9.22.2009
Alzheimer's Crisis Reaches a Crest
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Image: the divine wind brings a tsunami to Japan
A new report from Alzheimer's Disease International reports that there are now 35.6 million cases of Alzheimer's and will be 115 million or more by the year 2050.
At this rate, the incidence of the disease will double every twenty years, and this probably underreports the crisis since cases are normally only diagnosed when the patient is in the last stages of what has been an invisible process, possibly commencing decades before it is noticed, along with conditions such as atherosclerosis.
Early detection through screening and other indicators (genetics) and notice of any subtle changes in cognition may act like a version of early radar in the 1940's, giving observers advance notice. Doubtless today's cumbersome process will morph into a sleeker, faster, and more efficient system that will help to save brains and prolong lives.
Undiagnosed Alzheimer's is often a cause of death, since it can lead to cessation of the pulse or breathing as the brain 'forgets' how to regulate these automatic routines, with the disease actually the unlabeled cause of death, rather than the overt symptom or outward manifestation. There is hope, however, in mental, physical, and social activity - in short, staying engaged and 'plugged-in' to the vibe of life and the amazing world around us.
Labels: alzheimers, brain, diagnosis, international
// posted by neurofuture10:32 AM permanent link
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9.21.2009
Brain Size and Aging: New Insights
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Dutch Scientists have found that the size of the brain may not actually decline in parallel with aging, over the course of a 6-year study - a finding that has been reported previously and considered somewhat axiomatic - but might be partially erroneous or an extrapolation based on limited sets of data.
Labels: aging, artificial life, brain
// posted by neurofuture8:08 PM permanent link
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8.01.2009
more optimization, not yet absolute
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src="http://cognitivelabs.com/cognitive.js">
If inclined, try the top code snippet on this page by copying it. Incrementally better result than previously, esp. for blogger (e.g., that happens to be the platform used here - now it appears to be fully-functional locally on our machine, though doubt if for wordpress, since it rejects javascript, eventually everything will be in the 'cloud' and seamlessness should be everywhere - however, then you need unlimited scalable bandwidth )
Labels: blogger, brain, widgets
// posted by neurofuture5:44 PM permanent link
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7.02.2009
Abstract Art Brain
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Here's another test...on this page it's interwoven with ambient beats...24/7
The spheres are an artists' rendering of the infinite.
Labels: ambient, brain, chill, infinite, psych
// posted by neurofuture11:54 PM permanent link
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5.21.2009
Called out by Elvis
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Who did the King say was the greatest musician of all time?
Roy Orbison, a man from the tiny town of Wink, Texas.
Roy Orbison, a man from the tiny town of Wink, Texas.
Labels: brain, elvis, orbison, sivle, wink
// posted by neurofuture9:52 PM permanent link
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5.02.2009
We Can Remember it For You
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Upload your memories. If you don't like them, swap them with someone else.
Tagged memories will be available by topic to make searching easy.
Will a subscription model work? Or should it be more like your favorite downloadable media service?
At a fictitious brain.com type site, you'll be able to remember anything... wholesale. It may not be impossible after all, or at least, much more possible than people think today...
hint: think more 'gaming' and game-theory than 'neuroscience' - which is a fuzzy topic and means 1,000 different things to 1,000 experts depending on their academic specialty.
Labels: brain, dick, tagged, wholesale
// posted by neurofuture3:12 AM permanent link
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Time to Defrag the Brain
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Cognitive Spring Cleaning Time...
This one will be out shortly....but you can see this one on the cognitive labs page, too.
This one will be out shortly....but you can see this one on the cognitive labs page, too.
Labels: brain, defrag, la times, spring
// posted by neurofuture1:31 AM permanent link
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4.17.2009
Sports Drinks May Activate the Brain
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New research shows that athletes given sports drinks during training showed 2-3% greater brain activity than those that were provided a placebo. It is surmised that carbohydrates are absorbed through the walls of the mouth by means of a structure similar to the tastebuds, since the samples were only swished around the mouth and not digested, and that these substances then impact the brain.
Labels: brain, drinks, placebo, samples, sports, webMD
// posted by neurofuture12:39 PM permanent link
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3.13.2009
Scans Can Detect Recording of Memories
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Positronic Emission Tomography (PET) images of brains
While believed to be a subtle biomechanical process by some neuroscientists and not prone to direct observation, new research with subjects interacting with a virtual reality environment has shown that scans can follow, record, and even predict the formulation of memories almost like an emulsion exposure process in chemical photography.
Humans create memories of locations in physical or virtual space as they move around - and it all shows up on brain scans.
Researchers tracked brain activity related to "spatial memory" as volunteers moved about inside a virtual reality setup. Their new study challenges previous scientific thinking by showing that memories are recorded in regular patterns.
"Surprisingly, just by looking at the brain data we could predict exactly where they were in the virtual reality environment," said Eleanor Maguire, a neuroscientist at the University College London in the U.K. "In other words, we could 'read' their spatial memories."
Maguire and her colleagues focused on the hippocampus, or a small part of the brain that deals with navigation, memory recall and imagining future events. Neurons known as "place cells" activate in the hippocampus and inform people of where they are as they move around.
Read more from live science
Labels: alzheimers, brain, pet
// posted by neurofuture12:49 PM permanent link
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3.02.2009
300 Million Year Old Brain Recovered
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An unutterably old brain of a shark's antecedent was found in Kansas
More than just dust in the wind, a 300 million year old brain was unearthed in Kansas. According to scientists, this represents the first time that actual brain tissue of the period was fossilized and can be recovered. Less than 3 years ago, small scraps of T-rex vascular structures were found on fossilized bones, but this discovery is apparently far more complex. The fish-like iniopterygian was a predecessor of sharks, rays, and fish and lived in a shallow ocean in the middle of the continent. (See example below)
Labels: brain, iniopterygian, kansas
// posted by neurofuture8:21 PM permanent link
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2.03.2009
Once Again, Study Shows Cognitive Benefit of Coffee Consumption
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Here's another article on the impact of coffee consumption on the brain, showing the benefits.
// posted by neurofuture7:08 PM permanent link
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10.13.2008
Feed your Brain: Biggest Gain in Stock Market History
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All U.S. indicies rallied today with the largest gain in U.S. history, and a 936 point gain in the Dow.
// posted by neurofuture1:39 PM permanent link
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10.08.2008
Google in game Ads
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Google is moving into offering ads inside Flash games, which extends the ability to put messages into the popular game format in what is a predictable move.
Those publishers with mobile-optimized games will probably be able to use a similar service in the future. Brain games since they are at the twin foci of health and user attentiveness should be very well represented.
Those publishers with mobile-optimized games will probably be able to use a similar service in the future. Brain games since they are at the twin foci of health and user attentiveness should be very well represented.
Labels: ads, advergame, brain, foci, ingame
// posted by neurofuture10:07 AM permanent link
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9.04.2008
Thinking your Way to Weight Gain
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A new study suggests that intensive intellectual activity prompts snacking, even though the calories consumed by 'thinking' compared to a rest state are infinitesimal.
Thinking does demand brain energy, in the form of glucose - since brain cells consume 2x the energy of any other cells in the body. However, since the cells can't manufacture glucose it must be consumed and passed to the brain via the bloodstream.
To avoid undesirable weight gain connected with this additional eating, mental activity should be counterbalanced by physical activity, which consumes more calories overall and may have an appetite suppressant effect (known to runners and other repetitive cardio trainers). It may be that our body seeks this mental and physical balance.
Labels: brain, cardio, fast thinking, glucose
// posted by neurofuture9:36 AM permanent link
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9.02.2008
Coglabs tops 614000 visitors in August Dog Days
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Thanks to you, Cognitive Labs had a great August 2008, with over 614,000 visitors, up from 549,000 in July - our previous high.
That's a lot of brains getting faster + energized = fenergy (a new word)
Seriously, the term 'dog days' comes from the dog star, Sirius...
excerpt from Answers.com...
The term "Dog Days" was coined by the ancient Romans, who called these days caniculares dies (days of the dogs) after Sirius (the "Dog Star"), the brightest star in the heavens besides the Sun.
Popularly believed to be an evil time "when the seas boiled, wine turned sour, dogs grew mad, and all creatures became languid, causing to man burning fevers, hysterics, and phrensies" - Brady’s Clavis Calendarium, 1813.
(Perhaps the origin of the name 'Burning Man' for the late August quest for meaning on the Nevada playa?)
The Dog Days originally were the days when Sirius, the Dog Star, rose just before or at the same time as sunrise, which is no longer true owing to precession of the equinoxes. The ancients sacrificed a brown dog at the beginning of the Dog Days to appease the rage of Sirius, believing that that star was the cause of the hot, sultry weather.
Labels: 614000, 614k, brain, cognitive, visitors
// posted by neurofuture2:19 PM permanent link
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8.20.2008
APOEe4 Test Subjects Exhibit Lack of Brain Connectivity
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Low Bandwidth gets a new meaning.
One of the studies presented at the International Alzheimer's Association Conference was fascinating - asymptomatic APOEe4 positive people - the most reliable genetic indicator of Alzheimer's susceptibility yet identified - seem to have connectivity issues between the hippocampus and posterior cingulated cortex, according to researchers at the Medical College of Wisconsin.
A new MRI technique being developed by Shi Jiang Li and colleagues and tested on 28 subjects, 12 APOEe4 positive, showed that the non APOEe4 group exhibited 65% better connectivity than the APOEe4 group by measuring response across the brain from a resting state.
This correlates rather well with Dr. O'Hara's paper involving the Cognitive Labs tests/games, where APOEe4 individuals were found overall to have lower scales of performance. Fortunately, it's much easier to take our test than to get an MRI. Can you imagine how expensive it would be for 7.4 million MRI sessions to be administered? With no paperwork and bureaucracy allowance (this is an unreal assumption) the cost would be at least $7 billion, and possibly $15-$20 billion, fully allocated.
Now you can take self-assessment in your own hands by putting this sensitive technology on your own website, if you want - it's still free, for now. The upside - a public good, is potentially in the billions per year.
Learning about your own body and mind - before problems and accumulated wear and tear impair performance, can lead to being proactive about your lifestyle, which at present is the best way to stay healthy physically and cognitively.
Labels: apoee4, brain, Jiang, Ohara, Shi, Wisconsin
// posted by neurofuture9:29 PM permanent link
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7.24.2008
The New New Economy Lives
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The Ford Motor Co., 20th century titan, reeling with the shift in consumer consumption patterns, announced a loss of $8.7 billion for the recent quarter.
Meanwhile, analysts knock 21st century Google (GOOG) for delivering "only" a 30% increase in profit over last year, on top of what is already a huge revenue base.
What we're seeing once again is that information trumps hard goods in terms of value creation - either by delivering revenues directly, or dynamically altering capabilities and changing variables in the value equation.
Many firms are slicing away at the inefficient healthcare supply chain, one of the great opportunities for rationalization because its operations up to now have been so irrational and 20th Century.
The idea of systematically monitoring and improving your brain with exercises and games seemed heretical and 'weird' just a few years ago but now, the medical community has stopped laughing as the evidence begins to mount that monitoring and improving your brain is (a) feasible and (b) seems to work for individuals, even when allowing for foresworn skeptics who attribute benefits to a placebo or practice effect.
Changing patterns of belief and behavior, we are reminded is never easy. Just look at Ford's performance. On a dark night on the bridge, Ford leadership saw the moonlight reflecting off the iceberg to the fore, and thought, either "that is too small, it won't cause any damage" or delayed too long in turning the ship's wheel to starboard. With a large vessel, momentum results in slow responsiveness, and likely the collision with a new reality was unavoidable.
Ford likely has the capital reserves and goodwill to ride out this threat and never, because of the shock, will be so complacent or slow again. But a second of third occurrence might be fatal, causing Ford to need to dismantle itself. Certainly, smaller, less well equipped firms will be killed off in this seachange of oil markets, just as the banking crisis is claiming those firms that skated too close to the edge of the thin ice of financial engineering or found themselves ambushed in the financial markets by shorts marching in lockstep, if you follow Vanity Fair's soap-opera account of Bear Stearns' demise.
Labels: brain, chain, ford, Goog, supply, TITAN, TITANIC, training, vanityfair
// posted by neurofuture2:02 PM permanent link
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7.23.2008
Shock Spam Writhes in your Inbox
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Have you noticed an explosion of nonsensical shock spam? The topics, posing as news, are so ridiculous that they grab your eyeballs and cause brain-clutter. Case in point below. Let's create a new word: shockspam.
What to do about it? Schwarzenegger admits to starting California fires, Bush and Putin restart cold war. Really. Spam filter seems ineffective.
What to do about it? Schwarzenegger admits to starting California fires, Bush and Putin restart cold war. Really. Spam filter seems ineffective.
Labels: brain, clutter, schwarzenegger, shock, spam
// posted by neurofuture12:48 PM permanent link
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7.18.2008
Free Brain Age Test
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Is it time to check your brain's relative 'power?' or brain age? If so, this scientifically-designed exercise can provide a numerical ranking of your speed and accuracy, closely linked to your "real" brain age rather than your calendar age. It's like the "RealAge" folks are getting around to brain quizzes.
By combining physical and cognitive fitness, it is possible to have a brain for the ages, with greater quickness and flexibility than other people who don't maintain their brains. The theory is, those who engage in mental cross-training build cognitive reserve. If you haven't taken this test, now's your chance.
Let me take the test | No wait, I really want to take it.
Everyone wants to find out. It seems like people can't resist a challenge.
Cognitive reserve has been theorized as relevant in populations as diverse as nuns and London taxi cab drivers, as well as engineers, teachers, scientists, and academics.In each case, people have inculcated large amounts of information.
Is there a connection between brain power and freedom? Amongst those in history most opposed to developing cognitive reserve, the most notorious is Hitler, who criticized mental exercise and cognitive development as a waste of time.
By combining physical and cognitive fitness, it is possible to have a brain for the ages, with greater quickness and flexibility than other people who don't maintain their brains. The theory is, those who engage in mental cross-training build cognitive reserve. If you haven't taken this test, now's your chance.
Let me take the test | No wait, I really want to take it.
Everyone wants to find out. It seems like people can't resist a challenge.
Cognitive reserve has been theorized as relevant in populations as diverse as nuns and London taxi cab drivers, as well as engineers, teachers, scientists, and academics.In each case, people have inculcated large amounts of information.
Is there a connection between brain power and freedom? Amongst those in history most opposed to developing cognitive reserve, the most notorious is Hitler, who criticized mental exercise and cognitive development as a waste of time.
Labels: age, brain, brainage, cognitive, power, reserve
// posted by neurofuture10:59 AM permanent link
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7.07.2008
Brain.com has a new test
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Labels: brain, brain.com, braindotcom, new, simple, test, white, widget
// posted by neurofuture11:35 PM permanent link
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6.30.2008
How Exercise Improves Your Brain
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Scientists know that exercise is healthy for our hearts and lungs: what about our brains? If exercise improves brain function, then it also is likely beneficial for mood, cognition, and overall mental performance. Within the Cognitive Labs universe, look at Dr. Ashford, a leading Alzheimer's researcher - he runs for at least one hour every day and is in top shape.
Research studies have shown that moderately intense physical activity, and especially aerobic exercise like brisk walking and running, can lead to improvements in cognitive functions like attention, reasoning, and decision making. Experiments have compared groups of people who exercised regularly with others who did not. The improvements in brain function were most dramatic in older adults, but all ages appeared to benefit from increased physical exercise.
One recent analysis looked at the combined results of 18 different studies of the possible cognitive effects of fitness training in older adults. Although the results showed gains in all types of cognitive activity among the fitness-training groups, the greatest advances were found in the exercisers' executive functioning, which controls higher-level decision making skills like planning, scheduling, multi-tasking, and dealing with ambiguity.
We need executive functioning to be able to select appropriate social behaviors and inhibit inappropriate actions. Other types of cognitive activity include reaction time, the ability to remember or interpret visual information, and lower-level decision-making.
Surveys also show that people who are physically active throughout their lives are less likely to experience cognitive decline later in life. And those who exercise regularly are less likely to develop Alzheimer's disease.
Some clues may explain how physical activity can help the cognitive functioning of our brains. It has been shown, for example, that fitness training can improve blood flow in the brain and increase the number of capillaries carrying the blood.
Exercise also increases levels of neurochemicals that stimulate the interconnections among neurons. And exercise may increase the size of some areas of the brain or, at least, slow their rate of decrease as we age. Many of these changes are most prominent in the brain's frontal cortex, the area most important for executive functioning.
So remember, even modest increases in physical activity can be beneficial for your brain and for the important things that organ does for you. How much exercise is enough?
That depends on your age and health, but vigorous walking for 20 to 30 minutes a few days a week is a good start.
Labels: alzheimers, brain, exercise, improves, running
// posted by neurofuture11:49 AM permanent link
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6.28.2008
The Scent of Coffee Can Alter Gene Expressions in the Brain
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The rich latte, double decaf with a twist, americano, or hand-picked, massaged, rinsed, organic, towel-dried super-premium ecophreak blend may alter the activity of some genes in the brain, reducing the effects of sleep deprivation, even if you don't imbibe the liquid.
As LiveScience reports, coffee has been a part of the human diet for more than 1,000 years, and is now the most widely consumed beverage worldwide.
Scientists have conducted numerous studies that investigate both the beneficial and adverse effects that coffee can have on health, from the antioxidants it possesses to the possible detriments of too much caffeine. Much of coffee's lift has been attributed to its caffeine content.
Dr. Han-Seok Seo and colleagues at Seoul National University allowed lab rats, some of which were stressed by sleep deprivation, to inhale the aroma of coffee. The researchers then compared the expression of certain genes and proteins in the rats' brains. Some of the genes expressed in the coffee-sniffing, stressed rats expressed proteins that have healthful antioxidant properties known to protect nerve cells from stress-related damage. Their stressed out counterparts who weren't allowed to smell coffee didn't show these gene expressions.
More from LiveScience
Labels: brain, caffeine, coffee, genes
// posted by neurofuture11:08 PM permanent link
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6.16.2008
Space Travel Requires You to Change Your Brain
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Your brain changes during space travel.
In fact, this change begins at high elevations within earth's atmosphere and continues as you approach the vacuum. This is something the space entrepreneurs and budding hoteliers/inflatable condo marketers need to get a bead on.
Even with artificial pressurization and atmosphere, low and zero gravity appears to cause structures in the brain to morph.
Whether or not perception is altered relativistically in proportion to the level or duration of the exposure to such conditions is unknown. Protocols require astronauts to undergo a Windows-based cognitive battery assessment periodically on the I.S.S. Another threat vector is cosmic rays, which may induce a cancerous reaction in body systems. (See video below)
NASA has known this going back to the Mercury and Apollo missions and before, to the 'right stuff' era of 1950's U.S. test pilots and before that, Luftwaffe aces who flew the jet and rocket powered German concept planes of the 1940's. In the design process for these high-speed, high G vehicles Nazi aeronautical engineers received feedback on imponderable questions such as "How much G-force can an individual undergo before blacking out?" and "What is the response of the human organism to the vacuum" from their counterparts in the SS who had access to a supply of test subjects.
