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 'impairment'. Sat, 03 Sep 2011 01:56:35 +0100 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5139875&cid=t_136949_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F08%2F18%2Fintroducing-to-the-edge-and-back%2F Living with a mental health issue or mental disorder as serious as bipolar disorder, depression or anxiety is no easy task. Ask anyone who grapples with these concerns on a day-to-day basis. But what can complicate even serious mental illness is a misdiagnosis of one disorder over another. To the Edge and Back is a blog about the trials, tribulations and triumphs of day-to-day life with a very peculiar psychological impairment. Steven Pace says that he is capable of tremendous achievements in a variety of fields on any given day. However, due to the chaotic and disruptive nature of his affliction, he fears that he may never be able to maintain a consistent level of productivity that would allow him to be recognized as a contributing member of society. This blog will share bits of his journ... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5139875 Thu, 18 Aug 2011 17:22:46 +0100 5139875 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5050915&cid=t_136949_122_f&fid=36582&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FSharpBrains%2F%7E3%2FbcsIvOBs0_c%2F Although ADHD used to be considered a disorder of childhood, follow-up studies indicate that between 30% and 60% of children with ADHD continue to experience symptoms and impairment in adulthood. And, even when ADHD symptoms decline over time, many individuals continue to experience significant impairment in important areas of functioning. For example, children with ADHD have poorer academic achievement as adolescents compared to their peers and this trend continues into adulthood. Research pertaining to occupational functioning is limited but available data clearly points to poorer employment histories in adults with ADHD. Predictors of occupational outcomes in individuals with ADHD have not been carefully investigated, however. A recent study conducted in Norway with a large sample of ad... SharpBrains blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5050915 Mon, 18 Jul 2011 09:36:52 +0100 5050915 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5028705&cid=t_136949_122_f&fid=36582&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FSharpBrains%2F%7E3%2FjKO-tpp3LHo%2F Issues with aging can be costly for retirees’ money (Associated Press). Quotes: – “With age comes wisdom about money — up to a point.” - “Years of handling your own finances and investments sharpen the ability to make sound decisions. But failing to prepare for the day when growing older hampers your judgment can be costly at an age when more is at stake. Seniors older than 65 hold about $18 trillion in assets, according to government data, or about a third of all U.S. net worth.” - “Sometimes the senior’s worst enemy is himself or herself,” says Andrew Stoltmann, a Chicago attorney and investment adviser. “Poor financial decisions and cognitive impairment go hand in hand.” To learn more: click on full article. (Source: SharpBrains) SharpBrains blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5028705 Mon, 11 Jul 2011 14:50:02 +0100 5028705 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4960202&cid=t_136949_122_f&fid=36582&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FSharpBrains%2F%7E3%2FKL0ko4TEcXU%2F A couple of very interesting recent announcements show (in a military context) how well-targeted brain training can complement and augment existing approaches, both to help “normal” and “clinical” populations, in ways that silo-based, rear-mirror thinking often misses: U.S. Department of Defense Awards $2 Million to Brain Plasticity Inc. to Study Impact of Brain Training for Traumatic Brain Injuries (press release): “Brain Plasticity Inc. (BPI), a technology incubator dedicated to the discovery and development of novel technologies that harness the basic principles of brain plasticity to improve the lives of people with neurological and psychiatric disorders, was recently awarded a $2 million grant from the United States Department of Defense.” “The grant will fund a two-year... SharpBrains blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4960202 Thu, 23 Jun 2011 11:21:27 +0100 4960202 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4788721&cid=t_136949_146_f&fid=38266&url=http%3A%2F%2Fsleepeducation.blogspot.com%2F2011%2F05%2Fmid-life-sleep-changes-may-accelerate.html (Source: Sleep Education) Sleep Education blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4788721 Wed, 04 May 2011 15:51:00 +0100 4788721 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4429108&cid=t_136949_122_f&fid=34755&url=http%3A%2F%2Fneuropsychological.blogspot.com%2F2011%2F02%2Fupcoming-event-9th-annual-mild.html The 9th Annual Mild Cognitive Impairment Symposium will take place in late April in Miami Beach, Florida.The theme of the meeting is "New Criteria for Prodromal and Preclinical Alzheimer's Disease"The website for the conference can be found at: mcisymposium.org. The Twitter voice of the conference is @mcisymposium (Source: BrainBlog) BrainBlog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4429108 Wed, 02 Feb 2011 18:12:00 +0100 4429108 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4414682&cid=t_136949_151_f&fid=35818&url=http%3A%2F%2Frecoveryissexy.com%2Fdeaf-hard-of-hearing-addiction-treatment%2F Hearing Impairment sign – Image via WikipediaGetting Help | SAISD.The John L. Norris addiction treatment centre is proud to offer the only inpatient program for the treatment of deaf and hard of hearing persons in New York State and is one of the only six programs in the United States. The length of stay for this population is slightly longer than the average length of stay for hearing patients. Counseling staff is fluent in American Sign Language (ASL). Interpreting Staff are Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf (RID) certified. Treatment features include: group and individual therapy, educational lectures and movies, self help meetings, and recreational therapy.Getting Help | SAISD.Related articlesDeaf and Hard of Hearing Recovery (recoveryissexy.com) Share, print or e-mail this a... Recovery Is Sexy.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4414682 Sat, 29 Jan 2011 06:09:17 +0100 4414682 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4040515&cid=t_136949_86_f&fid=36669&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffadelibrary.wordpress.com%2F2010%2F10%2F07%2Fevidence-based-mental-health-2010-vol-13-no-3%2F Title: Moderate or high physical activity lowers the risk of cognitive impairment in older people Skinny: Physical activity is associated with a variety of beneficial health outcomes, including the prevention of cognitive impairment among older adults, which this article concentrates on. Filed under: Evidence Based Practice, Lifestyle, Mental Health, Older People, Physical Activity Tagged: Cognitive Impairment, Evidence Based Practice, Exercise, Mental Health, Older People, Physical Activity (Source: Fade Library) Fade Library blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4040515 Thu, 07 Oct 2010 13:05:42 +0100 4040515 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4013347&cid=t_136949_122_f&fid=36582&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FSharpBrains%2F%7E3%2Fczf-MSXQ8Qw%2F Excellent article about an emerging “small revolution” in mental health care: Marientina Gotsis, media lab manager at USC, started thinking about designing apps with therapeutic potential when she realized that her phone had joined her wallet and keys on the small list of things she never left home without. “It’s what keeps people connected, functional, feeling safe and entertained. So why not use what people hold on to close to deliver behavioral interventions?” It’s the kind of innovation that Kathleen Carroll, a psychology professor at Yale, says may be a “small revolution” in mental health care. These apps are part of the “brain fitness” industry, a category that includes computerized memory exercises and cognitive-impairment assessment programs, and that SharpBrain... SharpBrains blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4013347 Tue, 28 Sep 2010 12:39:00 +0100 4013347 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3854749&cid=t_136949_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FqCu7f2Zmd98%2F Finding new ways to identify people who develop Alzheimer’s disease is a key step on the Holy Grail trail to prevent the affliction. And now yet another means of doing so has been discovered - a spinal fluid test that is apparently 100 percent accurate in identifying patients who have significant memory loss and are developing Alzheimer’s, according to a study in the Archives of Neurology (read the abstract). Such biomarkers, of course, should make it easier for clinical research to accelerate. People who have undergone spinal fluid tests can be enrolled in studies that are run to better solicit information about those who are developing symptoms and, later, to track the progress of drugs that are being developed to treat or prevent Alzheimer’s. The study included more than 3... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3854749 Tue, 10 Aug 2010 13:31:39 +0100 3854749 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3854751&cid=t_136949_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2F6lHm55SyF5E%2F Good morning, everyone. Another balmy day on the Pharmalot corporate campus, where we are doing our best to keep cool. We trust you are doing the same. Meanwhile, deadlines and meetings continue to loom. As we prepare, please join us for a cup of stimulation and a bottle of water - a chaser, now and then, is a good thing. Have a great day and stay in touch… SciClone Probed By SEC & DOJ Over Activities In China (MarketWatch) WHO Declares Swine Flu Pandemic Is Over (Bloomberg News) Vertex Hepatitis C Drugs Work In Most Patients In 24 Weeks (Reuters) Merck Reacquires Pennsylvania Plant (The Daily Item) Looking For Clues Of Cognitive Impairment With Parkinson’s (The Wall Street Journal) Elan Delays Sale Of Drug Delivery Unit (Reuters) Roche Uncertain About Partnership For Ovar... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3854751 Tue, 10 Aug 2010 11:59:33 +0100 3854751 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3757864&cid=t_136949_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fnew-research-on-alzheimers-disease%2F2010.07.15 Data presented at the International Conference on Alzheimer’s Disease in Honolulu this week indicated that exercise and adequate vitamin D levels could help reduce risk for the disorder. Framingham Heart Study researchers found that risk for dementia was halved in “moderate to heavy exercisers” compared with more sedentary people, while researchers on a separate study found that vitamin D deficiency can greatly increase risk for mental impairment. Another study found that injecting the compound florbetapir into the brain of patients with dementia and then performing a PET scan could help pinpoint the size and location of plaques. Researchers also reported that tea consumption was linked to a slower rate of cognitive decline in older adults without cognitive impairment, bu... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3757864 Thu, 15 Jul 2010 16:00:00 +0100 3757864 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3750005&cid=t_136949_86_f&fid=36669&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffadelibrary.wordpress.com%2F2010%2F07%2F14%2Fjournal-of-the-american-medical-association-2010-vol-304-no-2%2F This article looks at physicians’ beliefs, preparedness, and actual experiences related to reporting colleagues who are impaired or incompetent to practice medicine. The article concludes that most physicians support the professional commitment to report incompetent colleagues, however when faced with the situation many do not report. An NHS Athens password is required to access this article online, alternatively contact the Library for a copy of this article. Filed under: Current Awareness, E-Journals, Journals Tagged: Doctors, Impairment, Incompetence, Professionalism, United States, Whistleblowing (Source: Fade Library) Fade Library blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3750005 Wed, 14 Jul 2010 07:08:18 +0100 3750005 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3737045&cid=t_136949_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fpersonalized-medicine-a-bait-and-switch%2F2010.07.08 Mark Hyman, a proponent of so-called “functional medicine” promoting himself over at the Huffington Post (an online news source that essentially allows dubious medical infomercials to pass as news) has posted a particularly egregious article on personalized medicine for dementia. In the article Hyman distorts the modern practice of medicine, the current state of genetic science, and the very notion of “disease.” It is, as usual, a fine piece of medical propaganda sure to confuse many a reader. Hyman starts with some standard epidemiology of dementia –- it’s a common and growing disorder –- but then descends quickly into distortion and pseudoscience. (more…) *This blog post was originally published at Science-Based Medicine* (Source: Better Health) Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3737045 Thu, 08 Jul 2010 12:00:38 +0100 3737045 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3666082&cid=t_136949_122_f&fid=36582&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FSharpBrains%2F%7E3%2FWewc7Opte04%2F Intellectual Enrichment Helped Preserve Memory and Learning in Multiple Sclerosis Patients, Study Says (WebMD) “A small study of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients shows that maintaining an intellectually active lifestyle can help preserve