (Nintendo), BrainWare Safari (Learning Enhancement Corporation), FitBrains.com (Vivity Labs), Happy-Neuron.com (Scientific Brain Training), Lumosity.com (Lumos Labs), MindFit (CogniFit), (m)Power (Dakim)

- Targeted brain workout: Classic and InSight (Posit Science), Working Memory Training JM and RM (Cogmed), DriveFit (CogniFit), Earobics (Houghton Mifflin), Fast ForWord (Scientific Learning), IntelliGym (Applied Cognitive Engineering), Vision Restpration Therapy (NovaVision)

- Emotional self-regulation: emWave PC and Personal Stress Reliever (HeartMath), Journey to the Wild Divine (Wild Divine), RESPeRATE (InterCure), StressEraser (Helicor)

Dr. Ginger Campbell just published a nice podcast interview with our co-founder and chief scientific advisor Dr. Elkhonon Goldberg, whom we also interviewed some months ago on brain improvement research and ideas.

The first half of the 30-minute interview is a bit technical, including a nice introduction to the field of neuropsychology as the convergence of neurology and psychology. It starts focusing on the role of lifelong learning and cognitive exercise at minute 15 or so. Some of the take-aways from the second half:

• Given that the brain’s right hemisphere seems more focused on dealing with novelty than the left one (more focused on pattern recognition based on pre-wired neural networks due to previous experiences), and that the right hemisphere typically declines first as we age…we need to ensure a good supply of novel challenges to maintain our brain, including the right hemisphere, sharp.
• The field of Cognitive Fitness is now emerging because Baby Boomers are more educated, proactive and computer-savvy than previous generations (as a broad generalization), and Read the rest of this entry »

If you are in the Bay Area, we hope to see you at this event! Feel free to forward the invitation below to anyone you know who may be interested.

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The growing movement for improving brain health has brought many interested professionals and interested community members to the table. Sharing our information, activities, and planned events to promote brain health increases the power of our reach.   

Please join us on May 16, 2007 from noon to 1:30pm for a complimentary gathering co-sponsored by:

• The American Society on Aging (Nancy Ceridwyn will make some remarks),
• The Osher Lifelong Learning Institutes (OLLI) at San Francisco State University and University of California at Berkeley, and
• SharpBrains.

Dr. Elkhonon Goldberg, well-known neuroscientist and author of The Wisdom Paradox: How Your Mind Can Grow Stronger as Your Brain Grows Older and Alvaro Fernandez, CEO and Co-Founder of SharpBrains and instructor of the Exercising Our Brains class, will provide an overview of the science and trends behind the emerging brain fitness field.

Please bring information on your work and events to share with others interested in brain health.

Where: SFSU OLLI (835 Market Street, 6th Floor, San Francisco, Room 675)
When: Wednesday, May 16, 12-1:30 pm
What: A chance for networking with Read the rest of this entry »

Sharon Begley writes another great article on The Upside of Aging – WSJ.com (subscription required)

• “The aging brain is subject to a dreary litany of changes. It shrinks, Swiss cheese-like holes grow, connections between neurons become sparser, blood flow and oxygen supply fall. That leads to trouble with short-term memory and rapidly switching attention, among other problems. And that’s in a healthy brain.”
• “But it’s not all doom and gloom. An emerging body of research shows that a surprising array of mental functions hold up well into old age, while others actually get better. Vocabulary improves, as do other verbal abilities such as facility with synonyms and antonyms. Older brains are packed with more so-called …”

We discussed some of these effects with Dr. Elkhonon Goldberg, who wrote his great book The Wisdom Paradox precisely on this point, at The Executive Brain and How our Minds Can Grow Stronger.

In our “Exercising Our Brains” Classes, we typically explain how some areas typically improve as we age, such as self-regulation, emotional functioning and Wisdom (which means moving from Problem solving to Pattern recognition), whereas other typically decline: effortful problem-solving for novel situations, processing speed, memory, attention and mental imagery. 

