2 excellent recent blog carnival editions:
Encephalon #58 (neuroscience and psychology), hosted by Walter at Highlight Health.
Hourglass #5 (biology of aging), hosted by Laura at psique.
Enjoy!
Welcome to the first edition of MetaCarnival: a Carnival of Carnivals (announced here), the new, 
monthly, and interdisciplinary gathering of blogs and blog carnivals.
Let's picture all participants in the shadow of an expansive sycamore tree, conducting a lively Q&A lunch discussion.
General Advice
Q: What would you recommend to live as long as possible, and as healthy as possible?
- Hourglass (biology of aging): Try Not To Stab Yourself Repeatedly. Or smoke. Or eat that much fast food...you get the idea. "The vast majority of people are quite comfortable engaging in habits that cause great harm to the old person they will one day be, cutting off years or even decades of health."
Q: Can blogging help, too?
- I and the Bird (birds): Indeed. Just read about these life-changing moments in the Kenyan highlands, brought together spontaneously as a collaboration between researchers, conservationists, bloggers. And, yes, birds.
Sports (Well... Brain and Sports)
Q: Tell me something interesting about athletes and "The Zone".
- Encephalon (neuroscience and psychology): why don't we review this recent study on the Momentum Chain in Sports. You can conduct your own mini experiment while watching TV: watch the reactions of the players and the teams right after "precipitating events" to see if they actually lead to game-changing moments.
Medicine
Q: Should patients be patient?.
- SurgeXperiences (surgical experiences): Patience in indeed a virtue, especially Continue Reading »
An excellent new edition of Encephalon neuroscience blog carnival, hosted by Mind Hacks. Enjoy!
If you are a blogger or read blogs often, you know that there are a good number of excellent blog carnivals focused on specific themes. If you are interested in medicine, you know what carnival to visit. Education, the same. Biology, neuroscience, nursing, birds, aging, philosophy...a variety of topics are very well covered in the blogosphere.
What you probably haven't come across is a high-quality "metacarnival" or "carnival of carnivals", where you can read the best blog posts ACROSS topics, subjects, disciplines.
This is why a few blog carnival "organizers" are launching next Monday a monthly rotating "MetaCarnival" to feature the most interesting posts from a variety of high-quality blog carnivals.
Participating blog carnivals so far, alphabetically: Continue Reading »
As the Brain Fitness industry continues to gain momentum, and people explore all the incredible brain-training tools being developed, we hope that enthusiasts don't take their eye off the importance of the physical health of the brain and all the systems it communicates with. The brain is unique in that it houses our cognitive and emotional capacities in the form of the mind. It is a 'cognitive' organ that hungers for stimulation from new experiences and challenges. Many brain fitness programs strive to satisfy this need. Yet the brain is also a physical organ that plays by many of the same rules as the heart, lungs, liver and kidneys. To stay healthy and perform optimally it requires quality nutrition, physical activity and optimal sleep. The brain, especially, relies on a healthy vascular system to efficiently deliver oxygen and key nutrients and remove waste. In fact, the brain uses approximately 20% of the oxygen we breathe to satisfy its high-energy demands. Given that the brain only weighs about 2% of the body, we can consider it an energy hog and we must cater to its needs very carefully.
Nutrients play key roles in brain function. Several have shown efficacy in clinical trials treating cases of mood disorders, cognitive decline and of course benefiting the physical health of the brain. Nutrients are both the raw materials employed in creating new neural connections and Continue Reading »
Mo, the founder of Encephalon blog carnival, has hosted its most recent edition:
- Encephalon 54, with "everything from the perception of colour and shapes to behavioural economics, the neuroscience of sports and squabbling psychologists."
If you are looking for some good articles on recent neuroscience and psychology news and development, this twice-a-month carnival is a great place to start.
Over the last few weeks I have been reading Recollections of My Life, the impressive 
autobiography by Santiago Ramon y Cajal (1852-1934), one the founders of modern neuroscience. The book combines a very lively window into his childhood, life and personal reflections, with a pretty technical descriptions at times of his main contributions to neuroscience.
