As with many other physicians, recommending physical activity to patients was just a doctor chore for me – until a few years ago. That was because I myself was not very active. Over the years, as I picked up boxing and became more active, I got firsthand experience of positive impacts on my mind. I also started researching the effects of dance and movement therapies on trauma and anxiety in refugee children, and I learned a lot more about the neurobiology of exercise. [Read more…] about Promote brain plasticity and keep your mind at ease by taking your daily “exercise pill”
Brain-Plasticity
Systematic review calls for early targeted interventions to help babies and toddlers with cerebral palsy harness time window with maximum brain plasticity
Early targeted intervention ‘critical’ for improving outcomes in cerebral palsy (Healio):
Early intervention for children with or at high risk for cerebral palsy should begin “as soon as possible” in order to build on “a critical developmental time,” according to results of a systematic review published in JAMA Pediatrics. [Read more…] about Systematic review calls for early targeted interventions to help babies and toddlers with cerebral palsy harness time window with maximum brain plasticity
How COVID-related stress can disrupt your brain circuits and nine tips to prevent it
COVID-19 has touched each of us somehow. Many now recognize that caring for our mental health is as essential as addressing the virus if we are to emerge stronger, more connected and more resilient.
The Ancient Greeks said “know thyself” to live soundly, but it is only now that we have the technology to start understanding how our individual experiences arise from the complexity of our brains. [Read more…] about How COVID-related stress can disrupt your brain circuits and nine tips to prevent it
A limerick a day hopefully keeps the neurologist away
– Hat tip to Barbara Arrowsmith-Young
Mark Rosenzweig’s classic 1996 paper on neuroplasticity:
Psychobiology of plasticity: effects of training and experience on brain and behavior (Behavioural Brain Research):
Abstract: Supporting Hebb’s 1949 hypothesis of use-induced plasticity of the nervous system, our group found in the 1960s that training or differential experience induced neurochemical changes in cerebral cortex of the rat and regional changes in weight of cortex. Further studies revealed changes in cortical thickness [Read more…] about A limerick a day hopefully keeps the neurologist away
How to remember what you read: Eight tips to improve reading speed and cognitive ability
__
You read a lot. Now, do you remember much of what of you read?
Whether it is books, blog, magazines, or professional manuals, we still need to read. Now and in years ahead. And, much of it is nonfiction material, where it’s crucial to first understand and then remember what you are reading. [Read more…] about How to remember what you read: Eight tips to improve reading speed and cognitive ability
Study: Psychedelics can promote neural plasticity in the prefrontal cortex and expand pathways for mental health

Psychedelics in Neurology: Potential for Improving Neuroplasticity (NeurologyTimes):
“Back in the 1950s, research was proving that psychedelic agents could be effective in the treatment of various neuropsychiatric disorders. Unfortunately, just as science was exploring their beneficial effects, the counterculture was exploring and embracing their effects. Slowly but surely, psychedelics were associated with rebellious youth and the tumultuous anti-war movement. As a result, the government shut down most of the research.
The 1990s saw renewed interest in psychedelic compounds as a means to address neuropsychiatric disorders. Research explored the benefits of MDMA and ketamine to treat mood disorders and posttraumatic stress disorder. Now, a new study sheds even more light on the promise these agents might provide. [Read more…] about Study: Psychedelics can promote neural plasticity in the prefrontal cortex and expand pathways for mental health