Keeping Your Brain Healthy: Brain-FX

Use It Or Lose It: More Research

There's a great series of posts over at Dr. Ellen Weber's Brain Based Business blog about aging and mental exercise to keep your brain healthy. Dr. Weber writes about a book, Inside the Brain by Ronald Kotulak.

Here's an excerpt: Contrary to conventional wisdom…Kotulak said… people do not lose brain cells… in huge numbers… because of age. So why does it appear otherwise at times? Too many seniors allow their brain functions to stick… slog… and rust out… because of disuse.

Brain cells are now found to be sustained and stimulated by physically changing your brain through experiences and education well beyond the golden years… a new concept…

So my question to you readers is: "What have you done lately to exercise your brain?"

I'm learning to play World of Warcraft with my husband. Computer games are a great way to work out your brain, especially there there is some sequential reasoning involved, along with visual spatial organizing and hand-eye coordination. (So far I have completed some quests and advanced to level 9; and I've avoided getting killed by a couple of scary beasts.)

And you? What are you doing to keep your brain healthy?

Do We Really Only Use 10 Percent of Our Brains?

How many times have motivational speakers told the myth of 10%? I've heard it in varying versions:

"We only use 10% of our brains! Here's how you can tap into the other 90% of your mental resources!" (Just buy my program, my books, my tapes, etc.)

This myth is often used in conjuction with..."Only 21 days to a new habit," and "Your brain records everything it was ever told, ever experienced. Here's how you can reprogram it!"

Admittedly, the use of some of these myths by hypnotherapists and motivational gurus can bring benefits, and that's a good thing. But it is more of a testimonial to the power of our believing in something, and taking action, than actual facts about the brain.

So here's the truth about the myth of using only 10 percent of your brain, as reported in the print magazine Scientific American Mind. Dr. Barry L. Beyerstein, a psychologist in the Brain Behavior Laboratory at Simon Fraser University, Burnaby. B.C. explains:

Perhaps it is unwelcome news, but neuroscience has found no vast, unused cerebral reservoir for us to tap. In addition, a study of self-improvement products by a National Research Council panel found that no "brain booster" is a reliable substitute for practice and hard work when it comes to getting ahead in life.

He goes on to explain that as the brain has been shaped by evolution, and survival of the best brains; it doesn't make sense to think that a brain that was 90% fallow would be selected by natural processes. The brain is too metabolically expensive an organ to keep 90% not being used.

Furthermore, as neuroscientists continue mapping the brain and localizing each area for functioning, they haven't as yet found any neurons or areas that have no purpose. Just about every neuron they've applied electrical stimulation to is associated with a function, thought or memory. No quiet areas have been discovered.

Dr. Beryerstein concludes:

The 10 percent myth has undoubtedly motivated many people to strive for greater creativity and productivity in their lives - hardly a bad thing. The comfort, encouragement and hope that it has engendered helps to explain its longevity. But, like so many uplifting myths, the truth of the matter seems to be its least important aspect.

Well said. The whole point being, if a myth works for you, use it. It's called a belief system, and quite frankly, most of them are made up anyway. Just because what you believe in may not be factually true, doesn't mean it won't give you motivation, and energy, and a good feeling. That's what religions do, after all, and we all know how powerful they are. And they are all built upon myths.

Okay, you can comment and tell me your religion isn't a myth but the Real Truth, but please remember, this is a blog about the brain, not religion.

Of course, they've even located a God spot in the brain...but that's more likely a function of evolution, according to my own belief system. Your thoughts?

Busting the Turkey Myth

I woke up around midnight of Thanksgiving with vivid dreams that were almost hallucinogenic in nature. My computer-gaming husband was still up, and offered this explanation: it's the turkey. Half asleep, I agreed, remembering that turkey was rich in the amino acid tryptophan.

This morning I found that yet another brain myth has been busted:

Turkey's Imagined Tryptophan Effect
Posted by Zack Lynch on The Brain Waves Blog

As most Americans prepare to gorge ourselves tomorrow, I'd like to set the record straight about the sedative effect of the amino acid tryptophan found in turkey: IT'S A MYTH.

Tryptophan is the key ingredient in making serotonin; without it, serotonin won't be produced. Because the body can't make it's own tryptophan, it must be taken in as part of the diet; for this reason tryptophan is known as an "essential" amino acid. Typtophan achieves its effects by way of serotonin which promotes feelings of calm, relaxation, and sleepiness. Lack of serotonin, on the other hand, is associated with depression. Many of today's antidepressant drugs work to increase the level of available serotonin in the brain.