Link: Society for Neuroscience Discussion
In fact, this change begins at high elevations within earth's atmosphere and continues as you approach the vacuum. This is something the space entrepreneurs and budding hoteliers/inflatable condo marketers need to get a bead on.
Even with artificial pressurization and atmosphere, low and zero gravity appears to cause structures in the brain to morph.
Whether or not perception is altered relativistically in proportion to the level or duration of the exposure to such conditions is unknown. Protocols require astronauts to undergo a Windows-based cognitive battery assessment periodically on the I.S.S. Another threat vector is cosmic rays, which may induce a cancerous reaction in body systems. (See video below)
NASA has known this going back to the Mercury and Apollo missions and before, to the 'right stuff' era of 1950's U.S. test pilots and before that, Luftwaffe aces who flew the jet and rocket powered German concept planes of the 1940's. In the design process for these high-speed, high G vehicles Nazi aeronautical engineers received feedback on imponderable questions such as "How much G-force can an individual undergo before blacking out?" and "What is the response of the human organism to the vacuum" from their counterparts in the SS who had access to a supply of test subjects.
Link: Society for Neuroscience Discussion
Labels: brain, cosmic, G, luftwaffe, nazi, rays, rightstuff, space
// posted by neurofuture5:57 PM permanent link
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Scans Reveal Similarity in Brain Structure Between Gay Men and Straight Women
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Once again, the objective mirror of science casts lights on a controversial topic. In this case, the National Academy of Sciences' latest publication is reporting that gay men and straight women share common attributes in the area of the brain responsible for emotion, anxiety, and mood.
"The observations cannot be easily attributed to perception or behavior," the researchers from Sweden's Karolinska Institute wrote. "Whether they may relate to processes laid down during the fetal or postnatal development is an open question."
Brain scans of 90 volunteers showed that the brains of heterosexual men and homosexual women were slightly asymmetric with the right hemisphere slightly larger than the left, Ivanka Savic and Pers Lindstrom wrote. The brains of gay men and heterosexual women were not.
Then they measured blood flow to the amygdala -- the area key for the "fight-or-flight" response -- and found it was wired in a similar fashion in gay men and heterosexual women. Symmetrically, the brains of heterosexual men and those of the inhabitants of the island of Lesbos, e.g., lesbians, also were similar.
Labels: brain, gay, heterosexual, karolinska, lesbos, lindstrom, savic
// posted by neurofuture11:45 AM permanent link
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6.09.2008
115 Year Old Mind
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An autopsy was recently performed on a deceased 115 year old woman who left her body to science at age 82.
Her brain showed almost no evidence of Alzheimer's disease. The finding suggests Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia are not inevitable, as had been suspected.
"Our observations suggest that, in contrast to general belief, the limits of human cognitive function may extend far beyond the range that is currently enjoyed by most individuals," said lead researcher Gert Holstege, a neuroscientist at the University Medical Center Groningen, in The Netherlands.
The results are detailed in the August issue of the journal Neurobiology of Aging.
This finding underscores the need for individuals to take proactive action to manage their cognitive fitness.
Holstege is a leader in imaging and analyzing the orgasmic brain of both men and women.
Labels: alzheimers, brain, holstege, proactive
// posted by neurofuture6:35 PM permanent link
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5.15.2008
Two Tesla Tests
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Not one, but two Tesla tests...
src="http://cognitivelabs.com/cognitive.js">
and Nikola Tesla...
src="http://cognitivelabs.com/cognitive.js">
src="http://cognitivelabs.com/cognitive.js">
and Nikola Tesla...
src="http://cognitivelabs.com/cognitive.js">
Labels: brain, energy, nikola, solar, tesla, voltage
// posted by neurofuture9:08 AM permanent link
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5.14.2008
7:48 PST update
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There's a new test coming up, as well as a really interesting attention-requiring game. We'll keep you posted. Hint: the test has something to do with electricity.
Labels: babel, brain, electricity, free, power, test
// posted by neurofuture7:47 PM permanent link
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5.07.2008
Spam, Parboiled to Perfect Tenderness - Bon Apetit
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Wash it down with some Hawaiian punch (fruit juicy)
Oh please, no more of these...green eggs and spam
ham, eggs, sausage, and spam,
spam, spam, spam, spam....(drumroll)
Date: Tue, 1 Apr 2008 07:21:22 +0800 (HKT)
From: "FROM: MR.KAI CHIN."
Address Book Add Mobile Alert
Subject: FROM: MR.KAI CHIN.
FROM: MR.KAI CHIN.
(Senior Vice President, Head of Corporate Banking Division).
Fubon Bank Limited Hong Kong. 38 Des Voeux Road Central,
Hong Kong.
Email: -kai_chin101@yahoo.com.hk
Good Day,
It is understandable that you might be a little bit apprehensive because
you do not know me but I have a lucrative business proposal of mutual
interest to share with you.
Let me start by introducing myself. I am Mr.Kai.Chin. Senior Vice
President, Head of Corporate Banking Division {Fubon Bank Ltd Hong Kong.}.
I have an obscured Business suggestion for you.
In October, 2002, my late client Ghazi Musa Hassan, Iraqi Crude oil
merchant made a numbered fixed deposit of Fifteen Million, Five Hundred
Thousand United State Dollars (US$15,500,000.00) only in my branch. Upon
maturity several notice was sent to him, even during the war (U.S and
Iraqi war), Five years ago (2003). Again after the war another
notification was sent and still no response came from him. We later found
out that Ghazi Musa Hassan, and his family had been killed during the war
in a bomb blast that hit his home at Mukaradeeb where his personal oil
well was:
http://www.iraqmemorialwall.org/iraqicasualties.html
After further investigation it was also discovered that Ghazi Musa Hassan
did not declare any next of kin in his official papers including the paper
work of his bank deposit and he also confided in me the last time he was
in my office that no one except me knew of his deposit in my bank. So,
Fifteen Million, Five Hundred Thousand United State Dollars is still lying
in my bank and no one will ever come forward to claim it. What bothers me
most is that according to the laws of my country at the expiration six {6}
years the funds will revert to the ownership of the Hong Kong Government
if nobody applies to claim the funds. Against this backdrop, my suggestion
to you is that I will like you as a foreigner to stand as the next of kin
to Ghazi Musa Hassan so that you will be able to receive his funds.
MODALITIES:
I want you to know that I have had everything planned out so that we shall
come out successful. I have an attorney that will prepare the necessary
document that will back you up as the next of kin to Ghazi Musa Hassan,
all that is required from you is to provide me with your Full Names and
Address so that the attorney can commence his job. After you have been
made the next of kin, the attorney will also fill in for claims on your
behalf and secure the necessary approval and letter of probate in your
favour for the movement of the funds to an account that will be provided.
We are going to adopt a legalized method and the attorney will prepare all
the necessary documents in your favour.
There is a reward for this project and it is a task well worth
undertaking. There is no risk involved at all in this matter, I have
evaluated the risks and the only risk I have here is for you refusing to
work with me and alerting my bank. I am the only one who knows of this
situation, good fortune has blessed you with a name that has planted you
into the centre of relevance in my life. Please endeavour to observe
utmost discretion in all matters concerning this issue. Once the funds
have been transferred to your nominated bank account we shall share in the
ratio of 60% for me, 40% for you but this can be subjected to further
negotiations. I send you this mail not without a measure of fear as to
what the consequences, but I know within me that nothing ventured is
nothing gained and that success and riches never come easy or on a platter
of gold. Please observe this instruction religiously.
Should you be interested please send me your,
1, Full Names,
2, Private Phone Number,
3, Current Residential Address,
And I will prefer you reach me on my private email address below: and
finally after that I shall furnish you with more information's about this
operation. Your earliest response to this letter through my private email
address: (kai_chin101@yahoo.com.hk) will be appreciated.
Kind Regards,
MR. Kai Chin.
// posted by neurofuture10:21 PM permanent link
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3.05.2008
New Decision-Making Speed Skin
>
The executive function exercise of decision-making speed is one of the best holistic regimens for overall brain fitness: sensitive to changes in response time, choice, and also cognitive "load" placed on the frontal lobe and amygdala. The associated multi-tasking replicates a computational scenario of excess simultaneous users. Please assess a proposed new design sketch...
Labels: actionscript, brain, executive_function, Flash, skins
// posted by neurofuture1:19 AM permanent link
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3.01.2008
Library of Alexandria: Cosmos
>
Carl Sagan and the Library of Alexandria: where the brain was conceived. (Cosmos is an old classic miniseries, ran on PBS in the 1980's)
// posted by neurofuture1:31 AM permanent link
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2.28.2008
Chess-BrainSpeed link
>
I bet you didn't know that Cognitive Labs was involved in something that involved the U.S. Chess Federation. Well, now you know. It seems that chess may build cognitive skills, and rely on a tendency to strategize that is encoded genetically.
The Federation looked at BrainSpeed (tm) and decided to support it as a neuroenhancer, which came with our testing.
Myself, I like tri-dimensional chess.
More on this story later...
Labels: brain, chess, cognitivelabs.com, federation
// posted by neurofuture10:48 AM permanent link
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1.03.2008
Finding Alzheimer's Early in 2008
>
Scientists are beginning to realize that finding Alzheimer's earlier is the key to developing a preventative strategy.
It's possible that the destructive seeds of the disease are germinated decades before recognized onset. By then, it's almost too little, too late.
For that reason, developing a proactive approach earlier may yield dividends.
If your brain's processing speed begins to slow and the pace accelerates, that could be cause for concern.
For this self-monitoring is key. Some decline is normal with aging. Rapid decline is not. You would not want to carry 100 pounds of excess weight for 30 years and then find that your life expectancy is compromised. Well, it's the same for the brain
It's possible that the destructive seeds of the disease are germinated decades before recognized onset. By then, it's almost too little, too late.
For that reason, developing a proactive approach earlier may yield dividends.
If your brain's processing speed begins to slow and the pace accelerates, that could be cause for concern.
For this self-monitoring is key. Some decline is normal with aging. Rapid decline is not. You would not want to carry 100 pounds of excess weight for 30 years and then find that your life expectancy is compromised. Well, it's the same for the brain
Labels: alzheimers, brain, nytimes, onset
// posted by neurofuture8:56 AM permanent link
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1.02.2008
Top Ten Brain Developments for 2007: look ahead to 2008
>
2007 Developments...
-Dr. James Watson, co-discoverer of the double-helix, gets decoded
and elects not to know his APOEe4 (Alzheimer's genetic risk) status - book
-Brain Training: a Nascent Industry gets more support, led at the consumer end by Nintendo which has sold 10 million copies of BrainAge
-Personal Genetic Assessment Becomes Widely Available
-"Genebook/MyDNA" Hypothetically available from deCodeme and 23and me
-friends and contacts can see each others genetic make-up
-will people select associations in the future based on the data?
-Science fictional concept from many works including the film 'Gattaca'
-Connection Between APOEe4,Cognitive Speed and Early Detection of Impairment
shown by Cognitive Labs in peer-reviewed research
-Scientists moving toward cocktail approach in treating Alzheimer's
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/11/071127150841.htm
-Consensus on Early detection of Alzheimers is becoming increasingly vocal
-Cognitive 'Speed' a key measure of cognitive fitness, studies show speed exercises maintain brain fitness more effectively than randomly selected activities. Also, eat chocolate and have sex
-Cognitive Labs' creates first open source brain-training gadgets that can run anywhere
(successful beta complete, this may be one for 2008)
-According to New Scientist, there may be Multiple Universes in the same place, which would help to explain the problem of the 'missing mass' in astrophysics. Put a bag with a few grams of sand on a scale, yet the weight is 1 kilogram. Our present detection methods are insensitive to these hidden grains of sand.
Univ. of Arizona paper on missing mass
These Developments, in our biased opinion, will contribute towards a better year ahead - with greater life, prosperity and health for everyone.
(ankh, wedja, seneb)
Labels: 10, 2007, brain, science, Ten, Top, topten
// posted by neurofuture11:45 AM permanent link
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12.17.2007
Free-Range brain is number one.
>
Brain.com is number 1 on dogpile when you type in brain. Similarly it performs well on Live, Ask.com(Jeeves), Google, and Yahoo. This is totally organic and free-range,fat-free, anti-oxidant, pro-flavenoid, green tea consuming, hikes around freely, and pro-solar, as an experience. :-)
Labels: brain
// posted by neurofuture3:38 PM permanent link
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12.10.2007
Control a game with your hands and brain
>
control a game with your hands alone?
It may be possible according to this Israeli start-up.
Or use your brain
I recently was talked through a demo of this concept in a multiplayer online format (MMO) by a co. in Southern California.
Think about that.
It may be possible according to this Israeli start-up.
Or use your brain
I recently was talked through a demo of this concept in a multiplayer online format (MMO) by a co. in Southern California.
Think about that.
// posted by neurofuture8:32 AM permanent link
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11.30.2007
Evel Knievel Jumps into Past Memory
>
Evel Knievel (deceased Nov. 30, 2007) jumps the Snake River (Idaho) Canyon...
prototype for daredevil action adventure genre that created the six million dollar man...
prototype for daredevil action adventure genre that created the six million dollar man...
Labels: brain, evelknievel, memory, snake
// posted by neurofuture2:12 PM permanent link
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11.27.2007
JAXA probe provides learning therapy for your brain
>
Recently, a Japanese probe, SELENE, launched by JAXA, imaged the moon and the rising earth using HDTV technology, which were the 1st high-def pictures of these two celestial bodies.
Shortly, this event will become our newest brain game. Astronomy is a popular pastime in Japan-more than in the U.S.
Shortly, this event will become our newest brain game. Astronomy is a popular pastime in Japan-more than in the U.S.
Labels: astronomy, brain, jaxa, learning-therapy, selene
// posted by neurofuture12:40 PM permanent link
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11.08.2007
Search in The Brain: from the Worm
>
It is supposed that the brain evolved from the ganglia of the earthworm.
"Each level allows to answer specific "how" questions.
Strong coupling between the levels, no systematic approximations leading from one level to another.
Basic neuroanatomy and localization of functions.
Brain imaging techniques: MRI, fMRI, EEG, MEG, SPECT, combinations.
Lesions, diseases and injuries, controlled experiments on animals."
from this AI site
"coupling" is a key, and may refer to the arguments of an algorithm and how they inter-relate with one another.
Making sense of the sea of material is the challenge, so you can have some fundamental 'ruling' relationships and subroutines that extend as appendages.
"Each level allows to answer specific "how" questions.
Strong coupling between the levels, no systematic approximations leading from one level to another.
Basic neuroanatomy and localization of functions.
Brain imaging techniques: MRI, fMRI, EEG, MEG, SPECT, combinations.
Lesions, diseases and injuries, controlled experiments on animals."
from this AI site
"coupling" is a key, and may refer to the arguments of an algorithm and how they inter-relate with one another.
Making sense of the sea of material is the challenge, so you can have some fundamental 'ruling' relationships and subroutines that extend as appendages.
// posted by neurofuture11:52 AM permanent link
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10.03.2007
Crossing the Blood Brain Barrier
>
Only a few years ago, scientists believed that substances inhaled into the nostrils quickly entered the bloodstream and impacted the individual. However, it turns out that
this is not the case.
Instead, it turns out that the nasal passage is the qickest route to the brain and penetration of the the blood brain barrier, according to scientists.
Interested? Stay tuned for the full story as revealed at SRI International on October 3.
Labels: blood, bloodbrainbarrier, brain, frey, sri, sri international
// posted by neurofuture11:51 PM permanent link
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9.19.2007
Alzheimer's Diagnosis Stuck in 1984
>
1984 was an amazing year. First, it was the year in which George Orwell's dystopia was set, dominated by "newspeak" a language that reduced the ability of the average citizen to question authority with aphorisms such as 'plusgood' and 'doubleplusgood' as discourse was reduced to totalitarian simplicity.
Secondly, there was a revolt against 1984 with the release of the MacIntosh, and the celebrated destruction of IBM's new newspeak, personified by its boring corporate PC clones and rows of droning, grey-suited organization men, by the hammer throwing jogger. Researchers in the British medical journal Lancet are calling for a similar revolt in the treatment of Alzheimer's Disease. It's time to change the way doctors diagnose Alzheimer's disease, says an international panel of experts.
Despite more than two decades of scientific advances in understanding Alzheimer's disease, doctors are still stuck in 1984. That's when a U.S. National Institutes of Health working group came up with the clinical criteria for a formal diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease.
It's time for radical change, argue Bruno Dubois, MD, of Salpêtrière Hospital, Paris, and 18 other leading Alzheimer's experts.
The old criteria "have now fallen behind the unprecedented growth of scientific knowledge," Dubois and colleagues write in the August issue of The Lancet Neurology.
That's true, says Norman Foster, MD, director of the Center for Alzheimer's Care, Imaging, and Research at the University of Utah, Salt Lake City. Foster's editorial accompanies the paper by Dubois and colleagues.
"We now are seeing the potential to disrupt the basic development of Alzheimer's disease with medications," Foster said. "So we want early diagnosis and early intervention. The current criteria get in the way of this."
High-Tech Alzheimer's Diagnosis
People are said to have probable Alzheimer's disease if they have two clinical signs: a memory disorder and impairment of at least one other mental function. For an Alzheimer's diagnosis, both these problems must interfere with social function or the activities of daily living.
That was a big breakthrough 25 years ago. Since then, doctors have learned that several other conditions cause the same impairments. Yet with an emphasis on earlier treatment, there's pressure on doctors to diagnose Alzheimer's disease as early as possible.
"We are caught between a rock and a hard place as clinicians," Foster says. "We cannot distinguish accurately when mild cognitive impairment represents Alzheimer's disease, when it represents some other significant illness, or when it is just a passing problem."
Dubois and colleagues propose using a new formula. To get an Alzheimer's diagnosis, a person would first have to suffer memory loss that gets worse over a six-month period. That person would also have to have at least one physical "biomarker" of Alzheimer's disease:
* An MRI scan showing shrinking of a particular part of the brain
* Abnormal proteins -- beta-amyloid or tau tangles -- in the cerebrospinal fluid
* A PET scan showing patterns of brain activity linked to Alzheimer's disease
* A genetic mutation linked to Alzheimer's disease
These are expensive, high-tech tests. All have yet to be "validated" -- that is, proven to detect Alzheimer's disease within specified limits.
Foster says the most promising of these high-tech Alzheimer's tests is already in use: genetic testing for an Alzheimer's gene. However, only a small percentage of Alzheimer's patients carry the genetic mutations known to cause Alzheimer's disease.
The next most promising of these tests, Foster says, is a PET scan for deposits of amyloid protein in the brain. Today, those deposits very likely mean Alzheimer's if a person already has symptoms. It's still unclear what these deposits mean for people who do not have symptoms.
Finally, Foster says that looking for amyloid or tau proteins in the cerebrospinal fluid holds great promise. But it's not yet clear how often these proteins predict Alzheimer's disease.
Dubois and colleagues call for intensive research aimed at validating the new criteria. Foster strongly agrees.
"Diagnosis is the foundation of effective treatment for Alzheimer's disease," he says. "When physicians and families just accept terms like 'senility' or 'dementia,' they give up the opportunity for more effective, targeted therapy."
