| l has rung, and brain class has begun. Norman | | | | keeps itself sharp, and is also where the |
| Doidge, MD, and Sharon Begley, authors of "The | | | | cornerstone of sleep fits in for Evans and |
| Brain That Changes Itself" and "Train Your Mind, | | | | Burghardt. When I am asleep, the brain double |
| Change Your Brain" respectively, have made the | | | | checks the days new connections and prunes |
| idea of brain fitness common knowledge, and the | | | | some and reinforces some. Very important that |
| marketers are flooding the marketplace with | | | | the amount of sleep be long enough for that to |
| verbiage that seduces and excites. | | | | happen. |
| Lots of it is aimed at baby boomers, like me, who | | | | Nutrition |
| are worried that we will lose our faculties to | | | | There is a great deal of specific information |
| Alzheimers. | | | | available about vitamins, minerals, fiber, |
| Boomers have all had a close call or two with our | | | | phytochemicals, glyconutrients, antioxidants, and |
| ultimate fate and hold fewer illusions about | | | | omega 3 fatty acids, and why those things must |
| mortality than we did when we were youngsters, | | | | be taken daily, for the brain to do its memory, |
| yet we continue to expect to be vital right up to | | | | sensory processing, and analysis work effectively. |
| the bitter end. | | | | Without going into a lot of detail about the |
| There is a tremendous difference between | | | | molecular specifics, neurons need to be able to |
| Boomers though, and our predecessors, like my | | | | talk to one another constantly, billions of them, |
| parents, who expected to reach retirement age | | | | constantly connecting so that you remember |
| with a pension and social security and have the | | | | your VIP clients name at the most important |
| time for pursuit of hobbies, for example, or see | | | | moment and if they do not have all the letters in |
| the grandkids, or sleep in the hammock. | | | | their alphabet, the neuronal communication gets |
| Not that Boomers are not going to do those | | | | garbled, and you can appear incompetent. |
| things, but Boomers are looking at things like | | | | A word to the wise, there is a tremendous |
| volunteering for example, retirement re-careering, | | | | connection between low blood sugar and violence |
| rather a life of leisure, and that expectation is | | | | that I see in my practice. And if you have a food |
| pumping a lot of purchasing energy towards | | | | allergy, the symptoms can mimic psychiatric |
| staying healthy, anti-aging, and brain fitness | | | | conditions. |
| purchases, for example, which is what the | | | | Who would have thought broccoli was so |
| marketers are fomenting and preying upon. To | | | | important? Well, it is, and one of its brethren, |
| counteract the marketing, we need to do some | | | | omega 3 fatty acid is vital as well. |
| research. | | | | We usually get omega 3 from ocean going cold |
| Any brain class needs to start with an | | | | water fish, but they are now full of mercury, |
| examination of the research out there, like the | | | | which is no friend to your brain, so an option to |
| ACTIVE and IMPACT studies. The products of | | | | get omega 3 fatty acid is a supplement. |
| the Posit Science Brain Fitness folks were involved | | | | Make sure it is refined appropriately because if |
| in those studies, and the studies indicate that | | | | not refined appropriately, then you will get |
| there is some real value to using the Brain Fitness | | | | mercury in your supplement. |
| Program for seniors. Neural circuits involved in | | | | Physical Exercise |
| processing sound were exercised and renewed | | | | No brain class will be complete without mention of |
| their ability to fire together, which provides the | | | | the benefits of physical exercise for your brain. |
| older brain a cognitive reserve, or an ability to | | | | The good news is that you do not have exercise |
| re-route signals around trouble spots in the brain, | | | | like you were training for the Olympics. |
| and to hear with more acuity too. | | | | The bad news is that you do need to be regular. |
| For an excellent primer on the field, check out | | | | In Brainfit for Life, Evans and Burghardt talk about |
| Brainfit for Life, written by Simon Evans, Ph.D. and | | | | starting off with increasing your physical activity |
| Paul Burghardt, Ph.D. at the University of Michigan. | | | | and then moving to increasing your physical |
