Brain Injury go to /https://www.jumbledbrain.com

Those of you who have read me for a while know that my wife suffered a brain aneurysm when we were in Australia and that I documented our story in this blog.  It took a long time, but she is back to normal now. But a brain injury can be devastating to the person who receives it and the family. We need to support those who have suffered a brain injury and there is a site that does just that.  The site is called https://www.jumbledbrain.com/  and the author is Michelle Munt. The following is from her site:

My name is Michelle Munt, & I sustained a serious brain injury in a car accident back in December 2014. The journey to recovery has been a challenge. I had to give up my career in recruitment. But now my confidence has grown so much that I am able to run my own business as a coach, supporting others.

From one brain injury survivor to another, learn how I did it by reading my blog, documenting the various struggles I have faced.

Her site is well worth a visit, as it provides, support advice and helps to those who need it. Her latest post struck a chord with me and it is well worth the read. This post talks about the fact she was not given any information about her injury.  She says, “The lack of information is not good enough and makes our journey so much harder. Here I touch on the harsh reality of what it felt like for me when I sustained a brain injury but had no idea what I was supposed to do.”

My wife and I were lucky for the care she received in Australia, they let her know from the very beginning what happened and what to expect. It did not make the struggles and the journey easier, but she knew what she had to face. 

If you have someone who has suffered a brain injury, then I recommend this site highly. She is doing a wonderful job. At the end of the blog, I am talking about she asks the questions.

Were you given enough information about your brain injury when it happened? What would you like to have happened differently Go to her site and read the blog:  https://www.jumbledbrain.com/2021/03/30/sudden-brain-injury-uncharted-waters/

Keeping Your Brain Young

One good telltale of our real age is our mental capacity. We expect that as we become grandmas and grandpas, our intellectual performance can never be the same with its prime years. But why does this happen? And what can we do to avoid thinking like we are old-aged already?

THE PROCESS OF AGING

Our neurons are non-regenerative. That means they do not divide to reproduce more of its kind. Once they die, they can’t be replaced by another one. As we age, these brain cells of ours start to reduce in size and in number. This reduces our ability to call to mind some things that we have learned, including those in school, and even those details when we were younger. 

A neurotransmitter called acetylcholine also declines as we age. This neurotransmitter is directly involved in memory and conveying of messages from a cell to another one. Moreover, because of the stresses that we have, the hippocampus, our memory bank, diminish in function. 

As we get old also, we develop plaques and tangles that accumulate between and within neurons, respectively. Plaques are proteins that mount up in between neurons while tangles are fibers that grow within the brain cells. Too much of these two are thought to kill nerve cells, like in Alzheimer’s Disease, an age-related disease. 

In addition to this, substances are created as a result of our lifestyle and environmental pollution. These substances called free radicals can damage our DNA and impede the production of energy which can cause early cell death. 

STAY SHARP

To delay the signs of ageing with regards to our mental capability, we should make a number of things a habit. 

As they say, stress is inevitable in everyday life because we need it to overcome large and small obstacles. But, of course, stress has a lot more negative effects than good ones. So, avoid too much stress. According to some studies, stress does not only make you look older, it also accelerates the degeneration of your brain.

Those who are easily stressed have higher risks to cognitive impairment than those who are not. You should examine yourself and determine the best ways in which you can cope with the obstacles of the day. Praying is one of the best examples. Planning ahead of time can reduce possible stress. An hour of it can even reduce two hours of your working time.

To stay sharp, one must also have adequate sleep. A new research in Massachusetts General Hospital shows that adequate sleep can help you think well. Adequate sleep helps the brain collect different bits of information and have the correct interpretation of them. On the contrary, if you sleep less than the required number, you would most likely have a bad performance and mood problems. 

Another thing we should regularly do to preserve our brain functions is to meditate. Doing it actually improves attention, learning, and memory. Regular meditation can also help you slow down the shrinking of our gray matter. For the younger ones, a thought of it is quite ridiculous because meditating is just for the oldies. But a new study has shown that people who meditate earlier in life have better attention in their succeeding years.

I can’t end without mentioning about eating right. It is true when they say that an apple a day can make you okay. Apples are rich in flavonoids that help protect the brain cells from free radicals. These fruits also contain a good number of antioxidants that do not only make your skin look young, it also raises the levels of the neurotransmitter called acetylcholine that diminishes as we age.

Think retirement is about taking it easy...Think again

For most of us, we hope that when we retire, we will find the time to relax, but that is really not true. My friends and I are very busy in our retirement and finding time to relax is still a problem. This may surprise many of you who are looking forward to your time to relax as you plan to or think about retirement. Let me explain, we are now busy doing things that we love, which may be pursuing our hobbies, travelling, volunteering or working (part-time) but not many of are just relaxing and letting life go by. 

For some of us, retirement isn’t just a time to lay the goals of life down it is a time to look back over life at our unfinished challenges and then go back and finish them.  I have two degrees and am proud of the work, time and energy I used to complete them. Many of my friends do not have a degree and they have an unfinished goal to go back and get that degree. 

When I taught at the University of Phoenix, I was not surprised to see young and senior adults, taking courses to finish their bachelor’s degree or start and finish a masters or Ph.D. Working with those students and helping them achieve their goals was a highlight of my career. I understand how big a challenge it is to go back to the classroom and get that certificate, especially when you do it after you have retired.