Secondly, there was a revolt against 1984 with the release of the MacIntosh, and the celebrated destruction of IBM's new newspeak, personified by its boring corporate PC clones and rows of droning, grey-suited organization men, by the hammer throwing jogger. Researchers in the British medical journal Lancet are calling for a similar revolt in the treatment of Alzheimer's Disease. It's time to change the way doctors diagnose Alzheimer's disease, says an international panel of experts.
Despite more than two decades of scientific advances in understanding Alzheimer's disease, doctors are still stuck in 1984. That's when a U.S. National Institutes of Health working group came up with the clinical criteria for a formal diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease.
It's time for radical change, argue Bruno Dubois, MD, of Salpêtrière Hospital, Paris, and 18 other leading Alzheimer's experts.
The old criteria "have now fallen behind the unprecedented growth of scientific knowledge," Dubois and colleagues write in the August issue of The Lancet Neurology.
That's true, says Norman Foster, MD, director of the Center for Alzheimer's Care, Imaging, and Research at the University of Utah, Salt Lake City. Foster's editorial accompanies the paper by Dubois and colleagues.
"We now are seeing the potential to disrupt the basic development of Alzheimer's disease with medications," Foster said. "So we want early diagnosis and early intervention. The current criteria get in the way of this."
High-Tech Alzheimer's Diagnosis
People are said to have probable Alzheimer's disease if they have two clinical signs: a memory disorder and impairment of at least one other mental function. For an Alzheimer's diagnosis, both these problems must interfere with social function or the activities of daily living.
That was a big breakthrough 25 years ago. Since then, doctors have learned that several other conditions cause the same impairments. Yet with an emphasis on earlier treatment, there's pressure on doctors to diagnose Alzheimer's disease as early as possible.
"We are caught between a rock and a hard place as clinicians," Foster says. "We cannot distinguish accurately when mild cognitive impairment represents Alzheimer's disease, when it represents some other significant illness, or when it is just a passing problem."
Dubois and colleagues propose using a new formula. To get an Alzheimer's diagnosis, a person would first have to suffer memory loss that gets worse over a six-month period. That person would also have to have at least one physical "biomarker" of Alzheimer's disease:
* An MRI scan showing shrinking of a particular part of the brain
* Abnormal proteins -- beta-amyloid or tau tangles -- in the cerebrospinal fluid
* A PET scan showing patterns of brain activity linked to Alzheimer's disease
* A genetic mutation linked to Alzheimer's disease
These are expensive, high-tech tests. All have yet to be "validated" -- that is, proven to detect Alzheimer's disease within specified limits.
Foster says the most promising of these high-tech Alzheimer's tests is already in use: genetic testing for an Alzheimer's gene. However, only a small percentage of Alzheimer's patients carry the genetic mutations known to cause Alzheimer's disease.
The next most promising of these tests, Foster says, is a PET scan for deposits of amyloid protein in the brain. Today, those deposits very likely mean Alzheimer's if a person already has symptoms. It's still unclear what these deposits mean for people who do not have symptoms.
Finally, Foster says that looking for amyloid or tau proteins in the cerebrospinal fluid holds great promise. But it's not yet clear how often these proteins predict Alzheimer's disease.
Dubois and colleagues call for intensive research aimed at validating the new criteria. Foster strongly agrees.
"Diagnosis is the foundation of effective treatment for Alzheimer's disease," he says. "When physicians and families just accept terms like 'senility' or 'dementia,' they give up the opportunity for more effective, targeted therapy."
Labels: 1984, alzheimers, brain
// posted by neurofuture12:53 PM permanent link
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9.10.2007
Coglabs passes 1million uniques in 2007
>
Cognitive Labs has passed 1 million unique visitors in 2007, earlier today! Thanks for your help. Trailing 12 months is 1.4 million, forward 12 months is 4 million to 7 million visitors, following an S-curve.
Labels: alexa, brain, coglabs, rank, uniques, visitors
// posted by neurofuture2:02 PM permanent link
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7.28.2007
iBrain Page Integration
>
I've received a couple of emails on integrating iBrain with Google Adsense, or other ad services that fit into the margin. My answer was that you can (1) easily add iBrain to your blog's margin, blogroll - or list of links, or the footer, or in the post.
Here's an example:
from recoveryissexy.com - also you can see it at the tripover.com
This is a particularly good fit for authors, which I'll explain in a future post.
(2) With regard to the technology, well I'm giving an invited talk at SRI International next week, a place where they developed the computer mouse and licensed it to xerox parc. Pick up ibrain at Brain.com or cognitivelabs/widgets
Here's an example:
from recoveryissexy.com - also you can see it at the tripover.com
This is a particularly good fit for authors, which I'll explain in a future post.
(2) With regard to the technology, well I'm giving an invited talk at SRI International next week, a place where they developed the computer mouse and licensed it to xerox parc. Pick up ibrain at Brain.com or cognitivelabs/widgets
Labels: brain, iBrain widget, tripover, widgets
// posted by neurofuture9:40 AM permanent link
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7.24.2007
Cognitive Labs at SRI International
>
Aerial image of SRI (wikipedia)
Cognitive Labs' has just concluded an outstanding meeting with SRI International. They've been party to some amazing innovations including the computer mouse, which they licensed to Xerox Parc for a small sum, as well as a variety of highly interesting, speculative projects. You can read more about the scope of SRI here. The 2.1 million people who have signed up at Cognitive Labs - seems to have been somewhat impressive, and speaks to the future of extended cognitive health management.
Labels: brain, Cognitive Labs, patents, sri international, stanford
// posted by neurofuture12:52 PM permanent link
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7.18.2007
ReZoom: Revitalize Body, Finance, Brain
>
ReZoom is a site for boomers to revitalize their bodies, finances, relationships, and more. Here's their piece on the brain and memory with Dr. Gary Small; we're mentioned at the end.
Labels: brain, Cognitive Labs, finance, gary small, rezoom
// posted by neurofuture1:30 PM permanent link
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7.17.2007
Bratz Brain Test?
>
Should there be a Bratz Brain test? That might be simply too commercial. Take a test
Labels: brain, bratz, htt shallow, ridiculous, test
// posted by neurofuture9:28 PM permanent link
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7.16.2007
Free Brain Power Test - Brain.com
>
Take a Free Brain Power Test here or on brain.com
Labels: brain, brain.com, free brain power test
// posted by neurofuture11:04 PM permanent link
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7.10.2007
Transform Your Brain, There's More than Meets the Eye
>
Transformers Brain Gym from Cognitive Labs. Train your brain with pics from the Dreamworks/Paramount film. Bumbleebee, Optimus Prime, and more. Using the stock photos of the film from Yahoo! Movies. Could it happen with more movies? We'll see.
Labels: brain, brainage, optimus, prime, reaction time, spielberg, transformers
// posted by neurofuture9:55 PM permanent link
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6.25.2007
Logan's Run: 29 and Zapped...
>
There is no Sanctuary
Remember Logan's Run? This pic comes from IMDB which will not let you link to any of its photos. It's anti-user friendly, however it's easy to save and post the content anyway (for free) so the DRM effort is a worthless distraction that probably keeps the site from being more popular. They (Amazon) need to create an IMDB widget or something more user friendly. Here's a link to IMDB, but what a hassle.
Anyway, right before age 30 men and women were 'transformed' through Carrousel, and were literally 'zapped' into dust. I never thought I could reach age 30, but now that seems relatively young.
Needless to say, in this dystopia, they wouldn't need Aubrey DeGrey, caloric restriction, Andy Weill, Deepak Chopra, and just about nobody would have Alzheimer's.
However, through our ability to understand our own genes, we may be participating in our own Festival...look below - it's a Youtube snippet:
Labels: aubrey degrey, brain, logans run, longevity
// posted by neurofuture3:53 PM permanent link
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6.18.2007
The Brain has 2 Commanders: Kirk and Jean-Luc Piccard
>
A probe of the upper echelons of the human brain's chain-of-command has found strong evidence that there are not one but two complementary commanders in charge of the brain, according to neuroscientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.
Scientists exploring the upper reaches of the brain's command hierarchy were astonished to find not one but two brain networks in charge, represented by the differently-colored spheres on the brain image above. Starting with a group of several brain regions.
Scientists exploring the upper reaches of the brain's command hierarchy were astonished to find not one but two brain networks in charge, represented by the differently-colored spheres on the brain image above. Starting with a group of several brain regions implicated in top-down control (the spheres on the brain), they used a new brain-scanning technique to identify which of those regions work with each other. When they graphed their results (bottom half), using shapes to represent different brain regions and connecting brain regions that work with each other with lines, they found the regions grouped together into two networks. The regions in each network talked to each other often but never talked to brain regions in the other network.
It's as if Captains James T. Kirk and Jean-Luc Picard were both on the bridge and in command of the same starship Enterprise.
In reality, these two captains are networks of brain regions that do not consult each other but still work toward a common purpose — control of voluntary, goal-oriented behavior. This includes a vast range of activities from reading a word to searching for a star to singing a song, but likely does not include involuntary behaviors such as control of the pulse rate or digestion.
"This was a big surprise. We knew several brain regions contribute to top-down control, but most of us thought we'd eventually show all those regions linking together in one system, one little guy up top telling everyone else what to do," says senior author Steven Petersen, Ph.D., James S. McDonnell Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience and professor of neurology and psychology.
>> read total article
Labels: brain, commanders, washington university st. louis
// posted by neurofuture10:18 PM permanent link
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6.03.2007
Air Supply Affects Alzheimer's
>
The latest science news on the brain and Alzheimer's is the connection between air supply, and lack thereof and memory loss. To make sure you have enough, we've provided this video, which hopefully you have forgotten, if indeed - you ever saw it :
But on a more serious note, see this piece from the Scotsman (UK)
But on a more serious note, see this piece from the Scotsman (UK)
AN INCIDENT of reduced oxygen to the brain caused by a stroke, heart attack, or even heavy snoring could make people more vulnerable to Alzheimer's disease, according to scientists. It can leave the patient more open to the gradual build-up of toxic chemicals which can cause Alzheimer's, a team at Leeds University said. This means a stroke victim may still be more at risk of developing Alzheimer's decades after they have made a full recovery.
Professor Chris Peers, of the school of medicine, who led the research, said: "Our research is looking into what happens when oxygen levels in the brain are reduced by a number of factors, from long-term conditions like emphysema and angina, to sudden incidents such as a heart attack, stroke or head trauma.
"Even though the patient may outwardly recover, the hidden cell damage may be irreversible.
"It could even be an issue for people who snore heavily. It can be anything that stops the heart and lungs working together."
Professor Susanne Sorensen, head of research at the Alzheimer's Society, said: "This is exciting because rather than focusing on neurons they looked at processes in the brain, which up until now have not been resesarched in much detail.... read more of the articleLabels: air supply, alzheimers, brain, leeds, neurons
// posted by neurofuture10:12 PM permanent link
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5.09.2007
Your Brain is Better Off: TV Numbers plummet
>
Television viewership has dropped significantly in the U.S. between this year and spring 2006 - an aggregate loss to the networks of 2.5 million viewers.
TV executives, such as NBC's head of research, played down the stats, asserting that the decline is illusory - and that tools to measure delayed or suspended viewing or downloads from websites such as iTunes simply have not evolved enough to enable tracking of additional media consumption.
At stake is more than $8.8 Billion in advertising revenue, sold to advertisers at a premium on the basis of engaged, concurrent viewers. If viewers are not, in fact, behaving as predicted, then the value drops.
TV doesn't have the brain boosting features of Cognitive Labs or brain.com, though you could build a meta-tuner for all televised content at brain.com, there are a few sites running live streams of virtually all televised content worldwide using the Flash video codec, but so far these have not caught on in the manner of all-everything clip-fests like youtube.
// posted by neurofuture8:45 PM permanent link
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Trader Brain Exercise
>
Here's an interesting mention...a foreign exchange trader (who blogs as tradergav) exercises his brain with cognitive labs. He watched a TV show about the brain and then found us. You can even twitter him
Labels: brain, forex, tradergav
// posted by neurofuture10:52 AM permanent link
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4.28.2007
New page for Publishers.
>
We've pushed out another version of the Publisher page....here. Get the latest tools, including widget 2.0 - improved over 1.0.
Form and Function are One.
Labels: brain, publishers, widget2.0
// posted by neurofuture1:02 AM permanent link
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4.24.2007
Habitable Planet Found
>
I'm just back from a meeting at Stanford (I walked, of course) - I still have 2 oak tree (tussock ) caterpillars on my shoulder - and find this exciting news...
Astronomers find first potentially habitable planet, orbiting around Gliese 581, a star 20.5 light years away in the Constellation Libra.
Wow. Even though the star is a red dwarf, scientists believe the average temperature is between 32 F and 104 F - well within the range that human life can exist. One caveat is that gravity is approximately
Now, the problem is how to get there - and also, keep your mind exercised with something more than Sudoku. I tend to believe that an algorithm will be discovered which unlocks the secret to near-light speed travel or FTL travel, though there are a lot of problems in doing so. The solution will probably be something elegantly simple like e = mc
Labels: brain, e=mc, FTLtravel, gliese581, libra, lightspeed, relativity
// posted by neurofuture5:45 PM permanent link
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4.23.2007
New game. Used under MRI
>
Here's a new game that's fresh out of the oven.
This combines our favorite character with a simple push-button test. The stimulus is the logo of the site we submitted to - an advergame.
However, you can still exercise your brain.
(10 reps)
// posted by neurofuture11:28 AM permanent link
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4.21.2007
Who Created the Problems in the Middle East?
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Who is responsible for the problems in the Middle East that befuddle the brain (and have for a long time)?
(1) The Ottoman Sultan
(2) Adolph Hitler
(3) TE Lawrence
(4) Gertrude Bell
(5) Sir Mark Sykes
What do you think? Probably not TE Lawrence, (Lawrence of Arabia) after all?
Answer coming up. Though, he wrote this piece in the Sunday Times in 1920.
(1) The Ottoman Sultan
(2) Adolph Hitler
(3) TE Lawrence
(4) Gertrude Bell
(5) Sir Mark Sykes
What do you think? Probably not TE Lawrence, (Lawrence of Arabia) after all?
Answer coming up. Though, he wrote this piece in the Sunday Times in 1920.
Labels: Allenby, brain, lawrence, Mideast, Ottoman, telescope
// posted by neurofuture3:48 PM permanent link
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4.16.2007
High Blood Pressure: It's All in Your Head
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Researchers at the University of Bristol in the U.K. have developed a novel interpretation of high blood pressure. Usually thought of as a cardiopulmonary or vessel problem, the phenomenon may be linked instead, to the Brain.
Dr. Hidefumi Waki, working in a research group led by Professor Julian Paton, has found a novel role for the protein, JAM-1 (junctional adhesion molecule-1), which is located in the walls of blood vessels in the brain.
JAM-1 traps white blood cells called leukocytes which, once trapped, can cause inflammation and may obstruct blood flow, resulting in poor oxygen supply to the brain. This has led to the idea that high blood pressure -- hypertension -- is an inflammatory vascular disease of the brain.
One in three people in the UK are likely to develop hypertension, and with 600 million people affected world wide, it is of pandemic proportions. The alarming statistic that nearly 60 per cent of patients remain hypertensive, even though they are taking drugs to alleviate the condition, emphasises the urgency of looking for new mechanisms by which the body controls blood pressure, and finding new therapeutic targets to drive fresh drug development.
Professor Paton said: "We are looking at the possibility of treating those patients that fail to respond to conventional therapy for hypertension with drugs that reduce blood vessel inflammation and increase blood flow within the brain. The future challenge will be to understand the type of inflammation within the vessels in the brain, so that we know what drug to use, and how to target them. JAM-1 could provide us with new clues as to how to deal with this disease. "
Professor Jeremy Pearson, Associate Medical Director of the British Heart Foundation, commented: "This exciting study is important because it suggests there are unexpected causes of high blood pressure related to blood supply to the brain. It therefore opens up the possibility of new ways to treat this common, but often poorly managed, condition."
As there is still poor understanding about what changes occur in people when hypertension develops, the finding of JAM-1 is of great interest and opens up multiple new avenues for further research and potential treatment.
Funded primarily by the British Heart Foundation, Professor Julian Paton and colleagues have been working on the problems of hypertension for 12 years. Although the idea that the brain is to blame for high blood pressure is controversial, recent evidence from both animal models and patients supports this conclusion...
Labels: bloodpressure, brain, bristol
// posted by neurofuture9:13 PM permanent link
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3.27.2007
Mamas and Papas Beginnings (2)
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More on the beginning of the Mamas and the Papas, early to mid 1960's...Just click to watch and listen
Labels: 60s, alzheimers, brain, mamasandpapas
// posted by neurofuture10:15 PM permanent link
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3.24.2007
Beatles: Help
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Here's the Fab Four piece. You'll know the song
Labels: alzheimers, Beatles, brain
// posted by neurofuture8:52 PM permanent link
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3.12.2007
Search with brain.com
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On the home page you will see a chart showing Cognitive Labs' current status, as of March 12, 2007. We are moving towards a policy of 'visibility' so that there is no distinction between results for the system and what is publicly illustrated, if that makes sense, so that important operating numbers are transparent.
Also, we suggest considering using brain.com for your Internet searches. The Internet is in esence a 'brain' of interconnected information (whether or not Al Gore invented it). A good reason for using brain.com is for the sake of balance: your point of access is in balance with that you are searching, and it increases exposure of Cognitive Labs' tools, which enable anyone to optimize their brain while also accessible to all the visitors on their site or blog.
Also, we suggest considering using brain.com for your Internet searches. The Internet is in esence a 'brain' of interconnected information (whether or not Al Gore invented it). A good reason for using brain.com is for the sake of balance: your point of access is in balance with that you are searching, and it increases exposure of Cognitive Labs' tools, which enable anyone to optimize their brain while also accessible to all the visitors on their site or blog.
// posted by neurofuture3:00 PM permanent link
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2.26.2007
Mind Widgets
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The link where you can get Brainpal and other tools for your site is here.
(1) Copy the code
(2) Paste into your site, forum, or blog template
(3) Publish the page.
note: with blogger, remove the reference to the part of the code ending in ".js" as they do not support live scripts within the page. We'll be posting a separate blogger version shortly. If you remove the reference to cognitive.js it works fine. Other than that, get started.
You will then be able to build traffic to your site with a free test.
(1) Copy the code
(2) Paste into your site, forum, or blog template
(3) Publish the page.
note: with blogger, remove the reference to the part of the code ending in ".js" as they do not support live scripts within the page. We'll be posting a separate blogger version shortly. If you remove the reference to cognitive.js it works fine. Other than that, get started.
You will then be able to build traffic to your site with a free test.
Labels: brain, cognitive, mindtools, widgets
// posted by neurofuture7:50 AM permanent link
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2.21.2007
Chocolate Can Boost Your Brain?
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Eating chocolate could help to sharpen up the mind and give a short-term boost to cognitive skills, a University of Nottingham expert has found.
A study led by Professor Ian Macdonald found that consumption of a cocoa drink rich in flavanols — a key ingredient of dark chocolate — boosts blood flow to key areas of the brain for two to three hours.
Increased blood flow to these areas of the brain may help to increase performance in specific tasks and boost general alertness over a short period.