learning and memory, even among patients with a high degree of brain damage.” “Although there’s no indication that being mentally engaged protects against brain damage itself, the findings do suggest that an active mind may be better equipped to retain its functions even in the event of brain damage.” “The findings suggest that enriching activities may build a person’s ‘cognitive reserve,’ which can be thought of as a buffer against disease-related memory impairment,” says study author James Sumowski, Ph... SharpBrains blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3666082 Tue, 15 Jun 2010 17:17:48 +0100 3666082 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3603705&cid=t_136949_122_f&fid=35373&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmerzenich.positscience.com%2F%3Fp%3D251 I had the great pleasure of attending a symposium held in the College of Education at my alma mater, the University of Portland, focused on this interesting subject, and the implications that it bears for effective learning and teaching. My co-participants were distinguished professors in linguistics and education science (Ellyn Arwood and Richard Christen), and [...] (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=3603705 Wed, 26 May 2010 20:27:55 +0100 3603705 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3588913&cid=t_136949_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2010%2F05%2F22%2Fpreschool-depression-real-or-imagined%2F Joan Luby, a Professor of Psychiatry in the Early Emotional Development Program at the Washington University School of Medicine, argues in a new journal article (Luby, 2010) that preschool depression is a real disorder that is important to identify early on. Preschool depression refers to preschool-aged children (between 3 and 6 years old) suffering from significant depressive symptoms that cause impairment in the child’s daily functioning and development. She argues, however, that we can’t use the adult criteria for depression, since some of those criteria wouldn’t make sense in a preschool child. A preschool child, for instance, can’t experience the loss of sexual pleasure, but they can experience a loss of enjoyment in ordinary child play activities. It makes a ... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3588913 Sat, 22 May 2010 11:06:33 +0100 3588913 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3460120&cid=t_136949_86_f&fid=38272&url=http%3A%2F%2Flaikaspoetnik.wordpress.com%2F2010%2F04%2F10%2Firreversible-effects-of-previous-cortisol-excess-on-cognitive-functions-in-cushings-disease%2F April 8th is Cushing’s Awareness Day. This day has been chosen as a day of awareness as it is the birthday of Dr. Harvey Cushing, a neurosurgeon, who discovered this illness. Cushing’s disease is a rare hormone disease caused by prolonged exposure to high levels of the stress hormone cortisol in the blood, whereas Addison’s disease [...] (Source: Laika's MedLibLog) Laika's MedLibLog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3460120 Sat, 10 Apr 2010 14:03:21 +0100 3460120 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3362480&cid=t_136949_122_f&fid=34755&url=http%3A%2F%2Fneuropsychological.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F03%2Fneuropsychology-abstract-of-day_12.html Elfgren C, Gustafson L, Vestberg S, & Passant U. Subjective memory complaints, neuropsychological performance and psychiatric variables in memory clinic attendees: A 3-year follow-up study. Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics. 2010 Mar 6. [Epub ahead of print]Department of Geriatric Psychiatry, Clinical Sciences, Lund University Hospital, SE-221 85 Lund, Sweden.The aims were to evaluate the cognitive performance and clinical diagnosis in patients ( (Source: BrainBlog) BrainBlog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3362480 Sat, 13 Mar 2010 02:51:00 +0100 3362480 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3362483&cid=t_136949_122_f&fid=34755&url=http%3A%2F%2Fneuropsychological.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F03%2Fneuropsychology-abstract-of-day-aging.html CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that SAGE is a reliable instrument for detecting cognitive impairment and compares favorably with the MMSE. The self-administered feature may promote cognitive testing by busy clinicians prompting earlier diagnosis and treatment.PMID: 20220323 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: BrainBlog) BrainBlog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3362483 Fri, 12 Mar 2010 18:59:00 +0100 3362483 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3370680&cid=t_136949_151_f&fid=35805&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Ftwelvestepfacilitation%2FwAgT%2F%7E3%2FvqSexr-UG8Q%2F Biomarkers in Alcohol Misuse: Their Role in the Prevention and Detection of Thiamine Deficiency In Western countries alcohol misuse is the most frequent cause of thiamine (vitamin B1) deficiency (TD) and consequent neuro-impairment. Studies have demonstrated that between 30 and 80% of alcoholics are thiamine deficient, and this puts them at risk of developing the Wernicke–Korsakoff (WK) syndrome. The relative roles of alcohol and TD in causing brain damage remain controversial and it is important to try to determine the role played by each factor. Animal studies support an additive effect of alcohol exposure and TD, and indicate the potential for interaction between alcohol and TD in human alcohol-related brain damage. Early diagnosis of alcohol-related TD is therefore an important ... Twelve Step Facilitation.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3370680 Wed, 10 Mar 2010 22:02:24 +0100 3370680 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3149327&cid=t_136949_151_f&fid=35818&url=http%3A%2F%2Frecoveryissexy.com%2Fbrain-damage-recovery-from-alcoholism%2F Thinking Impairment and Recovery From Alcoholism Brain damage is a common and potentially severe consequence of long-term, heavy alcohol consumption. Even mild-to-moderate drinking can adversely affect thinking functioning (i.e., mental activities that involve acquiring, storing, retrieving, and using information). Persistent thinking impairment can contribute to poor job performance in adult alcoholics, and can interfere with learning [...] (Source: Recovery Is Sexy.com) Recovery Is Sexy.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3149327 Wed, 06 Jan 2010 20:01:12 +0100 3149327 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3096794&cid=t_136949_86_f&fid=36669&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffadelibrary.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F12%2F17%2Farchives-of-neurology-2009-vol-66-no-12%2F contents page Fade Fave: Mild Cognitive Impairment: Ten Years Later Fade Skinny: Mild cognitive impairment represents the earliest clinical features of these conditions and, hence, has become a focus of clinical, epidemiologic, neuroimaging, biomarker, neuropathological, disease mechanism, and clinical trials research. This review summarizes the progress that has been made while also recognizing the challenges that remain. (NHS Athens is required to access this article online) Posted in Athens Password, Current Awareness, E-Journals Tagged: Athens Password, Current Awareness, E-Journals, Mild Cognitive Impairment, Neurology (Source: Fade Library) Fade Library blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3096794 Thu, 17 Dec 2009 09:30:16 +0100 3096794 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2820393&cid=t_136949_111_f&fid=36048&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAHeartyLife%2F%7E3%2FNuBN9AZtaQ8%2F Researchers from the University of Alabama have found that a person who was able to handle money earlier in life and who begins making poor money decisions and has become unable to handle transactions may be heading towards Alzheimer’s disease. Their study wasn’t a large one (only 163 people) but it could be a good indicator of what other things to look for as well if further studies back up these findings. Of the 163 people, 87 had mild cognitive impairment (mild memory loss or ability to do calculations or mental tasks) and 76 people who showed no signs of memory problems. The researchers looked to see who the participants used a bank statement, balanced a checkbook, paid bills, and counted money. According to the findings, which were published in the Sept. 22 edition of the ... A Hearty Life blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2820393 Mon, 21 Sep 2009 22:54:46 +0100 2820393 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2748028&cid=t_136949_122_f&fid=36582&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FSharpBrains%2F%7E3%2FaqOIzrK2JUE%2F (Editor's Note: given the growing media attention to three apparently separate worlds -cognitive enhancement via drugs, brain fitness training software, computerized neurocognitive assessments-, I found it refreshing to see our co-founder Elkhonon Goldberg introduce the topic of cognotropic drugs with an integrative perspective in the much updated new edition of his classic book, now titled The New Executive Brain: Frontal Lobes In A Complex World. Below goes an excerpt). For many neuropsychologists, like myself, science is a labor of love, but seeing patients is bread and butter. Traditionally, the clinical contribution of neuropsychology has been mostly diagnostic, with precious little to offer patients by way of treatment. Neuropsychology is not the only clinical discipline for years c... SharpBrains blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2748028 Mon, 31 Aug 2009 03:11:08 +0100 2748028 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2724795&cid=t_136949_86_f&fid=36669&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffadelibrary.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F08%2F21%2Fhealth-service-journal-2009-20th-august%2F Title: Listen closely to what deaf patients want Skinny: Argues that deaf patients have worse health than the general population and that deaf patient’s healthcare can be greatly improved by services tuning in to better ways of communicating with hearing impaired individuals. Discusses the difficulties facing deaf patients when going to the GP, from booking an appointment to getting a diagnosis. Includes ‘top tips’ for assisting deaf patients and a case study regarding a deaf patient’s experiences when visiting his GP surgery. (Print subscription held at Fade Library) Posted in Access, Appointment Systems, Equal Opportunities, General Practice, Journals Tagged: Deafness, Hearing Impairment (Source: Fade Library) Fade Library blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2724795 Fri, 21 Aug 2009 14:58:37 +0100 2724795 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2649050&cid=t_136949_109_f&fid=35671&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.anxietyinsights.info%2Flack_of_sunlight_linked_to_cognitive_impairment_in_the_depre.htm Graeme Baldwin - BioMed Central A lack of sunlight is associated with reduced cognitive function among depressed people. Researchers writing in BioMed Central's open access journal Environmental Health used weather data from NASA satellites to measure sunlight exposure across the United States and linked this information to the prevalence of cognitive impairment in depressed people. Shia Kent, from the University of Alabama at Birmingham, led a team of US researchers who used cross-sectional data from 14,474 people in the REGARDS study, a longitudinal study investigating stroke incidence and risk factors, to study associations between depression, cognitive function and sunlight. He said, "We found that among participants with depression, low exposure to sunlight was associated with a signi... Latest entries from www.anxietyinsights.info blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2649050 Wed, 29 Jul 2009 07:53:00 +0100 2649050 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2649255&cid=t_136949_137_f&fid=35426&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FTheAlzheimersReadingRoom%2F%7E3%2FY85uoiDoxmc%2Fearly-sign-of-mild-cogntive-impairment.html Can anyone on the list describe this sound?Before the onset of Alzheimer's or dementia comes a stage of memory loss that is known as mild cognitive impairment (MCI). MCI is best described as a mild memory condition that can be a precursor to Alzheimer’s disease. During this stage of memory loss the sufferer can still function independently but begins to show signs of memory loss well beyond what we usually referred to as senior moments. As we age, we all tend to become forgetful. Where are the car keys? Where did I park my car in the parking lot.When I first became concerned about my mother she was 86 years old. For more than ten years after the death of my father she was living by herself in southeast Florida. She did everything for herself without problem. She was just sailing through ... Alzheimer's Reading Room, The blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2649255 Tue, 28 Jul 2009 14:07:55 +0100 2649255 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2606199&cid=t_136949_137_f&fid=35426&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FTheAlzheimersReadingRoom%2F%7E3%2FjWFXRMxvB_I%2Fmild-cognitive-impairment-mci-as-useful.html "Our results show that neurologists regularly see and treat people with MCI, despite the fact that the medications they are prescribing are not FDA-approved for this particular diagnostic category," Scott Roberts said. "Clinicians vary greatly in the education and support they provide or recommend for people with MCI, suggesting that there is a need for practice guidelines in this area. Millions of people can be classified as having MCI, and these numbers are expected to rise in coming years. It is important to establish professional consensus about appropriate care for this population."For more Insight into Alzheimer's