So why do it?  This may be a question your friends ask when they see you going after such an ambitious goal so late in life.  But when you think about it, you may be a bit offended by the question.  Implicit in this ageist question is the implication of, “What is the point of you getting a degree since you are not going to do anything productive in retirement and you are so close to death?”

Many of my friends started entirely new careers after they retired.  With the advances in medical science today, it is a given that most people live 20-30 years or more “in retirement”.  That is plenty of time to accomplish great things.  So, starting out this era of life with a good education makes just as much sense as it did when you left school and started out on your first career. 

This is not to say that going back to school is going to be easy.  If finishing your high school degree is the goal, and going back to school is not an option, then taking a High School Equivalency program may be the answer. Every country has this type of program it may be called a GED or an ABD or an HSED or HED so you may have to do an online search to see what is available where you live.

The social situation you may face in a college classroom or school may be a challenge.  You will have to get used to being in the classroom and listening to lectures, reading textbooks, taking notes, doing papers and taking exams all over again.  If you go after an advanced degree and take several classes, you will be a very busy senior citizen just keeping up with your studies. Most colleges or universities that offer programs to adults understand that these adults may not have the skills needed so they may offer courses on how to learn.

But there are some joys you can expect from going after an advanced degree.  If you decide to take day courses, instead of online or evening courses, college life and being on a college campus each day is by itself a very stimulating environment.  Being with young people each day can be energizing and you may find yourself looking and acting as much like the youth you “hang out with” as you do your fellow senior citizens.

When I watched students at the University of Phoenix cross the stage, I could see the pride of accomplishment on their faces. Talking to them and their family at the reception after the ceremony, I could see the pride and joy that radiated throughout the room and it was uplifting.

If you are finishing your high school or bachelor’s degree, congratulations, it takes hard work and sacrifice to achieve that goal. However, don’t be surprised if you fall in love with academic life.  As an educator for over 43 years, I believe that learning is tremendously addictive and you may wish to go on for yet more studies in fields of learning that have always fascinated you. 

If you want to study for the pure joy of learning, there are free or lost cost alternatives for you, However, nobody will turn away your tuition dollars if you just want to be in college for the pure joy of learning.  And you will be an inspiration to your family and your grandchildren as well as students when they see you succeed and they tell themselves, “If Granny/Grandpa can do it, so can I.”

Time to become creative

How many times when you were moving through the decades of raising a family and building a career did you say that you were going to write the greatest novel when you retired?  Now that you are retired and the time do you wonder if you could do it? Many of us, promised ourselves we would uncork all of that creativity we have been keeping pent up all these years and let it spill out onto the world.  So why not give it a try?  Nobody ever got hurt trying for greatness. Some of us may write, some of us may learn to play an instrument, some will paint, others will learn to sing, but all of us should try to uncork our creativity. If not now, when?

So, what if you don’t achieve “greatness”, this is a wonderful time to explore your creative side.  It might not be “the great novel”.  That phrase really is a way of expressing the fact that I believe we all have something creative and unique to give and this is our time to let them out.

The idea that writing, or painting, or acting or any of the creative arts are the venue only for the young has been proven wrong time and time again.  It seems creativity and creative expression really knows no age limits.  In the last few years, we have had Haley Joel Osment, Harrison Ford and Clint Eastwood all vying for the Academy award.  That makes a 10-year-old, a man in his late middle ages and a senior citizen all being evaluated by the same criteria for greatness in acting.   

In fact, it is notable that a few years later when Clint Eastwood won the Oscar for directing, he remarked that much older directors than him were still making their masterpieces.  So, he was a youngster in his 70s just getting started striving for greatness.  These are just a few examples to show that if these senior citizens can shine in their creative work late in life, so can you. 

Some of us are afraid of being embarrassed, don’t be, also don’t be afraid to get out there take the introductory classes in the art form you want to try out.  You may have always dreamed of painting.  Did you know that Picasso and Rembrandt did some of their finest paintings when they were older?  There are thousands of online courses for seniors, many are free or low cost,  in every discipline so if you are nervous about being the Grandpa or Grandma of the class find a class you’re your peers where you will get the respect you as a fellow artist and peer in the artistic community and no one will wonder or comment on your age.

This is not to say that writing or other forms of creative expression are not going to take work to master.  But in that department, you also have the inside track, you are no stranger to hard work.  You worked hard to raise a family, succeed in a career and provide for others all of your adult life.  Now its time to use some of that work ethic to let your own light shine and for a little while, let it all be about you.

Two Distinct Moral Mechanisms for Ascribing and Denying Intentionality

The study by LawrenceNgo, Meagan Kelly, Christopher G. Coutlee, R. McKell Carter, WalterSinnott-Armstrong & Scott A. Huettel,  Publishedonline: 04 December 2015 shows why we react more emotionally to bad things people do, then the good people do.

In the study, more than 660 people took traditional surveys that included reading about different scenarios with negative and positive outcomes (like spreading weed killer and hurting a neighbor’s crops, or spreading anti-fungals and protecting a neighbor’s crops). Twenty others had their brains scanned as they read the scenarios and assessed how intentional the actions had been.

The negative stories were more likely to trigger a reaction stemming from the amygdala, an emotional center deep inside the scanned brains. Positive actions were more likely to set off a statistical, reasoned approach, without lighting up the amygdala at all.

Philosophers and legal scholars have long theorized about how intentionality serves as a critical input for morality and culpability, but the emerging field of experimental philosophy has revealed a puzzling asymmetry. People judge actions leading to negative consequences as being more intentional than those leading to positive ones.

