Dear Voornaam,

One of the things that can be challenging for people is knowing which brain training program to choose. You hear conflicting things. Do they all work? Do none of them work? Are some better than others?

Perhaps this Fast Company article will help. It lays out the problem: that there is no government or industry body that reviews brain training programs — to help the public sort the wheat from the chaff. But, then, it highlights an important independent study on the scientific proof behind existing brain training programs, in which researchers found that most brain apps have zero studies showing benefits, and that only BrainHQ has been shown effective in multiple “high quality” studies.

We hope you take a moment to read the article. And if anyone you know has questions about brain training, share the article to help them out!
 

Jeff Zimman, Co-founder
Posit Science

What’s Up with Brain Freeze?
Have you ever gotten “brain freeze” from eating something cold on a hot day? That feeling has a scientific term: “sphenopalatine ganglion neuralgia.” But the brain itself can’t actually feel pain, and cold ice cream doesn’t seem like it should cause pain anyway. So what is going on? Find out.

Reading Books Correlated with Longer Life
In a recent study conducted at Yale, researchers investigated whether people who spent more time reading books lived longer. They did, by an average of two years. Reading magazines and newspapers didn’t have the same effect. Why might that be? Learn more.

Alzheimer’s in Animals
Are humans the only animal that gets Alzheimer’s disease? A recent study suggests that it’s possible chimpanzees do, too. In the study, researchers looked at the preserved brains of 20 chimps, and found that four had the amyloid plaques and tangles that are a hallmark of Alzheimer’s in humans. Learn more.

Finding Memories in the Brain
When we have an experience and form a memory of it, our brains create a neural circuit that represents the memory. Scientists have typically believed that to recall the memory, the brain followed the same circuit. But a new study suggests it actually takes an unexpected detour. Learn more.

Does a Brain Glitch Contribute to Obesity?
Recent research has shown that when people eat (take in energy), their brains respond by flipping a switch that switches fat from “white” (stored) to “brown” (available for energy expenditure). But that mechanism can be defective…and when it is, the body does not increase energy output in line with energy intake. The result: weight gain. This finding may have implications for future therapies for obesity. Learn more.

Book of the Month
Into the Gray Zone: A Neuroscientist Explores the Border Between Life and Death
By Adrian Owen (2017)

In his latest book, neuroscientist Adrian Owen explores the “gray zone”—the space between full consciousness and brain death, where people have working minds in damaged bodies. Dr. Owen’s research suggests that up to 20% of people once thought to be in vegetative states are actually in this “gray zone”—aware and capable of thought on some level, but immobile. What are the implications of this discovery for the patients themselves, as well as for legislation, families, religion, and insurance? What even counts as life? Dr. Owen attempts to answer these questions and more. Purchase on Amazon.