MedWorm provides a medical RSS filtering service. Over 6000 RSS medical sources are combined and output via different filters. This feed contains the latest medical blog items that have been tagged with 'aging and the brain'. Sat, 03 Sep 2011 02:56:41 +0100 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4281405&cid=t_356522_122_f&fid=36506&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FBrainSciencePodcastBlog%2F%7E3%2F_ESqm5eN33E%2Falzheimers-disease-with-dr-peter-whitehouse-bsp-68.html Discussion Forum: Join our Facebook Fan Page: Send feedback to gincampbell at mac dot com or leave voice mail at 206-984-0358. (Source: the Brain Science Podcast and Blog with Dr. Ginger Campbell) the Brain Science Podcast and Blog with Dr. Ginger Campbell blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4281405 Wed, 14 Apr 2010 09:00:33 +0100 4281405 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2611053&cid=t_356522_122_f&fid=35373&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmerzenich.positscience.com%2F%3Fp%3D250 Today, Posit Science announced the release of a new Web-based visual training tool, DriveSharp, specifically designed to improve the performance abilities of adult automobile drivers to a degree that can be expected to very substantially impact their driving safety. This training employs two very important brain plasticity-based strategies to improve your visual assets that support safe driving. The first is the “Useful Field of View Training” developed and patented by Drs. Karlene Ball (University of Alabama at Birmingham) and Daniel Roenker (University of Western Kentucky). Their training tool addresses a key problem that arises in older individuals: the progressive contraction of their “useful field of view” (UFOV). As you get older, you progressively lose the ... On the Brain by Dr. Michael Merzenich, Ph.D. blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2611053 Thu, 16 Jul 2009 21:01:42 +0100 2611053 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2570899&cid=t_356522_122_f&fid=35373&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmerzenich.positscience.com%2F%3Fp%3D239 Millions of individuals (2% of humankind) are plagued by continuous sounds generated in their skulls, not coming from the real world. Because these ringing or roaring sounds are inescapable and because they strongly influence emotional-control processes in the brain, they can literally drive an individual who hears them incessantly just a little bit crazy. No one dies from tinnitus (although its sufferers have a substantially elevated suicide rate). But it represents one of a long list of brain plasticity-generated problems that can substantially degrade – and in the extreme, destroy – a sufferer’s quality of life. I am writing this blog from a scientific meeting in Italy at which 20 top neuroscientists (about half of who some level of direct understanding of tinnitus; the other half... On the Brain by Dr. Michael Merzenich, Ph.D. blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2570899 Sat, 13 Jun 2009 22:27:01 +0100 2570899 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2570900&cid=t_356522_122_f&fid=35373&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmerzenich.positscience.com%2F%3Fp%3D241 I had the pleasure of spending a day last week talking with a world authority on brain plasticity issues, Harvard professor Alvaro Pascual-Leone. Dr. Pascual-Leone has employed a special tool in many of his studies, both to document brain change, and to induce it for the benefit of patients. That tool is direct magnetic stimulation of the brain. A very powerful magnetic pulse applied externally over the scalp can be localized to excite a limited brain area. Alvaro and his colleagues showed, historically, that they could actually reconstruct the orderly representations of body movements in the brain by systematically moving the site of stimulation across the surfaces of your skull. Moving from the top of the head down toward the ears, they evoke fine movements from the feet then legs then t... On the Brain by Dr. Michael Merzenich, Ph.D. blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2570900 Thu, 11 Jun 2009 19:28:26 +0100 2570900 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2570904&cid=t_356522_122_f&fid=35373&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmerzenich.positscience.com%2F%3Fp%3D230 If you have just discovered this topic, go back to Part 1 (April 3), Part 2 (April 5), Part 3 (April 7) and Part 4 (April 24); whereupon you shall be fully qualified to advance to Part 5. Before I begin to talk about commonly applied strategies of prevention and rehabilitation designed to reduce the numbers of criminal offenders and recidivists amongst us, let’s begin with a note about statistics. In all of my earlier blogs, I talk about the “average” offender and their neurological and personal history. In reality, there are many classes of offenders. While the majority fit the wide bounds that I described, there are innumerable exceptions among the 7+ million individuals operating under the jurisdiction of an American court — including a significant minority who d... On the Brain by Dr. Michael Merzenich, Ph.D. blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2570904 Tue, 26 May 2009 19:56:02 +0100 2570904 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2570905&cid=t_356522_122_f&fid=35373&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmerzenich.positscience.com%2F%3Fp%3D228 I strongly encourage our readers to check out the newly published book “Move Into Life”, authored by a highly distinguished therapist (and personal friend) Anat Baniel. Anat was originally trained by Moshe Feldenkrais, who developed a novel empirical perspective about physical/cognitive/perceptual rehabilitation that is broadly consistent with the principles of brain plasticity neuroscience. She has very significantly elaborated those practices, and has gradually encorporated a richer scientific perspective into them. Anat summarizes this deeper understanding in this important book — which is full of good information and advice, both for the therapist, and the patient. At the core of her approach is the understanding that awareness, cognition and movement are really insep... On the Brain by Dr. Michael Merzenich, Ph.D. blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2570905 Wed, 06 May 2009 15:46:17 +0100 2570905 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2570906&cid=t_356522_122_f&fid=35373&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmerzenich.positscience.com%2F%3Fp%3D226 We all know a few older-aged paragons, individuals who are still storming through life in their 9th or 10th or 11th decade. I was delighted to read two articles in the New York Times last week that featured two such individuals who have crossed my own path in life. David Perlman is a 90-year-old science writer for the San Francisco Chronicle who is refusing to take a buyout offer from his struggling employer. I know from meeting with him in the past that he’s an all-business, no-nonsense, straightforward, well-informed PROFESSIONAL, in every sense of the word. Why SHOULD he quit, when he gets so much enjoyment about his work? In any event, as he joked in the Times article, he’d “..bankrupt the paper.” if he took a buyout package based on the number of years of emplo... On the Brain by Dr. Michael Merzenich, Ph.D. blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2570906 Wed, 29 Apr 2009 17:39:23 +0100 2570906 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1200211&cid=t_356522_122_f&fid=35373&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmerzenich.positscience.com%2F2008%2F02%2F04%2Fdrink-eat-and-be-merry%2F You may have read (about a month ago) that a Cambridge University group tracked the life-spans of 20,000 Brits, as it was affected by a number of factors that plausibly relate to it. Those included: 1) Eating your fruits and veggies every day; 2) drinking a little wine and whiskey—but not TOO much, every day; 3) NOT smoking; and 4) getting a little regular exercise (you got no points for having a sedentary job and life; and 1 point for having a job that required physical activity, or for compensating for the lack of exercise on the job by significant daily activity or exercise). It turns out that if you got a high score (a “1″) on all 4 of these factors, you were destined to live about 14 years longer than if were flunking at life, i..e., you got a “0″ (nada,... On the Brain by Dr. Michael Merzenich, Ph.D. blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1200211 Mon, 04 Feb 