Personal tidbit: Main office of blogmaster

Just a personal note. I work primarily out of my home office--this is
it. You can never have enough screens! My other offices are coffee
shops. Life has blessed the blogmaster.

New Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience journal

http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/L05_426.cws_home/main

Kevin McGrew PhD
Educational/School Psych.
IAP (www.iapsych.com)

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Neurobiology of language conf in Chicago

Click link for conference info

http://www.nlc2009.angularis.org/

Kevin McGrew PhD
Educational/School Psych.
IAP (www.iapsych.com)

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Sharp Brains summit invitation

http://www.sharpbrains.com/blog/2009/11/10/invitation-to-sharpbrains-summit-technology-for-cognitive-health-and-performance/

Kevin McGrew PhD
Educational/School Psych.
IAP (www.iapsych.com)

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Follow-up to brain "time stamp" reseach

I previously made a brief post about interesting research done in primates that suggested that the brain uses a "time stamp" method to keep track of the time of events.  I've now located a copy of the research article published in PNAS (National Academy of Sciences) and now provide a link to those who really want to read the actual (but very technical) research report.

Technorati Tags: psychology, educational psychology, school psychology, neuropsychology, neuroscience, mental timing, IQ brain clock, brain clock, brain time stamp, temporal processing

More on cognitive neuroenhancement issues

Thanks to BIOETHICS FORUM for this post

http://www.thehastingscenter.org/Bioethicsforum/Post.aspx?id=4046

Kevin McGrew PhD
Educational/School Psych.
IAP (www.iapsych.com)

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Brain injury conferences

Thanks to BI BLOG for this conference list

http://braininjury.blogs.com/braininjury/2009/11/november-brain-injury-conferences.html

Kevin McGrew PhD
Educational/School Psych.
IAP (www.iapsych.com)

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Time managment

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Brief history of neuroscience

Thanks to MOUSE TRAP for the link

http://the-mouse-trap.com/2009/10/29/a-brief-history-of-neuroscience/

Kevin McGrew PhD
Educational/School Psych.
IAP (www.iapsych.com)

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Meditation and attention

Thanks to MIND BLOG for this post. I've often wondered if some of the
improved cognitive functioning found after using one of the various
brain fitness programs isn't due to the program(s) resulting in
subjects getting "focused in a zone" much like meditation.

http://mindblog.dericbownds.net/2009/10/meditation-training-can-enhance.html

Kevin McGrew PhD
Educational/School Psych.
IAP (www.iapsych.com)

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Cup(s) of Joe good for your brain?

Thanks to SHARP BRAINS for making ne feel good about my love for coffee

http://www.sharpbrains.com/blog/2009/10/24/does-coffee-boost-brain-cognitive-functions-over-time/

Kevin McGrew PhD
Educational/School Psych.
IAP (www.iapsych.com)

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Time of the essence

Interesting post at MIND HACKS

http://www.mindhacks.com/blog/2009/10/time_is_of_the_essen.html

Kevin McGrew PhD
Educational/School Psych.
IAP (www.iapsych.com)

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ResearchBytes 10-23-09: Rhythm production and reading/dyslexia

Articles that caught my eye during my weekly search of a wide range of professional literature.

Dellatolas, G., Watier, L., LeNormand, M. T., Lubart, T., & ChevrieMuller, C. (2009). Rhythm Reproduction in Kindergarten, Reading Performance at Second Grade, and Developmental Dyslexia Theories. Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology, 24(6), 555-563.

Temporal processing deficit could be associated with a specific difficulty in learning to read. In 1951, Stambak provided preliminary evidence that children with dyslexia performed less well than good readers in reproduction of 21 rhythmic patterns. Stambak's task was administered to 1,028 French children aged 5–6 years. The score distribution (from 0 to 21) was quasi-normal, with some children failing completely and other performing perfectly. In second grade, reading was assessed in 695 of these children. Kindergarten variables explained 26% of the variance of the reading score at second grade. The Stambak score was strongly and linearly related to reading performance in second grade, after partialling out performance on other tasks (oral repetition, attention, and visuo-spatial tasks) and socio-cultural level. Findings are discussed in relation to perceptual, cerebellar, intermodal, and attention-related theories of developmental dyslexia. It is concluded that simple rhythm reproduction tasks in kindergarten are predictive of later reading performance.