The implications of this asymmetry remain unclear because there is no consensus regarding the underlying mechanism. Based on converging behavioral and neural evidence, we demonstrate that there is no single underlying  mechanism. Instead, two distinct mechanisms together generate the asymmetry. Emotion drives ascriptions of intentionality for negative consequences, while the consideration of statistical norms leads to the denial of intentionality for positive consequences.

We employ this novel two-mechanism model to illustrate that morality can paradoxically shape judgments of intentionality. This is consequential for mens rea in legal practice and arguments in moral philosophy pertaining to terror bombing, abortion, and euthanasia among others

Across a series of three experiments, converging behavioral and neural evidence demonstrates two distinct and dissociable mechanisms for judgments of intentionality. Emotions drives higher ascriptions of intentionality for negative consequences, while statistical norms derived from beliefs about how often people behave in similar ways underlie the denial of intentionality for positive consequences. Further analysis shows that moral judgments of blame and credit can serve as inputs for intentionality judgments, rather than only the other way around.

Ngo, L. et al. Two Distinct Moral Mechanisms for Ascribing and Denying Intentionality. Sci. Rep. 5, 17390; doi: 10.1038/srep17390 (2015).

The eye test

This is weird,  but interesting!

7H15  M3554G3 53RV35 7O PR0V3 H0W 0UR M1ND5 C4N D0 4M4Z1NG 7H1NG5!

1MPR3551V3 7H1NG5! 1N 7H3 B3G1NN1NG 17 WA5 H4RD BU7 N0W, 0N  7H15 LIN3

Y0UR M1ND 1S R34D1NG 17 4U70M471C4LLY W17H 0U7 3V3N 7H1NK1NG  4B0U7 17,

B3 PROUD! 0NLY C3R741N P30PL3 C4N R3AD 7H15. PL3453 F0RW4RD  1F U C4N R34D 7H15.

 If  you can read this, you have a strange mind, too. Only 55  people out of 100 can.

I  cdnuolt blveiee that I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd what I was  rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid, aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde  Uinervtisy, it dseno't mtaetr in what oerdr the ltteres in a word are, the olny iproamtnt tihng is that the frsit  and last ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can still raed it whotuit a pboerlm. This is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the word as a wlohe. Azanmig huh? Yaeh and I awlyas tghuhot slpeling was ipmorantt! If you can raed this shr it

Even if you are not old, you will find this interesting.

The following is a TEST

Good Luck!!!

I  don't know about the wishes but we can all use some  brain exercise!!

 How old are your eyes?

 The  Eye Test 

Can  you find  the B's (there  are 2 B's) DON'T skip,

 RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR

 RRRRRRRRRRRBRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR

 RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR

 RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR

 RRRRRRRRRRBRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR

 RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR

Once  you've found the B's

Find  the 1


 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII1III

 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

Once  you found the 1............…;.

Find  the 6

 9999999999999999999999999999999999

 9999999999999999999999999999999999

 9999999999999999999999999999999999

 9999999999999999999999999999999999

 9999999999999999999999999999999999

 9999999999999999999999999999999999

 9999699999999999999999999999999999

 9999999999999999999999999999999999

 9999999999999999999999999999999999

 9999999999999999999999999999999999

 9999999999999999999999999999999999

 9999999999999999999999999999999999

Once  you've found the 6…;

Find  the N (it's hard!!)

 MMMMMMMMMMMMM

 MMMMMMMMMMMMM

 MMMMMMMMMMMMM

 MMMMMMMNMMMMM

 MMMMMMMMMMMMM

 MMMMMMMMMMMMM

 MMMMMMMMMMMMM

 MMMMMMMMMMMMM

 MMMMMMMMMMMMM

 MMMMMMMMMMMMM

 Once  you've found the N…;


 Find  the Q..

 OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

 OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

 OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

 OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

 OOOOOOOOOOQOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

 OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

 OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

 OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

 OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

 OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

I had fun doing this I hope you did as well, it  is great fun and good for the Brain!!

25 Killer Websites that Make You Clever

It’s easy to forget that we have access to a virtually limitless resource of information, i.e. the Internet. For a lot of us, this is even true at our fingertips, thanks to the ubiquity of smartphones and an ever-increasing push for online greatness by tech engineers all over the world.

As a result, there are countless websites out there that are geared to make you smarter and more brilliant for either a low or no cost. Here are just 25 killer websites that may just make you more clever than ever before.

1. Duolingo

Duolingo is a free version of Rosetta-Stone that delivers the same results: teaching you another language. Regular use of the site can have you speaking and writing Spanish, English, German, French, Portuguese and Italian in a matter of months depending on the diligence you put into it. Hopefully, even more languages will become available soon.

2. Khan Academy 

Have you ever wanted to pick up a subject you’re not well-versed in, but you didn't have the money to invest in a college course? Khan Academy aims to provide education at the collegiate level for anyone who wants it. They provide resources for learning pretty much every subject out there, including math, science, history and more. As you learn, the platform will even assess your progress and help you gauge what you've learned.

3. Justin Guitar 

Guitar is one of the few instruments out there that’s actually pretty easy to learn if you’re a little older, making it one of the most accessible instruments. Still, learning how to play still takes some direction, at least for most people, so a guy named Justin decided he was going to help out. His website provides hundreds of free guitar lessons that range in different styles, depending on how you want to play. His schedule for learning is pretty easy to follow, and the site is a great stepping stone for people wanting to pick the instrument up.