2008 20:18:46 +0100 1200211 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1137505&cid=t_356522_122_f&fid=36582&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FSharpBrains%2F%7E3%2F213262462%2F The most popular question we got when we announced that PBS had a great special on Brain Fitness Program and Neuroplasticity in December was, when will the DVD be available? Well, finally here it comes. You can click on the image or the title to go over to PBS shop to learn more and buy it. The Brain Fitness Program DVD ($24.95, shipped by 02/01/08). "This program presents a workout to help viewers get their brains in better shape. The Brain Fitness Program is based on neuro-plasticity, the ability of the brain to change and adapt — even rewire itself. In the past two years, a team of scientists has developed computer-based stimulus sets that drive beneficial chemical, physical and functional changes in the brain. Dr. Michael Merzenich of the University of California San Francisco ... SharpBrains blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1137505 Tue, 08 Jan 2008 17:28:30 +0100 1137505 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1072441&cid=t_356522_122_f&fid=35373&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmerzenich.positscience.com%2F2007%2F12%2F05%2Fmisconception-about-the-neurology-of-aging-2%2F Memory (cognitive ability, executive control, motor control, whatever) resides in a place(s). If we fix that (those) place(s), we fix memory (our failing faculties). For MEMORY, as an example, most scientists focus on one of three places: 1) the hippocampus, for ‘episodic’ or ‘long-term memory’; 2) the inferior/medial temporal or lateral frontal cortex, for ‘immediate’ or ‘working memory’; or 3) the frontal cortex, for ‘executive control’ It has been easy to show that your memory or your ‘executive control’ suffers – in fact, can be almost obliterated – by damage to, or the temporary, magnetic-stimulation-achieved shut-down of these key brain regions. It has been easy to show the machinery in the hippocampus or temporal/frontal cortex doesn’t work v... On the Brain by Dr. Michael Merzenich, Ph.D. blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1072441 Wed, 05 Dec 2007 23:36:54 +0100 1072441 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1001065&cid=t_356522_122_f&fid=35373&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmerzenich.positscience.com%2F2007%2F11%2F02%2Fa-top-ten-list-misconceptions-by-scientists-and-the-public-about-the-neurological-bases-of-memorycognitive-losses-in-aging%2F In early October, I attended a meeting sponsored by the National Institute on Aging and the McKnight Foundation considering the general subject of cognitive decline in aging populations. I found the meeting to be useful, and distressing. Useful, because this subject is now on the front burner for the NIA, just as it is for the general public. Distressing, because progress in this area is still being frustrated by widespread misconceptions in the scientific community about what neurological aging is all about, and this meeting vividly showed that those misconceptions still abound in ‘the best’ government-supported reseaarch. Over the next week or two, I am going to discuss some of the misconceptions (there are more) that still limit our understanding of the neurological bases o... On the Brain by Dr. Michael Merzenich, Ph.D. blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1001065 Fri, 02 Nov 2007 21:43:36 +0100 1001065 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=927960&cid=t_356522_122_f&fid=35373&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmerzenich.positscience.com%2F2007%2F10%2F04%2Fa-traumatic-brain-injury-success-story%2F About two weeks ago, Posit Science was visited by a family who appeared to have greatly benefited from the use of our Brain Fitness Program. This family’s story began with a late-night boating accident involving a beloved young son, circa 20 years of age. The boat that Ryan was riding in was struck by a second speeding boat. He was thrown overboard in the accident, and his skull crushed between the two boats. Direct injury to his brain, and further damage from subsequent bleeding and from the shards of bone embedded within the flesh of the brain was extensive. In this live-or-die situation, significant sections of his damage frontal lobes were necessarily further compromised by the surgery that was required to remove multiple bone fragments from his brain. Ryan was stiff and spastic.... On the Brain by Dr. Michael Merzenich, Ph.D. blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=927960 Thu, 04 Oct 2007 15:13:03 +0100 927960 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=925412&cid=t_356522_122_f&fid=35373&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmerzenich.positscience.com%2F2007%2F10%2F03%2Fptsd-as-a-modern-invention%2F Like many of you, I have spent quite a few hours over the past 10 days watching the Ken Burns PBS program personalizing World War II. I thought that it brought this war home for me, more informatively and more poignantly than all but a few of the great War movies (All’s Quiet on the Western Front, Paths of Glory, Saving Private Ryan). I learned three things about PTSD from these programs that I had not fully appreciated. First, the graphic depiction of battle in World War II dramatically verified the amazingly rich food for growing PTSD in a young man’s brain in this conflict. Shocking, disturbing to the max, terrifying, exhausting, degrading, hyper-stimulating, you REALLY wouldn’t want to have been there. Second, 25% of the soldiers sent home from the War had no physica... On the Brain by Dr. Michael Merzenich, Ph.D. blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=925412 Wed, 03 Oct 2007 22:04:44 +0100 925412 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=801458&cid=t_356522_122_f&fid=35373&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmerzenich.positscience.com%2F2007%2F08%2F15%2Fis-being-mentally-active-sufficient-for-sustaining-brain-health%2F There was an interesting exchange of comments following a July 7th entry (”What’s it all about”) that begins with the argument (by CCb at anom@anom.com) that “brain fitness training” is unnecessary, for someone who is still engaged in reading and scholarship. [CCb, might I suggest that you and other commentors at least identify yourself with a first or last name? It doesn’t even have to be real. I just prefer imagining that I’m communicating with an actual human being.] Dave Blake, a scientist at the Medical College of Georgia who qualifies as an expert on these matters, disagreed. He noted that the neurological losses that contributed to age-related decline require SPECIFIC forms of learning-driven exercises to drive corrective neurological change... On the Brain by Dr. Michael Merzenich, Ph.D. blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=801458 Wed, 15 Aug 2007 15:29:46 +0100 801458 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=790628&cid=t_356522_122_f&fid=35373&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmerzenich.positscience.com%2F2007%2F08%2F09%2Fold-but-good%2F My wife Diane and I spent a weekend several weeks ago at the National Academy of Sciences center at Woods Hole, in a beautiful coastal location near the southern base of Cape Cod. The National Academies hold several meetings each year for a group of special senior advisor’s (their ‘President’s Club’), and in part because I had good reasons to meet with scientists and friends in Boston on Friday and Saturday, I agreed to participate. The subject of the meeting was “Smart Prostheses”, summarizing research organized to help injured and brain-damaged soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan with a new generation of therapeutic strategies and devices designed to help. I’m going to talk about some of this science that was inspired by this meeting, in... On the Brain by Dr. Michael Merzenich, Ph.D. blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=790628 Thu, 09 Aug 2007 19:28:36 +0100 790628 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=785948&cid=t_356522_122_f&fid=35373&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmerzenich.positscience.com%2F2007%2F08%2F07%2Fwhats-it-all-about%2F The objective over a 2-3 year period, is to continue to elaborate this blog content and to write a short series of such books (3 more are on my schedule), to provide a brain science perspective about normal brain development, function, aging, and disease, and about brain plasticity-based therapeutics designed to address a wide variety