I wanted to understand his views better because, on the one hand, he is often presented as one of the first proponents of the No New Neurons (in the adult brain) dogma now refuted, but on the other hand he said things like "Every man can, of he so desires, become the sculptor of his own brain", thereby emphasizing what we now call adult neuroplasticity (the ability of the brain to rewire itself through experience).
Let me share some of the quotes I have enjoyed the most:
*** (on his traits of character): "a profound belief in the sovereign will; faith in work; the conviction that a persevering and deliberate effort is capable of moulding and organizing everything, from the muscle to the brain, making up the deficiencies of nature and even overcoming the mischances of character-the most difficult thing in life."
- Comment: very clear belief in neuroplasticity-which he couldn't prove in his lifetime given lack of the technical resources and accumulated knowledge available today.
*** "...I am a fervent adept of the religion of facts. It has been said innumerable times, and I have also repeated it, that "facts remain and theories pass away...To observe without thinking is as dangerous as to think without observing. Theory is our best intellectual tool; a tool, like all others, liable to be notched and to rust, requiring continual repairs and replacements, but without which it would be almost impossible to make a deep hollow in the marble block of reality"
- Comment: beautiful display of the scientific mindset.
*** (after a first disillusionment) "I consoled myself then in the way that I have always been in the habit of doing...namely by bathing my soul in nature...For one who is capable of appreciating its enchantment, the country is the sovereign soother of emotions, the unreplaceable commutator of thoughts."
- Comment: I was surprised by the lyrical nature of several passages in his autobiography, like this one. When Howard Gartner talks of a "naturalistic intelligence", he may well be thinking of attitudes like Cajal's. Which makes much sense, given the quote above on the value of "facts".
I apologize for the long delay in getting back to this column but I have a good excuse. We just recently had a baby, and boy, that takes care right there of the physical exercise need. Between carrying the baby upstairs and downstairs, running to get the baby, getting out of the bed and picking the baby up and putting the baby down a couple of times a night no you need not worry about getting your daily exercise dose in…Now, the majority of the answers to my post on the brain virtues of physical exercise suggests that most people think that the brain benefits of physical exercise are mostly to be understood as complementary effects of a healthy life style.
Is this correct? In my post today I will attempt to answer this question.
First, while generally healthier people seem to have healthier brains, the physical exercise effect on the brain seems to be independent of other things. One of the most important development in neuroscience was when the official dogma claiming that there was no neurogenesis (production of new brain cells) in the adult brain was toppled. Now we know that the brain is “plastic” meaning that, under the right circumstances, the brain can change Continue Reading »
Chris hosts a superb edition of Encephalon, presenting the articles as an engaging and pretty comprehensive Q&A session. If you want to read the answers, to the questions below, by some of the best neuroscience and psychology bloggers, simply visit Encephalon 52: Q&A.
Q: What is the relationship between neurogenesis and depression?
Q: For that matter, is there a relationship between depression and diabetes?
Q: What is the molecular basis of bipolar disorder?
Q: Can brain stimulation make you a better driver? Continue Reading »
You may be interested in the excellent agenda the American Society on Aging has put together for health professionals on a variety of aging topics, including a full day devoted to discussing Brain Health Promotion: The Next Steps.
When are where: September 2nd-5th, in San Francisco, CA. Brain Health Promotion day is September 5th.
To check the full agenda: Click here.
To register: Register Now (early registration until August 25th).
I will be participating in three sessions. Please let me know if you are attending, we may be able to organize a SharpBrains lunch on Friday September 5th.
1) How Change Makers Like You Can Contribute to the Future of Brain Health
September 5th, 9.00-10.30 am
Neuroscience, and cognitive science in general, are coming to a fundamentally new understanding of the lifelong plasticity of the brain and what aging means. This presents tremendous opportunities, and challenges, to anyone caring for other people's brains (on top of their own). In this session, we will provide an overview of the research and market trends that may affect brain health in the next five to ten years, will explore new roles to serve our communities coupled with the need to reinvent existing ones, and will help navigate the increased number of brain heath options today. Continue Reading »
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