4. Cooking for Engineers 

Founded by Michael Chu, Cooking for Engineers goes further than just providing recipes. The site is a blog that is geared toward making your food taste good. Additionally, his analytical take on ingredients and cooking recipes is interesting and will likely change the way you approach cuisine.

5. The Dating Specialist (for Guys) 

Or Nick the Dating Specialist is a website that wants to help guys be better dates. The site is full of advice on how to approach social situations and flirt successfully with different types of people. Nick even offers personal coaching at your request, so he can help your specific situation or hurdle to successful dating.

6. Nerd Fitness 

When we think of exercising and gym techniques, we typically think of bodybuilders and jocks from high school. Nerd Fitness aims to provide resources for getting in shape from a nerd’s point of view. All of the guides, blogs and fitness tips on this site have a geek flavor that is intended to make anyone who feels uncomfortable at the gym feel right at home here.

7. MIT Open Courseware 

The educators at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology decided to give out information for tons of courses online through Opencourseware. Hundreds of millions of people have benefitted from the information that they can learn from these courses, starting a trend for other sites to offer free courses as well.

8. Investopedia 

Investopedia was born to provide a news blog that makes it easy to digest and really understand the financial markets. There are tons of resources like tutorials and videos that will help you keep up with the ever-changing world of money, and the news stories will keep you coming back for more.

9. Quora 

Have you ever wanted to ask someone famous a question, but you suffer from never having the chance? Thanks to Quora, you can read the opinions and answers of fascinating (and varied) questions from the leading experts in pretty much everything. You can answer questions too and get feedback from numerous others who share your love for a given topic.

10. Information is Beautiful 

Sometimes a visual demonstration just makes information come alive. Hence, Information is Beautiful is a platform that uses gorgeous visuals to impart data. For example, if you want to find out how much money individual organizations have lost from data breaches, you can view an action visual that shows bubbles that are labeled and sized accordingly, giving you an in-depth, but easy to digest overview of the data.

11. Spreeder 

According to Spreeder, a lot of us have trouble reading quickly because we can only read as fast as our “inner voice” can. Spreaders solution is to teach you to read without an inner voice, boosting reading speed and comprehension immensely. The best part? It’s totally free.

12. Project Gutenberg 

Imagine a library with tons of free books that you can keep for the rest of your life. Actually, you don’t have to imagine that because Project Gutenberg gives you the ability to download thousands of free e-books, and it’s completely legal.

13. Codeacademy 

If you haven’t noticed by now, the Internet has pretty much taken over everything, which means the skill of coding and developing websites is in higher demand than ever, and that’s not likely to change. With Code academy, you can use free tutorials that teach you the basics of coding with interactive and handy tools for helping you become an expert.

14. GeographyIQ 

Imagine if Google Earth and Wikipedia decided to make it official and have a child. That would be GeographyIQ. Using the world map, you can select any country and access virtually every facet of useful information there is about that country, including history, currency, population and more.

15. Anki 

It’s no secret that the key to memorizing information is mastering recall. With flashcards, you can recall things faster, making Anki an ideal resource for using flashcards online. Unlike other sites that use flashcards, Anki allows you embed more than just text. You can use video, audio and images to help you start studying faster and smarter.

16. Lumosity 

Lumosity a trusted resource for me and countless others. Using a daily schedule of games, Lumosity is literally designed to make you more clever. As you progress, the software figures out what your strengths and weaknesses (such as memory or math skills) and assigns you games accordingly. The best part is that the games are actually addicting and fun to look forward to according to a friend of mine who uses it daily.

17. CliffsNotes 

Ideal for high school and college students, Cliffsnotes provides valuable resources like study guides and test prep for standard books and subjects you’ll have to read anyway. The site also provides resources for math and science, giving you the chance to finally master the dark arts of homework.

18. TED 

For years, people have been benefitting from TED talks that provide free insights from the world’s smartest people. TED provides the value and learning growth of a seminar, but without the exorbitant costs and travel expenses, by providing visitors with tons of free video lectures. The app is also great for catching up on the latest talks, and you can even download some on iTunes.

19. Pinfruit

Need to memorize a lengthy number? Pinfruit analyzes the number and provides all of the options you could want as a mnemonic device. That’s all there is to it, since (unfortunately) they only provide this for numbers and not words.

20. Mindtools 

There are countless blogs that you can enjoy for being interesting and mildly useful, but how many of them actually help you with your career? Mindtools is a blog that teaches you what they call “practical career skills” that you can apply at your job. This is a great daily read for entry-level workers who want to make a great impression, and the variety of topics and advice provided make this is a fantastic bookmark for anyone wanting to excel.

21. Learn Street 

Want to take your coding skills to the next level? Learn Street helps teach you how to use advanced coding scripts such as JavaScript, Python and Ruby without making your head explode. It even provides a service for helping you teach advanced code to others.  

22. HowStuffWorks 

There are things we want to know about, and then there are things we didn’t know we wanted to know about. HowStuffWorks addresses the latter by providing information on a variety of topics and eye-opening facts that will broaden your horizons. 

23. OneLook 

Finding a great dictionary is not a difficult task in a world full of search engines, but it can be tricky to define more complicated words and phrases that most dictionaries (besides UrbanDictionary) don’t attempt to define. With OneLook, you can find multiple definitions from numerous dictionaries in one place, even if you’re looking up a phrase that is obscure or too specific for normal dictionaries to help you out with. 

