One of BrainHQ’s exercises, Double Decision, has been shown time and again not only to improve cognitive function but also to transfer to improvements in daily life, including driving safety, health-related quality of life, balance, and confidence.
A new study sheds light on what is happening in the brain to enable that improvement. Researchers at Penn State and the University of Alabama at Birmingham conducted a brain imaging study on people who used Double Decision. They compared that group to people who did other cognitive activities and to a no-contact control group. What they found was that the group of people who used Double Decision showed an improvement in cognitive efficiency and an increase in network connectivity—meaning the exercise drove structural changes in the brain.
You can learn more about this fascinating new study in the press release. |
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 Best regards, Jeff Zimman
Co-founder
Posit Science |
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| | | The Ethics of Growing Human Brain Tissue
Recently, scientists have been growing brain “organoids”—small blobs of human brain tissue—from stem cells. The research is advancing quickly, with larger and more complex organoids being developed, and the first successful transplantation into animals. What happens if these organoids begin to respond to stimuli, or even cross the line into consciousness? Read more about the ethical questions that are beginning to arise. |
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Real Learning Takes Effort
A lot of groups like to promote their learning programs as “easy and friendly.” But can that really work? Probably not, at least if you want to retain what you’ve learned. Find out more. (P.S. This is why BrainHQ’s exercises are all designed to keep you at a challenging level. It’s the only way for your brain to sustain and build on positive changes!) |
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Picture Books Are Good for the Child Brain
A new brain imaging study suggests that the combination of hearing a story and looking at illustrations may be better for a child’s brain than either an auditory story or an animation. That’s because it gives the brain enough scaffolding, but still asks them to integrate information, an important step in brain development. Learn more. |
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How Music Can Help with Alzheimer’s
Caregivers and scientists alike have noticed that familiar music can soothe Alzheimer’s patients. Now, a new imaging study shows what’s happening in the brain when that happens. Listening to personal music lit up the visual network, the salience network, and several other parts of the brain, showing higher functional connectivity. As Dr. Norman Foster notes, it may be “an alternative route for communicating with patients who have Alzheimer’s disease.” Find out more about the study. |
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Good News on Chocolate and Brain Health
Over the past several years, a number of studies have shown that dark chocolate may be good for the brain. One of the criticisms, however, has been that the doses were too high – no one actually eats that much chocolate. A pair of new studies have now shown that even a few servings might enhance neuroplasticity and provide other brain benefits. Learn more. |
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Book of the Month
The Neuroscientist Who Lost Her Mind: My Tale of Madness and Recovery (2018)
By Barbara K. Lipska
What is it like to descend into madness? When melanoma spread in Barbara Lipska’s brain, she began to exhibit terrifying signs of severe mental illness. With effective treatment, a system of support, and powerful personal resiliency, she eventually returned to herself. The Neuroscientist Who Lost Her Mind is her memoir of that time, in which she learned as much about mental illness as in her decades as a specialist in the field. Learn more or buy on Amazon. |
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