of problems that variously limit the achievements of children and adults in need of help. When this ‘backgrounder’ information about the book appears at this site, we’ll stow it at a place where you can easily avoid it! On the other hand, if the book captures your interests to the extent that you want to read or understand more about its stroll through the neuroscience of brain plasticity through a lifetime, if you’re up for it, I&#82... On the Brain by Dr. Michael Merzenich, Ph.D. blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=785948 Tue, 07 Aug 2007 18:20:48 +0100 785948 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=764383&cid=t_356522_122_f&fid=35373&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmerzenich.positscience.com%2F2007%2F07%2F28%2Fa-cognitive-reserve-is-a-good-thing-to-work-on%2F Dave B and Alvaro have had an interesting (albeit, brief) discussion in their comments about the subject of the hypothetical “cognitive reserve” that stands between each one of us, and the timing of the onset of Alzheimer’s Disease (AD). First, Dave B said that while he saw ample evidence that most cognitively capable (”highly educated”) individuals that were in his studies at Medical College of Georgia seemed to be far removed from any danger of AD in their immediate future (in strong contrast to individuals in his studies who were poorly educated, and/or were less cognitively active), he saw no clear evidence in the literature that convincingly demonstrated that the onset of Alzheimer’s Disease could be delayed by cognitive training or enrichment. Al... On the Brain by Dr. Michael Merzenich, Ph.D. blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=764383 Sat, 28 Jul 2007 20:00:00 +0100 764383 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=763080&cid=t_356522_122_f&fid=35373&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmerzenich.positscience.com%2F2007%2F07%2F27%2Fa-city-on-the-move-the-jacksonville-brain-summit%2F I’m in Jacksonville, Florida today, participating in what is a very unusual and special event –– “The Jacksonville Brain Summit”. In an earlier entry, I told you that Jacksonville has adopted a leadership position in their use of the most advanced brain-science-based strategies to improve the academic performance and the mature working skills and performance abilities of its citizenry. There efforts have been inspired by a combination of great leadership and vision from the administration and on the School Board of the Jacksonville public schools, combined with exceptionally strong support from informed leaders in the wider community. This school district (the 19th largest in the US, extending from dense urban through extensive suburban to rural areas across one of the largest te... On the Brain by Dr. Michael Merzenich, Ph.D. blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=763080 Fri, 27 Jul 2007 18:45:26 +0100 763080 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=744888&cid=t_356522_122_f&fid=35373&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmerzenich.positscience.com%2F2007%2F07%2F19%2Fjust-about-any-old-bad-thing-increases-the-risk-of-onset-of-alzheimers-disease%2F About 2 weeks ago, I read a Wall Street Journal article that documented a growing body of evidence that shows that major depression occurring in late middle age doubles the probability that an individual shall have significant cognitive impairments after the age of 65, and that it very significantly increases the probability that life shall end badly, i.e., in the clutches of Alzheimer’s Disease. A history of depression is one of a very long list of factors contributing to increased AD risk. Exposure to a little mercury or to other heavy metals, exposure to PCBs and a host of other biotoxins, traumatic brain injury, a little stroke or two or three, a childhood history of learning impairments, limited mobility, a little ongoing oxygen deprivation, or a history of mental disability are... On the Brain by Dr. Michael Merzenich, Ph.D. blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=744888 Thu, 19 Jul 2007 18:49:47 +0100 744888 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=744889&cid=t_356522_122_f&fid=35373&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmerzenich.positscience.com%2F2007%2F07%2F19%2Fplanes-trains-and-automobiles-and-motorcycles%2F It has been amusing to read the repeated claims, from individuals who have completed Posit Science’s Brain Fitness Program, that with their renewed mental competence and confidence, they have been inspired to very adventurous new hobbies and activities. I related the story of one such individual several weeks ago who, with her brain awakened by intensive brain fitness training, had been inspired to take a “race car driving course”, and was contemplating taking flying lessons. Actually, several individuals HAVE written to us telling us that they felt so much more ‘with it’ upon completing the program that they HAD been inspired to take a seat in an airplane cockpit. Here’s another version of the same basic story from a BFP graduate that came across my des... On the Brain by Dr. Michael Merzenich, Ph.D. blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=744889 Thu, 19 Jul 2007 18:20:43 +0100 744889 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=742662&cid=t_356522_122_f&fid=35373&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmerzenich.positscience.com%2F2007%2F07%2F18%2Fred-red-wine-2%2F One of the most interesting efforts targeting the development of anti-aging drugs stems from research conducted at Harvard that led to the identication of the compound in red wine (resveratrol) that accounts for its anti-aging properties. This compound is believed to activate a gene called SIRT-1, which appears to have a role in regulating lifespan in mammals. No one knows exactly what this gene does, or how its anti-aging effects are achieved. One hypothesis that has gained some experimental support is that this gene is also activated by caloric restriction, which is known to increase longevity. Alas, we don’t really understand the mechanisms of origins of THAT effect, either. The answer shall be of high importance, for bringing these potentially powerful therapeutic approaches into... On the Brain by Dr. Michael Merzenich, Ph.D. blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=742662 Thu, 19 Jul 2007 00:00:20 +0100 742662 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=740528&cid=t_356522_122_f&fid=35373&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmerzenich.positscience.com%2F2007%2F07%2F17%2Fhow-long-lived-was-your-dad%2F A recent study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy Sciences led by a UCSF scientist Wen-Chi Hsueh has very interestingly revisited the subject of the genetics of human longevity. As you may know, a prominent UCSF colleague, Elizabeth Blackburn, has been in the forefront of a beatiful series of studies that have shown that the DNA structures that cap the ends of chromosomes (”telomeres”) play an important role in cell division, and in the aging process. Dr. Blackburn has analogized the telomere to the plastic tips of shoelaces that, by their presence, prevent the laces (the DNA) from unraveling. Telomeres lose sub-units each time a cell divides; as it dis-assembles, an enzyme that Blackburn and her colleagues discovered called “telomerase” actively ... On the Brain by Dr. Michael Merzenich, Ph.D. blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=740528 Tue, 17 Jul 2007 17:07:01 +0100 740528 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=716704&cid=t_356522_122_f&fid=35373&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmerzenich.positscience.com%2F2007%2F07%2F05%2Fspecial-challenges-of-adolescence%2F We haven’t spent much time at this site discussing the neurological parallels of human adolescence. Let’s begin by reflecting on some basis aspects of its neurology and sociology. Think of life in the beaver lodge as the kids are growing up. They have it pretty good there, being taken care of by mom and dad. Life is stable and loving and predictable, and dinner is generally right on schedule. But as time passes, and Junior and Sis get bigger, sassier and just a little more interested in S….. E…..X, things get to be pretty difficult up there in River City. There’s a limit to how many really grown-up beavers can live in the lodge, and that limit is two! There comes a day when mom and dad literally throw the kids out, not just out of the Lodge, but up the creek. Life had been prett... On the Brain by Dr. Michael Merzenich, Ph.D. blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=716704 