Technorati Tags: psychology, educational psychology, school psychology, special education, neuropsychology, neuroscience, rhythm, rhythm production, dyslexia, mental timing, IQ Brain Clock

More on neural enhancement

Thanks to PTJ blog

http://gaggio.blogspirit.com/archive/2009/10/20/tweaking-your-neurons.html

Kevin McGrew PhD
Educational/School Psych.
IAP (www.iapsych.com)

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Brain blog carnival: Encephalon 77

http://www.mindhacks.com/blog/2009/10/encephalon_77_teams_.html

Kevin McGrew PhD
Educational/School Psych.
IAP (www.iapsych.com)

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Time Doc Bytes: Two new exciting brain-based brain clock research studies

Two very interesting research studies reported this past week.

The first used a rare procedure (implanting electrodes in Broca's area of the brain) provides useful information on brain mechanisms involved in the speed, timing and sequence of language behaviors.

The second, based on research with primates, is very intriguing as it suggest the use of a "brain stamp" mechanism for keeping time of events.   Interestingly, and consistent with considerable research posted at this blog before, the focus was on certain brain regions/mechanisms (prefrontal cortex; straitum; dopamine), and implications were mentioned for Parkinson's disease treatment.

Technorati Tags: pscyhology, educational psychology, school psychology, developmental psychology, cognition, intelligence, brain clock, mental timing, temporal processing, IQ Brain Clock, prefrontal cortex, language, Brocas area

A little timing humor

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Humor break: Indicidual differences in learning

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Personal post: Life is GRAND in MN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It does not get any better.  I may die a happy blogmaster. 

Click here for explanation.

Technorati Tags: Minnesota, Vikings, Twins

Personal choice and ethical/moral issues in self-cognitive enhancement

Interesting topic (personal choice, ethics, and moral issues in self-cognitive enhacement) discussed in a new Neuroethics article (Automony and coercion in academic "cognitive enhancement" using methlphenidate:  Perspective of key stakeholders)

Abstract

There is mounting evidence that methylphenidate (MPH; Ritalin) is being used by healthy college students to improve concentration, alertness, and academic performance. One of the key concerns associated with such use of pharmaceuticals is the degree of freedom individuals have to engage in or abstain from cognitive enhancement (CE). From a pragmatic perspective, careful examination of the ethics of acts and contexts in which they arise includes considering coercion and social pressures to enhance cognition. We were interested in understanding how university students, parents of university students, and healthcare providers viewed autonomy and coercion in CE using MPH. We found that perspectives converged on the belief that CE is a matter of personal and individual choice. Perspectives also converged on the existence of tremendous social pressures to perform and succeed. Parents emphasized personal responsibility and accountability for CE choices, and expressed feelings of worry, sadness and fear about CE. Students emphasized the importance of personal integrity in CE, expressed tolerance for personal choices of others, and highlighted the challenge that CE poses to maintaining one’s personal integrity. Healthcare providers emphasized the health consequences of CE. These results illustrate: (1) the importance of understanding how context is viewed in relation to perspectives on autonomous choice; (2) the limitations of individualistic libertarian approaches that do not consider social context; and (3) the ethical implications of public health interventions in a value-laden debate where perspectives diverge.

Technorati Tags: psychology, neuropsychology, neurotechnology, neurosicence, neurology, cognition, intelligence, brain fitness, cognitive enhancement

Playing in NFL increases chances of dementia

From BRAIN INJURY blog

http://bit.ly/hYYcx

Kevin McGrew PhD
Educational/School Psych.
IAP (www.iapsych.com)

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Humor break: Real world processing speed (Gs) and cognitive efficiency (Gs+working memory)

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Need for balanced right/left brain training!