DiseaseSubscribe to The Alzheimer's Reading RoomNeurologists Views MCI as a Useful Clinical Diagnosis – Practice Guidelines Are NeededMild cognitive impairment (MCI) is a... Alzheimer's Reading Room, The blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2606199 Thu, 16 Jul 2009 01:07:58 +0100 2606199 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2602201&cid=t_136949_137_f&fid=35426&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FTheAlzheimersReadingRoom%2F%7E3%2FQquVM3_o-cE%2Fmoderate-long-term-physical-activity.html "Our results suggest that long-term strenuous activity may increase the risk of cognitive impairment in recently postmenopausal women," Tierney said. "On the other hand, moderate long-term physical activity may improve later life cognition. These preliminary findings have important implications for women's health and support the need for large-scale studies including both women and men."For more Insight into Alzheimer's DiseaseSubscribe to The Alzheimer's Reading RoomModerate Long-Term Physical Activity May Improve Late Life Cognition; Long-Term Strenuous Activity May Increase Risk of Cognitive Impairment Long-term strenuous physical activity has been shown to decrease lifetime exposure to ovarian hormones in women and has been found to play a protective role against breast cancer. However... Alzheimer's Reading Room, The blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2602201 Tue, 14 Jul 2009 18:25:28 +0100 2602201 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2598454&cid=t_136949_137_f&fid=35426&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FTheAlzheimersReadingRoom%2F%7E3%2F4Rm-XCSOtL0%2Fmoderate-alcohol-intake-is-associated.html Among cognitively normal older adults, moderate alcohol intake (1-2 drinks/day) is associated with 40% lower risk of dementia over 6 years. In MCI, alcohol does not appear beneficial and heavy use is associated with greater risk of progression to dementia. Recommendations not to exceed 2 drinks/day are supported by these dataFor more Insight into Alzheimer's DiseaseSubscribe to The Alzheimer's Reading RoomModerate Alcohol Intake Is Associated With Nearly 40% Lower Risk of DementiaModerate alcohol intake, especially wine, has been associated with reduced risk of dementia in middle aged adults. It is not known whether this association is also true for older adults or those with mild cognitive impairment (MCI).Kaycee Sink, MD, MAS, Assistant Professor of Medicine in the Department of Internal... Alzheimer's Reading Room, The blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2598454 Tue, 14 Jul 2009 12:12:03 +0100 2598454 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2576714&cid=t_136949_122_f&fid=35373&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmerzenich.positscience.com%2F%3Fp%3D249 I delivered a lecture at the University of Konstanz in Germany two weeks ago, as a part of the celebration of the 100th Anniversary of the Heidelberg Akademie. This is one of 7 scientific academies in Germany. Because Germany was created as an amalgamation of powerful states in the 19th Century, its scientific academies originate with and are still identified with those entities — in the case of the Heidelberg Academy, with the state of Baden-Wuerttemburg. Because I was appealing to a wider scientific audience than usual, my subject was a consideration of the societal consequences of ‘the brain plasticity revolution’. Contemporary neuroscience is revealing, for the first time in our history, our true human natures. It is defining the true rules of human behavior, as brai... On the Brain by Dr. Michael Merzenich, Ph.D. blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2576714 Mon, 06 Jul 2009 21:08:33 +0100 2576714 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2570897&cid=t_136949_122_f&fid=35373&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmerzenich.positscience.com%2F%3Fp%3D248 I received a wonderful comment about the hypothesis that early umbilical cord clamping might contribute to the risk of origin of autism from a wonderful former colleague, Dr. David Blake, a researcher in the Department of Neurology at the Medical College of Georgia. His observations: Fraternal twins typically have different placentas, whereas identical twins share a placenta but have different cords. The blood supply, and pre-clamping susceptibility to anoxia, would surely be different. There are plenty of reviews associating prenatal or perinatal anoxia with autism already (as well as advanced maternal and/or paternal age). Given that early cord clamping clearly impacts perinatal anoxia, and has been recommended against, it would seem prudent to just change practice and see where that lea... On the Brain by Dr. Michael Merzenich, Ph.D. blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2570897 Wed, 24 Jun 2009 22:42:51 +0100 2570897 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2570898&cid=t_136949_122_f&fid=35373&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmerzenich.positscience.com%2F%3Fp%3D246 I delivered a lecture sponsored by the Danish Neuroscience Society and the Helene Elsass Center (a wonderful new research institution in the suburbs of Copenhagen) that has developed a state-of-the-art research and treatment center focusing on cerebral palsy. I was delighted to sit down with the Center’s Director, Peder Esben Bilde, to review new training software developed by therapists and University of Copenhagen scientists affiliated with the Center, and implemented with the help of a local computer game company. The software uses a conventional computer camera to dynamically record the location of colored bands strapped around a few fingers or hand or wrist or elbow or neck or ankle. The software tracks the motion of these bands in relation to stationary or moving computer-screen-lo... On the Brain by Dr. Michael Merzenich, Ph.D. blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2570898 Tue, 23 Jun 2009 15:05:29 +0100 2570898 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2452482&cid=t_136949_88_f&fid=38129&url=http%3A%2F%2Fsandnsurf.medbrains.net%2F2009%2F06%2Fawaiting-the-chop%2F “Half of us are blind, few of us feel, and we are all deaf.” - Sir William Osler Feeble sunlight trickled through the dew-drenched windows. The patients were finishing their breakfasts. The medical student wiped the sleep from his eyes and followed the team into the next room. “Dr. Randall, Mr. Jackson hears better on his left side”, [...] (Source: Life in the Fast Lane) Life in the Fast Lane blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2452482 Tue, 02 Jun 2009 21:00:13 +0100 2452482 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2570902&cid=t_136949_122_f&fid=35373&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmerzenich.positscience.com%2F%3Fp%3D181 In a July 9th, 2008 post, I added oxygen deprivation incurred at childbirth as another factor potentially contributing to an increased incidence in autism. As I noted in that blog: “We have published compelling evidence that peri-natal anoxia meets all of the other criteria for adding to “noisy” brain processing. It can have strong, selective impacts on cortical inhibitory processes, and degrades the ability of the cortex to develop normally-selective characteristics of response (see Strata, Merzenich et al, PNAS, 2005). At the same time, we had dismissed perinatal anoxia as a likely factor contributing to autism’s apparent rise because we could not see how ITS incidence could be growing over the past several decades. However, it has recently been argued that the... On the Brain by Dr. Michael Merzenich, Ph.D. blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2570902 Sat, 30 May 2009 22:13:15 +0100 2570902 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2570903&cid=t_136949_122_f&fid=35373&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmerzenich.positscience.com%2F%3Fp%3D217 The several-month-old report by the Masters of the U.S. Court of Federal Claims on the “Omnibus Autism Proceeding” is old news, but I thought I’d put an oar in, by saying that this is something that the courts got right. There is a large body of evidence that demonstrates, to a level of near-certainty, that the mercury compound used as a preservative for a baby’s immunization injections does NOT cause autism. Perhaps in part because the onset of autism commonly occurs over the time window in which these shots are administered, the popular myth that may be the source of an increase in autism incidence has grown, even in the face of a very large body of evidence to the contrary. I have earlier argued that the ‘red herring’ of mercury has distracted scient... On the Brain by Dr. Michael Merzenich, Ph.D. blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2570903 Thu, 28 May 2009 21:26:06 +0100 2570903 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2570904&cid=t_136949_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=2441692&cid=t_136949_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2009%2F05%2F26%2Fupdate-dsm-v-major-changes%2F At the American Psychiatric Association’s annual meeting last week, a presentation covered some of the likely major changes that will be incorporated into the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders, commonly referred to as the DSM by mental health professionals. The DSM provides professionals with the symptom checklists that allow for a mental disorder diagnosis to be made. The most significant change proposed has to do with the inclusion of dimensional assessments for depression, anxiety, cognitive impairment and reality distortion that span across many major mental disorders. So a clinician might diagnose schizophrenia, but then also rate these four dimensions for the patient to characterize the schizophrenia in a more detailed and descriptive m... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2441692 Tue, 26 May 2009 18:41:05 +0100 2441692 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2398980&cid=t_136949_122_f&fid=36582&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FSharpBrains%2F%7E3%2FAyoXV9F9bj4%2F Stanford Issues Findings from Cognitive and Brain Experts Urging Consumer Caution on Memory Fitness Products (press release) - "Fear of memory loss, mental impairment and Alzheimer's disease lead many consumers to search for products --- from supplements to software --- that claim to ward off such ailments," Laura L. Carstensen, founding director of the Stanford Center on Longevity, said. "Such products are becoming more prolific, but this burgeoning industry is completely unregulated and the claims can range from reasonable though untested, to blatantly false. It is important for consumers to proceed with caution before buying into many of these product claims. There is no magic bullet solution for cognitive decline." - The Summit's (Note: held in April 2008) statement... SharpBrains blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2398980 Fri, 08 May 2009 23:38:05 +0100 2398980 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2398800&cid=t_136949_109_f&fid=35671&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.anxietyinsights.info%2Fabstract_memory_impairment_in_young_women_at_increased_risk.htm Conclusions Impairments in declarative memory are present in young women at increased genetic risk of depression and may be partly related to increased cortisol secretion. Further studies are needed to explore the neural mechanisms underlying the memory impairments and whether they predict the development of clinical illness. (Links added; ed.) Source... Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2008 (Source: Latest entries from www.anxietyinsights.info) Latest entries from www.anxietyinsights.info blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2398800 Fri, 08 May 2009 07:48:00 +0100 2398800 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2570905&cid=t_136949_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=2367522&cid=t_136949_109_f&fid=35044&url=http%3A%2F%2Fadultaddstrengths.com%2F2009%2F04%2F25%2Fadhd-busting-the-myths-breaking-the-stigma-showing-reality-one-post-and-tweet-at-a-time%2F Post from: Adult ADD Strengths Adhd - Busting The Myths, Breaking The Stigma, Showing Reality, One Post And Tweet At A Time THere are the notes and the links for my presentation Adhd - Busting The Myths, Breaking The Stigma, Showing Reality, One Post And Tweet At A Time for Mental Health Camp Vancouver April 25, 2009. I won’t be able to cover all this material during the session so I have some extra info here. Tell me what you think of it in the comments. Here are the topics I’ll cover. 1. Defining ADHD 2. ADHD Impairments 3. Co-existing or Co-morbid conditions that go along with ADHD 4. Costs of ADHD 5. Positives of ADHD 6. Famous people with ADHD 7. Myths about ADHD 8. Social media 9. Some ADHD links 1. Defining ADHD Diagnosis of ADHD as a child Adult ADHD 5 minute screening... Adult ADD Strengths blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2367522 Sat, 25 Apr 2009 15:33:38 +0100 2367522 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2626082&cid=t_136949_109_f&fid=35044&url=http%3A%2F%2Fadultaddstrengths.com%2F2009%2F04%2F25%2Fadhd-busting-the-myths-breaking-the-stigma-showing-reality-one-post-and-tweet-at-a-time%2F Adhd – Busting The Myths, Breaking The Stigma, Showing Reality, One Post And Tweet At A TimePost from: Adult ADD Strengths Adhd – Busting The Myths, Breaking The Stigma, Showing Reality, One Post And Tweet At A Time THere are the notes and the links for my presentation Adhd – Busting The Myths, Breaking The Stigma, Showing Reality, One Post And Tweet At A Time for Mental Health Camp Vancouver April 25, 2009. I won’t be able to cover all this material during the session so I have some extra info here. Tell me what you think of it in the comments. Here are the topics I’ll cover. 