Brain-Power
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BrainHacks
Until just a few years ago, doctors believed that the brain stopped making new neural connections - meaning that the memory began to get irreversibly worse - when the body stopped developing, usually in the early 20s. And doctors knew that, like any other part of the body, neurons weaken as people age. Loss of brain function due to neural breakdown was assumed to be a normal, unavoidable part of aging.
How To Boost Brain Power and Memory
Neuroplasticity
Contrary to common ideas as expressed in this diagram, brain functions are not confined to certain fixed locations. Neuroplasticity (from neural - pertaining to the nerves and/or brain and plastic - moldable or changeable in structure), also known as brain plasticity , refers to changes in neural pathways and synapses which are due to changes in behavior, environment and neural processes, as well as changes resulting from bodily injury. [ 1 ] Neuroplasticity has replaced the formerly-held position that the brain is a physiologically static organ, and explores how - and in which ways - the brain changes throughout life. [ 2 ] Neuroplasticity occurs on a variety of levels, ranging from cellular changes due to learning, to large-scale changes involved in cortical remapping in response to injury. The role of neuroplasticity is widely recognized in healthy development, learning, memory, and recovery from brain damage.Kinesthetic learning (also known as tactile learning ) is a learning style in which learning takes place by the student carrying out a physical activity, rather than listening to a lecture or watching a demonstration. People with a preference for kinesthetic learning are also commonly known as "do-ers". Tactile-kinesthetic learners make up about five percent of the population. [ 1 ] The Fleming VAK/VARK model (one of the most common and widely used categorizations of the various types of learning styles) [ 2 ] categorized learning styles as follows:
Kinesthetic learning
Eidetic memory ( pron.: / aɪ ˈ d ɛ t ɪ k / ), commonly referred to as photographic memory , is a psychological or medical term, popularly defined as the ability to recall images, sounds or objects in memory with extreme precision. The word eidetic , referring to extraordinarily detailed and vivid recall not limited to, but especially of, visual images, comes from the Greek word εἶδος ( pronounced [êːdos] , eidos , "seen"). [ 1 ] [ edit ] Overview While people with photographic memory will very precisely recall visual information such as a newspaper clip from ten years ago, a person with eidetic memory is not limited to merely visual recall – theoretically they can recall other sensory information including auditory , tactile , gustatory and olfactory .
Eidetic memory -photographic memory
Neuroscience, free will and determinism: 'I'm just a machine'
What does this mean in terms of free will? "We don't have free will, in the spiritual sense. What you're seeing is the last output stage of a machine. There are lots of things that happen before this stage – plans, goals, learning – and those are the reasons we do more interesting things than just waggle fingers.If you see a student dozing in the library or a co-worker catching 40 winks in her cubicle, don’t roll your eyes. New research from the University of California, Berkeley, shows that an hour’s nap can dramatically boost and restore your brain power. Indeed, the findings suggest that a biphasic sleep schedule not only refreshes the mind, but can make you smarter.
Berkeley on Biphasic Sleep
The lost art of total recall | Science | The Observer
Memorising used to be a key function of the human brain but increasingly we rely on electronic storage of facts. Photograph: Sebastian Kaulitzki/Alamy A few middle-aged couples are chatting at a dinner party when one husband, Harry, starts talking enthusiastically about a new restaurant he has just visited with his wife. What's its name, demands a friend. Harry looks blank. There is an awkward pause.
Localised brain activity rose in line with the strength of the electromagnetic field from the mobile phone. Photograph: Alamy Radio waves from mobile phones appear to boost activity in parts of the brain that are closest to the devices' antennas, according to US government scientists. Researchers found that a 50-minute call led to a localised increase in brain activity of 7%, but they said there was no evidence to suggest the rise was harmful. To rule out the variation in brain activity that would be expected when someone listens to a call normally, changes in activity were monitored while the phone was taking a call but was muted.
Mobile phone use increases brain activity, study suggests | Science
Brain wave function
Learn more quickly by transcranial magnetic brain stimulation
Public release date: 28-Jan-2011 [ Print | E-mail | Share ] [ Close Window ] Contact: Dr. Klaus Funke funke@neurop.rub.de 49-023-432-23944 Ruhr-University Bochum This release is available in German .Little-known growth factor enhances memory, prevents forgetting in rats
Posted by Xeno on January 27, 2011 Jules Asher – … “To our knowledge, this is the first demonstration of potent memory enhancement via a naturally occurring factor that readily passes through the blood-brain barrier – and thus may hold promise for treatment development,” explained Cristina Alberini, Ph.D., of Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, a grantee of the NIH’s National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). Alberini and colleagues say IGF-II could become a potential drug target for boosting memory. They report on their discovery in the Jan. 27, 2011 issue of Nature. … The staying power of a memory depends on the synthesis of new proteins and structural changes in the connections between brain cells.
1) Meditate — Meditation has been known to increase IQ, relieve stress, and promotes higher levels of brain functioning. Meditation also activates the “prefrontal cortex” of the brain, an area responsible for advanced thinking ability and performance. 2) Draw A Picture — Drawing stimulates the right-hemisphere of the brain and inspires creativity. Get out the colored pencils and begin drawing your way to a powerful brain. 3) Exercise — Long-term exercise has been proven to increase brain power and even create new neurons in the brain.