However, eating turkey with lots of other foods on a day like Thanksgiving will actually lower your tryptophan. That's because tryptophan uses the same means of transport into the brain as other amino acids, and has to compete against them to cross the blood-brain barrier. As it happens, tryptophan is the least abundant amino acid in protein. Forced to fight for access against the more common amino acids, tryptophan is left waiting at the gate: the amount of tryptophan entering the brain actually decreases.

Why, then, the post-turkey torpor? It's more likely due to the combination of drinking alcohol and overeating - not just turkey, but also mashed potatoes, ham, creamed onions, cranberries, sweet potatoes, peas, stuffing (or dressing, if you prefer), carrots, bread, pies, and whipped cream - all of which have the effect of puling the blood away from your brain to help your digestive tract do it's work, and the sugar/insulin effect. Put simply, you've stuffed yourself.

Still no explanation for the dreams. But I find reassurance in the fact that we ate reasonably, with delicious turkey breast, carrots, brussel sprouts, a small portions of mashed potatoes, stuffing and cranberry jelly. No dessert except for a popsicle. Why this obsession with overeating, I don't get it. It's not that I don't overeat occasionally, but never just because it's Thanksgiving. I prefer to not feel stuffed.

I've often heard that eating seafood will cause vivid dreams. At least that's what they say in France. Anybody out there with other food/brain myths?

Multi-tasking ain't what it used to be...

If you think you can read email, listen to the news, talk on the phone, while chewing gum AND you think it's no big deal...think again. Kathy Sierra writes a good post about your brain and multitasking. Go read it here.

Right or Left Brained?

I've never bought into the myth that someone is either right or left-brained. This idea that we are either one or the other is very popular; there are even books and assessment tools that claim to help right-brained people survive and conquer in our left-brain dominated world.

I react based on what I've learned through science: our brains are wired to operate on both sides, and we use both sides continually. The right and left hemispheres are connected by the Corpus Collosum.

That band of neural tissues may be larger or smaller in some individuals, but barring an accident or abnormality, we all use both sides. Women apparently have larger Corpus Collosum than men. Does that mean they can operate both sides better? I haven't seen this evidence.

People confuse right and left brain tendencies with personality traits. In other words, some people prefer to use logic and reason to process information; others prefer to use intuition and emotions. That is a question of preference or style of thinking. A preference doesn't preclude using a different way of thinking in some situations. Jung was the psychologist who studied how we process information. Later, these preferences were researched by Myers and Briggs.

Last night we had a 'brainstorming' session with a group of authors. One of the participants was very analytical in his way of processing information. He needed to see a system, with steps to follow. Some people would call him left-brained. But that is merely a metaphor. I think we create a disservice when we categorize humans as either/or, left or right-brained.

Earlier in the day, I had a phone call from a woman who was all over the map. She wanted to get some consulting time on a couple of business projects. But it was difficult for her to focus long enough to clearly express what she needed. What she wanted to do was paint a broad picture, touching on all the elements of her confusion, dispersing emotional energy as she talked. I can only imagine that this must be a process that works for her.

But as I am a logically-oriented thinker, it was uncomfortable for me to listen to her. As a busy professional, I wanted to set some boundaries and help her to focus and get to the point.

Call me left-brained, if you want. Focus is essential to any person, and that's what I wanted to give to her.

I'd like to see more integrated approaches when we refer to someone and when we use categories like right/left, and logical/emotional. It may seem to make sense, but the whole right/left brain categorization is actually false, and really should only be used as a metaphor.

Brain Statistics: Pre-1995 Knowledge 80% False

Doug Bench shares info on the new brain science and personal success on his web site:

Listen to what one of the leading research neuroscientists in the world, Dr Richard Restak, has to say in his book, The New Brain (Rodale Press, 2003)

"Brain Science is now capable of providing us with insight into the human brain that only a few years ago would have been considered the stuff of science fiction. An exciting consequence of this research is that by following certain brain-based guidelines, anyone can achieve expert performance in sports, business, or academic pursuits.

"Such findings of course run counter to the old traditional theory that winners are born not made.  This is not so.  Instead, it is now clear that by learning about and applying this new research, most of us can reasonably expect greatly enhanced personal levels of achievement."

98% of everything Scientists know about the  brain has been discovered in just the last 6 years. 

80% of what they thought was true about the brain before 1995, has now been found to be false. 

Nearly all of the medical brain research findings have fantastic applications as achievement, success, self-motivation tools and techniques- well beyond their medical importance alone.