But the key message is that our actions influence the rate of improvement and/ or decline. Our awareness that “it’s not all doom and gloom” and that there’s much we can do is important. You may want to learn more with our Exercise Your Brain DVD.

You can also learn more on the Successful Aging of the Healthy Brain: a beautiful essay by Marian Diamond on how to keep our brains and minds active and fit throughout our lives.

 

…a few questions: how did you find us, what we are doing well, what we can do better?

We have just found out that more than 600 people are receiving our feeds, but we only know-and just a bit- the 50-60 who leave comments and link to us. We enjoy having so many readers not just in the US but in Europe, the Middle East, Asia, Australia…(thanks Google Analytics!).

Would you mind writing a comment to allow us to learn about you and your interests, and also include your feedback for us? If you have a blog, please write the URL so we can pay a visit.

Enjoy the weekend, and thanks a lot for your time and attention!

Caroline and Alvaro

Given that we are getting new readers let’s re-introduce our Neuroscience Interview Series. If you click on the category (in the right bar) that says Neuroscience Interview Series, you will find the updated list of interviews we have conducted (and also some that we have found elsewhere, such as the one with Posit Science’s Dr. Michael Merzenich and Dr. John Ratey).

The interviews we have conducted and published so far, with most recent first:

• Dr. Elkhonon Goldberg on Brain Fitness Programs and Cognitive Training. Dr. Goldberg is a neuropsychologist and clinical professor of neurology at New York University School of Medicine. He was a student and close associate of the great neuropsychologist Alexander Luria, and has written The Executive Brain and The Wisdom Paradox.
• Go Hirano on Brain Training and “Brain-ism” in Japan. Go is a serial Japanese entrepreneur who has launched NeuWell (Neuroscience for Wellness) there. He also talks about Nintendo Brain Age.
• On Enhancing Trader Performance and The Psychology of Trading: Interview with Brett N. Steenbarger. Dr. Steenbarger is an Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at SUNY Upstate Medical University, and author of The Psychology of Trading and the new Enhancing Trader Performance.
• On Cognitive Simulations for Basketball Game-Intelligence: Interview with Prof. Daniel Gopher. Dr. Gopher is Professor of Cognitive Psychology and Human Factors Engineering at Technion, Israel’s Institute of Science, and scientific advisor for IntelliGym.
• An ape can do this. Can we not? with Dr. James Zull, Professor of Biology and Biochemistry at Case Western University, and author of The Art of Changing the Brain
• Cognitive Training and ADD/ADHD: Interview with Prof. David Rabiner, Senior Research Scientist and the Director of Psychology and Neuroscience Undergraduate Studies at Duke University.
• On Working Memory Training and RoboMemo: Interview with Dr. Torkel Klingberg, professor at Karolinska Institute, and director of the Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience Lab, part of the Stockholm Brain Institute. He is also the scientific advisor for Cogmed Working Memory Training program (RoboMemo).

And we have a few more interviews in the works-please keep tuned. 

Enjoy!

Dr. Elkhonon Goldberg is a clinical professor of neurology at New York University School of Medicine, and author of over 50 peer-reviewed papers. His areas of expertise include executive functions, memory, attention deficit disorder, dementia, traumatic brain injury, and others. Dr. Goldberg was a student and close associate of the great neuropsychologist Alexander Luria. His book The Executive Brain: Frontal Lobes and the Civilized Mind (Oxford University Press, 2001) has received critical acclaim and has been published in 12 languages. His recent book The Wisdom Paradox: How Your Mind Can Grow Stronger As Your Brain Grows Older (Gotham Books, Penguin, 2005) offers an innovative understanding of cognitive aging and what can be done to forestall cognitive decline. It has been, or is in the process of being, published in 13 languages.