Thu, 05 Jul 2007 18:31:10 +0100 716704 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=706634&cid=t_356522_122_f&fid=35373&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmerzenich.positscience.com%2F2007%2F06%2F29%2Fimportant-update-on-risk-factors-contributing-to-ptsd-onset%2F In our last entry on this subject, we summarized risk factors for PTSD onset as follows: “You just DON’T want to be a) an ambidextrous b) Latino c) who has a history of cognitive or learning impairment and d) who suffers additional diffuse or localized brain trauma e) in parallel with an exposure to f) repeated disturbing experiences.” Today, we add another factor: You just don’t want to be FROM New Orleans, because citizens of The Big Easy are about 10 times more likely to suffer from PTSD than from your average, not-too-recently-horribly-traumatized Great American City. So if you’re an ambidextrous Crescent City Latino who has been knocked about on their head a few times, you might want to slow down a little on that stroll to the Recruiting Center! (Source: On ... On the Brain by Dr. Michael Merzenich, Ph.D. blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=706634 Sat, 30 Jun 2007 06:41:51 +0100 706634 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=703138&cid=t_356522_122_f&fid=35373&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmerzenich.positscience.com%2F2007%2F06%2F28%2Ftherapeutically-reliving-and-elaborating-your-traumatic-experiences-can-be-harmful%2F In the June 18th issue of Newsweek, Sharon Begley wrote an opinion column that must have raised a few hackles in the psychotherapy community. In her words, “…(for) patients seeking psychotherapy….talking can be dangerous … and therapists have not exactly rushed to tell them so.” One well-documented class of examples has come from “stress debriefing”, a standard procedure used to help individuals who have experienced a traumatic event — like the Virginia Tech ‘massacre’, for example. The goal in such therapies is to forcefully encourage individuals to discuss and seriously self-examine their feelings about the traumatic episode(s) — and to relive it in detail, through their own descriptions. It turns out that patients who ha... On the Brain by Dr. Michael Merzenich, Ph.D. blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=703138 Thu, 28 Jun 2007 22:54:39 +0100 703138 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=703139&cid=t_356522_122_f&fid=35373&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmerzenich.positscience.com%2F2007%2F06%2F28%2Fon-the-brain-gets-a-new-url%2F Those of you who struggle to spell “Merzenich” might be happy to know that you can now (and forever after) access this blog at www.onthebrain.com. (Source: On the Brain by Dr. Michael Merzenich, Ph.D.) On the Brain by Dr. Michael Merzenich, Ph.D. blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=703139 Thu, 28 Jun 2007 19:13:21 +0100 703139 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=703140&cid=t_356522_122_f&fid=35373&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmerzenich.positscience.com%2F2007%2F06%2F28%2Fthe-computer-game-syndrome%2F You may have heard that the AMA recently decided that a child’s “addiction” to computer games should, in the extreme, be recognized as a medical disorder. You probably understand that the AMA has two reasons for elaborating the lists of maladies that are recognized as deserving treatment by its members. 1) They really do have a genuine interest in helping the mentally and physically impaired populations in our society. And 2) they really do want to be reimbursed for that help. It’s difficult to set up reimbursement from insurers or the government if you have to identify the malady that you’re treating as: “Loves to play video games WAY too much”!! So what do WE think about this issue? Is obsessive video-game playing pathological? Is it a “dis... On the Brain by Dr. Michael Merzenich, Ph.D. blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=703140 Thu, 28 Jun 2007 19:08:45 +0100 703140 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=699367&cid=t_356522_122_f&fid=35373&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmerzenich.positscience.com%2F2007%2F06%2F26%2Fbrain-fitness-training-measuring-psycho-social-dimensions-of-brain-health%2F Dr. William Bailey’s June 22nd comments about a study that he and his colleague Jean Turner are conducting on the impacts of Brain Fitness Program training on symptoms of depression, self-efficacy and related psycho-social dimensions in older individuals is worth special mention. We welcome these two University of Arkansas scientists into our community, and look forward to their study results. BFP training specifically targets neurological processes that govern positive good spirits and self-awareness, and we believe that Drs. Bailey and Turner SHOULD measure positive outcomes resulting from this training — but as in all scientific investigations, time will tell! Dr. Bailey, as you and Dr. Turner gather and analyze your data, please let us ALL know about your experiences and ... On the Brain by Dr. Michael Merzenich, Ph.D. blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=699367 Wed, 27 Jun 2007 06:04:15 +0100 699367 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=697002&cid=t_356522_122_f&fid=35373&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmerzenich.positscience.com%2F2007%2F06%2F25%2Fbuilding-a-tree-house%2F I spent much of the last two weekends working with my two sons-in-law constructing a tree-house for their children (Diane and my grandchildren). It’s a beauty. You enter tree-house paradise via a ladder (still under construction) that wraps around a large oak tree to deliver the kid to a notch that opens out onto a beautiful platform that ties together two magnificent old oak trees. A delightful slide runs off one side. Kids get onto the slide through a magical gateway formed by two large, parallel vertical trunks. Through another notch, you can enter (or exit) the tree-house from above, by first climbing up a net that extends from the ground up through the notch, than stepping down from the notch onto the platform. Future plans call for a net between two other large branches for a kind ... On the Brain by Dr. Michael Merzenich, Ph.D. blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=697002 Tue, 26 Jun 2007 15:28:13 +0100 697002 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=683502&cid=t_356522_122_f&fid=35373&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmerzenich.positscience.com%2F2007%2F06%2F19%2Fwhy-not-fix-it-before-it-breaks%2F An article in the New York Times published about two weeks ago mirrored by an article in the AARP Bulletin bumptiously extolled the wonderful energies in the pharmaceutical industry directed toward medical strategies for more effectively treating or ‘curing’ Alzheimers Disease. The NYT science writer focussed on Wyeth Laboratories, because they are putting down most of their chips on an AD play. Both articles pointed out, quite correctly, that there is a tremendous effort and substantial treasure being expended in this drug development arena, and that almost every major manufacturer is working hard to crack this nut. The marginally effective drugs now available for AD patients have been highly profitable for their producers; new proprietary drugs that could actually arrest the ... On the Brain by Dr. Michael Merzenich, Ph.D. blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=683502 Tue, 19 Jun 2007 17:56:49 +0100 683502 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=676713&cid=t_356522_122_f&fid=35373&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmerzenich.positscience.com%2F2007%2F06%2F15%2Fwhat-is-wrong-with-american-schools-part-1%2F There are too many answers to this question, and in a sense, THAT’S what’s wrong. I used this ‘headline’ as a cheap trick to get you to read my little story. I have a specific partial answer to this question in mind, which I would like to present to you by way of a little story that perhaps elucidates something not quite right about our public institutions – and about the state of our modern society. In late March, my eight-year-old granddaughter Leila’s Oakland, California public school was torched by an arsonist. This school was a typical cheap-construction, low-slung wooden affair, not exactly architecturally complicated. No bricks or mortar were involved. About half of the classrooms and the administrative offices of the school were damaged in the fire. Peralta School’s t... On the Brain by Dr. Michael