1. Defining ADHD 2. ADHD Impairments 3. Co-existing or Co-morbid conditions that go along with ADHD 4. Costs of ADHD 5. Positives of ADHD 6. Famous people with ADHD 7. Myths about ADHD ... Adult ADD Strengths blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2626082 Sat, 25 Apr 2009 10:30:36 +0100 2626082 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2367391&cid=t_136949_86_f&fid=36669&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffadelibrary.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F04%2F15%2Fcochlear-implants-for-severe-to-profound-deafness-in-children-and-adults%2F Title: Source: NICE The Skinny: A cochlear implant in one ear is recommended as a possible option for everyone with severe to profound deafness if they do not get enough benefit from hearing aids after trying them for 3 months. Cochlear implants in both ears are recommended for the following groups with severe to profound deafness only if they do not get enough benefit from hearing aids after trying them for 3 months and the implants are placed during the same operation: children adults who are blind or have other disabilities which mean that they depend upon hearing sounds for spatial awareness. An assessment should be carried out to find out if an implant would help before considering a cochlear implant. Any disabilities or difficulties in communicating, which might mean that the usua... Fade Library blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2367391 Wed, 15 Apr 2009 09:19:05 +0100 2367391 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2249327&cid=t_136949_151_f&fid=35805&url=http%3A%2F%2Ftwelvestepfacilitation.com%2Fpreventing-brain-damage-in-alcoholism%2F Biomarkers in Alcohol Misuse: Their Role in the Prevention and Detection of Thiamine Deficiency In Western countries alcohol misuse is the most frequent cause of thiamine (vitamin B1) deficiency (TD) and consequent neuro-impairment. Studies have demonstrated that between 30 and 80% of alcoholics are thiamine deficient, and this puts them at risk of developing the Wernicke–Korsakoff (WK) syndrome. The relative roles of alcohol and TD in causing brain damage remain controversial and it is important to try to determine the role played by each factor. Animal studies support an additive effect of alcohol exposure and TD, and indicate the potential for interaction between alcohol and TD in human alcohol-related brain damage. Early diagnosis of alcohol-related TD is therefore an important a... Twelve Step Facilitation.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2249327 Sat, 07 Mar 2009 11:47:45 +0100 2249327 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2201192&cid=t_136949_117_f&fid=36026&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Fzimney-health-and-medical-news-you-can-use%2Fcrafts-games-and-books-can-delay-memory-loss%2F There’s good news for those of you who like to do crafts, read books or play games. Researchers from the Mayo Clinic have found that those people who regularly engaged in mentally stimulating activities during middle age reduced their likelihood of developing mild cognitive impairment in older age by 40 percent. Similarly, those who did these activities when they were 65 and over reduced their chances of mental decline by 30 to 50 percent. The key factor seems to be the degree of mental involvement or challenge of the activity, because those who simply watched TV all day did not show a reduction in cognitive impairment (some TV is ok, but watching more than seven hours a day was associated with more mental decline than less than seven hours a day). The study involved 197 people betwe... Dr. Z's Medical Report blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2201192 Thu, 19 Feb 2009 21:20:45 +0100 2201192 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2035873&cid=t_136949_134_f&fid=35187&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FDiabetesDaily%2F%7E3%2F483745735%2Fforget-low-carb-diets.php New research out of Tufts University shows participants performing significantly worse on memory tests just a week after starting a virtually carb-less diet. When participants added carbohydrates back to their diet, their performance steadily returned to normal levels. In last... (Source: Diabetes Daily) Diabetes Daily blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2035873 Sat, 13 Dec 2008 15:31:29 +0100 2035873 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2027745&cid=t_136949_109_f&fid=35671&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.anxietyinsights.info%2Fmath_anxiety_swamps_working_memory.htm Barbara Isanski Imagine you are sitting in the back of a classroom, daydreaming about the weekend. Then, out of nowhere, the teacher calls upon you to come to the front the room and solve a math problem. In front of everyone. If just reading this scenario has given you sweaty palms and an increased heart rate, you are not alone. Many of us have experienced math anxiety and in a new report in Current Directions in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science, University of Chicago psychologist Sian L. Beilock examines some recent research looking at why being stressed about math can result in poor performance in solving problems. Much of Beilock's work suggests that working memory is a key component of math anxiety. Working memory (also known as short term m... Latest entries from www.anxietyinsights.info blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2027745 Wed, 10 Dec 2008 07:26:00 +0100 2027745 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2011491&cid=t_136949_109_f&fid=35671&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.anxietyinsights.info%2Fstress_disorders_affect_memory_processing.htm Researchers using functional MRI (fMRI) have determined that the circuitry in the area of the brain responsible for suppressing memory is dysfunctional in patients suffering from stress-related psychiatric disorders. Results of the study were presented at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA). "For patients with major depression and other stress-related disorders, traumatic memories are a source of anxiety," said Nivedita Agarwal, MD, radiology resident at the University of Udine in Italy, where the study is being conducted, and research fellow at the Brain Imaging Center of McLean Hospital, Department of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School in Boston. "Because traumatic memories are not adequately suppressed by the brain, they continue to interfere with th... Latest entries from www.anxietyinsights.info blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2011491 Thu, 04 Dec 2008 08:22:00 +0100 2011491 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1993647&cid=t_136949_167_f&fid=37833&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnutrition.edublogs.org%2F2008%2F11%2F25%2Freporting-on-driving-under-the-influence%2F I was able to find a short clip about a reporter who decided to become a volunteer drinker in a field sobriety test in this news report from 2007, on “How Much is Too Much?” His report shows some of the sobriety checks done by police officers to determine if someone has had too much to drink. Authored by drdyer. Hosted by Edublogs. (Source: Nutrition and Wellness Biology 50) Nutrition and Wellness Biology 50 blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1993647 Wed, 26 Nov 2008 05:02:54 +0100 1993647 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1892587&cid=t_136949_165_f&fid=37959&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthskills.wordpress.com%2F2008%2F10%2F21%2Fif-youre-new-to-pain-management-i%2F I posted last week on some of the basic domains of knowledge that I personally think are important when you’re new to pain management.  For more detailed curricula, the best place to go is IASP, where you can see some older but still relevant examples of curricula such as this one for occupational therapy and physiotherapy. To break the area down a bit, because it really is quite a daunting list of topics, I thought about some of the basic conceptual material as being quite helpful to organise learning.  The first topic that I think is fundamental to understanding pain is the biopsychosocial model, and a quite nice summary of the model is this one by Dr Shaheen Lakhan.  A lightly longer, albeit older couple of papers are here.  A much more recent paper is briefly summarised here,... HealthSkills Weblog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1892587 Mon, 20 Oct 2008 18:17:02 +0100 1892587 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1848355&cid=t_136949_122_f&fid=36582&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FSharpBrains%2F%7E3%2F408387719%2F Insurance company Allstate and brain fitness software developer Posit Science just announced (see press release Protecting Pennsylvania Drivers, One Brain at a Time) a very intelligent initiative: Video exercises aid driving skills (Chicago Tribune) -"Allstate, which called the Posit program "potentially the next big breakthrough in automobile safety," said it expects its software exercises to reduce risky driving maneuvers by up to 40 percent and improve stopping distance by an average of 22 feet when traveling at 55 miles per hour." -"We'll look to see whether over the next six to nine months there will be a reduction in" the number of accidents between the group participating in the video exercises and those sitting out, said Tom Warden, assistant vice pres... SharpBrains blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1848355 Wed, 01 Oct 2008 19:43:57 +0100 1848355 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1806384&cid=t_136949_137_f&fid=35357&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAlzheimersNotes%2F%7E3%2FTWb07oOpVBY%2F AlzheimersNotes.com Over at One Book Two Book, my co-blogger, Marcie, posts a word of the week and a quote of the week.  Since Alzheimer’s terms sometimes aren’t understood by everyone, I thought I’d begin this practice here. Dementia - This is a broad general term given to someone who experiences memory impairment severe enough that it affects or interferes with daily functioning.  Dementia has a variety of causes and isn’t always caused by Alzheimer’s. (c)2008 Mary Emma Allen Share This (Source: Alzheimer's Notes) Alzheimer's Notes blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1806384 Fri, 19 Sep 2008 05:00:59 +0100 1806384 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1770842&cid=t_136949_122_f&fid=36582&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FSharpBrains%2F%7E3%2F385446143%2F A couple of recent studies have reinforced the lifelong potential for brain plasticity (the ability of the brain to rewire itself through experience) and the importance of physical exercise for cognitive vitality. One study focused on 1) adults over 50 with mild cognitive impairment, the other one on 2) stroke survivors. 1)  Memory problems: Adults 50-years-old and over with mild cognitive impairment (an advanced form of memory problems, but pre-dementia) were asked to exercise for three 50-minute sessions per week for 24 weeks (a total of 60 hours). Results: there were small, but measurable, cognitive benefits even 18 months after the start of the program (around a year after the supervised exercise activities ended). Study: Nicola T. Lautenschlager et al. Effect of Physical Activity on ... SharpBrains blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1770842 Sun, 07 Sep 2008 02:08:45 +0100 1770842 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1664337&cid=t_136949_87_f&fid=35060&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthnewsblog.com%2Fcgi-bin%2Fhnblog.pl%3Fhnblog%3D729081 The AP reports that a new report on Alzheimer's says that it is much more common than previously thought with a million Americans sliding into "mild impairment" annually. A milder type of mental decline that often precedes Alzheimer's disease is alarmingly more common than has been believed, and in men more than women, doctors reported Monday. Nearly a million older Americans slide from normal memory into mild impairment each year, researchers estimate, based on a Mayo Clinic study of Minnesota residents. That's on top of the half million Americans who develop full-blown Alzheimer's or other forms of dementia - a problem sure to grow as baby boomers age. The oldest boomers turn 62 this year. The same article says that an experimental nose spray has helped improve some memory function... HealthNewsBlog.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1664337 Tue, 29 Jul 2008 20:40:00 +0100 1664337 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1657148&cid=t_136949_122_f&fid=34755&url=http%3A%2F%2Fneuropsychological.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F07%2Fcrrent-event-international-conference.html The Alzheimer's Association ICAD 2008 conference begins today and continues through the 31st of July. The conference takes place in Chicago at McCormick Place.Details available at the conference website: ICAD website. (Source: BrainBlog) BrainBlog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1657148 Sat, 26 Jul 2008 10:35:00 +0100 1657148 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1631221&cid=t_136949_137_f&fid=35371&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthecaregiver.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F07%2Fportable-device-provides-quick.html This is really exciting news. A new device developed by the Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University may allow patients to take a ten minute test that gauges reaction time and memory to measure mild cognitive impairment (MCA), often the earliest stage of Alzheimer's.The test is inexpensive and could be administered as part of a routine yearly checkup at a doctor's office.Watch the video at the Woodruff Health Sciences Center Portable Device Provides Quick, Inexpensive Detection of Early Alzheimer’sThe latest medications can delay the onset of Alzheimer’s disease but none are able to reverse its devastating effects. This limitation often makes early detection the key to Alzheimer’s patients maintaining a good quality of life for as long as possible.Now, a new device develo... CareGiver, The blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1631221 Wed, 16 Jul 2008 13:54:00 +0100 1631221 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1615953&cid=t_136949_122_f&fid=34755&url=http%3A%2F%2Fneuropsychological.