Brain Optimisation
Brain Implant Enabling Paralysed Woman to Operate Robot Arm
The first time I came across this kind of technology was at the Society for Neuroscience annual conference in 2003. But back then it was a monkey who was controlling the robotic arm, to reach out for a piece of fruit and bring it close enough to eat, using the power of thought alone. Now [...]
High Sugar Diet Impacts Negatively on Cognition (but Omega 3 Protects) by Dr Jack
Rats fed high fructose corn syrup supplement navigate a maze significantly slower than others fed normal rat feed: click here for full article. Researchers suspect that the increase in insulin that results from high blood sugars may be to blame. Although in the body insulin serves to instigate biochemical process by which the sugar is [...]
Creativity and the Brain by Dr Jack Lewis
On 28th February 2012 I gave a brand new talk on: “The Neuroscience of Creativity” at the Royal Society of Arts. I kicked off by describing some of the features of modern life that are “Enemies of Creativity.” One chief culprit is the smartphone: constantly interrupting our concentrated thought to alert us to the arrival of an endless flow of emails, texts, calls and social networking updates. This interferes with creative thinking because it prevents us from efficiently getting all the relevant info required for the creative problem solving task into our heads in the first place and certainly from picking up on the subtle hunches that precede a breakthrough. So the first tip for boosting creativity is to block out distractions by switching off smartphones, closing down email accounts and sticking in the ear-plugs/-phones (blocking out distractions with music works for some but not others).
The rest of the talk describes a medley of the latest neuroscientific investigations into the Aha! moment courtesy of scientists like Joydeep Bhattacharya at Goldsmith’s University. Finally, I described what modern science knows about the hypnagogic state, that no-man’s-land where wakefulness drifts into sleep, well know to be an incredibly fertile ground for creativity.
Mnemonic Techniques (Memory Tricks) by Dr Jack Lewis
The successful creation of memories relies upon a densely packed and highly interconnected network of brain cells called the hippocampus nestling deep within the temporal lobes. The hippocampus resides within the medial or “inward” facing part of the temporal lobe which is a key component of the emotion-producing limbic system. So the first tip to creating memories that are easily and effectively recalled is to ensure that they incorporate some kind of potent emotion. The hippocampus is also highly connected to all sensory areas. Consequently, the second tip for creating memories that are swiftly and faithfully recalled is to make them multisensory. So with any mnemonic strategy you must commit items to memory by not just imagining what it would look like, but also what would it sound like, smell like, feel like and taste like too. Now that we’ve got some of the basic principles of forming strong memories safely tucked into our belts, it is time to explore the various mnemonic techniques available to us for organising groups of memories together in such a way that every item can be successfully recalled, at will….
The Inexorable Rise of “Smart” Drug Abuse by Dr Jack
Cosmetic psychopharmacology, cognitive enhancement or simply smart drugs, call it what you will, the use of pharmaceutical agents like methylphenidate (Ritalin) and modafinil (Provigil) for performance enhancement and sleep avoidance is rife. Throughout big business, software development, academia, poker tournaments and – according to a recent academic paper – even the medical establishment itself, many healthy individuals are opting to optimise brain function with drugs specifically intended for the treatment of illnesses, simply to keep up with the breakneck pace of life in the 21st century.
The Memory Palace & a review of Josh Foer’s “Moonwalking with Einstein”
Not so long ago most people didn’t know how to write and so if you needed to remember something your only option was to use your head. These days we tend to rely on various methods for jogging our memories such as post it notes, notebooks, diaries, the internet, smartphones and so on. But back [...]
Dr Jack’s Memory Clinic on ITV1′s THIS MORNING – Mon 13th June ’11
Over the summer I’ll be making a series of contributions to ITV’s THIS MORNING. The aim is to get the nation interested in how their brains work and ultimately to help YOU get the most out of YOUR brain. I’ll offer easy-to-follow advice on how to get your brain firing on all cylinders each and every day.
Norman Doidge’s “The Brain That Changes Itself” reviewed by Dr Jack
I’ve been devouring popular science books over the last year, with a view to writing a book of my own, and there is no doubt that THE BRAIN THAT CHANGES ITSELF stands out head and shoulders above the rest. Through a series of well-researched scientific breakthroughs explained via a variety of compelling real-life stories, it effortlessly convinces the reader that the human brain is a highly adaptable, “plastic” organ capable of dramatically rewiring itself, at any stage in life, to enable significant recovery from even catastrophic brain damage.
Hold On To Your Grey Matter – Take a Walk by Dr Jack
Although we cannot halt the inexorable process of grey matter loss completely, the good news is that we can slow its progression. This month a study conducted at the University of Pittsburgh and published in the journal “Neurology” describes the influence of regular exercise on the rate of reduction of brain volume and cognitive function in 299 elderly individuals.
It was observed that those individuals of this group of average age 78 who walked in excess of 6 miles per week had a significantly reduced rate of grey matter loss and consequently a lower incidence of cognitive decline. The greater the distance walked each week, the smaller the reduction in volume over a 9 year period within their frontal lobe, occipital lobe, entorhinal cortex and critically, in the hippocampus.
This begs the question – how and why does exercise slow down the rate at which grey matter shrinks?
Dr Jack’s review of Brain Training on the Nintendo DS
This review comprises my opinions, both as a consumer and a neuroscientist, of Dr Kawashima’s Brain Training on the Nintendo DS. I have previously (http://www.drjack.co.uk/brain-teasers-brain-training/) outlined my view that brain training is simply a matter of teasing your mental faculties with a variety of word, number and problem solving challenges on a regular basis. In this regard, the greatest advantage of the Nintendo DS brain training over the old-fashioned (but quite possibly equally effective) books of crosswords and number puzzles, is its fantastic convenience and flexibility. You can carry around with you literally thousands of mentally-taxing brain teasers for use during your daily commute, or whilst on adventures to the far corners of the globe, and it will take up no more room in your baggage than a small book. I have also previously described (http://www.drjack.co.uk/does-brain-training-really-work-by-dr-jack-lewis/) why I think that, despite the BBC’s headline-grabbing publication of research suggesting that “BRAIN TRAINING DOESN’T WORK”, I sincerely believe that the jury is still out on that issue. Here you will simply find my considered opinion on how this game rates – as a way to while away some spare time in a manner that probably won’t change your life, but certainly won’t do you any harm and might just sharpen up some very basic, but fundamental, cognitive abilities.