Merzenich, Ph.D. blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=676713 Fri, 15 Jun 2007 21:51:22 +0100 676713 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=676714&cid=t_356522_122_f&fid=35373&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmerzenich.positscience.com%2F2007%2F06%2F10%2Fracing-through-life%2F Race car driving was the last thing Marilyn Kays expected to be doing at the age of 63. Her late husband called her ‘grandma’ because of her pokey driving. After completing Posit Science’s Brain Fitness Program, where she made great individual progress, Marilyn felt more confident than ever before. She noticed that she remembered things like her bank account number without trying. Her outlook on life was more positive, and completing the program eased her battle with depression, so much so that she was able to get off her medication. Marilyn was feeling so confident and frisky that she decided to enroll in a driving class for high-performance cars. “I would have never done that before; I wouldn’t have even thought of it,” Marilyn told us. ”I’m taking more chances than e... On the Brain by Dr. Michael Merzenich, Ph.D. blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=676714 Sun, 10 Jun 2007 16:49:18 +0100 676714 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=676715&cid=t_356522_122_f&fid=35373&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmerzenich.positscience.com%2F2007%2F06%2F09%2Fcreating-a-representation-of-the-world-when-you-cant-see-it%2F Dan has been making a lot of comments and asking a lot of questions, and I thought I’d take a crack at one of the latter. He specifically asks how a blind individual creates representations of the things of the world. What kind of internal ‘representation’ can the brain make, when it can never see them? You know, intuitively, that if you hold an object and manipulate it in your hand — say a water glass — that you can create a mental construct of it. That construct includes the shape, size, surface texture etc. of the object. What if a blind person could draw that object? How do you think they would represent it? It turns out that this question was asked by a Canadian psychologist, John Kennedy, beginning about 20 years ago. Kennedy had the bright idea of aski... On the Brain by Dr. Michael Merzenich, Ph.D. blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=676715 Sat, 09 Jun 2007 20:10:19 +0100 676715 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=676716&cid=t_356522_122_f&fid=35373&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmerzenich.positscience.com%2F2007%2F06%2F08%2Fi-think-therefore-i-am%2F There are several highly-ordered neurological representations of the surfaces of your body within a cortical region called “S1″, which occupies a narrow band that roughly bisects the cerebral cortex mantle from a location just above and in front of your ear, and extends from ear to ear. When you stimulate a specific location on the body surface (for example, on the thumb), neurons are selectively excited at specific locations in the brain (the “thumb zones” of body surface ‘representations’). By documenting those responses in detail, a scientist can reconstruct orderly ‘topographic maps’ of the body surface in this cortical region. [Historically, there was believed to be a single large body surface representation in “S1″. In the 1... On the Brain by Dr. Michael Merzenich, Ph.D. blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=676716 Fri, 08 Jun 2007 16:36:57 +0100 676716 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=659138&cid=t_356522_122_f&fid=35373&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmerzenich.positscience.com%2F2007%2F06%2F04%2Fred-red-wine%2F Alcohol is our best-studied neurotoxin. You can pickle a brain in booze. At somewhat lower concentrations that are quite easily achieved in drinking humans, ethanol alters synaptic spines and their plasticity, greatly reduces the complexity of neuronal interconnections, ultimately kills off your neurons, and shrinks your brain. Cognitive and motor losses are the predictable behavioral consequences of chronically drinking too much. While you’re burning up your liver over-indulging, you’re also seriously disrespecting your brain! On the other hand, we have an increasingly complete scientific understanding of the neurological bases of the “French Paradox”, whereby the cardiovascular and neurological and hepatic health of regular imbibers of lots of red wine actually se... On the Brain by Dr. Michael Merzenich, Ph.D. blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=659138 Tue, 05 Jun 2007 16:17:55 +0100 659138 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=659139&cid=t_356522_122_f&fid=35373&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmerzenich.positscience.com%2F2007%2F06%2F04%2Fwhats-in-your-dna%2F James B. Watson, the genetics pioneer, is the first individual in the history of the universe to have his DNA completely sequenced. In a statement that testifies to his infectious enthusiasm for nerd science (for which, if you’ve had a conversation with him, you know that Watson is obviously genetically endowed), Jim was “thrilled to see my genome!” Dr. Watson now stands with his pants down, naked to the world, DNA-wise, in every way but one. His figleaf?! He asked that his apolipoprotein E gene, which (with substantial variance) predicts one’s susceptibility to the onset of Alzheimer’s Disease be kept a secret. Watson didn’t want to know — nor did he want anyone else to know — if he had any special susceptibility to AD. Actually, you can ta... On the Brain by Dr. Michael Merzenich, Ph.D. blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=659139 Mon, 04 Jun 2007 14:26:42 +0100 659139 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=651332&cid=t_356522_122_f&fid=35373&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmerzenich.positscience.com%2F2007%2F05%2F31%2Fmea-culpa%2F One of my favorite former research fellows, David Blake, has chided me for posting multiple blog entries on some days, followed by several entry-less days. “Spread ‘em out!”, says Dave. “There should be something new and worthwhile to read EVERY day.” Since David is considerably smarter than me, and because he’s a real engineer who technologically intimidates his old professor and knows a well-run blog-site when he sees one, I know he’s right, and will obey! From now on, at least one new entry will appear at this blogsite, every day. Count on it! Thanks, Dave! (Source: On the Brain by Dr. Michael Merzenich, Ph.D.) On the Brain by Dr. Michael Merzenich, Ph.D. blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=651332 Thu, 31 May 2007 23:39:11 +0100 651332 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=645384&cid=t_356522_122_f&fid=35373&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmerzenich.positscience.com%2F2007%2F05%2F30%2Fpain-and-circumstance%2F My wife Diane and I visited our friend Mary in the hospital on Friday. Mary had just had her “knee replaced” — which is a rather spectacular modern procedure, unimagined not too many years ago. Another modern, commonplace aspect of this kind of surgery was being “enjoyed” by Mary – her morphine-on-demand dispenser! Her machine delivered a small dose of morphine intravenously every time she thought she needed it, with the proviso that no request would be granted until 6 minutes had passed since the last slug. Mary’s setup, combined with Memorial Day, reminded me of a landmark study on the neurology of pain conducted during the 2nd World War. Wounded soldiers treated in a military hospital at Anzio, a landing site for the Army south of Palermo in Italy, were told that they... On the Brain by Dr. Michael Merzenich, Ph.D. blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=645384 Wed, 30 May 2007 21:16:34 +0100 645384 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=645385&cid=t_356522_122_f&fid=35373&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmerzenich.positscience.com%2F2007%2F05%2F29%2Fa-brain-fitness-graduate-comes-home%2F A couple of weeks ago, Jerry Emmons shared his story with Posit Science. It seems that the 84-year-old was spending much of each day re-living old, painful World War II memories. He had been the only survivor in his crew and the horror was haunting him more and more. “Post-traumatic stress disorder,” said his doctor. And it was getting worse. PTSD was just one of Jerry’s cognitive challenges. He was losing control: getting lost while driving and walking, feeling afraid of going out, having difficulty remembering everyday things that were crucial to his