We are fortunate that Dr. Goldberg is SharpBrains’ Co-Founder and Chief Scientific Advisor. His book The Wisdom Paradox inspired me to embark in this path, and has been a key sounding board in the development of what we are doing.

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Key take-aways

- “Use It and Get More of It” reflects reality better than “Use It or Lose It”.

- Let’s demystify cognition and the brain. Everyone needs to have a basic understanding of the brain-and how to cultivate it.

- Well-directed mental exercise is a must for cognitive enhancement and healthy aging.
Read the rest of this entry »

Today we are going to talk about the applications of cognitive neuroscience to trading and neurofinance. Brett N. Steenbarger , Ph.D. is Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at SUNY Upstate Medical University, active trader for over 30 years, former Director of Trader Development for Kingstree Trading, LLC, and author of The Psychology of Trading: Tools and Techniques for Minding the Markets(Wiley, 2003) and the new Enhancing Trader Performance: Proven Strategies From the Cutting Edge of Trading Psychology (Wiley, 2007).

He writes feature columns for the Trading Markets website and several trading publications, including Stocks Futures and Options Magazine.

Key take-aways 

-Elite performers in any highly-competitive field follow structured learning and training processes to develop their skills, ensuring continuous feedback and refinement.

- Traders would benefit to following this example. Tools at their disposal include books, simulation programs, biofeedback programs for emotional management, and coaches.

- Specific skills to train are brain speed and working memory (for short-term traders), analytical skills (long-term ones). For both, managing emotional-driven impulsive behavior.

Books on Trading and Peak Performance

Alvaro Fernandez (Alvaro): Welcome, Prof. Steenbarger. Why don’t you start by providing us some context on your interest in trading performance and how it led you to your new book? Read the rest of this entry »

Some days ago we mentioned attention deficits and executive functions, as part of a review of Cognitive Neuroscience and Education. Let me explore that in more depth now, having just met a number of very interesting researchers, doctors and experts at CHADD conference, and witnessed the first baby steps of a coming revolution.

First, 3 clarifications are in order: Read the rest of this entry »

Both The Quick and the Ed and Intelligence Testing  blogs mention the American Educator article “Brain-based” Learning: More Fiction than Fact, by cognitive psychologist Daniel T. Willingham.

The article does a very good job at debunking some myths, and showing a skeptic face to the educational value of ultra-sophisticated fMRI scans. I fully agree with his attempt to debunk those myths, and with his pragmatic approach in terms of fMRIs. I would add that what in most classrooms today is called “brain-based learning” is quasi-common-sense in a pretty dress, with no base on solid research and clinical evidence.

The 3 specific myths he covers are:
1. Some people are left-brained, some are right-brained, and schools are designed for left-brain students;
2. Schools are designed to fit girls’ brains;
3. Classical music is a proven intervention to make young brains smarter

Now, I think the author premises don’t warrant his drastic and pessimistic conclusion that “the payoff (of neuroscience research) is likely to come only in the distant future, not in the next five or 10 years”.

Let’s review some neuroscience-findings that are being useful TODAY. Certainly they are not mainstream practices yet, but are helping thousands of kids. Which reminds me of the quote “The future is already here -it’s just unevenly distributed”.

Let me break them down in 2 categories:

a) Neuroscience-informed Instruction: books such as The Art of Changing the Brain: Enriching the Practice of Teaching by Exploring the Biology of Learning, by neurobiologist and educator Dr. James Zull, provide a great overview for educators who want to better understand how people learn. And, therefore, how we can better teach. The core concept is that there is an effective Learning Cycle, or Learning How to Learn muscle, that we must practice, with 4 stages: 1) get information, 2) make meaning of that information, 3) create new ideas from these meanings and 4) act on those ideas. And then back to 1). From this he proposes that there are four pillars of learning: gathering, analyzing, creating, and acting. You can read our interview with Dr. Zull on Learning, from which we extract the following:

AF (me): “Do you think this (Learning Cycle, Learning to Learn) is happening today in our schools?”