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F07%2Fneuropsychology-abstract-of-day-verbal.html We examined verbal fluency performance in 107 older adults with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (MCI, n=37), cognitive complaints (CC, n=37) despite intact neuropsychological functioning, and demographically matched healthy controls (HC, n=33). Participants completed fluency tasks with letter, semantic category, and semantic switching constraints. Both phonemic and semantic fluency were statistically (but not clinically) reduced in amnestic MCI relative to cognitively intact older adults, indicating subtle changes in the quality of the semantic store and retrieval slowing. Investigation of the underlying constructs of verbal fluency yielded two factors: Switching (including switching and shifting tasks) and Production (including letter, category, and action naming tasks), and both facto... BrainBlog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1615953 Sat, 12 Jul 2008 02:19:00 +0100 1615953 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1616878&cid=t_136949_133_f&fid=37107&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.aspieweb.net%2Fwhat-google-thinks-of-special-people%2F While this may be outside what I would normally post here, it kind of upset me.  Look at this screenshot I just found today. Why am I posting this, well I think Google has recognized a trend in society - that all people that have some sort of difference in their lives are considered ‘retarded’.  I [...] (Source: AspieWeb.net) AspieWeb.net blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1616878 Fri, 11 Jul 2008 14:53:51 +0100 1616878 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2786035&cid=t_136949_109_f&fid=38952&url=http%3A%2F%2Fschlockdoc.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F07%2Ffree-will-and-eating-disorders.html (Source: psychobabble) psychobabble blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2786035 Thu, 03 Jul 2008 03:46:00 +0100 2786035 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1526287&cid=t_136949_122_f&fid=35055&url=http%3A%2F%2Fsarasotaneurology.com%2F2008%2F06%2F13%2Fmild-cognitive-impairment-mci-memory-loss-without-dementia%2F Many patients over the age of 65 complain of memory loss and are concerned they have dementia. Others attribute their memory loss to aging. While there is a very mild degree of memory loss associated with aging, it is usually not significant. For example, forgetting where you put your keys or where you parked your car. These are not serious memory problems. A more problematic degree of memory loss, while not dementia, is called Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI). MCI is characterized by an increase level of forgetfulness. There are two primary types of MCI: (1) Amnestic MCI (2) Non-amnestic MCI. In patients affected with amnestic MCI, they have significant memory and recall difficulty. There is a stronger association with this type of MCI with Alzheimer’s disease. Non-amnestic MCI usual... Sarasota Neurology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1526287 Tue, 17 Jun 2008 11:49:58 +0100 1526287 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1315350&cid=t_136949_122_f&fid=34755&url=http%3A%2F%2Fneuropsychological.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F03%2Fneuropsychology-abstract-of-day-mild.html Bondi MW, Jak AJ, Delano-Wood L, Jacobson MW, Delis DC, & Salmon DP. Neuropsychological Contributions to the Early Identification of Alzheimer's Disease. Neuropsychological Review. 2008 Mar 18.A wealth of evidence demonstrates that a prodromal period of Alzheimer's disease (AD) exists for some years prior to the appearance of significant cognitive and functional declines required for the clinical diagnosis. This prodromal period of decline is characterized by a number of different neuropsychological and brain changes, and reliable identification of individuals prior to the development of significant clinical symptoms remains a top priority of research. In this review we provide an overview of those neuropsychological changes. In particular, we examine specific domains of cognition that app... BrainBlog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1315350 Thu, 20 Mar 2008 02:54:00 +0100 1315350 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1270845&cid=t_136949_122_f&fid=36582&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FSharpBrains%2F%7E3%2F243943554%2F Here you are have the bi-monthly Digest of our 10 most Popular blog posts. (Also, remember that you can subscribe to receive our blog RSS feed, or to our newsletter at the top of this page if you want to receive this digest by email). First, an announcement: March 10-16th is Brain Awareness Week, an international effort organized by the Dana Alliance for Brain Initiatives to advance public awareness about the progress and benefits of brain research. Join the hundreds of activities worldwide by visiting the International Calendar of events, or the week's main website. Brain Fitness in the News Cognitive Health and Training News: round-up of stimulating news, from Dakim raising over $10 million dollars to grow their retirement community offerings, to the full video of our 90-minute panel ... SharpBrains blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1270845 Sat, 01 Mar 2008 17:17:16 +0100 1270845 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1266822&cid=t_136949_122_f&fid=36582&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FSharpBrains%2F%7E3%2F243138847%2F Several recent news (including video of our recent panel discussion): 1) Study Finds Improved Cognitive Health among Older Americans (Journal of the Alzheimer's Association) - "Societal investment in building and maintaining cognitive reserve through formal education in childhood and continued cognitive stimulation during work and leisure in adulthood may help limit the burden of dementia among the growing number of older adults worldwide". - "Cognitive impairment dropped from 12.2 percent in 1993 to 8.7 percent in 2002 among people 70 and older."  - "Education and financial status appeared overall to protect against developing cognitive impairment." - "Further, they suggested, the results support the notion of cognitive reserve, which hypothesizes that... SharpBrains blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1266822 Fri, 29 Feb 2008 06:05:14 +0100 1266822 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1259921&cid=t_136949_122_f&fid=34755&url=http%3A%2F%2Fneuropsychological.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F02%2Fneuropsychology-abstract-of-day-mild_26.html CONCLUSION: By studying 2 MCI populations, converters versus nonconverters, we found atrophy beyond the medial temporal lobe to be characteristic of patients with MCI who will progress to dementia. Atrophy of structures such as the left lateral temporal lobe and left parietal cortex may independently predict conversion.PMID: 18296551 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: BrainBlog) BrainBlog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1259921 Wed, 27 Feb 2008 00:17:00 +0100 1259921 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1184701&cid=t_136949_97_f&fid=35050&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmaGazette%2F%7E3%2F224832836%2Fotc_eardrops_may_cause_hearing.html Researchers at The Montreal Children's Hospital, Montreal, Quebec, Canada have published the results of a study that determined that certain over-the-counter (OTC) ear wax softeners can cause inflammation and can damage the eardrum and inner ear.Dr. Sam Daniel, principal investigator of the study and director of McGill Auditory Sciences Laboratory at The Montreal Children's found that patients were complaining that wax was blocking their ears and causing discomfort and sometimes hearing loss but that the effects of the OTC medication used to breakup the wax had not been thoroughly studied. "Because some of these products are readily available to the public without a consultation with or prescription from a physician, it is important to make sure they are safe to use. Our study... PharmaGazette blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1184701 Mon, 28 Jan 2008 22:00:41 +0100 1184701 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1184702&cid=t_136949_97_f&fid=35050&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmaGazette%2F%7E3%2F224832837%2Fotc_eardrop_may_cause_hearing.html Researchers at The Montreal Children's Hospital, Montreal, Quebec, Canada have published the results of a study that determined that certain over-the-counter (OTC) ear wax softeners can cause inflammation and can damage the eardrum and inner ear.Dr. Sam Daniel, principal investigator of the study and director of McGill Auditory Sciences Laboratory at The Montreal Children's found that patients were complaining that wax was blocking their ears and causing discomfort and sometimes hearing loss but that the effects of the OTC medication used to breakup the wax had not been thoroughly studied. "Because some of these products are readily available to the public without a consultation with or prescription from a physician, it is important to make sure they are safe to use. Our study... PharmaGazette blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1184702 Mon, 28 Jan 2008 21:00:19 +0100 1184702 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1155819&cid=t_136949_122_f&fid=34755&url=http%3A%2F%2Fneuropsychological.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F01%2Fneuropsychology-abstract-of-day-mild.html CONCLUSION: In moderate stages of amnestic mild cognitive impairment, common cognitive tests provide better predictive accuracy than measures of whole brain, ventricular, entorhinal cortex, or hippocampal volumes for assessing progression to Alzheimer disease.PMID: 18195264 [PubMed - in process] (Source: BrainBlog) BrainBlog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1155819 Wed, 16 Jan 2008 17:12:00 +0100 1155819 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1072441&cid=t_136949_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=1051370&cid=t_136949_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2F190875837%2F That’s what Carol Shull, a former brand director, alleges in a wrongful termination lawsuit. She claims she was canned this past March after complaining repeatedly for nearly two years about attempts by the drugmaker to “fraudently inflate” the value of Famvir, a treatment for genital herpes, on its books. Novartis acquired the drug for $1.6 billion back in 2000, but Shull asserts that Novartis managers knew they “overpaid” and the investment would never be recovered, according to the lawsuit, which was filed in state court in New Jersey. As of now, we are awaiting official Novartis comment. In her lawsuit, Shull alleges that, beginning in January 2005, when she became Famvir brand director, she was told to ensure Famvir’s value through at least 2008-201... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1051370 Mon, 26 Nov 2007 20:09:29 +0100 1051370 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1001065&cid=t_136949_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_136949_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_136949_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=921845&cid=t_136949_122_f&fid=35373&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmerzenich.positscience.com%2F2007%2F10%2F02%2Fis-bipolar-disorder-in-childhood-an-emergent-plague%2F About a month ago, results from a NIMH-sponsored statistical study that determined the rate at which children were being labelled, and treated for bipolar disorder, were published, and reported widely in the popular press (I initially read about it on September 4th in the Sunday New York Times). Twenty years ago, bipolar disorder was a relatively uncommon diagnosis for individuals below 20 years of age. The incidence of the diagnosis was obviously increasing over the subsequent decade (it had risen to 20,000 in the U.S. by 1984). A suspected increase in incidence or diagnosis in children inspired the NIMH to ask for proposals from epidemiologists to MEASURE its rate of occurence or diagnosis between 1984 and 2003. You have probably already heard about these results, but they are worth rep... On the Brain by Dr. Michael Merzenich, Ph.D. blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=921845 Tue, 02 Oct 2007 23:14:42 +0100 921845 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=894215&cid=t_136949_122_f&fid=35055&url=http%3A%2F%2Fsarasotaneurology.com%2F2007%2F09%2F24%2Ffda-approves-new-alzheimers-medication-patch%2F The FDA has recently approved the dementia fighting drug Exelon in a patch form. The new formulation, Transdermal Exelon, offers patients a new and unique way to get medication which can help with improving cognitive function and slow down memory loss in patients suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. The new patch is also FDA approved for patients with Parkinson associated dementia. This is the second patch approved for use in treatment of Parkinson disease. The other is Neupro, a transdermal patch containing the dopamine agonist rotigotine. Transdermal Exelon joins the group of other medications used to treat Alzheimer’s disease, such as Aricept, Razadyne and Namenda. The patch for of Exelon offers the advantage of not