Posts Tagged ‘Cognitive Neuroscience’
Brain Training: the Art and the emerging Science
Tom alerts us (thanks!) of a fun book review in the New York Times today, by Abigail Zuger, titled The Brain: Malleable, Capable, Vulnerable, on the book The Brain That Changes Itself (Viking, $24.95) by psychiatrist Norman Doidge. Some quotes: “In bookstores, the science aisle generally lies well away from the self-help section, with hard…
Read MoreCognitive Neuroscience @ MIT OpenCourseWare
The great MIT OpenCourseWare initiative offers a lot of free materials on Brain and Cognitive Sciences. You can browse lecture notes, readings, and more on a variety of psychology and neuroscience courses. “The human brain is the most complex, sophisticated, and powerful information-processing device known. To study its complexities, the Department of Brain and Cognitive…
Read MoreJoaquin Fuster wins the George A. Miller Prize in Cognitive Neuroscience
We are very happy that Joaquin Fuster, one of our scientific advisors, has won the 2007 George A. Miller Prize in Cognitive Neuroscience. The George A. Miller Prize in Cognitive Neuroscience was established in 1995 by the Cognitive Neuroscience Society and the James S. McDonnell Foundation to honor the career contributions of George A. Miller…
Read MoreTBI (Traumatic Brain Injury), Iraq and neuropsychology
You probably have seen the news about Bob Woodruff’s own recovery and his articles now to raise awareness about the plight of Iraq veterans.In the article A Firsthand Report on the Wounds of War we learn how “Woodruff, 45, is launching a multimedia campaign that includes appearances Tuesday with Oprah Winfrey and on “Good Morning America,” and the release of a book (“ In an Instant”) written with his wife, Lee, about their ordeal.”“Woodruff’s reporting packs an emotional punch because he is, quite simply, a man who cheated death.… discusses what a great work the military is doing to prevent deaths of injured soldiers in Iraq-with the unintended consequence that rehabilitation services back in the US are completely overwhelmed.Neurophilosopher puts this problem in a wider context with DoD is neglecting troops’ mental health.For a better prespective, this is a quote from our interview with Dr. Elkhonon Goldberg on Cognitive Training, talking about the birth of modern neuropsychology during World War II:“Of course there weren’t advanced neuroimaging techniques those days, so scientists could only speculate about what happened in healthy brains.
Read MoreEnhancing Cognition and Emotions for Learning — Learning & The Brain Conference
Alvaro and I had the good fortune to attend a great conference last week called Learning & The Brain: Enhancing Cognition and Emotions for Learning.… Some topics were meant to be applied immediately, but many were food for thought — discussions on where science and education are headed.Using dramatic new imaging techniques, such as fMRIs, PET, and SPECT, neuroscientists are gaining valuable information about learning. This pioneering knowledge is leading not only to new pedagogies, but also to new medications, brain enhancement technologies, and therapies. Discover how new adventures could change education, learning disorder interventions, and even society itself in the future.
Read MoreIs physical fitness important to your brain fitness?
Here is question 18 of 25 from Brain Fitness 101: Answers to Your Top 25 Questions.Question:Is physical fitness important?Key Points: Exercise improves learning through increased blood supply and growth hormones.Exercise is an anti-depressant by reducing stress and promoting neurogenesis.Exercise protects the brain from damage and disease, as well speeding the recovery.Answer:Yes. According to Fred Gage, PhD, of the Salk Institute for Biological Studies, “We now know that exercise helps generate new brain cells, even in the aging brain.”According to the research of Richard Smeyne, PhD at Saint Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, with just two months of exercise there are more brain cells and that higher levels of exercise were significantly more beneficial than lower amounts, although any exercise was better than none.
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