The findings, unveiled at one of the biggest scientific conferences in America, also raise the prospect of ingredients in chocolate being used to treat vascular impairment, including dementia and strokes, and thus for maintaining cardiovascular health.
The study also suggests that the cocoa flavanols found in chocolate could be useful in enhancing brain function for people fighting fatigue, sleep deprivation, and even the effects of ageing.
Ian Macdonald, professor of metabolic physiology at The University of Nottingham, used magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to detect increased activity in specific areas of the brain in individuals who had consumed a single drink of flavanol-rich cocoa. The effect is linked to dilation of cerebral blood vessels, allowing more blood — and therefore more oxygen — to reach key areas of the brain.
Flavanols are not only found in chocolate with a high cocoa content — they are also present in other substances such as red wine, green tea and blueberries.
He presented his research at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), one of the biggest annual gatherings of scientists from all over the world. This year's meeting takes place in San Francisco from February 15–19.
Professor Macdonald said: “Acute consumption of this particular flavanol-rich cocoa beverage was associated with increased grey matter flow for two to three hours.
“The demonstration of an effect of consuming this particular beverage on cerebral blood flow raises the possibility that certain food ingredients may be beneficial in increasing brain blood flow and enhancing brain function, in situations where individuals are cognitively impaired such as fatigue, sleep deprivation, or possibly ageing.”
He emphasised that the level of cocoa flavanol used in the study is not available commercially. The cocoa-rich flavanol beverage was specially formulated for the purpose of the study.
Co-authors on the research were Dr Susan Francis, research associate Kay Head, and Professor Peter Morris, all from The University of Nottingham's School of Physics and Astronomy.
Professor Macdonald is a member of the Food Standards Agency's Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition, and is President-Elect of the UK Nutrition Society. His main research interests are concerned with the functional consequences of metabolic and nutritional disturbances in health and disease, with specific interests in obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease and exercise.
The AAAS, founded in 1848, is the world's largest general scientific society and publisher of the prestigious international journal Science. Its annual conference draws up to 10,000 attendees.
Labels: brain, chocolate, flavenols
// posted by neurofuture11:11 AM permanent link
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2.12.2007
Scientists: Vasectomies Linked to Alzheimer's
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Northwestern University researchers have discovered men with an unusual form of dementia have a higher rate of vasectomy than men the same age who are cognitively normal.
The dementia is Primary Progressive Aphasia ( PPA ), a neurological disease in which people have trouble recalling and understanding words. In PPA, people lose the ability to express themselves and understand speech. It differs from typical Alzheimer's disease in which a person's memory becomes impaired.
Sandra Weintraub, principal investigator and professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences and of neurology at Northwestern's Feinberg School of Medicine, began investigating a possible link between the surgery and PPA when one of her male patients connected the onset of his language problem at age 43 to the period after his vasectomy.
At a twice-yearly Chicago support group for PPA patients Weintraub sees from around the country, the male patient rushed into the room and asked the men sitting there, "OK, guys, how many of you have PPA?" Nine hands went up.
"How many of you had a vasectomy?" he demanded next. Eight hands shot up.
Weintraub and her team of researchers surveyed 47 men with PPA who were being treated at Northwestern's Cognitive Neurology and Alzheimer's Disease Center and 57 men with no cognitive impairment who were community volunteers. They ranged from 55 to 80 years old.
Of the non-impaired men, 16 percent had undergone a vasectomy. In contrast, 40 percent of the men with PPA had had the surgery.
"That's a huge difference," said Weintraub, director of neuropsychology in the Cognitive Neurology and Alzheimer's Disease Center. "It doesn't mean having a vasectomy will give you this disease, but it may be a risk factor to increase your chance of getting it."
In addition, the men who had undergone a vasectomy developed PPA at a younger age ( 58 years ) than men with PPA who hadn't had one ( 62 years. )
While PPA robs people of their ability to speak and understand language, an unusual twist of the disease is patients are still able to maintain their hobbies and perform other complicated tasks for a number of years before other symptoms develop. Some people garden, build cabinets and even navigate a city subway system. By contrast, Alzheimer's patients lose interest in their hobbies, family life and may become idle. As PPA progresses over a number of years, however, patients eventually lose their ability to function independently.
Preliminary evidence from the study also seemed to connect another form of dementia to a vasectomy. In a smaller group of 30 men with a dementia called frontotemporal dementia ( FTD, ) 37 percent had undergone a vasectomy. The earliest symptoms of FTD are personality changes, lack of judgment and bizarre behavior. As in PPA, FTD usually starts at an earlier age, in the 40s and 50s.
One of Weintraub's patients with FTD was eating lunch in a restaurant with his family and excused himself to go to the bathroom. When he hadn't returned after 10 minutes, his sons went to investigate. They found him doing pushups on the bathroom floor. Other FTD patients begin shoplifting, compulsively gambling, misspending large amounts of money or become sexually demanding.
The most common form of dementia caused by brain deterioration in individuals over age 65 is Alzheimer's disease. Weintraub did not find an increased rate of vasectomy in patients with Alzheimer's.
Many patients with FTD and PPA share a common brain disease that is completely different from Alzheimer's. Whether a patient will get the behavioral or language problems depends on where the disease causes the most destruction in the brain. In FTD, most of the damage is in the frontal lobes; in PPA, it's in the language centers of the left hemisphere of the brain.
Weintraub theorizes a vasectomy may raise the risk of PPA ( and possibly FTD ) because the surgery breeches the protective barrier between the blood and the testes, called the blood-testis barrier.
Certain organs � including the testes and the brain � exist in what is the equivalent of a gated community in the body. Tiny tubes within the testes ( in which sperm are produced ) are protected by a physical barrier of Sertoli cells. The tight connections between these cells prevent blood-borne infections and poisonous molecules from entering the semen.
After a vasectomy, however, the protective barrier is broken and semen mixes into the blood. The immune system recognizes the sperm as invading foreign agents and produces anti-sperm antibodies in 60 to 70 percent of men.
Weintraub said these antibodies might cross the blood-brain-barrier and cause damage resulting in dementia. "There are other neurological models of disease which you can use as a parallel," Weintraub said. Certain malignant tumors produce antibodies that reach the brain and cause an illness similar to encephalitis, she noted.
The next step in Weintraub's research will be to launch a national study to see if her results will be confirmed in a larger population.
"I don't want to scare anyone away from getting a vasectomy," Weintraub stressed. "It's obviously a major birth control alternative. This is just a correlational observation," she said of the dementia connection. "We need to do more research to find out."
Labels: alzheimers, brain, vasectomy
// posted by neurofuture11:54 AM permanent link
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2.02.2007
brain.com - test mecca
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Roughly 1,000 people per day are signing up on brain.com - now a cognitivelabs.com property - and this is giving a shot in the arm to our registration efforts - now closing in on the 2 million mark - (just under 100,000 away)
This is basically people just going to the site and registering...it is now ranked 4th on yahoo and 5th on google when you enter the word "brain". You can help us reach #1 by placing those quality, organic links.
brain.com is a little easier to remember than cognitivelabs.com, though the latter has built a quality brand in its own right.
This is basically people just going to the site and registering...it is now ranked 4th on yahoo and 5th on google when you enter the word "brain". You can help us reach #1 by placing those quality, organic links.
brain.com is a little easier to remember than cognitivelabs.com, though the latter has built a quality brand in its own right.
Labels: alzheimers, brain, brain.com, cognitivelabs.com, Google, yahoo
// posted by neurofuture1:36 PM permanent link
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1.25.2007
Invite Everyone in Your Address Book to Get a Better Brain, or Just Have Fun
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Invite everyone in the world to join Cognitive Labs. Save your address book as a .CSV or .TXT file, copy, and paste it into our handy form among with your personal invite message...
Labels: addressbook, brain, cognitive_labs, cogworld, export, friends, gmail, outlook, users
// posted by neurofuture7:21 PM permanent link
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The Most Irritating Game Ever
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"Surely, let me tell you this is the most irritating brain game yet devised."
"Au Contraire, mon Kapitan" - and don't call me Surely. But seriously, this game is demented in its conception. It requires you to simultaneously control a dasher and a horizontal widget, keeping a cueball that moves unctuously from falling precipitously off the edge. Meanwhile, the dasher needs to be maneuvered so as to impel a small, ping-pong ball to bounce off the edges of the boundary, and again off the dasher whilst all the while the cueball moves snarkily toward the edge. To top it off, there's a timer which measures your cognitive effectiveness down to the millisecond. "Upon the outcome of this noble effort," one could argue, "the fate of great nations lies."
Compare it to patting your head and rubbing your tummy, and vice-versa with a stopwatch. Definitively and Incontrovertibly Good for the Brain.
Labels: brain, don'tallmeshirley, game, irritating, irritation, reddit, surely
// posted by neurofuture3:18 PM permanent link
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1.24.2007
Coffee Boosts Brain and Makes Hair Grow
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Just like Elmer Fudd's hair tonic in the Looney Tunes version of the The Barber of Seville, new research shows that Coffee can help balding men regrow their hair or slow the pace of hair loss. Furthermore, in mice, coffee has been shown to enhance neuronal action by accelerating the oscillation of a structure that regulates chemical supplement releases into the brain...
// posted by neurofuture1:20 PM permanent link
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1.23.2007
Learning Slows Alzheimer's: UC Irvine Study
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Exercising your mind does pay off - for the first time, scientists have shown that learning slows the build-up in the brain of protein plaques and tangles that are the signature of Alzheimer's disease.
Although the study was conducted in mice, it does reinforce the idea that, in humans, maintaining an active mind may help delay or even prevent Alzheimer's disease.
"This has shown for the first time that using your brain can protect you physically," said Kim Green, co-lead author of the study and a postdoctoral researcher at the University of California, Irvine. "We show that when you do this, it causes changes in the brain, and these changes are protective."
"It's an interesting study, and part of what it does is advance the notion that mental exercise has a protective effect against Alzheimer's," said Dr. Gary Kennedy, director of geriatric psychiatry at Montefiore Medical Center in New York City.
According to the Alzheimer's Association, about 4.5 million Americans have the brain-robbing disorder, a number that has more than doubled since 1980. Many more suffer from cognitive impairment, which could be a harbinger of Alzheimer's.
Many experts believe that Alzheimer's is caused by a steady accumulation of amyloid plaque proteins in the brain.
Previous studies had shown that "mental exercise" could delay the onset of the disease, but the proof came only in the form of memory and other cognitive testing measures.
The study involved hundreds of "transgenic" mice -- mice that had been genetically altered to develop human Alzheimer's disease.
Mice in a "learning" group were allowed to swim in a tank of water until they discovered a submerged platform on which to stand. This training took place four times a day for one week at two, six, nine, 12, 15 and 18 months of age. The other group of mice swam in the tank just once before their learning and memory skills were tested and their brains examined.
Mice up to 1 year old in the learning group developed 60 percent less of the proteins that form plaques and tangles compared to mice in the non-learning group, the researchers found.
"The sort of learning we gave the animals was fairly mild, yet it still had a big effect," Green said.
However, by 15 months of age, the learning mice had declined and were now physically and cognitively identical to the non-learning mice.
Text Continues Below
Can these findings be extrapolated to humans?
"We do find a lot of similarities, but clinical data also backs up what we've shown in this study," Green said.
"I think it's reasonable to extrapolate," Kennedy added. "The recommendation certainly is to keep your mind active."
"Think of the brain as a computer," Kennedy continued. "Alzheimer's degrades the hardware, and education enhances the software. The brain is also a muscle, and conditioning may protect it."
Green and his colleagues hope to use the information to one day develop a drug for the disease.
"We want to identify exactly how learning influences pathology and identify a novel drug target," he said.
The study is appearing in the Jan. 24 issue of the Journal of Neuroscience.
Although the study was conducted in mice, it does reinforce the idea that, in humans, maintaining an active mind may help delay or even prevent Alzheimer's disease.
"This has shown for the first time that using your brain can protect you physically," said Kim Green, co-lead author of the study and a postdoctoral researcher at the University of California, Irvine. "We show that when you do this, it causes changes in the brain, and these changes are protective."
"It's an interesting study, and part of what it does is advance the notion that mental exercise has a protective effect against Alzheimer's," said Dr. Gary Kennedy, director of geriatric psychiatry at Montefiore Medical Center in New York City.
According to the Alzheimer's Association, about 4.5 million Americans have the brain-robbing disorder, a number that has more than doubled since 1980. Many more suffer from cognitive impairment, which could be a harbinger of Alzheimer's.
Many experts believe that Alzheimer's is caused by a steady accumulation of amyloid plaque proteins in the brain.
Previous studies had shown that "mental exercise" could delay the onset of the disease, but the proof came only in the form of memory and other cognitive testing measures.
The study involved hundreds of "transgenic" mice -- mice that had been genetically altered to develop human Alzheimer's disease.
Mice in a "learning" group were allowed to swim in a tank of water until they discovered a submerged platform on which to stand. This training took place four times a day for one week at two, six, nine, 12, 15 and 18 months of age. The other group of mice swam in the tank just once before their learning and memory skills were tested and their brains examined.
Mice up to 1 year old in the learning group developed 60 percent less of the proteins that form plaques and tangles compared to mice in the non-learning group, the researchers found.
"The sort of learning we gave the animals was fairly mild, yet it still had a big effect," Green said.
However, by 15 months of age, the learning mice had declined and were now physically and cognitively identical to the non-learning mice.
Text Continues Below
Can these findings be extrapolated to humans?
"We do find a lot of similarities, but clinical data also backs up what we've shown in this study," Green said.
"I think it's reasonable to extrapolate," Kennedy added. "The recommendation certainly is to keep your mind active."
"Think of the brain as a computer," Kennedy continued. "Alzheimer's degrades the hardware, and education enhances the software. The brain is also a muscle, and conditioning may protect it."
Green and his colleagues hope to use the information to one day develop a drug for the disease.
"We want to identify exactly how learning influences pathology and identify a novel drug target," he said.
The study is appearing in the Jan. 24 issue of the Journal of Neuroscience.
Labels: alzheimers, brain, learning, neuroscience, uc-irvine
// posted by neurofuture5:31 PM permanent link
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1.21.2007
How to Really Boost Your Brain
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Nerve Conduction Velocity is one of the accurate objective measures of mental performance. The less time it takes to perform a specified task within a controlled system, the more efficient the system is. Through targeted exercise, it is possible to enhance the speed at which cognitive tasks are performed. As the individual engages in a variety of tasks with measurable performance, particularly with reversals and unexpected stimuli, the brain becomes more effective and better able to process complex information. Improvement and regular practice can lead to a sustained level of performance and prevention of cognitive decline.
Boost your brain
Boost your brain
Labels: alzheimers, boost, brain, nerves, stimuli
// posted by neurofuture11:33 AM permanent link
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1.20.2007
Build out Brain.com
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We're just starting to build out brain.com, with a collection of links that takes you to interesting brain-related sites and also some of our more popular features.
Including: What's your brain speed score...
Including: What's your brain speed score...
Labels: brain, brainspeed, creditscore, memory-test
// posted by neurofuture2:27 PM permanent link
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1.18.2007
Common Anesthetic linked to Alzheimer's
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The commonly used anesthetic isoflurane can lead to the death of brain cells and the production of amyloid-beta plaque, a hallmark of Alzheimer's disease, Harvard researchers report.
Their study appears in the January issue of the Journal of Gerontology, which is devoted to the problems of dementia and delirium. In the United States, delirium accounts for $7 billion per year in hospital expenses and more than $100 billion a year when rehabilitation, institutionalization and long-term care are added to the equation.
The Harvard study raises questions about the safety of isoflurane, which has been used for years for all ages of patients.
"Many people, especially the elderly, who have anesthesia suffer from postoperative cognitive dysfunction, scrambling and delirium that can last six hours or two weeks or months," said lead researcher Rudolph Tanzi, a professor of neurology at the Genetics and Aging Research Unit of the Massachusetts General Institute for Neurodegenerative Disease.
"To me, a big dose of isoflurane mimics a stroke or a bang to the head, and you don't want that as a risk factor for Alzheimer's disease at any age," Tanzi said.
In experiments with cells that had an amyloid-beta protein, Tanzi's team exposed them to isoflurane for six hours.
The researchers found that isoflurane caused these cells to die. "It also caused the cell to overproduce the toxic molecule responsible for the pathology of Alzheimer's disease, particularly amyloid-beta," Tanzi said.
This is a warning, Tanzi said. "Isoflurane may be one reason why the elderly are more prone to cognitive dysfunction following anesthesia," he said.
"Any trauma to the brain induces cell death. Isoflurane now joins that list of insults to the brain that can cause cell death and excessive production of this key molecule in Alzheimer's pathology," Tanzi. "This does increase the risk for Alzheimer's disease."
Tanzi believes that isoflurane should be avoided, when possible. "We don't have enough data yet to ban isoflurane," he said. "But I'm convinced enough that I won't let my mother have it. I would advise any family or friends to stay away from isoflurane," he said. "There is a lot of speculation here, and a lot of work needs to be done, but at this point I wouldn't take a chance."
Despite the findings, one expert doesn't agree that isoflurane is dangerous.
"Most of the studies that have been done have been done in isolated cell types," said Dr. Piyush Patel, a professor of anesthesiology at the University of California, San Diego. "Not only that, but the cells they are using are not normal cells."
Patel believes, however, that the findings are provocative enough that there needs to be further research on the issue. "Studies need to be done in cells that are closer to normal cells, and then in animals," he said.
Moreover, it isn't clear that this same effect would be seen in humans, Patel said. "Isoflurane has had a long history of safety in all aged patients, all the way from premature babies to octogenarians. There is absolutely no evidence right now in human beings that that drug is harmful," he said. "To extrapolate these findings to humans would be irresponsible."
Their study appears in the January issue of the Journal of Gerontology, which is devoted to the problems of dementia and delirium. In the United States, delirium accounts for $7 billion per year in hospital expenses and more than $100 billion a year when rehabilitation, institutionalization and long-term care are added to the equation.
The Harvard study raises questions about the safety of isoflurane, which has been used for years for all ages of patients.
"Many people, especially the elderly, who have anesthesia suffer from postoperative cognitive dysfunction, scrambling and delirium that can last six hours or two weeks or months," said lead researcher Rudolph Tanzi, a professor of neurology at the Genetics and Aging Research Unit of the Massachusetts General Institute for Neurodegenerative Disease.
"To me, a big dose of isoflurane mimics a stroke or a bang to the head, and you don't want that as a risk factor for Alzheimer's disease at any age," Tanzi said.
In experiments with cells that had an amyloid-beta protein, Tanzi's team exposed them to isoflurane for six hours.
The researchers found that isoflurane caused these cells to die. "It also caused the cell to overproduce the toxic molecule responsible for the pathology of Alzheimer's disease, particularly amyloid-beta," Tanzi said.
This is a warning, Tanzi said. "Isoflurane may be one reason why the elderly are more prone to cognitive dysfunction following anesthesia," he said.
"Any trauma to the brain induces cell death. Isoflurane now joins that list of insults to the brain that can cause cell death and excessive production of this key molecule in Alzheimer's pathology," Tanzi. "This does increase the risk for Alzheimer's disease."