having to take a pill twice daily, continuous medication adm... Sarasota Neurology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=894215 Mon, 24 Sep 2007 11:04:16 +0100 894215 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=840678&cid=t_136949_122_f&fid=35373&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmerzenich.positscience.com%2F2007%2F09%2F04%2Feating-crow%2F Some months ago, after my grand-daughter Leila’s school in Oakland, California burned down and its rebuilding seems to be drowning in a bureaucratic swamp, I predicted that it would NEVER be rebuilt in time to begin the 2007-8 school year on time. I was wrong. The Oakland Unified School District and the contractors that they hired came through. Parents, students, teachers and friends of the school worked furiously for a week or so before school started — and up to almost midnight on the night before the first day of school — to have a new, better, cleaned-up Peralta School ready for action, right on time!! I underestimated what good will and great good spirits from administrators. teachers and parents can accomplish, when it involves the welfare of the children that they ... On the Brain by Dr. Michael Merzenich, Ph.D. blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=840678 Tue, 04 Sep 2007 23:30:12 +0100 840678 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=806014&cid=t_136949_122_f&fid=35373&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmerzenich.positscience.com%2F2007%2F08%2F17%2Fa-connected-kid%2F I know a 16-year-old boy who is addicted to video games. By ‘addiction’, I mean that he is compelled to play them for several to many hours each day, even while he knows that it is in his own best interests to limit his play time, even while his parents continually (ineffectively) try to curtail the time he spends at this activity, and because, more than a little ashamed of himself, he often attempts to conceal his level of game play. Does this matter, for this boy? There is a book titled “Everything Bad is Good for You” by Steven Johnson that is all about the benefits of video game play (and other media) for children. It describes video games as a rich, positive basis for learning and reasoning. And so they are. A person can acquire a magnificent body of knowledge ... On the Brain by Dr. Michael Merzenich, Ph.D. blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=806014 Fri, 17 Aug 2007 14:33:01 +0100 806014 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=803731&cid=t_136949_122_f&fid=35373&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmerzenich.positscience.com%2F2007%2F08%2F16%2Fexercising-action-loops-a-followup-on-thoughts-about-baby-einstein%2F Dr. X (another commentor who is reluctant to use a name) made an important point in responding to my August 14 entry considering a recent study in which Baby Einstein was found not to improve, and to possibly modestly delay normal language development — a claim that I argued was simplistic. In Dr. X’s words: Aside from the possibility that these videos strengthen alternate [to language] …. capacities, I wonder if a non-responsive environment alone could have a negative impact on developing vocabulary and expressive fluency? I also wonder if there is anything about the relational dynamics of families who choose to use these videos that might account for any of the differences in verbal abilities seen in this research? See but don’t talk as a habit, from a very young ... On the Brain by Dr. Michael Merzenich, Ph.D. blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=803731 Thu, 16 Aug 2007 21:07:24 +0100 803731 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=801458&cid=t_136949_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=799302&cid=t_136949_122_f&fid=35373&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmerzenich.positscience.com%2F2007%2F08%2F14%2Fwhat-you-do-matters-also-applies-of-course-if-youre-a-youngun%2F The extent of confusion about the relationships between what infants and young children spend their time doing, the development of their behavioral abilities, and the genesis of their ‘interests’ and ‘personality’ is massive, both in the lay and scientific communities. l was reminded of this once again when I read the comments of scientists (the use of this label is giving these individuals a considerable benefit of doubt) at the University of Washington, who had demonstrated that exposure of infants to ‘Baby Einstein’ didn’t help their language development, and probably set it back a tad. To which I say, “Well, duh.” Let’s say that a child is engaged in largely passive, speechless activity (ala Baby Einstein) for one hour/day LES... On the Brain by Dr. Michael Merzenich, Ph.D. blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=799302 Tue, 14 Aug 2007 21:49:37 +0100 799302 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=790628&cid=t_136949_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=788250&cid=t_136949_122_f&fid=35373&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmerzenich.positscience.com%2F2007%2F08%2F08%2Fabby-has-her-ups-and-downs%2F I thought that I’d give you a brief update on how little Abby is doing. As you may remember, my daughter’s 4-year-old niece suffered from several minutes of asphyxiation in a playground accident. She emerged from a week-long coma with clear physical and behavioral signs of subcortical brain damage. Abby is now a month out, and is still in the rehabilitation hospital. She’ll probably be there for another 2 months (or longer). Abby is still stiff, and is still being treated with anti-spasticity medication (although she is on a low dose). The hospital was organized to provide 3 days of physical therapy/ week — but with Nancy Byl’s help (Nancy is a long-time friend and collaborator, a good soul, for many years the Chairman of the PT Department at UCSF), the paren... On the Brain by Dr. Michael Merzenich, Ph.D. blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=788250 Wed, 08 Aug 2007 20:07:19 +0100 788250 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=785948&cid=t_136949_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=783049&cid=t_136949_122_f&fid=35373&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmerzenich.positscience.com%2F2007%2F08%2F06%2Fa-communicator-gets-his-voice-back%2F Ed Steenerson began his career as a rehabilitation psychologist before moving to the high-tech industry as an engineer and manager. Ed was a leader and team builder — which was all the more remarkable in light of the fact that he had suffered serious head trauma in an accident as teenager. Through hard work and persistence, Ed’s educational and career success beautifully documented how he overcame the memory and other cognitive losses that stemmed from this childhood injury. But while working for a Fortune 500 company as a manager in his 40’s, things began to fall apart. Ed found that he could no longer remember things, stay focussed, or effectively work in group settings. His short-term memory and concentration deteriorated to the point where he could not function at me... On the Brain by Dr. Michael Merzenich, Ph.D. blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=783049 Mon, 06 Aug 2007 16:06:55 +0100 783049 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=781449&cid=t_136949_122_f&fid=35373&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmerzenich.positscience.com%2F2007%2F08%2F05%2Freactive-attachment-disorder-part-2%2F If you did not read yesterday’s entry, do that first, before reading today’s followup. The situation in a nutshell: An adopted Chinese girl, now 3.5 years of age, has a “reactive attachment disorder” that is commonly expressed by night terrors, parental rejection and an overlay of other cognitive problems. Every standard therapy has been tried, without much success. What can we say about the neurology of this situation as it applies to the child and to her primary caregivers that might be helpful for them? 1) The parents should be hopeful. Their positive good spirits, and the consistent signals that arise from them, are going to be a key to overcoming this estrangement. The brain of this little girl is massively plastic. It CAN change positively, to slowly replace ... On the Brain by Dr. Michael Merzenich, Ph.D. blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=781449 Mon, 06 Aug 2007 01:19:38 +0100 781449 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=777797&cid=t_136949_122_f&fid=35373&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmerzenich.positscience.com%2F2007%2F08%2F03%2Fa-note-on-reactive-attachment-disorder%2F About two weeks ago, I received the email letter posted below. I promised the correspondent that I would respond to this heartfelt plea on this blog. As I sit down writing this response, I rue making that promise. The origins of “Reactive Attachment Disorder” are difficult to explain, and strategies to ameliorate it are equally difficult to wrestle with. Let’s begin talking about it after you read the first part of the email message that induced my response. “Our adopted granddaughter (3 1/2 years old) has been diagnosed with Reactive Attachment disorder. Our daughter and husband have been doing therapeutic parenting, Nancy Thomas, Dr. Buenning, Dr. Hughes, amino acids, auditory programs, neural developmental programs etc. with little progress in her relationship to... On the Brain by Dr. Michael Merzenich, Ph.D. blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=777797 Fri, 03 Aug 2007 23:56:38 +0100 777797 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=777798&cid=t_136949_122_f&fid=35373&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmerzenich.positscience.com%2F2007%2F08%2F03%2Fpoor-high-school-age-readers-break-out%2F We often receive feedback from school administrators, teachers, and therapists like that expressed in the note below. Because they are anecdotal, they usually die in my email Inbox. I thought that I’d post one, just so you get the flavor of what has been a common message: “I have been in the public and private education business for over 30 years and have worked as a teacher, coach, principal, teacher trainer and assistant superintendent. I have served in high schools with (a) majority of disadvantaged students as well as in high schools with many affluent students. Over the years I have tried many different programs to improve reading comprehension, decoding and processing speed of my students. FastForword clearly has produced the most significant gains in a shorter time than ... On the Brain by Dr. Michael Merzenich, Ph.D. blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=777798 Fri, 03 Aug 2007 18:08:49 +0100 777798 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=764383&cid=t_136949_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_136949_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=747236&cid=t_136949_122_f&fid=35373&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmerzenich.positscience.com%2F2007%2F07%2F20%2Fthe-wider-face-of-ptsd%2F PTSD in Iraq spreads well beyond the boundaries of our armed services. For example: a) Several times as many Iraqi police and military personnel as Coalition personnel have died in the conflict. Proportionally larger numbers have been wounded. And they are out there, as are our own troops, on the front lines of violence and mayhem. PTSD must be a substantial problem in their ranks. b) Blackwater (one of 9 or 10 major civilian contractors in Iraq) has recently reported that their rates of PTSD incidence approximately match those incurred by our troops. c) PTSD has to be a major problem for Iraqi civilians. If its rates of incidence parallels that recorded in our soldiers, about 5 MILLION individuals are affected. We’ve noted earlier that the probability of onset of PTSD is a function... On the Brain by Dr. Michael Merzenich, Ph.D. blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=747236 Fri, 20 Jul 2007 20:51:36 +0100 747236 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=742662&cid=t_136949_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=737613&cid=t_136949_122_f&fid=35373&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmerzenich.positscience.com%2F2007%2F07%2F16%2Fwhen-brain-injury-hits-home%2F Because my research has focused on the neuroscience of rehabilitation for several decades, I have received hundreds of email messages, letters and telephone calls from parents and grand-parents desperately seeking help for their brain-damaged or developmentally-impaired child or grand-child. Because the losses suffered from brain injury and developmental disabilities expressed in this correspondence is usually daunting, and because it is so difficult to understand their nature and their true neurological and experiential origins at a distance, it is usually impossible to provide significant help. Because I am remote from the child’s and their familys’ struggles, I also know that I generally do not really fully appreciate the anxieties and distresses and frustrations that they m... On the Brain by Dr. Michael Merzenich, Ph.D. blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=737613 Tue, 17 Jul 2007 01:11:15 +0100 737613 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=706634&cid=t_136949_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_136949_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_136949_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_136949_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_136949_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_136949_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_136949_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=683503&cid=t_136949_122_f&fid=35373&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmerzenich.positscience.com%2F2007%2F06%2F18%2Fperalta-school-hits-the-jackpot%2F As I mentioned in an earlier blog, my grandaughter Leila’s