24. The World Factbook 

Did you know that the CIA has information on pretty much everything in the world? Okay, but did you know that they make a ton of this information open to the public? The World Factbook is your godsend for research, allowing you to cite facts and details that pertain to a seemingly endless amount of information from reputable sources. 

25. Couchsurfing 

Don’t let the name fool you, as Couchsurfing is far from a website that will make you lazy. Couchsurfing lets you connect with travelers all over the world and is the ultimate resource for experiencing other cultures. Put simply, you can use the social network to meet locals in a new community you are visiting. You can also open up your home to fellow couchsurfers, giving you the chance to make new experiences and memories with fascinating people from all over the globe.

The above is from a post by Jon Negroni on http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/6WnQyR

Brain training works for Boomers

I thought this study was interesting, with 2,832 participants, the ACTIVE Study is the largest study on cognitive training ever performed. 

Funded by the National Institutes of Health and led by researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, the National Institute on Aging, the Indiana University School of Medicine, Penn State University, and others, the ACTIVE study proves that healthy older adults can make significant cognitive improvements with appropriate cognitive training and practice.

It also demonstrates that the Posit Science training in BrainHQ drives improvements that are significantly better than other types of cognitive exercise.

Study Goals 
The ACTIVE study was designed to compare three different types of cognitive training: one that focused on memory, one that targeted reasoning, and BrainHQ training that exercised speed of processing. 

The study was conducted at six sites across the United States, and all of the participants were healthy adults aged 65 or older. Researchers followed participants for ten years to evaluate the long-term effects of training.

The BrainHQ Training: Double Decision 
The speed-of-processing training that ACTIVE study participants used was an earlier version of the BrainHQ exercise Double Decision. In Double Decision, (to learn more about Double Decision go here)  the user has to spot a target in the middle of the screen while simultaneously noticing a target in the periphery—even when they flash on screen very briefly. Over time, the brain speeds up, and is able to process the targets more and more quickly.

Superior Results from Posit Science Training
All three types of cognitive training tested in the ACTIVE study resulted in cognitive improvements after the initial training period, but participants who used the Brain HQ exercise experienced the best results overall. 

According to the study, 87% of the participants who used BrainHQ’s Double Decision showed increases in cognitive ability, while 74% of participants who used reasoning training and 26% of those who used memory training showed improvements. 

The Double Decision training also reduced the risk of serious decline in health-related quality of life by 35%, and reduced the risk of decline in people’s abilities to perform instrumental tasks of daily living.

Lasting Effects
At both 5-year and 10-year follow-ups, ACTIVE study participants who used the BrainHQ training continued to show measurable cognitive improvements, even without additional training. 

It not only helped people improve their speed of processing, but also helped them perform everyday tasks—such as shopping and handling finances—more easily and effectively.

Brain imaging research shows how unconscious processing improves decision-making

Brain imaging research shows how unconscious processing improves decision-making published on February 13, 2013 in Neuroscience as well as Medical Xpress.

(Medical Xpress) New brain imaging research from Carnegie Mellon University provides some of the first evidence showing how the brain unconsciously processes decision information in ways that lead to improved decision making. Published in the journal Social Cognitive and Affective

Neuroscience, the study found that the brain regions responsible for making decisions continue to be active even when the conscious brain is distracted with a different task. This image shows unconscious activity in two parts of the brain, the left visual cortex and right prefrontal cortex. When faced with a difficult decision, it is often suggested to "sleep on it" or take a break from thinking about the decision in order to gain clarity.

But new brain imaging research from Carnegie Mellon University, published in the journal "Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience," finds that the brain regions responsible for making decisions continue to be active even when the conscious brain is distracted with a different task.

The research provides some of the first evidence showing how the brain unconsciously processes decision information in ways that lead to improved decision-making. "This research begins to chip away at the mystery of our unconscious brains and decision-making," said J. David Creswell, assistant professor of psychology in CMU's Dietrich College of Humanities and Social Sciences and director of the Health and Human Performance Laboratory. "It shows that brain regions important for decision-making remain active even while our brains may be simultaneously engaged in unrelated tasks, such as thinking about a math problem.

What's most intriguing about this finding is that participants did not have any awareness that their brains were still working on the decision problem while they were engaged in an unrelated task." For the study, Creswell, recent CMU graduate James K. Bursley and Northeastern University's Ajay B. Satpute presented 27 healthy adults with information about cars and other items while undergoing neuroimaging.

Then, before being asked to make decisions about the items, the participants had to complete a difficult distractor task—memorizing sequences of numbers—to prevent them from consciously thinking about the decision information.

The results included three main findings. First, the team confirmed previous research demonstrating that a brief period of distraction—in this case two minutes—produced higher quality decisions about the cars and other items. But did this effect occur because the distraction period provided an opportunity for the brain to take a break from decision-making and then return to the problem with a fresh look? Or alternatively, does the brain continue to unconsciously process decision information during this distraction period?

 This research supports the latter unconscious processing explanation.  When the participants were initially learning information about the cars and other items, the neuroimaging results showed activation in the visual and prefrontal cortices, regions that are known to be responsible for learning and decision-making. Additionally, during the distractor task, both the visual and prefrontal cortices continued to be active—or reactivated—even though the brain was consciously focused on number memorization. Third, the results showed that the amount of reactivation within the visual and prefrontal cortices during the distractor task predicted the degree to which participants made better decisions, such as picking the best car in the set. "We all face difficult problems we need to solve on a regular basis,"

Creswell said. "Whether it's buying a new car, finding a new apartment to rent, or seeking out a new dating partner on social networking sites. This study provides some of the first clues for how our brains process this information for effective problem-solving and decision-making."