welfare, and causing his wife Marline no end of worry. Ultimately, Marline saw no alternative to having Jerry take up residence in a senior community where he could live a less stressful life and get the help that he need... On the Brain by Dr. Michael Merzenich, Ph.D. blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=645385 Tue, 29 May 2007 19:26:21 +0100 645385 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=623897&cid=t_356522_122_f&fid=35373&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmerzenich.positscience.com%2F2007%2F05%2F18%2Feveryone-doesnt-feel-the-pain%2F Neil Pearson wrote an inspirational and informative comment from a soldier on the front lines of pain therapy about my last entry [which described another neurological confirmation of an empathetic response actually engaging the pain centers of the brain, when a subject witnessed realistic (fake) videos of inflicted pain]. If pain is an issue for you, I encourage you to read his comment. I forgot to mention something important in my brief report. Beyond stoicism, perhaps not so very far in distance, is the psychopath whose brain simply does not respond to witnessing pain. A number of studies have now shown that the brains of such individuals just don’t respond with normal activation patterns reflecting felt pain and empathy, when they witness even horrific pain or suffering incurred ... On the Brain by Dr. Michael Merzenich, Ph.D. blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=623897 Fri, 18 May 2007 20:29:20 +0100 623897 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=620644&cid=t_356522_122_f&fid=35373&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmerzenich.positscience.com%2F2007%2F05%2F16%2Fi-feel-your-pain%2F In the May issue of the journal Cerebral Cortex, a group from the National Institute for Physiological Sciences in Okazaki, Japan reported interesting results from a study in which “pain centers” in the brain were shown to be activated by WITNESSING pain afflicted to others. If you see someone being poked with a sharp needle in a (fake) movie, your brain responds as if YOU’VE been poked, and your brain responds as if YOU hurt. (I can almost see you wincing, as you read this!) IT HURTS, WHEN YOU THINK IT SHOULD. If I flash a red light each time I burn your skin, you’ll learn that the red light means “pain”. If I flash a green light each time I just warm your skin a little without burning it, you’ll understand that the green light means “no pa... On the Brain by Dr. Michael Merzenich, Ph.D. blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=620644 Thu, 17 May 2007 06:19:21 +0100 620644 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=620646&cid=t_356522_122_f&fid=35373&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmerzenich.positscience.com%2F2007%2F05%2F15%2Fwest-nile-virus-is-also-on-the-list%2F In Caldwell, Idaho, on the Snake River in Western Idaho, Dr. Carolyn Rees tells us that she was at ground zero during a West Nile Virus epidemic “leaving many people with post-encephalitic brain damage”. A review of the research literature on WNV includes a number of studies now documenting enduring memory and other cognitive losses as a predictable outcome of a WNV infection. The prevalence of this kind of virus (an “arborvirus”) is growing continuously in the US. The disease is primarily spread via mosquito-transmitted infections in birds. Where the disease has had a long history, some mammals are also commonly infected (e.g., in Northern Africa, where this plague originated, nearly 100% of horses have WNV antibodies marking a historic infection; tragically, in th... On the Brain by Dr. Michael Merzenich, Ph.D. blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=620646 Tue, 15 May 2007 22:03:11 +0100 620646 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=620647&cid=t_356522_122_f&fid=35373&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmerzenich.positscience.com%2F2007%2F05%2F15%2Funderstanding-mental-illness%2F Alan Towers wrote an instructive, poignant comment about the difficulty that he had understanding that his schizophrenic son could not be EXPECTED to “make sense”, if sense was defined by the standards that applied for Alan, or for the wider society. Because so many people who live with psychotic illness or substantial neurological impairment require that their affected loved ones operate by THEIR rules and THEIR logical constructs and world view, they often abandon their children, relatives and friends as uncorrectible and irrecoverable, as lost souls. I’ve had a conversation about this subject with a number of individuals who live with someone who suffers from neurological or psychiatry illness, and know that this misunderstanding can be destructive for all concerned. I... On the Brain by Dr. Michael Merzenich, Ph.D. blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=620647 Tue, 15 May 2007 20:58:11 +0100 620647 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=620648&cid=t_356522_122_f&fid=35373&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmerzenich.positscience.com%2F2007%2F05%2F15%2Fas-if-the-damn-headache-wasnt-bad-enough%2F This study was particularly compelling because of the methods used to document the physical consequences of a migraine episode. The University of Rochester scientist Maiken Nedergard and her colleagues used a 2-photon microscope to actually visualize the synapses on cortical pyramidal cells, through the time course of the “headache”. She must have been stunned by first witnessing the large-scale chaos generated by the migraine sequelae, because the spines (synapses) of cortical neurons swelled and then disintegrated right before her eyes IN VERY LARGE NUMBERS. Some cortical neurons lost the MAJORITY of their synaptic inputs via these tiny, slow-motion ‘explosions’! So: a) you have a headache, b) you blow up your synapses, and c) slowly, headache-by-headache, you suf... On the Brain by Dr. Michael Merzenich, Ph.D. blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=620648 Tue, 15 May 2007 18:30:23 +0100 620648 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=586066&cid=t_356522_122_f&fid=35373&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmerzenich.positscience.com%2F2007%2F05%2F01%2Fjacks-hippocampus-is-bigger-than-yours%2F My dog Jack, shown here, thinking, has a proportionally larger hippocampus than you do. If I had a pet bunny, its hippocampus would be (proportionally) larger, still!! You’ve probably heard a lot about the crucial role that the hippocampus plays in recording our “episodic” (historic, serial, ‘long-term’) memories. Does this mean that we should revise that age old saying to “Molly has a memory like a ………….. rabbit!”. Or what?! Or put another way, what can a rabbit or dog DO, that is decisively superior to YOU? It turns out that dogs and especially rabbits have an exquisite ability to reconstruct and remember their spatial environments, on the basis of visual and olfactory cues in their landscape environments. I learned this ... On the Brain by Dr. Michael Merzenich, Ph.D. blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=586066 Tue, 01 May 2007 16:41:34 +0100 586066 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=586067&cid=t_356522_122_f&fid=35373&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmerzenich.positscience.com%2F2007%2F05%2F01%2Fnew-%25e2%2580%259cvisual%25e2%2580%259d-fitness-programs%2F It was big local news at Posit Science last week when its scientists and engineers completed the development of a new suite of intensive brain plasticity-based training programs targeting declining visual perception, visual attentional control, eye movement control, and related cognitive abilities — and released the programs internally, for evaluation by its “outcomes research” team. Very extensive testing has already shown that these new programs can substantially rejuvenate the visual capabilities – and related visual cognitive skills — of the older brain. Now, controlled scientific studies shall determine the overall effectiveness of this program suite, as well as the additive and possibly synergistic values of applying this very extensive new program with Posit’s al... On the Brain by Dr. Michael Merzenich, Ph.D. blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=586067 Tue, 01 May 2007 15:54:05 +0100 586067 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=571672&cid=t_356522_122_f&fid=35373&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmerzenich.positscience.com%2F2007%2F04%2F26%2Fa-smarter-mike%2F I completed Posit Science’s “Brain Fitness Program” about a week