neighborhood public elementary school in Oakland, California is being reconstructed at all deliberate speed — and I emphasize the word ‘deliberate’ — after it was largely destroyed by an arsonist. Because schools and institutions in general have just lost the skill of doing anything FAST, much less on an actual schedule, it won’t be open in time for the start of school. But it’s not ALL bad news! Two benefactors have joined forces and decided to give Peralta School a computer cart and Fast ForWord software to jump-start their little brains, beginning at the start of the 2007 school year! Their BRAINS can go faster, even while the Oakland Unified School District can’t. This gift of hop... On the Brain by Dr. Michael Merzenich, Ph.D. blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=683503 Mon, 18 Jun 2007 15:56:24 +0100 683503 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=676713&cid=t_136949_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=677452&cid=t_136949_109_f&fid=35671&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.anxietyinsights.info%2Fpsychological_distressed_prone_to_memory_problems.htm People who are easily distressed and have more negative emotions are more likely to develop memory problems than more easygoing people, according to a study published in the June 12, 2007, issue of Neurology®, the scientific journal of the American Academy of Neurology. In the study, those who most often experience negative emotions such as depression and anxiety were 40 percent more likely to develop mild cognitive impairment than those who were least prone to negative emotions. Mild cognitive impairment is a transitional stage between normal aging and dementia. People with mild cognitive impairment have mild memory or cognitive problems, but have no significant disability. Researchers analyzed the results from two larger studies, the Religious Orders Study and the Memory and Aging Pr... Latest entries from www.anxietyinsights.info blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=677452 Tue, 12 Jun 2007 09:05:00 +0100 677452 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=676714&cid=t_136949_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_136949_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_136949_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=676717&cid=t_136949_122_f&fid=35373&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmerzenich.positscience.com%2F2007%2F06%2F06%2Fpride-in-reading%2F In an earlier blog, I recommended that you look at “Children of the Code” as a reference for gaining a deeper understanding of dyslexia and its human costs. I really hope that you’ve taken a look at this wonderful resource. One of the best treatments in this outstanding series of documentaries summarizes the often-tragic human consequences of reading failure that begin with the failed kid being very ashamed of themselves. Every teacher and every clinical professional that is dedicated to helping these children understands that reading failure, with rare exception, has consequences for the kid that extend far beyond the classroom, and that stem from the fact that such a girl or boy is a self-identified academic bust. It is just not very self-reassuring to be a Red Bird, or... On the Brain by Dr. Michael Merzenich, Ph.D. blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=676717 Wed, 06 Jun 2007 16:13:13 +0100 676717 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=659138&cid=t_136949_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=651331&cid=t_136949_122_f&fid=35373&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmerzenich.positscience.com%2F2007%2F06%2F01%2Fa-great-resource-for-a-general-understanding-of-dyslexia-and-its-human-and-societal-impacts%2F David Boulton’s “Children of the Code” is a wonderful, general resource for educating yourself, a class, a teaching staff, your professional assistants — or any other group with a need to know — about the miracle of reading. A second, very enlightened focus of Boulton’s opus is on the origins of, and the great personal and societal costs, of impairments in reading. David’s basic strategy was 1) to record beautifully guided conversations with more than a hundred scholars, scientists and educators who have something useful to say about reading and reading failure; 2) to collect a large series of straight-from-the-heart interviews with less-than-proficient and busted readers; then, as a skilled documentarian, 3) to summarize the wisdom represented by... On the Brain by Dr. Michael Merzenich, Ph.D. blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=651331 Sat, 02 Jun 2007 03:48:37 +0100 651331 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=651332&cid=t_136949_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=651334&cid=t_136949_122_f&fid=35373&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmerzenich.positscience.com%2F2007%2F05%2F30%2Fethics-class%2F I delivered a lecture about ethical considerations related to the neuroscience of brain plasticity to a class at Stanford last night, and thought it might be fun to reiterate some of the issues raised for those bright young men and women struggling to understand how to behave in their professional lives. The class is organized by Bill Hurlbut, a Stanford neurologist and bioethicist who serves on the President’s Council for Bioethics, and Bill Newsome, a distinguished neurobiologist (member of the National Academy of Sciences) on the Stanford faculty who has had a long interest in neuroscience-related issues of philosophy and ethics. The closing questions of my lecture, which you might consider as ‘food for thought’: 1. How can a neuroscience that lucidly explains the ori... On the Brain by Dr. Michael Merzenich, Ph.D. blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=651334 Thu, 31 May 2007 00:01:21 +0100 651334 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=651335&cid=t_136949_122_f&fid=35373&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmerzenich.positscience.com%2F2007%2F05%2F30%2Fdown-syndrome-children-can-greatly-benefit-from-early-training%2F A child therapist who I very greatly respect, Ann Osterling (from Champaign, Illinois) wrote me an email message in response to my (undoubtedly superficial) comments about Down Sydrome that I thought everyone interested in helping these kids would enjoy reading. In her words: You threw out the idea of intensive early intervention as one option for improving the learning outcomes of children with Down Syndrome. Not only do I agree, but we actually have already seen the tremendous positive impact of early intervention (in these) children. If I had Down Syndrome when I was born 50 years ago, it is highly likely that I would have been put into an institution. After all, we knew that people with Down Syndrome were very retarded, and had very low IQs. We knew that because that’s where mos... On the Brain by Dr. Michael Merzenich, Ph.D. blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=651335 Wed, 30 May 2007 22:37:52 +0100 651335 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=629442&cid=t_136949_122_f&fid=35373&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmerzenich.positscience.com%2F2007%2F05%2F21%2Foverlooking-downs-syndrome%2F Dazee is frustrated because we have not included any discussion of Down’s Syndrome at this site, even while autism and other forms of severe disability are frequent topics of consideration. There are several reasons for our neglect. First, the principal contributor to this blog has no experience with these kids. He hasn’t studied them (or animal models of this inherited malady) directly, in any meaningful way. There are better authorities out there in the scientific community. Second, these children differ from other kids with cognitive impairments that we’ve studied, by the fact that their Syndrome commonly results in the disabling of one of the key brain centers (the “basal nucleus of Meynert”, a main source of the critical neurotransmitter acetylcholine) ... On the Brain by Dr. Michael Merzenich, Ph.D. blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=629442 Mon, 21 May 2007 19:16:44 +0100 629442 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=629443&cid=t_136949_122_f&fid=35373&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmerzenich.positscience.com%2F2007%2F05%2F21%2Fjacksonville-is-moving-up%2F Jacksonville, Florida is making an unprecedented attempt to move up in the world. How can a large American city accomplish that? There is one slow-but-certain way: Improve the brain potential of, and the possibilities for achievement for EVERY child. How on earth could an entire city begin to achieve THAT? Led by a great Superintendent of Schools (Dr. Joseph Wise), and an enlightened school-administration team and Board (and by other key civic leaders), Jacksonville is investing heavily in new technical infrastructure, in computers, and in the most advanced computer-based brain-plasticity-based training programs so that an outstanding array of the best brain training tools in the world are available in every public school in their metropolitan area. Their goal [which ought to be on the fro... On the Brain by Dr. Michael Merzenich, Ph.D. blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=629443 Mon, 21 May 2007 14:29:12 +0100 629443 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=623897&cid=t_136949_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=620645&cid=t_136949_122_f&fid=35373&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmerzenich.positscience.com%2F2007%2F05%2F16%2Fone-million-children%2F Sometime over the next days, the millionth child willl enroll in a Fast ForWord language or reading program. For Paula, Bill, Steve, Bob, Glenn …………. and the thousands of other good people who have helped make, sell, manage, train, support, HELP those million children — THANK YOU! One of the nicest things that can happen to a nerdy scientist like myself is for a parent or grandparent or aunt or teacher come up to me in some public place (or in a letter or email) and thank me, for saving a child’s bacon. When this kind of message is delivered, I know, as do my colleagues who get these messages (no one more than Paula Tallal), that I am the recipient of thanks being delivered to all of those thousands of folks who have played a role in helping Fast ForWord... On the Brain by Dr. Michael Merzenich, Ph.D. blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=620645 Wed, 16 May 2007 19:33:41 +0100 620645 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=620646&cid=t_136949_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_136949_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_136949_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=590555&cid=t_136949_137_f&fid=35357&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAlzheimersNotes%2F%7E3%2F114284721%2F The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has set up a web site with resources for information about Alzheimer’s disease, memory loss, and mild cognitive impairment. Some topics considered are: *What causes memory loss? *Resources for coping *Alzheimer’s disease *Mild cognitive impairment *Other diseases that cause memory loss *Can memory loss be prevented (Source: Alzheimer's Notes) Alzheimer's Notes blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=590555 Sat, 05 May 2007 02:20:02 +0100 590555 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=586066&cid=t_136949_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_136949_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=586068&cid=t_136949_122_f&fid=35373&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmerzenich.positscience.com%2F2007%2F05%2F01%2Fultrasound-and-autism%2F A former UCSF medical student, Carolyn Rees, now a doc in rural Idaho, wrote me a very informative letter — and raised several interesting questions — that are definitely worth a little discussion here. Dr. Rees asked: Is there any evidence that ultrasound examination can affect brain development? In fact, that evidence is mixed. Over the past 10-15 years, a number of smaller studies conducted principally in North America recorded cognitive and language impairments in children that were attributable to ultrasound examination — while results in several other subsequent large studies conducted principally in the public health systems in Europe were negative. On the other hand: 1) Elegant studies conducted in monkeys by an eminent brain scientist at Yale (Dr. Pasko Rakic) ... On the Brain by Dr. Michael Merzenich, Ph.D. blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=586068 Tue, 01 May 2007 15:46:49 +0100 586068 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=571672&cid=t_136949_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=571673&cid=t_136949_122_f&fid=35373&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmerzenich.positscience.com%2F2007%2F04%2F26%2Fwhat-underlies-the-documented-increase-in-autism-incidence-results-of-a-new-study%2F Studies from the Center for Disease Control and elsewhere have compellingly documented a rapid increase in the incidence of autism in the United States. WHAT THE HELL IS CAUSING IT? Given the enormous human and societal costs of this malady, few practical scientific questions are more important to we Americans, in our current era. Whether a single or multiple factors, the cause(s) of an increased incidence of autism has to meet three obvious criteria: 1) It has to be widely dispersed in our environment — because autism rate increases are EVERYWHERE, at least in the United States. 2) It must be steadily increasing in its concentration or its power over the past several decades. 