Tanzi believes that isoflurane should be avoided, when possible. "We don't have enough data yet to ban isoflurane," he said. "But I'm convinced enough that I won't let my mother have it. I would advise any family or friends to stay away from isoflurane," he said. "There is a lot of speculation here, and a lot of work needs to be done, but at this point I wouldn't take a chance."
Despite the findings, one expert doesn't agree that isoflurane is dangerous.
"Most of the studies that have been done have been done in isolated cell types," said Dr. Piyush Patel, a professor of anesthesiology at the University of California, San Diego. "Not only that, but the cells they are using are not normal cells."
Patel believes, however, that the findings are provocative enough that there needs to be further research on the issue. "Studies need to be done in cells that are closer to normal cells, and then in animals," he said.
Moreover, it isn't clear that this same effect would be seen in humans, Patel said. "Isoflurane has had a long history of safety in all aged patients, all the way from premature babies to octogenarians. There is absolutely no evidence right now in human beings that that drug is harmful," he said. "To extrapolate these findings to humans would be irresponsible."
Labels: alzheimers, brain
// posted by neurofuture10:56 AM permanent link
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1.13.2007
How Sounds Create Links to Action in the Brain
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A new imaging study shows that when we learn a new action with associated sounds, the brain quickly makes links between regions responsible for performing the action and those associated with the sound.
The findings may contribute to understanding how we acquire language and how we think of actions if we only hear their sounds, say authors Amir Lahav, ScD, and Gottfried Schlaug, MD, PhD, of the neurology department at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School. Their work is described in the January 10 issue of The Journal of Neuroscience.
"The findings have implications for understanding many complex processes, such as speech and music performance," says Robert Zatorre, PhD, "and they could encourage research into rehabilitative strategies using sound-movement tasks." Zatorre heads the auditory cognitive neuroscience laboratory at McGill University.
The authors also suggest that their findings provide evidence for the existence of a mirror neuron system in humans. Mirror neurons, first described in monkeys, are active not only when the monkey performs an action, but also when it sees the action performed by others or only hears the sound associated with the action. Some scientists debate their existence and function in humans.
The researchers taught nine subjects with no previous musical training to play a five-note, 24-second song on a keyboard. Then they ran functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scans while the subjects listened to the song they had just learned, a different song using the same five notes, and a third song made up of additional notes.
When the subjects listened to the familiar music, their brains showed activity in a network of areas in the frontal and parietal lobes that are involved in the control of movements. The authors note that Broca's area, the human equivalent of the area in the brain where mirror neurons were found in monkeys, was particularly active when subjects listened to music they knew how to play compared with equally familiar music they did not know how to play.
"Mirror-neuron circuits appear to encode and reflect templates for specific actions," the authors say. "This may allow us to comprehend motor acts when they are observed or heard, without the need for explicit reasoning about them." The authors also suggest that the sound-related functions of a mirror-neuron system "might have developed for survival reasons, allowing us to understand actions even when they cannot be observed, but can only be heard, as when we hear footsteps in the dark."
The research was supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health, International Foundation for Music Research, and Dudley Allen Sargent Research Fund.
Labels: brain, neuroscience, social, sounds
// posted by neurofuture6:29 PM permanent link
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sex.com or brain.com
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Scientists believe that the our perceptions - taste, feeling, exist in the brain.
With that in mind, which web address(url) is better - sex.com or brain.com?
The brain is not only our key gadget that we need to maintain, but our filter on reality. All impressions exist in the brain. One day, this will be the direct target for advertisers who can elicit a purchase impulse. In 2006, Sex.com easily beat the $7.5 m paid for business.com in the dotcom heyday, so we'll just have to watch and see.
With that in mind, which web address(url) is better - sex.com or brain.com?
The brain is not only our key gadget that we need to maintain, but our filter on reality. All impressions exist in the brain. One day, this will be the direct target for advertisers who can elicit a purchase impulse. In 2006, Sex.com easily beat the $7.5 m paid for business.com in the dotcom heyday, so we'll just have to watch and see.
// posted by neurofuture10:31 AM permanent link
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1.11.2007
Amongst Bird-Brains,Bigger is Better
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Birds with brains that are large in relation to their body size have a lower mortality rate than those with smaller brains, according to new research published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences.
The researchers found that birds with larger brains relative to their body size survived better in nature than birds with small brains. This may explain why, for example, birds with small relative brain sizes, such as pheasants (like the one shown above), find it harder to avoid a moving car than those with larger brain size, such as magpies. (Image courtesy of University of Bath)
Research provides the first evidence for what scientists describe as the ‘cognitive buffer’ hypothesis - the idea that having a large brain enables animals to have more flexible behaviours and survive environmental challenges.
This theory was first put forward to answer the puzzle surrounding why animals, including humans, would evolve a larger brain, given the ‘cost’ associated with developing and maintaining a larger brain.
The researchers compared the brain size, body mass and mortality rates in over 200 different species of birds from polar, temperate and tropical regions.
They found that birds with larger brains relative to their body size survived better in nature than birds with small brains. This may explain why, for example, birds with small relative brain sizes, such as pheasants, find it harder to avoid a moving car than those with larger brain size, such as magpies.
“The idea that large brains are associated with reduced mortality has never been scientifically tested,” said Dr Tamas Szekely from the Department of Biology & Biochemistry at the University of Bath.
“Birds are ideally suited for such a test, as they are one of the only groups of animals for which the relationship between large brains and enhanced behavioural response to ecological challenges is best understood.
“We have shown that species with larger brains relative to their body size experience lower mortality than species with smaller brains, supporting the general importance of the cognitive buffer hypothesis in the evolution of large brains.”
The researchers made allowances for factors which may have accounted for variations in mortality rates, such as migratory behaviour, competition for mates and chick behaviour.
“Our findings suggest that large-brained animals might be better prepared to cope with environmental challenges such as climate change and habitat destruction,” said Dr Szekely, who worked with researchers from the Autonomous University of Barcelona (Spain), Pannon University (Hungary) and McGill University (Canada) on the project.
“This is supported by other research which has shown that large-brained birds are more successful in colonising new regions and are better at surviving the changing seasons.”
The research was funded by grants from the Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia (Spain), the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada and the Hungarian Academy of Sciences.
// posted by neurofuture7:40 AM permanent link
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1.04.2007
See Yourself Training Your Brain on YouTube
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This guy just posted his incredible Brain game performance to YouTube. Where can I get a pair of goggles like that?
the game is here and here's the video:
Labels: boost, brain, matrix, word_shoot, youtube
// posted by neurofuture9:16 AM permanent link
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1.02.2007
How to Avoid Embarrassing Incidents at the Beach
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Don't get sand kicked in your face when you're trying to be the smartest guy or gal in the room. Start by boosting your brain...
Labels: beach, brain, gadget, game
// posted by neurofuture11:29 AM permanent link
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1.01.2007
Scientists Assert that Brain Regions "See" the Future
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Memory and future thought go 'hand-in-hand'
Human memory, the ability to recall vivid mental images of past experiences, has been studied extensively for more than a hundred years. But until recently, there's been surprisingly little research into cognitive processes underlying another form of mental time travel -- the ability to clearly imagine or "see" oneself participating in a future event.
Now, researchers from Washington University in St. Louis have used advanced brain imaging techniques to show that remembering the past and envisioning the future may go hand-in-hand, with each process sparking strikingly similar patterns of activity within precisely the same broad network of brain regions.
"In our daily lives, we probably spend more time envisioning what we're going to do tomorrow or later on in the day than we do remembering, but not much is known about how we go about forming these mental images of the future," says Karl Szpunar, lead author of the study and a psychology doctoral student in Arts & Sciences at Washington University.
"Our findings provide compelling support for the idea that memory and future thought are highly interrelated and help explain why future thought may be impossible without memories."
Scheduled for advance online publication Jan. 1 in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the study sheds new light on how the human mind relies on the vivid recollection of past experiences to prepare itself for future challenges, suggesting that envisioning the future may be a critical prerequisite for many higher-level planning processes.
Other study co-authors are Jason M. Watson, a Washington University doctoral graduate now assistant professor of psychology at the University of Utah; and Kathleen McDermott, an associate professor of psychology in Arts & Sciences and of radiology in the School of Medicine at Washington University.
McDermott, principal investigator for the University's Memory and Cognition Lab, where the research is based, suggests that the findings are notable for two reasons.
First, the study clearly demonstrates that the neural network underlying future thought is not isolated in the brain's frontal cortex, as some have speculated. Although the frontal lobes play a well-documented role in carrying out future-oriented executive operations, such as anticipation, planning and monitoring, the spark for these activities may well be the very process of envisioning oneself in a specific future event, an activity based within and reliant upon the same neurally distributed network used to retrieve autobiographical memories.
Second, within this neural network, patterns of activity suggest that the visual and spatial context for our imagined future often is pieced together using our past experiences, including memories of specific body movements and visual perspective changes � data stored as we navigated through similar settings in the past.
These findings, McDermott suggests, offer strong support for a relatively recent theory of memory, which posits that remembering the past and envisioning the future draw upon many of the same neural mechanisms. Previous speculation has been based largely on the anecdotal observation of very young children, cases of severe depression and brain damaged persons with amnesia.
"There's a little known and not that well investigated finding that if you have an amnesic person who can't remember the past, they're also not at all good about thinking about what they might be doing tomorrow or envisioning any kind of personal future," McDermott explains. They comprehend time and can consider the future in the abstract sense (e.g., that global warming is a concern for the future), but they cannot vividly envision themselves in a specific future scenario.
"The same is true with very small children -- they don't remember particularly what happened last month and they can't really tell you much of anything about what they envision happening next week. This is also the case with suicidally depressed people. So, there's this theory that it all goes hand-in-hand, but nobody has looked closely enough to explain exactly how or why this occurs."
In this study, researchers relied on functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to capture patterns of brain activation as college students were given 10 seconds to develop a vivid mental image of themselves or a famous celebrity participating in a range of common life experiences.
Presented with a series of memory cues, such as getting lost, spending time with a friend or attending a birthday party, participants were asked to recall a related event from their own past; to envision themselves experiencing such an event in their future life; or, to picture a famous celebrity -- specifically former U.S. President Bill Clinton -- participating in such an event.
The "Clinton-Imagine" task was introduced to help researchers establish a baseline level of brain activity for a cognitive event that was in many ways similar to the other two tasks but did not involve the mental projection of oneself through time. Bill Clinton was chosen because pre-testing showed he was easy for participants to visualize in a variety of situations.
Comparing images of brain activity in response to the "self-remember" and "self-future" event cues, researchers found a surprisingly complete overlap among regions of the brain used for remembering the past and those used for envisioning the future � every region involved in recollecting the past was also used in envisioning the future.
During the experiment, participants were not required to describe details or explain the origin of mental images elicited by the memory cues, but in post-testing questionnaires most indicated that they tended to place future-oriented images in the context of familiar places (e.g. home, school) and familiar people (e.g. family, friends), which would require the reactivation of those images from neural networks responsible for the storage and retrieval of autobiographical memories.
Conversely, the neural networks associated with personal mental time travel showed significantly less activity when participants imagined scenarios involving Bill Clinton. The reason, researchers suggest, is that participants had no personal memories of direct interaction with Clinton, and thus, any images of him had to be derived from neural networks responsible for semantic memory � our context-free general knowledge of the world. In fact, participants later reported that their mental images of Clinton tended to be less vivid (e.g. "I see Bill Clinton at a party in the White House, alongside several faceless senators").
"Results of this study offer a tentative answer to a longstanding question regarding the evolutionary usefulness of memory," McDermott concludes. "It may just be that the reason we can recollect our past in vivid detail is that this set of processes is important for being able to envision ourselves in future scenarios. This ability to envision the future has clear and compelling adaptive significance."
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Labels: brain, future_vision, imaging, mind_games, vision
// posted by neurofuture7:25 PM permanent link
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Exercise Helps Brains at All Ages
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A new study looks at ages and performance on cognitive tests and finds that exercise leads to improved brain effectiveness at all ages - as measured by brainspeed and executive function....
(Urbana-Champaign News Gazette) Older folks may not be the only ones whose brain power is increased by physical fitness, a study by University of Illinois researchers working with Dutch colleagues indicates.
Previous studies, several of them done at the UI, already have provided evidence that regular exercise improves both the brain structure and function of senior citizens, including an increase in the brain's gray and white matter and better performance on cognitive tests.
"Most of the work has focused on older adults," UI kinesiology and community health Professor Charles Hillman said recently.
Now, Hillman, using data from Eco J.C. de Geus at Vrije Universiteit in Amsterdam, is showing that at least some of the benefits may extend to younger adults as well.
De Gues, who studies behavioral genetics, collected an array of data on people age 15 to early 70s. That included information on the physical fitness and cognitive abilities of the participants.
He offered the data to Hillman for examination after the two met at a professional conference. The UI professor studies the relationship between fitness, the brain and cognition.
Hillman, UI doctoral student Matthew Pontifex and kinesiology and community health Professor Robert Motl used the data to look for links between the physical activity levels of the participants, 241 Amsterdam area residents, and the results they posted on a series of cognitive tests.
In line with previous studies, they found that older folks were faster and more accurate on the tests if they were getting regular exercise.
Meanwhile, younger folks, 15 to 39 with an average age of 25, also were faster. But they didn't show a significant improvement in accuracy.
However, Hillman said UI researchers saw improvements among younger adults in both cases in another study where the complication level of the tests was enhanced by forcing the participants to switch tasks in midstream.
"We see both speed and accuracy differences (between fit and non-fit younger participants) in that case," he said.
Hillman said the bottom line is that the studies indicate there may be a link between physical fitness and the health of the brain across the life span. Exercising throughout our lives may have a protective effect against the decline in our cognitive ability as we age, he said.
In particular, the tests were designed to challenge the "executive function" of the people taking them. That's what we use in scheduling, planning, filtering out environmental distractions and multitasking, among other things.
Driving on the highway, keeping track of the traffic around us, looking for an exit sign and sorting it out from the plethora of other signs is the kind of common challenge that taps executive function, Hillman and Pontifex said.
Hillman said the capability appears to be centered in the brain's frontal lobe, the last area to mature and the first to begin declining, which is why kids and senior citizens sometimes have problems with executive function-related tests and tasks.
But earlier studies showed that senior citizens "can return to performance at young adult levels" if they're physically active, Hillman said.
His study using the Dutch data, which appears in the current edition of journal Health Psychology, found both a general cognitive benefit and particular improvement in executive function, in addition to the effect it identified in the younger participants.
The data also included such information as gender and IQ, allowing the researchers to factor those out and isolate the impact of fitness on the cognition testing results.
Hillman wants to explore further how the impact of exercise on the brain differs in older and younger people and the mechanics behind that.
He's also interested in testing even younger participants, perhaps including a study here where kids are tested before and after they go through a directed exercise program.
"We don't know much below the age of 15," Hillman said. "We're working on that."
(Urbana-Champaign News Gazette) Older folks may not be the only ones whose brain power is increased by physical fitness, a study by University of Illinois researchers working with Dutch colleagues indicates.
Previous studies, several of them done at the UI, already have provided evidence that regular exercise improves both the brain structure and function of senior citizens, including an increase in the brain's gray and white matter and better performance on cognitive tests.
"Most of the work has focused on older adults," UI kinesiology and community health Professor Charles Hillman said recently.
Now, Hillman, using data from Eco J.C. de Geus at Vrije Universiteit in Amsterdam, is showing that at least some of the benefits may extend to younger adults as well.
De Gues, who studies behavioral genetics, collected an array of data on people age 15 to early 70s. That included information on the physical fitness and cognitive abilities of the participants.
He offered the data to Hillman for examination after the two met at a professional conference. The UI professor studies the relationship between fitness, the brain and cognition.
Hillman, UI doctoral student Matthew Pontifex and kinesiology and community health Professor Robert Motl used the data to look for links between the physical activity levels of the participants, 241 Amsterdam area residents, and the results they posted on a series of cognitive tests.
In line with previous studies, they found that older folks were faster and more accurate on the tests if they were getting regular exercise.
Meanwhile, younger folks, 15 to 39 with an average age of 25, also were faster. But they didn't show a significant improvement in accuracy.
However, Hillman said UI researchers saw improvements among younger adults in both cases in another study where the complication level of the tests was enhanced by forcing the participants to switch tasks in midstream.
"We see both speed and accuracy differences (between fit and non-fit younger participants) in that case," he said.
Hillman said the bottom line is that the studies indicate there may be a link between physical fitness and the health of the brain across the life span. Exercising throughout our lives may have a protective effect against the decline in our cognitive ability as we age, he said.
In particular, the tests were designed to challenge the "executive function" of the people taking them. That's what we use in scheduling, planning, filtering out environmental distractions and multitasking, among other things.
Driving on the highway, keeping track of the traffic around us, looking for an exit sign and sorting it out from the plethora of other signs is the kind of common challenge that taps executive function, Hillman and Pontifex said.
Hillman said the capability appears to be centered in the brain's frontal lobe, the last area to mature and the first to begin declining, which is why kids and senior citizens sometimes have problems with executive function-related tests and tasks.
But earlier studies showed that senior citizens "can return to performance at young adult levels" if they're physically active, Hillman said.
His study using the Dutch data, which appears in the current edition of journal Health Psychology, found both a general cognitive benefit and particular improvement in executive function, in addition to the effect it identified in the younger participants.
The data also included such information as gender and IQ, allowing the researchers to factor those out and isolate the impact of fitness on the cognition testing results.
Hillman wants to explore further how the impact of exercise on the brain differs in older and younger people and the mechanics behind that.
He's also interested in testing even younger participants, perhaps including a study here where kids are tested before and after they go through a directed exercise program.
"We don't know much below the age of 15," Hillman said. "We're working on that."
Labels: brain, brain_games, brainspeed, executive_function, exercise
// posted by neurofuture12:08 PM permanent link
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12.30.2006
Music and Your Brain: The Impact
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As you listen to music, your brain reacts in different ways. With PET and MRI images now capturing the action, you can see what you hear.
“Listen to this,” Daniel Levitin said. “What is it?” He hit a button on his computer keyboard and out came a half-second clip of music. It was just two notes blasted on a raspy electric guitar, but I could immediately identify it: the opening lick to the Rolling Stones’ “Brown Sugar.”
Then he played another, even shorter snippet: a single chord struck once on piano. Again I could instantly figure out what it was: the first note in Elton John’s live version of “Benny and the Jets.”
Dr. Levitin beamed. “You hear only one note, and you already know who it is,” he said. “So what I want to know is: How we do this? Why are we so good at recognizing music?”
This is not merely some whoa-dude epiphany that a music fan might have while listening to a radio contest. Dr. Levitin has devoted his career to exploring this question. He is a cognitive psychologist who runs the Laboratory for Music Perception, Cognition and Expertise at McGill University in Montreal, perhaps the world’s leading lab in probing why music has such an intense effect on us.
“By the age of 5 we are all musical experts, so this stuff is clearly wired really deeply into us,” said Dr. Levitin, an eerily youthful-looking 49, surrounded by the pianos, guitars and enormous 16-track mixers that make his lab look more like a recording studio.
