When you think of brain training, what do you expect it to improve? Mood might not be your first guess! But in fact, several studies have assessed the effects of training with BrainHQ exercises on depressive symptoms and other mood disorders, with positive results.
We were pleased to announce this week that the U.S. Patent Office has awarded Posit Science a new patent on “Neuroplasticity Games for Depression.” Just another great reason to get back to your training! It might make you happy. : ) |
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 Best regards, Jeff Zimman
Co-founder
Posit Science |
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| | | The Importance of Forgetting
“Without forgetting, we would have no memory at all,” says McGill scientist Oliver Hardt. By that he means that if we remembered everything that happened to us with equal clarity, our brains would be crammed full of useless information. It would be nearly impossible to separate the wheat from the chaff—the important from the meaningless. Recent research is changing the view on forgetting, suggesting it is an active biological process that clears the brain of unimportant memories. This research may have implications for Alzheimer’s and other causes of memory loss. Learn more. |
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The Biology of Procrastination
Are you a procrastinator? If so, you might have a larger amygdala than “doers” have. German researchers released the results of a study last week, in which they found that the brains of people who had poor action control (procrastinators) were different from those of people who were more action-oriented. Learn more. |
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New Human Brain Cell Discovered!
A lot of brain research is initially done in animals, such as mice. But sometimes, positive results in mice subjects can’t be replicated in humans. An international team of researchers might have a reason why: they have discovered a new kind of brain cell in humans that does not exist in mice. Learn more about the newly discovered “rose hip neuron.” |
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Does Poor Sleep Increase Alzheimer’s Risk?
Recent research suggests a correlation between poor sleep and Alzheimer’s risk. Although the “why” is not yet conclusive, it may be related to sleep’s role in cleaning out the trash: in this case, the amyloid beta that can cause the hallmark plaques in Alzheimer’s. Learn more. |
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Community Violence Is Toxic to the Growing Brain
How does the stress of witnessing community violence—seeing beatings, shootings, drug use, and so on—affect a child’s growing brain? In a pilot study, psychologist Darby Saxbe and her team took a look at long-term effects on the brain, and found that certain structures—notably, the hippocampus and the amygdala—were smaller in 17-year-olds who had witnessed community violence when they were younger. Find out why. |
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Book of the Month
Reader, Come Home: The Reading Brain in a Digital World(2018)
By Maryanne Wolf
Have you noticed your reading style changing since digital devices took over? Author and professor Maryanne Wolf did. Feeling that she was reading more superficially, she started to look into the question of how our digital age is affecting reading, and with it, our critical thinking, insight, attention, empathy, and imagination. How, she asks, can we—and especially our children—continue to reap the benefits of deep reading in this technological world? Learn more and buy on Amazon. |
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