This study is really a starting point. We also are using brain imaging to see if we find the same reactivation patterns in learning tasks that we saw here in decision-making." Journal reference: Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience Provided by Carnegie Mellon

Read more at: http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-02-brain-imaging-unconscious-decision-making-video.html#jCp

Brain research helps overcome fear

12 Ways Your Brain May Be Tricking You is an interesting article found at Steal These Secrets so I thought I would share some of the ways you may be fooled by your brain.

Your mind may be playing tricks on you in several ways, deceiving you into believing things are one way when they really aren’t. Oftentimes when the mind does this it is a sort of defense mechanism to protect our own egos. Egos can be fragile things and there are many things that can put cracks into our feelings of confidence. Understanding your own flaws is important in life though, because in order to move forward and be successful you need to be able to learn from your mistakes. If you can learn to recognize these twelve tricks that your brain can play on you, then you can deal with the reality of a situation and come out a better person for it.

1. If I only had this one thing everything would be better!
Sometimes we can start to think that everything will fall into place once we get that one thing that has eluded. 

2,  I wish I didn’t have so much to do…

Most are guilty of thinking this one from time to time. Human minds tend to float to thinking about how great a leisurely life filled with relaxation would be. 

3. I hope things never change.

You think you like things exactly the way that they are, and never want things to have to change. This could be true because some people have really good lives. 

4. So and so is always screwing me up, it’s all their fault!

The mind tries to shield our own egos sometimes by casting the blame off for things on others. This is a defense mechanism designed to keep us from feeling bad about ourselves when we make a mistake

5. I need to figure out if there is some sort of secret to being successful.

Oftentimes our minds think there has to be some trick to being successful. It seems like there must be a magic bullet out there that can turn people’s lives from rags to riches. The fact of the matter is that there are no shortcuts to take on the road to success.

6. It’s scary out there, so I think I’ll stay inside.

This can be a common one, even though many do not want to admit it. The world is indeed a scary place. It is full of bad things that can harm a person and ruin their lives.

7. I probably shouldn’t do this, but it’s only one more!

This line of thinking can lead to a lot of bad behavior in life. Learning to limit your intake of foods and other such things can be a difficult task for some.

8. I’m going to avoid this because I don’t like it.

Avoiding things that you do not like doing isn’t a positive thing all the time. A lot of the times the things we want to avoid doing can be quite important. 

9. I’ll decide on this later…

Putting off decision is a way our mind tries to deal with not wanting to make difficult decisions. When a difficult decision crosses your path it can be nerve wracking, but putting things off won’t help you to avoid consequences.

10. It’s too late! If it was going to happen then it should have happened by now.

This can be a common misconception our minds try to throw our way. Sometimes when you have been pursuing something for a long time and it hasn’t happened yet you start to question yourself. 

11. You have to be lucky to fulfill your dreams.

This line of thinking can come from a bitter spirit. Luck usually has nothing to do with fulfilling a dream

12. There’s no way I could ever do that.

Our final trick that our mind plays on us is probably the worst of them all. When we are afraid to give something a shot our minds will try to tell us ways that make something impossible for us to succeed at certain things. You could be thinking something like “there is no way I could ever run my own business” or “I do not have what it takes to get my Master’s degree.” The self-doubt that has been created in your mind serves only to hold you back.

Of course you will never be able to do those things if you don’t believe in yourself! Confidence goes a long ways towards making difficult tasks seem doable. You need to cast aside the fear of failure if you intend to do great things. If you are committed to doing something, then you can find a way to get it done. You can better yourself as a human being until you have reached the point you need to be at. Don’t let your mind trick you into thinking you are not able.

Child development and music

Some interesting ideas on child development and music, written by Robert Sylwester should be of interest to parents and grandparents of toddlers.

Stamm and her collaborators in the book, Bright From the Start demystify the scientific base of early brain development and the effect of currently available computerized gadgets and programs. They place personal parental contact into the center of the early developmental period. Their major point is that direct constant parental care is the most important need of a birth to age three child.

The book is organized around Stamm's ABC's of parenting: Attention, Bonding, and Communication. The chapters provide relevant non-technical information on the underlying science of each of the three concepts and its related elements, and a wealth of practical advice on how to enhance the development of the relevant biological systems. This includes information on useful resources, and helpful critiques of various (often-computerized) commercial parenting aids.

Attention is a requisite for any receptive or responsive behavior, and so much of our attention system is innate. Parents and other caregivers thus need to understand how attention functions, how to enhance it. Enhancing attention is defined by the authors,  in terms of time span, distractions, and vacillations between active and passive attention. Many parents are currently concerned about the effects of electronic media on a child's attention capabilities.

Bonding is the strong emotional attachment that humans develop for selected others. Our species' survival requires innate and immediate bonding between infants and their parents, but the book also suggests deliberate tactile and other interactive activities that enhance the process. Many parents who work outside the home are concerned about the bonding issues implicit in the selection of an appropriate day care program.

Communication is the natural adjunct of bonding. The emergence of speech through the music of parents has been a delightful experience for parents throughout human history, and the joyful fascination we all have in observing language emerge in a child enhances the process. The discovery of mirror neurons provides us with an enhanced understanding and appreciation of the importance of modeling behavior in the early life of a child.