JZ (James Zull): “I don’t think so. First, of all, too many people still believe that Education means the process by which students passively absorb information. Even if many educators would like to ensure a more participatory and active approach, we still use the structures and priorities of another era. For example, we still pay too much attention to categorizing some kids as intelligent, some as not so, instead of focusing on how they could all learn more.”…

AF: “can you give us an example (of Prof. Zull’s emphasis on the need to help the learner make connections based on what they already know)”

JZ: “Well, an example I use in my books is that middle school students often have a hard time learning about Martin Luther and the Reformation because they confuse him with Martin Luther King Jr. We can choose to become frustrated about that. Or we can exploit this saying something like, “Yes! Martin Luther King was a lot like Martin Luther. In fact, why do you think Martin Luther King’s parents named him that? Why didn’t they name him Sam King?”

In short, we should pay more attention to Learning to Learn. Based on neurobiology. Yet, we don’t.

b) Clinically-validated Computer-based Cognitive Training Programs: we must find a sexier name (we are trying Brain Fitness Programs), but the fact is that a number of these programs are helping thousands of kids, today. Yes, maybe these programs require a change in how teachers perceive themselves, and the value they bring to education (maybe they will become the personal brain trainers of the future?), but we should not neglect them simply because they are different to the way we typically think about education and schools.

Targeted computer-based exercises can be extremely helpful, right now, for people who have specific “learning readiness bottlenecks”, or cognitive deficits, and are being refined for all students. If a kid doesn’t possess enough working memory, it is simply fruitless for a teacher to repeat a question 50 times and hope the kid will perform a complex mental calculation. We need to help the kid overcome his or her problem, at the root. Some cognitive challenges that affect many of our children, and where neuroscientists have already designed programs and shown results, are:

1) Dyslexia: a proven intervention is Scientific Learning’s FastForword. Check their research page

 

2) Working Memory Deficits (which affects a large proportion of kids with ADD/ ADHD): a proven intervention is Cogmed’s Working Memory Training program, RoboMemo. Not in US schools yet, but available through schools in Sweden and clinical practices in Europe and the US. Even “normal” students and adults have been shown to expand their working memory. 

Some readings:
- Interview with Dr. Torkel Klingberg, Working Memory Training leading researcher
- Interview with Dr. David Rabiner, ADD/ ADHD leading researcher
- Reflections at a meeting with a number of school superintendents

3) Anxiety and stress: not only test anxiety, but overall high-levels of anxiety that inhibit learning and higher-order thinking: a program already used in many schools, and with promising research results, is the Institute of HeartMath’s FreezeFramer. Read How stress and anxiety may affect Learning Readiness, and Why chronic stress is something to avoid.

For anyone interested in this topic, and I’d say every parent and educator, 2 books are required reading:
- Dr. Marian Diamond’s Magic Trees of the Mind : How to Nurture Your Child’s Intelligence, Creativity, and Healthy Emotions from Birth Through Adolescence
- Dr. Mel Levine’s: A Mind at a Time.

A bit more technical, but very enlightening:
- By the Commission on Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education How People Learn: Brain, Mind, Experience, and School Committee on Developments in the Science of Learning .
- Dr. Elkhonon Goldberg’s: The Executive Brain: Frontal Lobes and the Civilized Mind .

You can also check more information on Brain Fitness and Brain Fitness Programs.

Obviously, there is a lot of room for future programs. Neuroscientists are just at the beginning of this journey. But the journey has started. Neuroscience is already helping thousands of kids, today. True, focused first on kids who need help the most. But other kids are benefiting, too. It will take, in my view, less than 10 years, even less than 5, for significant numbers of students, beyond Special Ed, to benefit from what neuroscience can offer them.

We will approach Daniel Willingham, author of the American Educator article. We would enjoy being able to contribute with input and research, to a future column. And to bring the best tools of each trade to our common goal: to better equip our children (and why not, adults) for the future.