ago, and have been alert to possible changes that I might be able to attribute to it. Two stand out. I have been writing a book, and had written a chapter in which the reader surveys their neurological status by conducting a series of simple, self-administered assessments. As I worked on the development of these tasks, I “invented” a speech fluency assessment, and as a part of that development measured my own abilities. Because I perceived gains in speech fluency after BFP training, I re-tested myself. Overall fluency scores had more than doubled. A second relatively objective measure of improvement came about by accident. On a flight from Mexico to Houston, not long before landing, I completed ... On the Brain by Dr. Michael Merzenich, Ph.D. blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=571672 Thu, 26 Apr 2007 19:34:00 +0100 571672 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=552124&cid=t_356522_122_f&fid=35373&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmerzenich.positscience.com%2F2007%2F04%2F18%2Fwhy-we-do-research%2F Why do we study autistic or dyslexic or schizophrenic or other subjects, in our scientific experiments? That is a question that was asked, rather impolitely, by “dyslexic in LA”, who challenged the “arrogance” of a perspective that engages such individuals as “scientific guinea pigs”. There are two simple answers to this question. 1. We want to understand. 2. If possible, we want to help. There are few if any individuals in the current era who have contributed more to understanding and helping autistic individuals than Tito, Soma, and Portia. I’ve tried to help them. I have the GREATEST respect and admiration for Tito, and for every other individual that has been clinically identified as “autistic” that has contributed to the struggle ... On the Brain by Dr. Michael Merzenich, Ph.D. blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=552124 Wed, 18 Apr 2007 17:25:46 +0100 552124 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=552125&cid=t_356522_122_f&fid=35373&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmerzenich.positscience.com%2F2007%2F04%2F18%2Fthe-brain-and-the-law-when-bobby-goes-bad%2F Each year I deliver a “guest lecture” in a medical ethics course at Stanford. My friend Bill Hurlbut, a member of the President’s Council on Bioethics, is the course director. The issues that I raise in this course were addressed in part by an interesting cover story in the March 11th New York Times Sunday magazine (“The Brain on the Stand”), which considered some of the ways that contemporary neuroscience could be used in our legal system to neurologically determine truth from falsehood, or guilt from innocence. The article stated, quite correctly, that it should soon be possible to reconstruct a brain’s historic involvement in a past criminal event, or at least to query a subject in a way that the brain’s lying or truth-telling about it would be unequivocally documented. Th... On the Brain by Dr. Michael Merzenich, Ph.D. blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=552125 Wed, 18 Apr 2007 15:15:41 +0100 552125 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=547005&cid=t_356522_122_f&fid=35373&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmerzenich.positscience.com%2F2007%2F04%2F16%2Fhow-can-the-same-brain-plasticity-based-training-programs-help-individuals-with-cognitive-losses-arising-from-normal-aging-exposure-to-ied-explosions-or-chemotherapy%2F Over the past two weeks, I have specifically discussed the potential value of intensive brain plasticity-based brain fitness training for individuals with ALL of these (and other, related) personal histories. How in the heck can “one size fit all”? How on earth can the losses in mental faculties stemming from an explosion of little bubbles in the brain accompanying an IED blast be related to those derived from a slow, deliberate chemical poisoning of regenerative processes in the brain designed to limit the proliferation of cancerous tissues that are usually not even IN the brain, or to the normal deterioration of the fabric of the brain that accompanies getting older? Understanding the nature of the basic neurological processes that account for how the brain encodes and “represents�... On the Brain by Dr. Michael Merzenich, Ph.D. blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=547005 Mon, 16 Apr 2007 17:26:33 +0100 547005 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=539640&cid=t_356522_122_f&fid=35373&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmerzenich.positscience.com%2F2007%2F04%2F12%2Fa-shock-wave-of-brain-injuries%2F That was the headline in a Washington Post article written by Ronald Glasser, published on Sunday, April 8, 2007. It reported a rather astounding statistic that applies to veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars: About 30% of soldiers in those conflicts have been directly exposed to IED or other powerful explosions. That exposure has resulted in diffuse physical trauma to their brains. To paraphrase Mr. Glasser, detonation of any powerful explosive generates a blast wave of high pressure that spreads out at about twice the speed of sound away from the explosion, and travels with great force over hundreds of yards. The initial shock wave physically “rattles” the brain within the skull; the huge volume of displaced air flooding back into the area of the explosion generates a s... On the Brain by Dr. Michael Merzenich, Ph.D. blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=539640 Thu, 12 Apr 2007 21:03:27 +0100 539640 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=539642&cid=t_356522_122_f&fid=35373&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmerzenich.positscience.com%2F2007%2F04%2F12%2Fmy-own-experiences-at-brain-fitness-exercises%2F I just completed session 31 (of 40) of Posit Science’s Brain Fitness Program v. 2.0 this morning. Because I have been working on the development of these exercises over the past several years, I’ve spent many an hour hunched over my computer “trying to get the answer right” on model training programs!! My current goal is to make brain fitness training part of my regular daily routine. I have another several months of model programs lined up after I complete the BFP. I’m already pretty addicted to my daily time spent in the “brain fitness center”, and am looking forward to these visual-skills, attention-skills and executive-skills training programs with considerable anticipation. A key is to put the necessary time for exercise onto your schedule in... On the Brain by Dr. Michael Merzenich, Ph.D. blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=539642 Thu, 12 Apr 2007 16:31:46 +0100 539642 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=523833&cid=t_356522_122_f&fid=35373&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmerzenich.positscience.com%2F2007%2F04%2F05%2Fbrain-plasticity-based-cognitive-training-elevates-bdnf%2F Serum BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophin factor) has been repeatedly shown to be lower than normal in schizophrenic, bipolar and depressed patient populations. Moreover, the severity of manias or depression have been shown to be inversely correlated with serum BDNF. This key brain trophic factor plays a complicated panoply of roles in brain development, in maintaining the metabolic status and transmitter production in neuronal populations, in protecting neuron populations, and in enabling brain plasticity processes. It is specifically released as a function of cortical or subcortical nucleus activity levels. At least in the cortex, its release is a function of the level of coordination of neural activities. In a presentation at the International Congress on Schizophrenia Research in Colorado... On the Brain by Dr. Michael Merzenich, Ph.D. blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=523833 Thu, 05 Apr 2007 16:03:01 +0100 523833 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=520762&cid=t_356522_122_f&fid=35373&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmerzenich.positscience.com%2F2007%2F04%2F04%2Fwhy-science-can-be-confusing-just-another-example%2F This study DOES provide unequivocal evidence that new cell formation in the hippocampus is not REQUIRED for spatial learning. That is hardly surprising. The primary changes underlying learning involve an amplification of the strengths of just those connections (synapses) that contribute to a successful learning outcome. In most of the brain — including the cerebral cortex and the primary brain centers that support the cortex’s contributions to learning, cognition