Communication and collaboration are essential in a social species. Humans use two basic forms of communication, (1) a personal intimate form called grooming or caressing that uses touch and body language to establish and maintain bonding and hierarchical relationships within the group, and (2) a more complex auditory signaling system that alerts others in the group to the nature, location, and importance of potential dangers and opportunities.

Human language appears to be the most extensive and complex of all these communication systems. Mastering one's native oral and written language is an extended major childhood task, and current school standards and assessment programs focus principally on the development of such skills. Unfortunately, we've narrowed our definition of language.

For example, most K-12 schools currently focus on mastering the sequence of letters that constitute a word but not also on the sequence of tones that constitute a melody, on the grammatical structure of language but not also on the structure of musical forms, on the ability to use writing and typing tools but not also on the ability to play a musical instrument.

It's not that music isn't ubiquitous in our culture—but it's become a one-sided message that emanates from stages, loudspeakers, and personal portable pods. We tend to listen to the music of others rather than create our own.

Music is important to children in all cultures and we need to embrace and celebrate the music in our lives and teach them music and a young age.

Wild Spring weather

Walking along the Fraser a few days ago, I was left wondering about the beauty and power of nature. I was half finished my walk when I felt a few drops of rain and I looked up. When I had started the walk the sky had been clear, the wind warm and the sun shining, so I wondered where the rain was coming from. 


When I looked up I saw a large black cloud moving up the river, hurtling over the construction of the Port Mann bridge. Suddenly the sky was black, the sun gone, the wind increased and the temperature dropped and the rain came at me straight. Within two minutes I was soaked, the wind and rain continued for at least 10 minutes and then just as suddenly, the cloud was gone, the wind stopped and the sun came out. I love the variable weather on the west coast.


The storm had come and gone within minutes but the aftermath lasted a while. As I walked home I walked around fallen branches and broken trees that a few minutes before had been whole. Life is sometimes like the storm,in a very short time we can be challenged as storms rage around and though us but we hope we come through the challenge whole. However, sometimes we are whole, but our surroundings have changed.


Although we are OK, the folks around us may need mending. I encourage you after you have been in one of the many storms that life gives us to take the time to help those in your surroundings who may need your help to get themselves whole. Unlike the trees, we can mend and with help make ourselves whole in spirit if not in body.

Is loss of memory a given?

Like many my age, I worry about my memory.  One of my friends has Alzeimers and I have talked about him in other posts. His memory is getting worse, and he is beginning to loose his sense of who he is now.

Many of my friends notice that from time to time they forget things like a name, face, or where they put their keys. We wonder is this normal and what do we have to do to keep my brain sharp.  By the way according to AARP, the number one priority of 94 percent of people as they age is, "keeping my brain sharp." So me and my friends are not thinking out of the norm when we worry.

Dharma Singh Khalsa, president and medical director of The Alzheimer's Research and Prevention Foundation believes that we are not doomed to lose our memory  and here are his reasons and his ideas on how to maintain memory with age.

There are actions or lifestyle measures that you can take that to maintain your mental sharpness with age.  Here are the main ideas:

1. Keep your brain strong. This is called building cognitive reserve or resiliency. To do that, you must discover ways to keep your brain blood flow optimal and your brain big. Why? Brain shrinkage in key areas such as your memory center, or hippocampus, leads to memory loss.
2. Mind the gap, the place where your nerve cells communicate known as the synapse. To stay sharp with age, you have to help your all-important brain chemicals, called neurotransmitters, remain in abundance. That will give you the spark that is the hallmark of a youthful brain.
3. Love your genes. Many people still think that the genes you inherit determine your health. But many recent studies have revealed that not all people with the Alzheimer's gene for example, come down with the disease. There are lifestyle measures that you can follow that will keep your genes healthy.
4. Create high levels of well-being. It has been shown, for example, that people who are happy, spiritually attuned, and have a clear picture of their mission in life have less Alzheimer's.

It's time to change the channel on thinking that memory loss is normal with age. We are not doomed! For one thing, subjective complaints can be caused by conditions such as depression that may not be progressive. Moreover, there are many things you can do to keep your mind strong starting right now. Put your health first, make a plan and stick to it. I'll have more to share in future articles on how you can do just that.

To discover more about the work of Dharma Singh Khalsa, M.D. and receive 2 free e-books please go to www.drdharma.com. To learn more about his groundbreaking research, please go to www.alzheimersprevention.org.


Mind games for Seniors not all they are cracked up to be

I find it interesting because there are many sources of information for us on how to stay healthy when we age. For more on this story visit Smart Money. The story was published on July 20,

For boomers and seniors worried about staying sharp, retirement communities and companies are pushing fitness for the mind -- exercises, games and classes that promise to stave off memory loss, improve your attention span and help you become more productive.
They're finding a receptive audience. The so-called brain fitness market -- which includes everything from handheld games and tests to group classes that are designed to keep seniors mentally sharp -- tripled from 2005 to 2009 to $295 million, according to the most recent data available from market research firm SharpBrains, which tracks brain fitness trends and technology. Retirement communities have also jumped on the bandwagon, with 60% offering some kind of mental acuity classes or programs nearly triple the percentage that did three years ago, says Colin Milner, president of the International Council on Active Aging. And a slew of software developers have entered the market with games, personalized "training programs," and other programs that promise to keep users on point -- at prices that range from a few dollars to several hundred of dollars.