I've not read the report so this is just a pass along FYI

http://eideneurolearningblog.blogspot.com/2009/09/watch-how-you-train-your-brain.html

Kevin McGrew PhD
Educational/School Psych.
IAP (www.iapsych.com)

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The "bottleneck" problem

Very interesting post at DI blog about research on the "bottleneck"
problem in cognition. Follow link below.

http://scienceblogs.com/developingintelligence/2009/09/active_monitoring_in_the_psych.php

Kevin McGrew PhD
Educational/School Psych.
IAP (www.iapsych.com)

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Humor break: New AA type group

Neurotech Reports News Updates

Humor break: Positive CAT scan

Double click to enlarge

Arts training improves cognition via attention: More support for IQ brain clock fine tunning hypothesis

I just read an interesting post at Cerebrum regarding the impact of training in the arts and improved cognition, hypothesized to occur due to improvement in attention.

I find the research very consistent with the proposed link between the mental timing (IQ Brain Clock) and improved cognitive performance, which has been hypothesized to impact the same basic cognitive functions (esp., controlled executive attention and executive functions).  I've blogged and PPT'd extensively at this blog, esp. with re: to neurotechnologies that focus on synchronized metronome tapping, a technology that deals with rhythm perception and production.

In my opinion, the research discussed at the Cerebrum adds to the growing literature suggesting a link between "fine tuning the temporal resolution of the brain clock" and improved cognitive efficiency.  Amy Vega and I recently published a research review report supporting the link between brain rhythm-based treatments and improvement in a diverse array of human performance domains. 

Technorati Tags: psychology, educational psychology, school psychology, neuropsychology, neurotechnology, music, music therapy, metronome, Ineractive Metronome, synchronized metronome tapping, executive function, attention, controlled executive attention, mental timing, brain rhythm, rhythm perception, rhythm perception, IQ Brain Clock

Brain Tune-Ups blog: Added to blog roll

Learned of another blog today related to mental-timing and the brain clock.  Brain Tune-Ups, a blog written by Teresa Garland, MOT.  As stated at her blog, she is "a licensed occupational therapist specializing in sensory integration, self-regulation and brain enhancement."  So this blog is from someone in the trenches using some mental-timing based therapies with clients.

Technorati Tags: psychology, occupational therapy, neurotechnology, mental timing, brain rhythm, IQ Brain Clock, Brain Tune-Ups, interactive metronome

iAbstract: Internet testing of aging effects on cognition

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Brain stim hat to improve memory?

From the MINDBLOG

http://mindblog.dericbownds.net/2009/09/stimulate-your-waking-memory-with.html

Kevin McGrew PhD
Educational/School Psych.
IAP (www.iapsych.com)

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BBC brain training experiment

Basic overview of some key research design issues for brain fitness
research.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/8237945.stm

Kevin McGrew PhD
Educational/School Psych.
IAP (www.iapsych.com)

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Watching YouTube helps brain injury research

Thanks to BRAIN INJURY blog for this interesting story about
researchers studying people fall and hit their head on YouTube videos.

http://braininjury.blogs.com/braininjury/2009/09/watching-you-tube-may-provide-link-to-detecting-brain-damage-.html

Kevin McGrew PhD
Educational/School Psych.
IAP (www.iapsych.com)

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Auditory Cognitive Neuroscience Conf. Jan 2010

Conference: Auditory Cognitive Neuroscience Society @ Uni of Arizona, Tucson, USA. 7-8 Jan 2010. Abstracts by 31 Oct 09.http://bit.ly/dZ943

Kevin McGrew PhD

Educational/School Psych. 

IAP (www.iapsych.com)

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Brain surgery virtual simulator

Interesting technology discussed at the always informative MIND HACKS
blog

http://www.mindhacks.com/blog/2009/09/a_flight_simulator_f.html

Kevin McGrew PhD
Educational/School Psych.
IAP (www.iapsych.com)

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NeuroNetwork

Thanks to TechPsych for this FYI. I will likely join

http://techpsych.blogspot.com/2009/09/neuronetwork-professional-network.html

Kevin McGrew PhD
Educational/School Psych.
IAP (www.iapsych.com)

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Reading the bumps on your head--blast from the past

Thanks to MIND HACKS to link to historical information on phrenology

http://www.mindhacks.com/blog/2009/08/the_automated_phreno.html

Kevin McGrew PhD
Educational/School Psych.
IAP (www.iapsych.com)

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Humor break: Pavlovian conditioning