and memory control — there is little or no neurogenesis in adult brains. Nonetheless, the brain is, by its very nature, a plastic (LEARNING) machine, and the cortex is crucially involved in all memory-guided learning! It learns through changing synaptic weights (strengthening synapses that are engaged in a good &... On the Brain by Dr. Michael Merzenich, Ph.D. blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=520762 Wed, 04 Apr 2007 15:06:02 +0100 520762 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=513149&cid=t_356522_122_f&fid=35373&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmerzenich.positscience.com%2F2007%2F03%2F30%2Fmarch-30-does-exercise-make-kids-smarter%2F That’s the claim of a lead article in the last issue of Newsweek (for the full article, see MSNBC Article). The authors cite interesting evidence from a study conducted at an outstanding brain plasticity-oriented neuroscience research institute at the University of Illinois, where investigators have found that the kids with the fittest bodies are the kids with the fittest brains. There is a growing body of evidence that has argued that physical exercise is good for your brain. A University of Illinois scientist Bill Greenough conducted a landmark study that showed, more than a decade ago, that physical exercise has a direct, positive impact on enriching the blood supply to a brain region that is engaged by that exercise (for example, the sectors of the brain controlling running movem... On the Brain by Dr. Michael Merzenich, Ph.D. blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=513149 Sat, 31 Mar 2007 04:26:51 +0100 513149 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=513151&cid=t_356522_122_f&fid=35373&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmerzenich.positscience.com%2F2007%2F03%2F30%2Fmarch-30-second-language-learning-as-brain-exercise%2F While I’m working in Mexico, my wife Diane spends much of each day in an immersion Spanish class. She began by taking Spanish classes over a period of about a year at a local community center. Now that she has the basics, an immersion class in which you have to operate in the second language is pretty effective. After two weeks of classes, the difference is striking; she now has the confidence for operating in simple, everyday conversations in social child-talk Spanish. She is determine to grow an oak tree from this acorn! There are few things that you can do that are better for an older brain than taking on a complex new challenge like this one. Learning a second language requires careful listening, and a heavy dose of new learning on all levels of perception, memory, cognition, and... On the Brain by Dr. Michael Merzenich, Ph.D. blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=513151 Fri, 30 Mar 2007 16:53:36 +0100 513151 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=513155&cid=t_356522_122_f&fid=35373&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmerzenich.positscience.com%2F2007%2F03%2F29%2Fmarch-28-a-recommended-book-about-neuro-plasticity%2F The Brain That Changes Itself (2007) by Normal Doidge, M.D. This interesting just-published book chronicles some of the stories of the men and women who have ushered in the new “brain plasticity” revolution in neuroscience. As we repeatedly emphasize in this blog, the brain is no longer viewed by neuroscientists as a machine that is hard-wired early in early life, unable to adapt, and destined to “wear out” with age. This book attempts to document how scientists are unlocking the secrets of the powerful, lifelong, adaptability – or “plasticity” – of the brain, for the benefit of child and young-and-old adult populations. The implications for treating neurological disease, for addressing performance problems that arise in aging, and for making dramatic improvements in human ... On the Brain by Dr. Michael Merzenich, Ph.D. blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=513155 Thu, 29 Mar 2007 17:25:35 +0100 513155 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=513156&cid=t_356522_122_f&fid=35373&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmerzenich.positscience.com%2F2007%2F03%2F29%2Fmarch-26-for-chemobrain-et-alia-think-brain-fitness-training%2F If you have this personal history of cancer and chemo- or radiation-therapy, or know someone or are treating someone who has lived it, you might seriously consider enrolling (them) in a serious “brain fitness program”. That is ESPECIALLY the case if memory or other cognitive losses have been noted after either chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy. Posit Science is now supporting a study that is designed to document improvements in cognitive function resulting from its “brain fitness training” strategy (see www.positscience.com) in chemotherapy-treated breast cancer survivors. While initial findings in this population are very encouraging, we’ll know more when this study is completed. On that date, results shall immediately appear in abbreviated form on this blog! Two more th... On the Brain by Dr. Michael Merzenich, Ph.D. blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=513156 Thu, 29 Mar 2007 17:23:27 +0100 513156 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=513157&cid=t_356522_122_f&fid=35373&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmerzenich.positscience.com%2F2007%2F03%2F29%2Fmarch-25-studies-of-identical-twins-can-provide-good-answers%2F In my last entry related to the neuroscience of aging, I cited a study by Heflin et al on the significantly negative mental consequences of surviving cancer and its treatments. This “twins study” was one of a series of such experiments that have come from the University of Southern California research team of Margaret Gatz. Her group’s research is a good starting point for learning about environmental contributors to cognitive deficits and senility, because studies conducted in identical twins (she relies heavily on a large Swedish identical-twin roster) eliminate known contributions of genetics and child rearing and education to aging successes and risks. (Source: On the Brain by Dr. Michael Merzenich, Ph.D.) On the Brain by Dr. Michael Merzenich, Ph.D. blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=513157 Thu, 29 Mar 2007 17:19:20 +0100 513157 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=513158&cid=t_356522_122_f&fid=35373&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmerzenich.positscience.com%2F2007%2F03%2F29%2Fmarch-24-2007-a-triple-whammy%2F This study is special because it uses an analysis of cognitive ability and senility in identical twins. By this strategy, inherited and childhood rearing factors are ruled out from contributing to measured differences. The results: You’ve had cancer. You’re twice as likely to be significantly cognitively impaired. You’re twice as likely to be senile. Like I said, a triple whammy. ONE MORE POINT: People argue about whether or not Alzheimer’s incidences are on the rise. How can they NOT be, when many factors that affect the probability and the timing of AD onset are products of modern societies? Maybe that contributes to the explanation as to why it took Alois Alzheimer about 7 years to identify the handful of patients with the condition that bears this name! (Source: On the Brain... On the Brain by Dr. Michael Merzenich, Ph.D. blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=513158 Thu, 29 Mar 2007 17:18:34 +0100 513158 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=513159&cid=t_356522_122_f&fid=35373&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmerzenich.positscience.com%2F2007%2F03%2F29%2Fmarch-24-welcome-informed-citizens-students-professionals%2F The goal of this blog is to educate ourselves (you, and me) about the brain science underlying brain health. We shall have something to say, almost every day, on three grand subjects. First, this shall be a “No Spin Zone” on the subject of brain fitness. We’ll discuss discoveries and claims that inform us about the neurology and psychology of normal and pathological aging – and just what in hell we might do about it! One special focus of our discussion shall be the rapidly growing science of “neuroplasticity” — that remarkable capacity of the brain to change (IMPROVE) itself, at any age. We’ll do a little debunking now and again, but our main goal is to be positively HELPFUL – to guide you (or the clients that you to better strategies to maximize your brain fitness, ... On the Brain by Dr. Michael Merzenich, Ph.D. blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=513159 Thu, 29 Mar 2007 17:11:03 +0100 513159