Inexpensive saliva test let’s you know when you’re neurons are multiplying
What if a simple saliva test could tell you if your brain is in ‘growth mode’ or ‘survival mode’? New research has debuted
Exercise Before You Socialise
Muller x My Protein commissioned me to dig into the scientific research on the impact of exercise on the human brain for a recent PR campaign “Sweat to Spark”. They wanted to know if there was any evidence to support the idea that exercise primes our brains for social interaction. As it turns out, there’s plenty!
Opting Out of Infirmity
Have you ever noticed that people seem to be ageing better these days than they did a few decades ago. For years I’ve been wondering why people in their sixties don’t look as old as they used to and I think I’ve finally figured it out…
Do You Remember That Time…?
This month’s brain blog is about the different types of sensory cue that trigger recollection of key experiences from different periods of life and how access to these memories helps to define who we are.
The Runner’s High by Dr Jack
People who exercise regularly have lower rates of anxiety & depression, even boasting greater cortical thickness in the prefrontal cortex & medial temporal lobe
Mnemonic Techniques (Memory Tricks) by Dr Jack Lewis
Neuroscience has served to underline why memory tricks that have been used for millenia are well worth the investment of time in learning to harness their power in this day and age.
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?
Crash course in brain anatomy anyone?
A pair of cartoon rodents give a quick guided tour to the different parts of the human brain