| Their book is just chock full of nuggets pulled and | | | | exercise. |
| culled from research that say, in so many words, | | | | Physical activity is what we normally do around |
| "There are all these neat things you can do for | | | | the house, and I have worked up a sweat these |
| your brain's health!" | | | | days because my four year old daughter likes to |
| Their book gives me some sense that there is | | | | come snuggle with me in the morning, and then |
| more to brain fitness than marketers hype. And I | | | | wants me to carry her to her bath, across the |
| can do this too, I do not need to have a castle | | | | basement, up a flight of stairs, and across the |
| with many lightening rods and cadavers in order | | | | house to her bath, and she is getting heavy. That |
| to enhance my brains fitness, so I thank | | | | might be a cross between physical exercise and |
| Professors Evans and Burghardt for the relief that | | | | physical activity, but it counts toward brain |
| comes from that knowledge. | | | | fitness, and hopefully a loving memory for her. |
| In their book, Brainfit for Life there is mention of | | | | Good models for physical exercise are Scott and |
| research about the dual n back task, and fluid | | | | Angie Tousignant who have put together a |
| intelligence, and my reading of that research is | | | | program for couples to use at home, needing no |
| very exciting, because the researchers are not | | | | more in the way of equipment than an exercise |
| involved in marketing any products related to their | | | | ball. It is called More Love, Less Fat Novel Learning |
| research. | | | | The last section of the brain class is the new |
| Any brain class would have to include a mention | | | | learning or novel learning challenge, which can |
| of that work on the dual n back task. | | | | include the computerized programs now available. |
| And there are any number of knowledgeable web | | | | The key in this part of the brain class is novel |
| sites and brain class and brain fitness blogs and | | | | challenge. As a counselor, I cannot read another |
| websites out there with information from any | | | | counseling book and expect to foment new |
| number of authorities. | | | | dendrites and synapses. |
| Brain Class Synopsis | | | | But if I learn a new language, or take up a hobby |
| All of the blogs and websites deal in one way or | | | | like painting, which will always be a hobby for me, |
| another with what Evans and Burghardt call the | | | | or start a new career, there will be lots of |
| Four Cornerstones of Life Long Brain Fitness, | | | | neurogenesis and neuroplasticity and fluid |
| which are nutrition, sleep, physical exercise, and | | | | intelligence as a result. (I have enough crystallized |
| novel learning experience, and all of the blogs are | | | | intelligence). |
| going to speak of using these tools in to enhance | | | | While I am not going to re-career today, I can |
| neurogenesis and neuroplasticity, brain abilities that | | | | include regular use of computerized brain fitness |
| we did not know about even ten years ago. | | | | programs as part of my work to keep my |
| Neurogenesis is the brain's ability to grow new | | | | Boomer Brain alive and vital. I have tried four of |
| brain cells daily. For a boomer, that is very | | | | them, and found them all helpful. |
| exciting, because I have more hope that I will not | | | | I think the most important tool I have though is |
| slide into a long slow decline, especially since there | | | | my thinking, and maintaining an attitude of |
| were some excesses in the 1960's which were | | | | gratitude. It has been a great ride so far, and with |
| not good for my brain. | | | | kids who are changing by the second, there is |
| Neuroplasticity, as Begley, Evans, and Burghardt | | | | plenty of amazement and wonder going on. |
| describe it, is the brain constantly reorganizing | | | | Michael S. Logan is a brain fitness expert, a |
| itself based on my thoughts and behaviors, literally | | | | counselor, a student of Chi Gong, and licensed one |
| thought by thought. | | | | on one HeartMath provider. I enjoy the spiritual, |
| While the Merzenich protocol exercises all the | | | | the mythological, and psychological, and I am a |
| neurons involved in the hearing process, plasticity | | | | late life father to Shane, 10, and Hannah Marie, 4, |
| is particular to individual thoughts and learnings, and | | | | whose brains are so amazing. |
| is my brain is aching to do this. That is how it | | | | |