This summer he published “This Is Your Brain on Music” (Dutton), a layperson’s guide to the emerging neuroscience of music. Dr. Levitin is an unusually deft interpreter, full of striking scientific trivia. For example we learn that babies begin life with synesthesia, the trippy confusion that makes people experience sounds as smells or tastes as colors. Or that the cerebellum, a part of the brain that helps govern movement, is also wired to the ears and produces some of our emotional responses to music. His experiments have even suggested that watching a musician perform affects brain chemistry differently from listening to a recording.
Read more at the New York Times
// posted by neurofuture8:17 PM permanent link
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12.27.2006
CETP W Gene may protect against Alzheimer's
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A new study at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine has linked a gene that helps people live longer to increased mental ability and delayed onset of Alzheimer's Disease.
The study is published in the current issue of Neurology and was conducted by researchers at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University in the Bronx, New York, and forms part of the Longevity Genes Project.
Dr Nir Barzilai, director of the Institute for Aging Research at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, and his team looked at 158 people who were aged 95 and over and descended from Ashkenazi Jews who originally came from Eastern Europe. They asked this group, and another group of people of the same age who were not of Ashkenazi descent to complete cognitive tests of mental ability.
The scientists found that those who completed the test successfully (by correctly answering 25 of thirty questions) were two to three times more likely to possess the W variant of the CETP gene than those who did not.
In a later study the researchers examined a group of 124 people also of Ashkenazi descent, aged between 75 and 85. In this study they found that the ones who did not develop dementia on follow up were five times more likely to have the CETP W gene than those who did not.
The researchers chose to look at Ashkenazi people because they came from a small number of ancestors, making it easier to detect the differences in the genetic make up of the individuals due to the more uniform nature of their genetic patterns compared to the public at large.
This research comes on top of earlier studies, also by Dr. Barzilai and his team where they first showed that CETP W helps people live longer and also pass this gene onto their descendants. This study suggested that CETP W changes the size of good (HDL) and bad (LDL) cholesterol molecules in the blood - which helps people live longer because the smaller ones get stuck in the blood vessels more easily, leading to clots.
The centenarians in that study were three times more likely to have the CETP W variant and also had the larger HDL and LDL cholesterol molecules in their blood.
This latest study suggests that the cholesterol changing properties of CETP W may be protecting mental function by preventing the build up of cholesterol in the brain's blood vessels, thus reducing strokes and heart attacks, or by some other means that is yet to be discovered.
“Without good brain function, living to age 100 is not an attractive proposition,” says Dr. Barzilai in a press release. “We’ve shown that the same gene variant that helps people live to exceptional ages has the added benefit of helping them think clearly for most of their long lives."
In the population at large, the chances of living to 100 is one in 10,000. The Ashkenazi population has a strong family history of longevity. Dr Barzilai pointed out that the odds of living much longer are much increased if you already have a centenarian in your family, and it is not necessarily lifestyle related. Many of the long living Ashkenazis are not vegetarian or athletic, and some of them have smoked for 90 years.
Cholesterol is an essential molecule for building cells. High levels of oxidized LDL cholesterol is thought to thicken artery walls (atherosclerosis) and increases risk of heart diseases. HDL cholesterol and the larger HDL in particular is thought to help remove cholesterol from thickened artery walls and high levels of HDL are linked to lower incidence of atherosclerosis and may even help to reverse the condition.
The study is published in the current issue of Neurology and was conducted by researchers at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University in the Bronx, New York, and forms part of the Longevity Genes Project.
Dr Nir Barzilai, director of the Institute for Aging Research at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, and his team looked at 158 people who were aged 95 and over and descended from Ashkenazi Jews who originally came from Eastern Europe. They asked this group, and another group of people of the same age who were not of Ashkenazi descent to complete cognitive tests of mental ability.
The scientists found that those who completed the test successfully (by correctly answering 25 of thirty questions) were two to three times more likely to possess the W variant of the CETP gene than those who did not.
In a later study the researchers examined a group of 124 people also of Ashkenazi descent, aged between 75 and 85. In this study they found that the ones who did not develop dementia on follow up were five times more likely to have the CETP W gene than those who did not.
The researchers chose to look at Ashkenazi people because they came from a small number of ancestors, making it easier to detect the differences in the genetic make up of the individuals due to the more uniform nature of their genetic patterns compared to the public at large.
This research comes on top of earlier studies, also by Dr. Barzilai and his team where they first showed that CETP W helps people live longer and also pass this gene onto their descendants. This study suggested that CETP W changes the size of good (HDL) and bad (LDL) cholesterol molecules in the blood - which helps people live longer because the smaller ones get stuck in the blood vessels more easily, leading to clots.
The centenarians in that study were three times more likely to have the CETP W variant and also had the larger HDL and LDL cholesterol molecules in their blood.
This latest study suggests that the cholesterol changing properties of CETP W may be protecting mental function by preventing the build up of cholesterol in the brain's blood vessels, thus reducing strokes and heart attacks, or by some other means that is yet to be discovered.
“Without good brain function, living to age 100 is not an attractive proposition,” says Dr. Barzilai in a press release. “We’ve shown that the same gene variant that helps people live to exceptional ages has the added benefit of helping them think clearly for most of their long lives."
In the population at large, the chances of living to 100 is one in 10,000. The Ashkenazi population has a strong family history of longevity. Dr Barzilai pointed out that the odds of living much longer are much increased if you already have a centenarian in your family, and it is not necessarily lifestyle related. Many of the long living Ashkenazis are not vegetarian or athletic, and some of them have smoked for 90 years.
Cholesterol is an essential molecule for building cells. High levels of oxidized LDL cholesterol is thought to thicken artery walls (atherosclerosis) and increases risk of heart diseases. HDL cholesterol and the larger HDL in particular is thought to help remove cholesterol from thickened artery walls and high levels of HDL are linked to lower incidence of atherosclerosis and may even help to reverse the condition.
Labels: alzheimers, brain, CETP W, gene
// posted by neurofuture12:32 PM permanent link
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New Levels of Intensity for Your Brain
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With the Coming of the New Year, you'll now be able to test and train your brain a little bit, or a lot.
There are several completely new exercises and, in addition, on every test there is an intensity adjuster. Start low, at 5 or 10 repetitions - and increase to 30 or 40 repetitions as you get more proficient.
This might remind you of a routine at the gym.
As you increase your ability to concentrate and focus, you'll begin to change your brain for the better. As the experts have said, regular workouts for an extended period of time are the key. But even if you can only spend a few minutes a day, with the lower rep settings you can exercise your brain in just a few minutes - with a variety of exercises that focus on different memory and attention capacities - a much more concentrated form of exercise than suggestions to "read" or do "crossworld puzzles," and 2X to 3X more effective, in less time according to a recent JAMA article, with benefits measureable many years into the future.
While they may be fun, crosswords don't have a time element. Time-definite exercise trains your brain to be quicker through enhancement of "neural conduction velocity" which is the scientific term used for "brain speed."
These changes can make your brain act younger by stimulating neural connections and if you are young, increase the potential to learn, store, and recall information. The variety and depth insures that you get a balanced exercise.
Labels: alzheimers, brain, brainage, brainspeed, learning, neural, nintendo, velocity, youth
// posted by neurofuture8:11 AM permanent link
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12.20.2006
Scientists: Speed of Processing Exercises Stave Off Mental Decline at Any Age - JAMA
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If you know about Cognitive Labs tests, your already using the leading provider of speed-of-processing exercises, now shown to be far more effective than any other memory improvement strategy.
Short Mental Workouts May Slow Decline of Aging Minds, Study Finds
By Shankar Vedantam
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, December 20, 2006
Ten sessions of exercises to boost reasoning skills, memory and mental processing speed staved off mental decline in middle-aged and elderly people in the
first definitive study to show that honing intellectual skills can bolster the mind in the same way that physical exercise protects and strengthens the body.
The researchers also showed that the benefits of the brain exercises extended well beyond the specific skills the volunteers learned. Older adults who did
the basic exercises followed by later sessions were three times as fast as those who got only the initial sessions when it came to activities of daily living, such as reacting to a road sign, looking up a number in a telephone book or checking the ingredients on a medicine bottle -- abilities that can spell the difference between living independently and needing help.
Experts said the federally funded study is a call to action for anyone who has ever worried about developing Alzheimer's, dementia and similar disorders. Americans spend billions of dollars each year on their physical well-being, but there are no comparable efforts to keep people mentally agile and strong.
If anything, the study suggests, there is a bigger payoff to mental exercise, because the brief training sessions seemed to confer enormous benefits as many
as five years later. That would be as if someone went to the gym Monday through Friday for the first two weeks of the new year, did no exercise for five
years, and still saw significant physical benefits in 2012.
The researchers divided the volunteers into four groups, including a control group that received no training. A second group was trained in reasoning skills
-- being asked to spot the pattern in the sequence "a, c, e, g, i," for example -- every other letter of the alphabet. A third group was taught memory
skills, which involved remembering word lists and using visualizations and associations as memory aids. A fourth group was given exercises to speed up mental
processing -- being asked to identify an object flashed briefly on a computer screen while fighting off distractions.
Each of the groups being trained had 10 sessions, each lasting an hour to 75 minutes, and each session presented progressively more challenging problems.
Compared with the control group, those who got memory training did 75 percent better on memory tasks five years later, those who got the reasoning training
did 40 percent better on reasoning tasks, and those who got the speed training did 300 percent better than the control group.
Researchers noted that mental skills can sometimes compensate for physical disabilities: Knowing how to figure out directions and find a new route on a map,
for example, could allow someone to retain mobility even after their night vision deteriorates to the point where driving on certain roads becomes difficult.
The study tracked 2,802 healthy adults from diverse backgrounds who were, on average, 73 years old. Although it did not examine the effects of mental
exercise on people who had begun to show signs of Alzheimer's or other brain disorders, previous studies have pointed toward the conclusion that anyone can
benefit.
"People think education is for people who are already educated," said Michael Marsiske, one of the researchers. "This kind of training works no matter where
you are in society."
"If you think you have come to a time in your life when new learning is impossible and there are no benefits of continuing mental activity, the study shows
that for a large number of people that this is not true," added Marsiske, a clinical and health psychologist at the University of Florida at Gainesville.
The participants in the study ranged from age 65 to their early 90s, but Marsiske said the findings apply to people in their 50s or even younger. Mental
skills acquired earlier in life persist well into old age, he said.
"I don't like to play my son's video games, but I keep telling myself to challenge myself," said Marsiske, 41. "What I personally take away from the study
is, if you challenge yourself to do some new learning, something that isn't easy at the start, it can have dividends."
The study did not indicate that mental training can hold off all cognitive decline permanently. Rather, as is the case with physical exercise, strengthening
the mind appeared to slow decline.
Sherry L. Willis, the lead author of the study and a Pennsylvania State University professor of human development, said those who had the training also
reported greater confidence in their ability to solve everyday problems, and this was especially true of the group that got the reasoning training. In
performing daily functions, people who got the speed training along with a handful of follow-up sessions significantly outperformed those who did not get
such training.
The results, being published today in the Journal of the American Medical Association, are heartening, but Willis and Marsiske cautioned that the biggest
challenge lies ahead, in getting people to apply the findings to their lives. Whether it is encouraging people to eat right or to exercise, they said, the
hardest part is not getting them to start doing the right things but getting them to keep doing the right things.
"It's just like physical exercise -- when we are approaching the new year we will buy a pass for the gym and go fervently in January and then slack off,"
Willis said. "Mental exercise is the same way. It has to be consistent, and it has to be challenging. Just like you have to keep increasing the weights at
the gym to make it challenging, you have to do the same with mental activity."
To reap the benefits, Willis said, people need to get outside their comfort zones. For someone who likes to solve crossword puzzles, it is important to make
sure the puzzles get harder with time -- or to start playing chess. Someone who hates to play games, she said, should find something else that stretches the
mind. Mental activities do not have to involve expensive toys; everyday life can offer a variety of mental challenges. Finding a friend who can join in a new
activity can be a powerful motivator, she added.
Sally Shumaker, a professor of public health science at Wake Forest University in North Carolina who wrote an editorial accompanying the study, said it
pointed the way to a future in which mental training is made widely available.
"I can imagine a situation in which facilities are available in community centers and libraries and aging centers, where people can play some games that are
specifically designed to improve cognitive ability," she said. "People are fearful of cognitive decline, and the idea that a small and simple intervention
can have an impact is pretty compelling."
© 2006 The Washington Post Company
Short Mental Workouts May Slow Decline of Aging Minds, Study Finds
By Shankar Vedantam
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, December 20, 2006
Ten sessions of exercises to boost reasoning skills, memory and mental processing speed staved off mental decline in middle-aged and elderly people in the
first definitive study to show that honing intellectual skills can bolster the mind in the same way that physical exercise protects and strengthens the body.
The researchers also showed that the benefits of the brain exercises extended well beyond the specific skills the volunteers learned. Older adults who did
the basic exercises followed by later sessions were three times as fast as those who got only the initial sessions when it came to activities of daily living, such as reacting to a road sign, looking up a number in a telephone book or checking the ingredients on a medicine bottle -- abilities that can spell the difference between living independently and needing help.
Experts said the federally funded study is a call to action for anyone who has ever worried about developing Alzheimer's, dementia and similar disorders. Americans spend billions of dollars each year on their physical well-being, but there are no comparable efforts to keep people mentally agile and strong.
If anything, the study suggests, there is a bigger payoff to mental exercise, because the brief training sessions seemed to confer enormous benefits as many
as five years later. That would be as if someone went to the gym Monday through Friday for the first two weeks of the new year, did no exercise for five
years, and still saw significant physical benefits in 2012.
The researchers divided the volunteers into four groups, including a control group that received no training. A second group was trained in reasoning skills
-- being asked to spot the pattern in the sequence "a, c, e, g, i," for example -- every other letter of the alphabet. A third group was taught memory
skills, which involved remembering word lists and using visualizations and associations as memory aids. A fourth group was given exercises to speed up mental
processing -- being asked to identify an object flashed briefly on a computer screen while fighting off distractions.
Each of the groups being trained had 10 sessions, each lasting an hour to 75 minutes, and each session presented progressively more challenging problems.
Compared with the control group, those who got memory training did 75 percent better on memory tasks five years later, those who got the reasoning training
did 40 percent better on reasoning tasks, and those who got the speed training did 300 percent better than the control group.
Researchers noted that mental skills can sometimes compensate for physical disabilities: Knowing how to figure out directions and find a new route on a map,
for example, could allow someone to retain mobility even after their night vision deteriorates to the point where driving on certain roads becomes difficult.
The study tracked 2,802 healthy adults from diverse backgrounds who were, on average, 73 years old. Although it did not examine the effects of mental
exercise on people who had begun to show signs of Alzheimer's or other brain disorders, previous studies have pointed toward the conclusion that anyone can
benefit.
"People think education is for people who are already educated," said Michael Marsiske, one of the researchers. "This kind of training works no matter where
you are in society."
"If you think you have come to a time in your life when new learning is impossible and there are no benefits of continuing mental activity, the study shows
that for a large number of people that this is not true," added Marsiske, a clinical and health psychologist at the University of Florida at Gainesville.
The participants in the study ranged from age 65 to their early 90s, but Marsiske said the findings apply to people in their 50s or even younger. Mental
skills acquired earlier in life persist well into old age, he said.
"I don't like to play my son's video games, but I keep telling myself to challenge myself," said Marsiske, 41. "What I personally take away from the study
is, if you challenge yourself to do some new learning, something that isn't easy at the start, it can have dividends."
The study did not indicate that mental training can hold off all cognitive decline permanently. Rather, as is the case with physical exercise, strengthening
the mind appeared to slow decline.
Sherry L. Willis, the lead author of the study and a Pennsylvania State University professor of human development, said those who had the training also
reported greater confidence in their ability to solve everyday problems, and this was especially true of the group that got the reasoning training. In
performing daily functions, people who got the speed training along with a handful of follow-up sessions significantly outperformed those who did not get
such training.
The results, being published today in the Journal of the American Medical Association, are heartening, but Willis and Marsiske cautioned that the biggest
challenge lies ahead, in getting people to apply the findings to their lives. Whether it is encouraging people to eat right or to exercise, they said, the
hardest part is not getting them to start doing the right things but getting them to keep doing the right things.
"It's just like physical exercise -- when we are approaching the new year we will buy a pass for the gym and go fervently in January and then slack off,"
Willis said. "Mental exercise is the same way. It has to be consistent, and it has to be challenging. Just like you have to keep increasing the weights at
the gym to make it challenging, you have to do the same with mental activity."
To reap the benefits, Willis said, people need to get outside their comfort zones. For someone who likes to solve crossword puzzles, it is important to make
sure the puzzles get harder with time -- or to start playing chess. Someone who hates to play games, she said, should find something else that stretches the
mind. Mental activities do not have to involve expensive toys; everyday life can offer a variety of mental challenges. Finding a friend who can join in a new
activity can be a powerful motivator, she added.
Sally Shumaker, a professor of public health science at Wake Forest University in North Carolina who wrote an editorial accompanying the study, said it
pointed the way to a future in which mental training is made widely available.
"I can imagine a situation in which facilities are available in community centers and libraries and aging centers, where people can play some games that are
specifically designed to improve cognitive ability," she said. "People are fearful of cognitive decline, and the idea that a small and simple intervention
can have an impact is pretty compelling."
© 2006 The Washington Post Company
Labels: alzheimers, brain, brain_games, brainspeed, cognitive_labs, jama, wapo
// posted by neurofuture8:13 PM permanent link
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tags: take a quick memory test | games for your brain | moving pix for your brain | gamer IQ
12.18.2006
Robot Controlled by Thought Alone Premieres
>
In the future, you may be able to control a robot with just your brain. Researcher Rajesh Rao demonstrated his brain-powered robot at the Brain-Computer Interface Conference in Whistler, Canada last week.
A human operator is able to control the robot by looking through two 'eyes' affixed to the front of the robot which display the robot's field of view on a computer monitor. A specially wired electrode cap is worn by the operator, who then sends commands to the robot to perform specific activities simply by thinking them.
Currently, only high-level simple commands are recognized; however, Rao believes that with deeper integration into the brain of the operator, increasingly complex commands will be possible.
Right now, the "thought commands" are limited to a few basic instructions. A person can instruct the robot to move forward, choose one of two available objects, pick it up, and bring it to one of two locations. Preliminary results show 94 percent accuracy in choosing the correct object.
Objects available to be picked up are seen by the robot's camera and conveyed to the user's computer screen. Each object lights up randomly. When the person looks at the object that he or she wants to pick up and sees it suddenly brighten, the brain registers surprise. The computer detects this characteristic surprised pattern of brain activity and conveys the choice back to the robot, which then proceeds to pick up the selected object. A similar procedure is used to determine the user's choice of a destination once the object has been picked up.
"One of the important things about this demonstration is that we're using a 'noisy' brain signal to control the robot," Rao says. "The technique for picking up brain signals is non-invasive, but that means we can only obtain brain signals indirectly from sensors on the surface of the head, and not where they are generated deep in the brain. As a result, the user can only generate high-level commands such as indicating which object to pick up or which location to go to, and the robot needs to be autonomous enough to be able to execute such commands."