3) It must further exacerbate the abnormal brain-development processes that account for autism origin in c... On the Brain by Dr. Michael Merzenich, Ph.D. blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=571673 Thu, 26 Apr 2007 18:57:38 +0100 571673 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=570491&cid=t_136949_122_f&fid=35373&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmerzenich.positscience.com%2F2007%2F04%2F25%2Fcomputers-go-to-school%2F The U.S. Department of Education recently published a report that they prepared for Congress summarizing the gains achieved by children using computer-based training in reading and mathematics, comparing randomly assigned classes of children who did or did not use these tools (”Effectiveness of Reading and Mathematics Software Products: Findings from the First Student Cohort”; Report to Congress from the U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance, Institute of Education Sciences). If you read this report you would discover, perhaps surprisingly, that the use of computer-based training offers NO measurable advantages over standard teacher/pencil-and-paper/print-based training. Educational publishers and software compani... On the Brain by Dr. Michael Merzenich, Ph.D. blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=570491 Wed, 25 Apr 2007 23:15:31 +0100 570491 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=563694&cid=t_136949_133_f&fid=35129&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwhitterer-autism.blogspot.com%2F2007%2F04%2Fstone-soup.html I go to school to collect them. I have stopped sniveling with "self pity" and am fully prepared to deal with the onslaught of recriminations that I am about to batter me.“Hi!” I blurt to the first one. He looks at me, head on one side.“Hey! You are still talkin dah funny. Open!” he commands. I obey. “You are not been fixed? No fries? No "fries" at dah restaurant?” His last few syllables head for the skies as he throws himself backwards in a rage against the unfairness of it all. This is timed perfectly to collide with the arrival of his brother. Although I have said nothing to this one, his brother’s reaction is the only information he needs. The braces and elastics are still in place, which to them means, that we will not be going to a restaurant to celebrate my release from... Whitterer on Autism blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=563694 Sun, 22 Apr 2007 16:49:00 +0100 563694 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=552124&cid=t_136949_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_136949_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_136949_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=547007&cid=t_136949_122_f&fid=35373&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmerzenich.positscience.com%2F2007%2F04%2F16%2Fwhats-normal-the-diagnosis-of-bipolar-disorder-in-children-is-on-the-rise%2F In an article in the April 9th issue of the New Yorker, Jerome Groopman writes lucidly about the explosion in the diagnosis of bipolar disorder in children. Reading it made me thank my lucky stars once again that I am not a child neurologist or child psychologist or child psychiatrist who actually has to address the problems presented by the instable child personality, one child at a time. As in the case of the ADHD “epidemic” that has resulted in the continuous medication of hundreds of thousands of children with strong neuro-active drugs, a rapidly growing population of kids are now being given even more powerful anti-psychotic drugs in an attempt to stabilize their erratic behaviors. It’s a rather strange world we live in. Life for many children is chock full of stron... On the Brain by Dr. Michael Merzenich, Ph.D. blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=547007 Mon, 16 Apr 2007 17:22:31 +0100 547007 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=547009&cid=t_136949_122_f&fid=35373&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmerzenich.positscience.com%2F2007%2F04%2F16%2Falvaro-asked-a-tough-question-how-do-you-define-%25e2%2580%2598smart%25e2%2580%2599%2F Alvaro asked this question as a comment after a blog entry discussed recent evidence that physical exercise contributes to academic success. Alvaro, “smart”, like beauty, is in the eyes of the beholder. You do not necessarily want a computer jockey next to you in your foxhole. You do not necessarily want a great world scholar managing your finances. If I lifted you up and dropped you down into a community of Aleuts or Bedouins or Ainu, it would take a very, very long time before anyone in that community viewed you as “smart”. “SMART” IS CONTEXTUAL. We commonly define “smart” in terms of academic success in school. We commonly define it in terms of the accumulation and capacity for regurgitation and manipulation of content from memory, becaus... On the Brain by Dr. Michael Merzenich, Ph.D. blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=547009 Mon, 16 Apr 2007 17:20:19 +0100 547009 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=539640&cid=t_136949_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=539641&cid=t_136949_122_f&fid=35373&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmerzenich.positscience.com%2F2007%2F04%2F12%2Fmore-better-quicker-new-middlehigh-school-computer-based-language-training-programs%2F I attended a scientific meeting two weeks ago in which Bill Jenkins, the program development team leader at Scientific Learning, described a radically improved version of one of their middle- and high school-targeted language learning programs (which they call “Literacy Advanced”). They have completely re-worked the game-play aspects of these exercises. Changes resulted in very significant improvements in training efficiency. Even though the content in the exercises has been increased by 29%, these more efficient and more engaging exercises are actually completed (high-schoolers’ speech reception and related cognitive abilities reach an asymptotic performance level) in 23% LESS time. Most importantly, in that shorter time, the average kid asymptotes at a 37% HIGHER performance level.... On the Brain by Dr. Michael Merzenich, Ph.D. blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=539641 Thu, 12 Apr 2007 16:44:06 +0100 539641 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=539642&cid=t_136949_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=530659&cid=t_136949_122_f&fid=35373&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmerzenich.positscience.com%2F2007%2F04%2F09%2Freactions-to-a-book-about-an-autistic-boy-and-his-mom%2F Several days ago, I recommended a book called “Strange Son”, written by a mother who struggled to communicate with, understand, and help her own autistic child. When I was looking up the URL for the book, I scanned through the reviews posted on Amazon, and was stunned by two negative reactions. One was from a reader who panned the book, stating (I’m paraphrasing) that a mother had to pretty far out to lunch to have a son who had knowledge about lots of things that she, his mom, was absolutely unaware of. To the reviewer, this reflected unbelievable insensitivity on the part of the boy’s mother. Who, then, would be interested in reading the ridiculous, self-centered statement about this subject from such a mother? I know the mom and dad, and know the boy. The mother has dedicated mu... On the Brain by Dr. Michael Merzenich, Ph.D. blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=530659 Mon, 09 Apr 2007 15:44:14 +0100 530659 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=530660&cid=t_136949_122_f&fid=35373&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmerzenich.positscience.com%2F2007%2F04%2F09%2Fmore-better-quicker%2F I attended a scientific meeting two weeks ago in which Bill Jenkins, the program development team leader at Scientific Learning, described a radically improved version of one of their high school-targeted language learning program (that they call “Literacy Advanced”). They have completely re-worked the game-play aspects of these exercises. Changes resulted in major improvements in training efficiency. Even though the content in the exercises has been increased by 29%, these more efficient and more engaging exercises are actually completed (high-schoolers’ speech reception and related cognitive abilities reach an asymptotic performance level) in 23% LESS time. Most importantly, in that shorter time, the average kid asymptotes at a 37% HIGHER performance level. In a phrase, More, Bett... On the Brain by Dr. Michael Merzenich, Ph.D. blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=530660 Mon, 09 Apr 2007 15:06:56 +0100 530660 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=523833&cid=t_136949_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=520759&cid=t_136949_122_f&fid=35373&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmerzenich.positscience.com%2F2007%2F04%2F04%2Fa-recommended-book-for-some-readers%2F “Strange Son”, by Portia Iversen is a personal account of a very special individual (the co-founder of Cure Autism Now; a friend of mine) struggling to understand and help her autistic son. It is NOT a book about the general science of autism or about the landscape of rehabilitative therapies applied to help autistics, because it is sharply focussed on Portias own journey of understanding, which necessarily describes only a small part of the complex science and treatment landscape in the world of autism. The achievement described in the book is notable: A mother with a very severely impaired child comes to understand, through the application of the “Rapid Prompting Method” empirically developed by an Indian mother, that her “strange son” knows and under... On the Brain by Dr. Michael Merzenich, Ph.D. blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=520759 Wed, 04 Apr 2007 17:06:30 +0100 520759 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=520760&cid=t_136949_122_f&fid=35373&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmerzenich.positscience.com%2F2007%2F04%2F04%2Fthe-price-we-pay%2F A recent study in the April issue of the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine focussed on autism spectrum disorders. A paper in that issue authored by a public health economist, Dr. Michael Ganz, used a rich variety of sources to determine the societal costs of autism. In today’s dollars: $3.2 million/autistic individual/lifetime. $35 BILLION overall, in direct and indirect expenses/annum. Which raises 3 simple questions in my mind. 1. Given these costs, how in hell can we justify spending so few dollars to determine why the apparent incidence of this devastating condition is still on the rise? Discovering that cause is obviously worth many, many billions of dollars to us all. “Pennywise, pound (in our case, dollar) foolish.” When autism was first identified as... On the Brain by Dr. Michael Merzenich, Ph.D. blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=520760 Wed, 04 Apr 2007 15:50:25 +0100 520760 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=520761&cid=t_136949_122_f&fid=35373&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmerzenich.positscience.com%2F2007%2F04%2F04%2Flearning-math-on-the-streets%2F As in many places in the “3rd World”, Mexican cities have many children on their streets and plazas, begging, or selling small trinkets of toys or whatever to whoever passes by. It is often difficult to turn these bright-eyed kids down ,and by the end of the evening I can find my pockets full of little things that I have no use for — even while these street children are usually the obvious sales force for a supervising adult (usually mom). Interacting with these bright little salespeople reminds me of a study conducted on the streets in Recife, a large city of more than a million people on the northeast coast of Brazil. Brazil has a large population of abandoned children who live largely on the streets, and who survive in large part as street merchants. A mathematics rese... On the Brain by Dr. Michael Merzenich, Ph.D. blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=520761 Wed, 04 Apr 2007 15:24:40 +0100 520761 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=520762&cid=t_136949_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=777635&cid=t_136949_140_f&fid=34838&url=http%3A%2F%2Fbipolarmale.blogspot.com%2F2007%2F04%2Fi-literally-feel-my-brain-is-physically.html (Source: Bipolar Mo) Bipolar Mo blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=777635 Sun, 01 Apr 2007 22:04:00 +0100 777635 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=513149&cid=t_136949_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=513154&cid=t_136949_122_f&fid=35373&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmerzenich.positscience.com%2F2007%2F03%2F30%2Fmarch-29-kids-in-car-seats-unintended-consequences%2F I’m in Queretaro, Mexico this week, visiting a world-class Neuroscience Insitute that is a part of the great Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM). I am struck by the beautiful, happy children in the 17th-and 18th-Century old city center where my wife and I are staying. We’ve seen many children out in this beautiful, old city having great fun with their parents and grandparents and other kin. We’ve also seen lots of children playing together, making up their own games and fun on the spot. One great change that has occured in child rearing in most of North America over the past several decades has been the gradual assumption of a planning role for childhood activities and play by parental authority. 50 years ago, kids were still largely in charge of organizing their game... On the Brain by Dr. Michael Merzenich, Ph.D. blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=513154 Fri, 30 Mar 2007 16:49:05 +0100 513154 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=513155&cid=t_136949_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_136949_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_136949_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_136949_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