The problem, experts say, is that all these exercises may not be worth the extra cash. "There's not strong evidence that tailor-made brain games are any better than just, say, reading or doing a crossword puzzle or doing something else to stimulate the brain," says Marc Agronin, director of mental health and clinical research at the Miami Jewish Health System and author of "How We Age."

Still, there's a good reason these products have found a niche. According to a 2010 survey by AARP, baby boomers are more concerned about "staying mentally sharp" than running out of money. A separate 2011 poll by the Associated Press finds boomers are significantly more afraid of a deteriorating mental state than they are of death: While 44% of boomers say that one of their top worries is losing their memory, just 18% say that death is on top of the list. As a result, the market for these kinds of products and services is projected to hit up to $8 billion by 2015, says Alvaro Fernandez, CEO of SharpBrains.

My advice, remember the old motto if it appears to be too good to be true, it probably is not true. Buyer beware.

Why we have brain farts

A young friend of mne said once explained why he had been married and divorced in a span of two weeks by saying, we both had a brain fart and once we realized what we had done we both decided to move on with our lives. His turn of phrase always puzzled me so when I saw this article I took the time to read it. Brain farts evidently are quite common and can cause serious problems for people. So enjoy the reading.

Why we have brain farts, and what scientists are doing to stop them by Robert T. Gonzalez
published in Neuroscience July 1, 2011

Brain farts, the momentary lapses in attention that strike when you least expect them, may actually be rooted in abnormal patterns of brain activity. Neuroscientists call them "maladaptive brain states." We spoke to researchers in an emerging field of neuroscience that examines these brain states to learn about the neurological basis of brain farts, their potential evolutionary origins, and how they might one day be a thing of the past.

For a long time, the mistakes caused by brain farts during monotonous tasks were chalked up to momentary, unavoidable fluctuations in brain activity. Consequently, much of the research since the early nineties surrounding human error and brain activity has been focused on how our brains react to mistakes in order to facilitate processes like correction and learning. In contrast, very little attention has been paid to what goes on in our brains in the moments leading up to a mistake.

But a handful of recent studies have demonstrated that what we refer to colloquially as "brain farts" may actually be rooted in a number maladaptive brain states. These unusual neural patterns happen when you're doing monotonous or repetitive activities — and they can develop as many as thirty seconds before a mistake occurs. It's this aspect of the maladaptive brain state that has led some scientists to conclude that we may one day be capable of predicting, and preventing, the elusive brain fart.
For more from this article go to this link: Why we have brain farts, and what scientists are doing to stop them

Education 'helps brain compensate for dementia changes'

An interesting article on  dementia by By Caroline Parkinson, Health reporter, BBC News, posted July 26th

People who stay in education for longer appear to be better able to compensate for the effects of dementia on the brain, a study suggests.

A UK and Finnish team found those with more education were as likely to show the signs of dementia in their brains at death as those with less.

But they were less likely to have displayed symptoms during their lifetime, the study in Brain said.

Experts said scientists now had to find out why the effect occurred.

Over the past decade, studies on dementia have consistently shown that the more time you spend in education, the lower the risk of dementia.

But studies have been unable to show whether or not education - which is linked to higher socio-economic status and healthier lifestyles - protects the brain against dementia.

Compensation
The researchers in this study examined the brains of 872 people who had been part of three large ageing studies.

Before their deaths they had also completed questionnaires about their education.

The researchers found that more education makes people better able to cope with changes in the brain associated with dementia.

"Education in early life appears to enable some people to cope with a lot of changes in their brain before showing dementia symptoms" r Hannah Keage

Post-mortems showed the pathology - signs of disease - in the brains of people with and without long educations were at similar levels.

But the researchers found those with more education are better able to compensate for the effects of the condition.

It also showed that, for each year spent in education, there was an 11% decreased risk of developing dementia.

Dr Hannah Keage of the University of Cambridge, who co-authored the study, said: "Previous research has shown that there is not a one-to-one relationship between being diagnosed with dementia during life and changes seen in the brain at death.

"One person may show lots of pathology in their brain while another shows very little, yet both may have had dementia.

"Our study shows education in early life appears to enable some people to cope with a lot of changes in their brain before showing dementia symptoms."

'Dementia resistant'

The researchers used data from the Eclipse collaboration, which combines the three European population-based longitudinal studies of ageing from the UK and Finland which have assessed people for up to 20 years.

Professor Carol Brayne, who led the study, said: "Education is known to be good for population health and equity.

"This study provides strong support for investment in early life factors which should have an impact on society and the whole lifespan.

"This is hugely relevant to policy decisions about the importance of resource allocation between health and education."

Ruth Sutherland, chief executive of the Alzheimer's Society, said: "This is the largest study ever to confirm that hitting the books could help you fight the symptoms of dementia in later life. What we don't know is why a longer education is so good for you.

"It could be that the types of people who study longer have large brains which adapt better to changes associated with dementia.

"Another reason could be that educated people find ways of managing or hiding their symptoms."

She added: "We now need more research to find out why an education can make the brain more 'dementia resistant'. Until then the message appears to be stay in school."

Rebecca Wood, chief executive of the Alzheimer's Research Trust, added: "During dementia, proteins build up in the brain and nerve cells become damaged. This research suggests that education is not able to stop the damage but enables the brain to cope better and alleviate its impact. "

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