Rao's team has plans to extend the research to use more complex objects and equip the robot with skills such as avoiding obstacles in a room. This will require more complicated commands from the "master's" brain and more autonomy on the part of the robot.
Press release: University of Washington
Labels: brain, interface, neuroscience, robot
// posted by neurofuture2:07 PM permanent link
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space bar 2000
>
Here's a variant on the 'tap test' used by psychologists. How many times can you press the space bar in 5 seconds, 10 seconds, or 15 seconds? From satori.org. Enjoyed at Ubisoft.
Labels: brain, brain_games, spacebar, test
// posted by neurofuture9:53 AM permanent link
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tags: take a quick memory test | games for your brain | moving pix for your brain | gamer IQ
12.17.2006
Adult Brains Can Improve: Consider London Cab Drivers
>
Hippocampus Impacted by Repeat Use, More Grey Matter...
According to the Independent, when scientists compared the brains of taxi drivers with those of other drivers, they found the cabbies had more grey matter in the area of the brain associated with memory.
They believe that this part of the brain, the mid-posterior hippocampus, is where black-cab drivers store a mental map of London, including up to 25,000 street names and the location of all the major tourist attractions.
The research is the first to show that the brains of adults can grow in response to specialist use. It has been known that areas of children's brains can grow when they learn music or a language.
The scientists warn that increasingly widespread use of satellite navigation - expected to be one of the biggest-selling gifts this Christmas - could change all that.
"GPS [Global Positioning System] may have a big effect," says Dr Eleanor Maguire, who led the research at University College London.
"We very much hope they don't start using it. We believe this area of the brain increased in grey matter volume because of the huge amount or data they have to memorise.If they all start using GPS, that knowledge base will be less and possibly effect the brain changes we are seeing."
n the study, researchers at the Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging at UCL's Institute of Neurology carried out scans on the brains of 35 cabbies and bus drivers, all men. Various psychological tests were also carried out.
Using bus drivers meant that any brain differences found could not be explained by driving stress, or dealing with passengers and traffic in London. The one big difference between the two is that bus drivers stick to routes, while cabbies have to learn the layout of streets and the locations of thousands of places of interest to get an operating licence.
The results of the scans show that the mid-posterior hippocampus of all the cabbies was bigger and that they had more grey matter than the bus drivers.
Dr Maguire said: "We are now looking at the brains of taxi-drivers before they start training, and at those of retired cabbies to see whether that area of the brain gets smaller when it is not used."
According to the Independent, when scientists compared the brains of taxi drivers with those of other drivers, they found the cabbies had more grey matter in the area of the brain associated with memory.
They believe that this part of the brain, the mid-posterior hippocampus, is where black-cab drivers store a mental map of London, including up to 25,000 street names and the location of all the major tourist attractions.
The research is the first to show that the brains of adults can grow in response to specialist use. It has been known that areas of children's brains can grow when they learn music or a language.
The scientists warn that increasingly widespread use of satellite navigation - expected to be one of the biggest-selling gifts this Christmas - could change all that.
"GPS [Global Positioning System] may have a big effect," says Dr Eleanor Maguire, who led the research at University College London.
"We very much hope they don't start using it. We believe this area of the brain increased in grey matter volume because of the huge amount or data they have to memorise.If they all start using GPS, that knowledge base will be less and possibly effect the brain changes we are seeing."
n the study, researchers at the Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging at UCL's Institute of Neurology carried out scans on the brains of 35 cabbies and bus drivers, all men. Various psychological tests were also carried out.
Using bus drivers meant that any brain differences found could not be explained by driving stress, or dealing with passengers and traffic in London. The one big difference between the two is that bus drivers stick to routes, while cabbies have to learn the layout of streets and the locations of thousands of places of interest to get an operating licence.
The results of the scans show that the mid-posterior hippocampus of all the cabbies was bigger and that they had more grey matter than the bus drivers.
Dr Maguire said: "We are now looking at the brains of taxi-drivers before they start training, and at those of retired cabbies to see whether that area of the brain gets smaller when it is not used."
Labels: brain, cab, grey_matter, hippocampus
// posted by neurofuture7:28 PM permanent link
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12.16.2006
Babies Brains Protected at Birth by Mom's Hormones
>
Surging hormones ocurring in natural childbirth may offer protection and a boost to baby's brain, according to new research.
The massive surge in the maternal hormone oxytocin that occurs during delivery might help protect newborns against brain damage, a new study involving rats suggests.
Researchers say the findings should encourage scientists to investigate whether elective caesarean sections, which lack this oxytocin surge, disrupt normal brain development.
Yehezkel Ben-Ari, a neuroscientist at the Mediterranean Institute of Neurobiology in Marseille, France, and colleagues compared brain tissue samples from rat pups born naturally or by caesarean section. Brain cells from the naturally born pups did not fire in response to the nerve signalling chemical GABA, the researchers found.
read more at New Scientist
The massive surge in the maternal hormone oxytocin that occurs during delivery might help protect newborns against brain damage, a new study involving rats suggests.
Researchers say the findings should encourage scientists to investigate whether elective caesarean sections, which lack this oxytocin surge, disrupt normal brain development.
Yehezkel Ben-Ari, a neuroscientist at the Mediterranean Institute of Neurobiology in Marseille, France, and colleagues compared brain tissue samples from rat pups born naturally or by caesarean section. Brain cells from the naturally born pups did not fire in response to the nerve signalling chemical GABA, the researchers found.
read more at New Scientist
Labels: baby, brain, hormones, oxyticin
// posted by neurofuture9:25 PM permanent link
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12.10.2006
The Brain Follows the 80/20 Rule
>
The Brain Works Constantly on Hidden, System-Tray Tasks...
Our cognitive processes keep working at a furious pace even when there is no visual stimuli. The implications for cognitive treatment, education, and entertainment could be staggering.
Researchers at the University of Rochester have found in reality that 80 percent of our cognitive power is cranking away on tasks completely unknown to us. Curiously, this clandestine activity does not exist in the youngest brains, leading scientists to assert that the mysterious functions that absorb the majority of our mindpower are dedicated to subconscious reprocessing our initial thoughts and experiences. The research, which has possible profound implications for our understanding of reality, appeared in a recent issue of the journal Nature.
"We found neural activity that frankly surprised us," says Michael Weliky, associate professor of brain and cognitive sciences at the University of Rochester. “Adult ferrets had neural patterns in their visual cortex that correlated very well with images they viewed, but that correlation didn't exist at all in very young ferrets, suggesting the very basis of comprehending vision may be a very different task for young brains versus old brains.”
A second surprise was in store for Weliky. Placing the ferrets in a darkened room revealed that older ferrets' brains were still humming along at 80 percent as if they were processing visual information. Since this activity was absent in the youngsters, Weliky and his colleagues were left to wonder: What is the visual cortex so busy processing when there's no image to process?
Initially, Weliky's research was aimed at studying whether visual processing bore any resemblance to the way real-world images appear. This finding may help lead to a better understanding of how neurons decode our world and how our perception of reality is shaped.
Weliky, in a bit of irony, set 12 ferrets watching the reality-stretching film The Matrix. He recorded how their brains responded to the film, as well as to a null pattern like enlarged television static, and a darkened room. Movies capture the visual elements that are present in the real world. For instance, as Keanu's hand moves across the screen for a karate chop, the image of the hand and all the lines and color it represents moves across a viewer's visual realm essentially the same way it would in real life. By contrast, the enlarged static-blocks of random black and white-has no such motion. Weliky was able to graph the movie-motion statistically, showing essentially how objects move in the visual field.
The test was then to see if there was any relationship between the statistical motion of the movie and the way visual neurons in the ferrets fired. Each visual neuron is keyed to respond to certain visual elements, such as a vertical line, that appears in a specific area of the ferret's vision. A great number of these cells combine to process an image of many lines, colors, etc. By watching the patterns of how these cells fired while watching The Matrix, Weliky could describe the pattern statistically, and match those statistics of how the ferret responded to the film with the statistics of the actual visual aspects of the film.
Weliky found two surprises. First, while the neurons of adult ferrets statistically seemed to respond similarly to the statistics of the film itself, younger ferrets had almost no relationship. This suggests that though the young ferrets are taking in and processing visual stimuli, they're not processing the stimuli in a way that reflects reality.
"You might think of this as a sort of dyslexia," explains Weliky. "It may be that in very young brains, the processing takes place in a way that's not necessarily disordered, but not analogous to how we understand reality to be. It's thought that dyslexia works somewhat like this-that some parts of the brain process written words in an unusual way and seem to make beginnings of words appear at their ends and vice versa. Infant brains may see the entire world the same way, as a mass of disparate scenes and sounds." Weliky is quick to point out that whatever way infant brains may interpret the world, just because they're different from an adult pattern of perception does not mean the infants have the wrong perception. After all, an adult interpreted the visual aspects of the film with our adult brains, so it shouldn't be such a surprise that other adult brains simply interpret the visual aspects the same way. If an infant drew up the statistics, it might very well match the neural patterns of other infants.
The second, and more surprising, result of the study came directly from the fact that Weliky's research is among the first to test these visual neurons while the subject is awake and watching something. In the past, researchers would perhaps shine a light at an unconscious ferret and note which areas of the brain responded, but while that method narrowed the focus to how a single cell responds, it eliminated the chance to understand how the neural network of a conscious animal would respond. Accepting all the neural traffic of a conscious brain as part of the equation let Weliky get a better idea of the actual processing going on. As it turned out, one of his control tests yielded insight into neural activity no one expected.
When the ferrets were in a darkened room, Weliky expected their visual neurons to lack any kind of activity that correlated with visual reality. Neurologists have long known that there is substantial activity in the brain, even in darkness, but the pattern of that activity hadn't been investigated. Weliky discovered that while young ferrets displayed almost no patterns that correlated with visual reality, the adult ferrets' brains were humming along, producing the patterns even though there was nothing to see. When watching the film, the adult ferrets' neurons increased their patterned activity by about 20 percent.
"This means that in adults, there is a tremendous amount of real-world processing going on-80 percent-when there is nothing to process," says Weliky. "We think that if you've got your eyes closed, your visual processing is pretty much at zero, and that when you open them, you're running at 100 percent. This suggests that with your eyes closed, your visual processing is already running at 80 percent, and that opening your eyes only adds the last 20 percent. The big question here is what is the brain doing when it's idling, because it's obviously doing something important."
Since the young ferrets do not display similar patterns, the 'idling' isn't necessary for life or consciousness, but since it's present in the adults even without stimulus, Weliky suggests it may be what gives subjects an understanding of reality. The eye takes in an image and the brain processes the image, but 80 percent of the activity may be a representation of the world replicated inside the ferret's brain.
"The basic findings are exciting enough, but you can't help but speculate on what they might mean in a deeper context," says Weliky. "It's one thing to say a ferret's understanding of reality is being reproduced inside his brain, but there's nothing to say that our understanding of the world is accurate. In a way, our neural structure imposes a certain rubric on the outside world, and all we know is that at least one other mammalian brain seems to impose the same structure. Either that or The Matrix freaked out the ferrets the way it did everyone else."
This research was funded by the National Institutes of Health.
Post to:
Our cognitive processes keep working at a furious pace even when there is no visual stimuli. The implications for cognitive treatment, education, and entertainment could be staggering.
Researchers at the University of Rochester have found in reality that 80 percent of our cognitive power is cranking away on tasks completely unknown to us. Curiously, this clandestine activity does not exist in the youngest brains, leading scientists to assert that the mysterious functions that absorb the majority of our mindpower are dedicated to subconscious reprocessing our initial thoughts and experiences. The research, which has possible profound implications for our understanding of reality, appeared in a recent issue of the journal Nature.
"We found neural activity that frankly surprised us," says Michael Weliky, associate professor of brain and cognitive sciences at the University of Rochester. “Adult ferrets had neural patterns in their visual cortex that correlated very well with images they viewed, but that correlation didn't exist at all in very young ferrets, suggesting the very basis of comprehending vision may be a very different task for young brains versus old brains.”
A second surprise was in store for Weliky. Placing the ferrets in a darkened room revealed that older ferrets' brains were still humming along at 80 percent as if they were processing visual information. Since this activity was absent in the youngsters, Weliky and his colleagues were left to wonder: What is the visual cortex so busy processing when there's no image to process?
Initially, Weliky's research was aimed at studying whether visual processing bore any resemblance to the way real-world images appear. This finding may help lead to a better understanding of how neurons decode our world and how our perception of reality is shaped.
Weliky, in a bit of irony, set 12 ferrets watching the reality-stretching film The Matrix. He recorded how their brains responded to the film, as well as to a null pattern like enlarged television static, and a darkened room. Movies capture the visual elements that are present in the real world. For instance, as Keanu's hand moves across the screen for a karate chop, the image of the hand and all the lines and color it represents moves across a viewer's visual realm essentially the same way it would in real life. By contrast, the enlarged static-blocks of random black and white-has no such motion. Weliky was able to graph the movie-motion statistically, showing essentially how objects move in the visual field.
The test was then to see if there was any relationship between the statistical motion of the movie and the way visual neurons in the ferrets fired. Each visual neuron is keyed to respond to certain visual elements, such as a vertical line, that appears in a specific area of the ferret's vision. A great number of these cells combine to process an image of many lines, colors, etc. By watching the patterns of how these cells fired while watching The Matrix, Weliky could describe the pattern statistically, and match those statistics of how the ferret responded to the film with the statistics of the actual visual aspects of the film.
Weliky found two surprises. First, while the neurons of adult ferrets statistically seemed to respond similarly to the statistics of the film itself, younger ferrets had almost no relationship. This suggests that though the young ferrets are taking in and processing visual stimuli, they're not processing the stimuli in a way that reflects reality.
"You might think of this as a sort of dyslexia," explains Weliky. "It may be that in very young brains, the processing takes place in a way that's not necessarily disordered, but not analogous to how we understand reality to be. It's thought that dyslexia works somewhat like this-that some parts of the brain process written words in an unusual way and seem to make beginnings of words appear at their ends and vice versa. Infant brains may see the entire world the same way, as a mass of disparate scenes and sounds." Weliky is quick to point out that whatever way infant brains may interpret the world, just because they're different from an adult pattern of perception does not mean the infants have the wrong perception. After all, an adult interpreted the visual aspects of the film with our adult brains, so it shouldn't be such a surprise that other adult brains simply interpret the visual aspects the same way. If an infant drew up the statistics, it might very well match the neural patterns of other infants.
The second, and more surprising, result of the study came directly from the fact that Weliky's research is among the first to test these visual neurons while the subject is awake and watching something. In the past, researchers would perhaps shine a light at an unconscious ferret and note which areas of the brain responded, but while that method narrowed the focus to how a single cell responds, it eliminated the chance to understand how the neural network of a conscious animal would respond. Accepting all the neural traffic of a conscious brain as part of the equation let Weliky get a better idea of the actual processing going on. As it turned out, one of his control tests yielded insight into neural activity no one expected.
When the ferrets were in a darkened room, Weliky expected their visual neurons to lack any kind of activity that correlated with visual reality. Neurologists have long known that there is substantial activity in the brain, even in darkness, but the pattern of that activity hadn't been investigated. Weliky discovered that while young ferrets displayed almost no patterns that correlated with visual reality, the adult ferrets' brains were humming along, producing the patterns even though there was nothing to see. When watching the film, the adult ferrets' neurons increased their patterned activity by about 20 percent.
"This means that in adults, there is a tremendous amount of real-world processing going on-80 percent-when there is nothing to process," says Weliky. "We think that if you've got your eyes closed, your visual processing is pretty much at zero, and that when you open them, you're running at 100 percent. This suggests that with your eyes closed, your visual processing is already running at 80 percent, and that opening your eyes only adds the last 20 percent. The big question here is what is the brain doing when it's idling, because it's obviously doing something important."
Since the young ferrets do not display similar patterns, the 'idling' isn't necessary for life or consciousness, but since it's present in the adults even without stimulus, Weliky suggests it may be what gives subjects an understanding of reality. The eye takes in an image and the brain processes the image, but 80 percent of the activity may be a representation of the world replicated inside the ferret's brain.
"The basic findings are exciting enough, but you can't help but speculate on what they might mean in a deeper context," says Weliky. "It's one thing to say a ferret's understanding of reality is being reproduced inside his brain, but there's nothing to say that our understanding of the world is accurate. In a way, our neural structure imposes a certain rubric on the outside world, and all we know is that at least one other mammalian brain seems to impose the same structure. Either that or The Matrix freaked out the ferrets the way it did everyone else."
This research was funded by the National Institutes of Health.
Post to:
Labels: brain, cognitive, cognitive_labs, matrix, system_tray
// posted by neurofuture7:54 PM permanent link
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Early Pics of (I'm Going to) Disneyland
>
Ever wonder what Disneyland looked like before opening. Here are some pictures, from the monkeysugar site.
Labels: brain, disney, disneyland
// posted by neurofuture2:05 PM permanent link
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12.07.2006
Brain Gym Catching On
>
Waking up the brain through a series of specially designed exercises is catching on, according to a story from Bangor, Maine Daily News.
// posted by neurofuture7:51 AM permanent link
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12.04.2006
So You Want to Improve Your Brain? 7 Tips
>
So you want to improve your brain? After spending a long time listening to people knowledgeable on this topic, asking questions, and reviewing all of the most recent literature (try Google scholar to speed-read primary sources) here are some of the takeaways.
1. Drink plenty of water. 8-12 servings of water per day keep the brain and its protective tissues hydrated.
2. Exercise, improving your breathing and bloodflow. An action as simple as walking pumps blood into your upper body and head more efficiently than when you are at rest.
3. Maintain a 'Mediterranean' diet with whole grains, legumes, and olive oils
4. Use spices such as cumin, curcumin, and corriander (ingredients in curry) that have a known antioxidant effect, as well as dark berries such as blueberries.
5. Stay engaged with education, work that requires intellectual focus and concentration and socialization
6. Exercise your brain with demanding tasks or games that require a "shift" in attention and quick reaction, that can be increased in intensity, forcing your brain to adapt and rely on different neuronal arrays. Taking up programming or learning languages is an excellent way to supplement this.
7. Stimulate and unleash your right-brain by learning a new instrument, drawing, painting, or writing (blogging, even)
repeat
These simple tips, combined with regular laughter and joy, can help you stay focused and sharp for your whole life.
Labels: alzheimers, brain, brain_games, curcumin, tips
// posted by neurofuture11:14 AM permanent link
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12.03.2006
Chemotherapy Shrinks brain and Impacts cognitive ability
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Researchers have linked chemotherapy with short-term structural changes in cognitive areas of the brain, according to a new study. Published in the January 1, 2007 issue of CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society, the study reveals that within 12 months of receiving adjuvant chemotherapy, significant regions of the brain associated with memory, analysis and other cognitive functions were significantly smaller in breast cancer patients who received chemotherapy than those who did not. Within four years after treatment, however, there were no differences in these same regions of the brain.
While the development of chemotherapy has had substantial and beneficial impact on cancer survival rates, it is also linked to significant short- and long-term adverse effects. Gastrointestinal complaints, immunosuppression, and painful mucositis, for example, are the immediate risks of the treatment.
Patients receiving chemotherapy have also long complained of problems with memory, problem-solving and other cognitive abilities. Although chemotherapy was thought not to affect brain cells due to the blood-brain barrier, recent clinical studies have confirmed declines in cognitive functions in patients receiving chemotherapy. Animal studies have shown physical changes in the brain and in neurons caused by chemotherapy drugs. In human studies, however, the little data that is available is only available through imaging and is not consistent in the long-term. In addition, lack of controls in studies makes it difficult discern cancer- versus drug-effects.
Led by Masatoshi Inagaki, M.D., Ph.D., of the Breast Cancer Survivors' Brain MRI Database Group in Japan, researchers used MRI to take high-resolution images and measure volumes in specific areas of the brain of breast cancer patients who received chemotherapy and those who did not one-year after surgery and three-years after surgery. In addition, they compared brains of cancer survivors one-year after surgery and three-years after surgery with healthy subjects.
They found that at one-year, patients treated with chemotherapy had smaller volumes in cognitively sensitive areas, such as the prefrontal, parahippocampal and cingulate gyri, and precuneus regions. However, at three-years post-surgery there was no volume differences. That there were no differences between cancer patients and healthy controls at any time point demonstrates that there is no observable cancer-effect in cognitive deficits.
Labels: alzheimers, brain, cancer, chemotherapy, cognitive
// posted by neurofuture3:16 PM permanent link
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12.02.2006
Practice your reaction and perceptual skills
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Practice your reaction and perception skills with this great game we call vectorball. Imagine playing tennis in an elevator shaft - that's the experience of this game. You need to be quick and coordinated in this one.
Labels: brain, curveball, game_list, mind_games, vectorball
// posted by neurofuture10:10 PM permanent link
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How a Science Teacher Cut His Energy Bill by 2/3
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How can you use your brain to help the environment? Since the U.S. is the largest contributor of greenhouse gases - individual Americans, by changing their lifestyle slightly, can make the most difference.
If you want to learn more, read about how a science teacher in Massachusetts cut his energy bill by 2/3 through simple household changes. Slight changes, since they are easy to carry out, can make a greater difference than major initiatives requiring civic, regional, or national legislation (also, no need for bureaucratic ennui).
In the last 100 years since temperatures have been measured, five of the hottest ten years on record have occurred in this past decade.
Some of the simple things you can do to "cool down" the earth, including what the wise teacher did, are listed in this article. Small actions, like aggregate 'cooling' due to the air circulation from the beating wings of a 100 million butterflies, just might make the difference in reversing environmental change.
Labels: brain, butterfly, cognitive, environment, global, global_warming, superstorm
// posted by neurofuture4:47 PM permanent link
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11.30.2006
Your Brain on the Web: See the Data
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Cognitive Data: A snapshot of brain performance from the heights...This miniature chart (below)will lead you to a full size graph of 3 axes of data - age (year of birth) performance and frequency (who takes tests).
You can get a sense of cognitive performance over time.It's amazing how much information can be captured in a sample of a little over 100 people. Now think of the data from 1 million people, or 10 million, or 100 million - impossible before the advent of the Internet, fast CPUs, and fast connections, with 100 million personally-relevant pages or data profiles.
You can get a sense of cognitive performance over time.It's amazing how much information can be captured in a sample of a little over 100 people. Now think of the data from 1 million people, or 10 million, or 100 million - impossible before the advent of the Internet, fast CPUs, and fast connections, with 100 million personally-relevant pages or data profiles.
Labels: brain, brainspeed, cognitive, normative_cognitive
// posted by neurofuture7:38 PM permanent link
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Stephen Hawking: "...Must....Colonize Planets...in other ...Solar Systems
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Humans must colonize planets in other solar systems traveling there using "Star Trek"-style propulsion or face extinction, renowned British cosmologist Stephen Hawking said on Thursday.
Try the Stephen Hawking test (right here)
Referring to complex theories and the speed of light, Hawking, the wheel-chair bound Cambridge University physicist, told BBC radio that theoretical advances could revolutionize the velocity of space travel and make such colonies possible.
"Sooner or later disasters such as an asteroid collision or a nuclear war could wipe us all out," said Professor Hawking, who was crippled by a muscle disease at the age of 21 and who speaks through a computerized voice synthesizer.
"But once we spread out into space and establish independent colonies, our future should be safe," said Hawking, who was due to receive the world's oldest award for scientific achievement, the Copley medal, from Britain's Royal Society on Thursday.
Previous winners include Albert Einstein and Charles Darwin.
In order to survive, humanity would have to venture off to other hospitable planets orbiting another star, but conventional chemical fuel rockets that took man to the moon on the Apollo mission would take 50,000 years to travel there, he said.
Hawking, a 64-year-old father of three who rarely gives interviews and who wrote the best-selling "A Brief History of Time", suggested propulsion like that used by the fictional starship Enterprise "to boldly go where no man has gone before" could help solve the problem.
"Science fiction has developed the idea of warp drive, which takes you instantly to your destination," said.
"Unfortunately, this would violate the scientific law which says that nothing can travel faster than light."
However, by using "matter/antimatter annihilation", velocities just below the speed of light could be reached, making it possible to reach the next star in about six years.
"It wouldn't seem so long for those on board," he said.
The scientist revealed he also wanted to try out space travel himself, albeit by more conventional means.
"I am not afraid of death but I'm in no hurry to die. My next goal is to go into space," said Hawking.
And referring to the British entrepreneur and Virgin tycoon who has set up a travel agency to take private individuals on space flights from 2008, Hawking said: "Maybe Richard Branson will help me."
Labels: brain, branson, colonizing, hawking, planets, test
// posted by neurofuture1:48 PM permanent link
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11.26.2006
New right-brain game
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New creative game...draw with the pencil, then ride along the line. How complex can your design get? find out
You might never have played a game like this?
Labels: brain, draw, paint, right-brain
// posted by neurofuture3:34 PM permanent link
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11.25.2006
Read This Before You Sign up for that Space Flight!
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--Even though astronauts have toured the universe for decades, scientists are just now beginning to understand how space's low gravity environment can affect the brain. New biological studies show that outer space, at least temporarily, impacts brain mechanisms involved in a variety of functions, including movement and navigation. The research may lead to the development of strategies that protect humans from the consequences of space travel as well as help those with related, earth-based ailments. In addition, the insights on the brain's ability to adapt to aspects of the space assault may help scientists find ways to initiate these adaptations in order to treat a variety of brain disorders.
If technology and science advance at a break-neck pace, recreational trips to outer space in this millennium are a good bet. But before you place a deposit on that moon-travel special, consider how the unusual change in environment, particularly the warp in gravity, could tinker with your brain.
On Earth, gravity's invisible downward force draws us toward the center of the planet and holds us on the surface. This pull, however, barely registers in space.
An increasing amount of biological evidence is now indicating that space's skimpy gravity impacts the brain in a variety of ways. The discoveries are leading to:
An understanding of the importance of gravity on biological systems.
New insight into the brain's ability to adapt to even the strangest situations.
Clues on ways to ward off side effects of space flight as well as some related Earth-based ailments.
For years, researchers have seen signs that space affects the brain. For example, space travelers often experience stints of disorientation and weird visual illusions. They may feel upside down when they are right side up. Travelers also face space motion sickness, marked by dizziness and nausea, and brief disturbances in balance and movement, which occur both in space and upon return to Earth.
In the past few years, scientists decided to take a closer look. A slew of new biological studies now are confirming and starting to explain how space flight influences the brain.
Several experiments have uncovered changes that appear to underlie the movement and balance-related disturbances observed in astronants. One study found that, following 24 hours of space flight, rats had alterations in the cell organization of the cerebellum brain area. This region is critical for learning movements, coordination and balance. As a next step, the researchers are trying to determine if the changes are permanent, even after return to Earth, or whether the reworking of cell communication networks is temporary. Based on those results scientists may be able to find ways to speed up useful cell network adaptations in astronauts, as well as to slow down or prevent destructive adaptations. They also may be able to readjust brains that malfunction from various disorders experienced on Earth.
Other biological studies indicate that space also alters the brain's movement system by changing muscle activity. Unlike Earth, muscles in space don't have to push against a gravity force to maintain upright posture. Research shows that upon re-entry to Earth's environment the alterations trigger shortened steps and tremors. Currently, scientists are developing robotic devices that will train the astronauts' movement systems to better adapt to space flight. These devices may also help people with other types of movement problems that also possibly arise from diminished muscle use.
Other new biological evidence of space's impact relates to astronauts' feelings of disorientation. One study indicates that cells, dubbed place cells, located in the hippocampus brain area are involved. It's thought that place cell activity aids navigation by providing a sort of mental map of the enviornment. Scientists found, however, that the cell activity goes out of whack in rats during the early days of space flight when they try to complete a three-dimensional maze. Further insights may help researchers find ways to prevent disorientation in astronauts and tackle hippocampus-related disorders on Earth.
Early biological findings also hint that space may influence the overall activity of cells throughout the brain. A preliminary analysis of mice embryos collected in space uncovered alterations in some essentials of cell function, such as basic metabolic processes and internal movements of the cell nucleus. Researchers hope to determine if the changes also occur in adults and if they affect overall abilities.
These and other insights are launching the understanding of the brain into a new orbit, so hold on to your seat.
Specific brain areas that undergo changes when exposed to space flight include the cerebellum and hippocampus, according to new studies. The cerebellum, tucked away in the back of the brain, is important for coordination and balance. Deep in the brain, the seahorse-shaped hippocampus is critical for certain memory functions including those for navigation.
If technology and science advance at a break-neck pace, recreational trips to outer space in this millennium are a good bet. But before you place a deposit on that moon-travel special, consider how the unusual change in environment, particularly the warp in gravity, could tinker with your brain.
On Earth, gravity's invisible downward force draws us toward the center of the planet and holds us on the surface. This pull, however, barely registers in space.
An increasing amount of biological evidence is now indicating that space's skimpy gravity impacts the brain in a variety of ways. The discoveries are leading to:
An understanding of the importance of gravity on biological systems.
New insight into the brain's ability to adapt to even the strangest situations.
Clues on ways to ward off side effects of space flight as well as some related Earth-based ailments.
For years, researchers have seen signs that space affects the brain. For example, space travelers often experience stints of disorientation and weird visual illusions. They may feel upside down when they are right side up. Travelers also face space motion sickness, marked by dizziness and nausea, and brief disturbances in balance and movement, which occur both in space and upon return to Earth.
In the past few years, scientists decided to take a closer look. A slew of new biological studies now are confirming and starting to explain how space flight influences the brain.
Several experiments have uncovered changes that appear to underlie the movement and balance-related disturbances observed in astronants. One study found that, following 24 hours of space flight, rats had alterations in the cell organization of the cerebellum brain area. This region is critical for learning movements, coordination and balance. As a next step, the researchers are trying to determine if the changes are permanent, even after return to Earth, or whether the reworking of cell communication networks is temporary. Based on those results scientists may be able to find ways to speed up useful cell network adaptations in astronauts, as well as to slow down or prevent destructive adaptations. They also may be able to readjust brains that malfunction from various disorders experienced on Earth.
Other biological studies indicate that space also alters the brain's movement system by changing muscle activity. Unlike Earth, muscles in space don't have to push against a gravity force to maintain upright posture. Research shows that upon re-entry to Earth's environment the alterations trigger shortened steps and tremors. Currently, scientists are developing robotic devices that will train the astronauts' movement systems to better adapt to space flight. These devices may also help people with other types of movement problems that also possibly arise from diminished muscle use.
Other new biological evidence of space's impact relates to astronauts' feelings of disorientation. One study indicates that cells, dubbed place cells, located in the hippocampus brain area are involved. It's thought that place cell activity aids navigation by providing a sort of mental map of the enviornment. Scientists found, however, that the cell activity goes out of whack in rats during the early days of space flight when they try to complete a three-dimensional maze. Further insights may help researchers find ways to prevent disorientation in astronauts and tackle hippocampus-related disorders on Earth.
Early biological findings also hint that space may influence the overall activity of cells throughout the brain. A preliminary analysis of mice embryos collected in space uncovered alterations in some essentials of cell function, such as basic metabolic processes and internal movements of the cell nucleus. Researchers hope to determine if the changes also occur in adults and if they affect overall abilities.
These and other insights are launching the understanding of the brain into a new orbit, so hold on to your seat.
Specific brain areas that undergo changes when exposed to space flight include the cerebellum and hippocampus, according to new studies. The cerebellum, tucked away in the back of the brain, is important for coordination and balance. Deep in the brain, the seahorse-shaped hippocampus is critical for certain memory functions including those for navigation.
Labels: 2001, AI, algorithmic, alzheimers, brain, galactic, hal, neurons, rocket, space_odyssey, spaceflight, virgin, xprize
// posted by neurofuture4:15 PM permanent link
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11.22.2006
Read about Cognitive Labs in Yahoo! News
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This article from PC World pertains to Microsoft, but we get a little mention at the end.
Labels: brain, cognitive_labs, microsoft, PCworld
// posted by neurofuture9:43 AM permanent link
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11.21.2006
BACE gene leads to insight on Alzheimer's
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Canadian scientists have found a specific gene which they believe may hold the key to the degenerative brain disorder Alzheimer's disease.
Lead researcher Weihong Song, a professor of psychiatry who holds a Canada Research Chair in Alzheimer's disease at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, says the results of their study with mice found that lower oxygen levels (hypoxia) increased the activity of a specific gene.
The gene called BACE 1, encodes a protein that converts the precursor amyloid molecule to the more dangerous beta-amyloid form.
Professor Song says if blood to the brain is less oxygenated it may mean a build-up of the protein plaques that are so closely tied to Alzheimer's disease
In mice, hypoxia was found to increase amyloid plaque formation and memory loss.
The fact that lowered brain-oxygen levels, caused by reduced blood flow, increases the risk of Alzheimer's disease has been observed by other scientists along with greater propensity for stroke. It would seem that exercise would be the most effective preventative.
The study is published in the current issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Lead researcher Weihong Song, a professor of psychiatry who holds a Canada Research Chair in Alzheimer's disease at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, says the results of their study with mice found that lower oxygen levels (hypoxia) increased the activity of a specific gene.
The gene called BACE 1, encodes a protein that converts the precursor amyloid molecule to the more dangerous beta-amyloid form.
Professor Song says if blood to the brain is less oxygenated it may mean a build-up of the protein plaques that are so closely tied to Alzheimer's disease
In mice, hypoxia was found to increase amyloid plaque formation and memory loss.
The fact that lowered brain-oxygen levels, caused by reduced blood flow, increases the risk of Alzheimer's disease has been observed by other scientists along with greater propensity for stroke. It would seem that exercise would be the most effective preventative.
The study is published in the current issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Labels: alzheimers, brain, canada, oxygen, vancouver
// posted by neurofuture10:45 PM permanent link
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11.20.2006
Your Mind Gets in the Way of Multi-tasking
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It's true. Most people cannot draw a circle with one hand and a square with the other at the same time.
(Try it with a sheet of paper)
The secret may be to use the sense of touch, rather than concentration.
"Most normal people cannot simultaneously draw a circle with one hand and a square with the other," says David Rosenbaum, distinguished professor of psychology and director of Penn State's Laboratory For Cognition and Action. "It is a fundamental limitation that the nervous system seems to impose on the hands for reasons that are not fully understood."
Rosenbaum thinks the key to the problem lies in the higher neural centers responsible for concentration on multiple tasks. "When you perform one task, you conceptualize it as one," he explains, “but when you have two tasks to do at the same time that you can’t think of as one, it gets complicated because the mind has to shift attention back and forth from one task to the other."
To test this idea, Rosenbaum and his Penn State colleagues, Amanda Dawson, a recent Ph.D. recipient, and John Challis, associate professor of kinesiology, set up an experiment in which participants could track moving objects with light touch and without having to concentrate on the tracking.
Volunteer participants who kept their eyes closed during the experiment tried to keep their hands in contact with two moving disks. The participants could independently trace the paths of the disks, even when the disks moved in ways that are normally very hard for people to produce on their own. For example, they could trace a square and a circle at the same time, which is normally impossible.
The disks were driven by moving magnets on the other size of an opaque pane of glass. "If the person exerted little more than a feather touch on the disks, the magnets decoupled and the experiment came to a stop. So the participants’ hands were not simply being dragged along by the magnetic force on the disks," explains Rosenbaum, whose findings appear in the November/December issue of the Journal of Experimental Psychology.
Researchers say the test provides the strongest evidence yet that the reason most persons are unable to voluntarily multi-task with their two hands is that their mind gets in the way.
"We created a situation where each hand simply reacts to the motion of the object being felt, so in effect we bypassed the high-level cognitive system. The excellent performance displayed by our participants took no training whatsoever," added Rosenbaum. "Using haptics, we managed to get into the motor system through the backdoor."
Researchers say the findings could benefit people with coordination problems, and that haptic tracking might help such persons learn to better control their irregular hand movements.
Grants from the National Science Foundation, and the National Institute of Mental Health supported this work.
The Penn State Laboratory For Cognition and Action
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(Try it with a sheet of paper)
The secret may be to use the sense of touch, rather than concentration.
"Most normal people cannot simultaneously draw a circle with one hand and a square with the other," says David Rosenbaum, distinguished professor of psychology and director of Penn State's Laboratory For Cognition and Action. "It is a fundamental limitation that the nervous system seems to impose on the hands for reasons that are not fully understood."
Rosenbaum thinks the key to the problem lies in the higher neural centers responsible for concentration on multiple tasks. "When you perform one task, you conceptualize it as one," he explains, “but when you have two tasks to do at the same time that you can’t think of as one, it gets complicated because the mind has to shift attention back and forth from one task to the other."
To test this idea, Rosenbaum and his Penn State colleagues, Amanda Dawson, a recent Ph.D. recipient, and John Challis, associate professor of kinesiology, set up an experiment in which participants could track moving objects with light touch and without having to concentrate on the tracking.
Volunteer participants who kept their eyes closed during the experiment tried to keep their hands in contact with two moving disks. The participants could independently trace the paths of the disks, even when the disks moved in ways that are normally very hard for people to produce on their own. For example, they could trace a square and a circle at the same time, which is normally impossible.
The disks were driven by moving magnets on the other size of an opaque pane of glass. "If the person exerted little more than a feather touch on the disks, the magnets decoupled and the experiment came to a stop. So the participants’ hands were not simply being dragged along by the magnetic force on the disks," explains Rosenbaum, whose findings appear in the November/December issue of the Journal of Experimental Psychology.
Researchers say the test provides the strongest evidence yet that the reason most persons are unable to voluntarily multi-task with their two hands is that their mind gets in the way.
"We created a situation where each hand simply reacts to the motion of the object being felt, so in effect we bypassed the high-level cognitive system. The excellent performance displayed by our participants took no training whatsoever," added Rosenbaum. "Using haptics, we managed to get into the motor system through the backdoor."
Researchers say the findings could benefit people with coordination problems, and that haptic tracking might help such persons learn to better control their irregular hand movements.
Grants from the National Science Foundation, and the National Institute of Mental Health supported this work.
The Penn State Laboratory For Cognition and Action
Labels: brain, cognitive, consciousness, multi-tasking, penn_state, right-brain
// posted by neurofuture12:15 PM permanent link
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