Thursday, June 28, 2012

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Article about Working Memory Training in Psychology Today

Posted: June 27th, 2012 - An article was published in March on psychologytoday.com about working memory training. The article is titled "Training Working Memory: Why and How" and discussed several recent studies, along with various training programs including Cogmed.








Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Human Connectome Project pieces together neural data through brain scans

UCLA's Daily Bruin covers the Human Connectome Project with Drs. Toga, Van Horn, and Thompson.

A collaborative project at UCLA's Laboratory of Neuro Imaging looks at how the brain integrates neural information to help scientists better understand brain diseases, such as Alzheimer's, autism and multiple sclerosis. The Human Connectome Project, which was established in 2009, is the first of its kind in the field of connectomics, which is the study of interactions between different parts of the nervous system, said Arthur Toga, director of the UCLA Laboratory of Neuro Imaging who is one of the principal investigators.

Read the full article









Article: The Psychology of Flow




Leading Brains@AndyHab, 6/26/12 9:47 AM

Andy Habermacher (@AndyHab)
6/26/12 9:47 AM
leading brains is out! bit.ly/raoC72 ▸ Top stories today via @fabeor



Brains On Purpose™: Two new education efforts announced by Society for Neuroscience

I saw this article when reading leading brains on the Paper.li Mobile Edition and thought you might be interested:

Brains On Purpose™: Two new education efforts announced by Society for Neuroscience

Society for Neuroscience has announced in its current newsletter two projects for education. SfN Launches BrainFacts.org for Public Education About the Brain – BrainFacts.org is a new Web site dedi...
Read the full article on westallen.typepad.com



9 Signs That Neuroscience Has Entered the Classroom - Online Universities

http://www.onlineuniversities.com/blog/2012/06/9-signs-that-neuroscience-has-entered-classroom/

Thursday, June 21, 2012

Article: Study of the Day: Why Crowded Coffee Shops Fire Up Your Creativity


Study of the Day: Why Crowded Coffee Shops Fire Up Your Creativity
http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2012/06/study-of-the-day-why-crowded-coffee-shops-fire-up-your-creativity/258742/

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Article: Important survey on cognitive enhancing drugs - Graduate Union


Important survey on cognitive enhancing drugs - Graduate Union
http://www.gradunion.cam.ac.uk/wp/opportunities/important-survey-on-cognative-enhancing-drugs/

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Axio's EEG headband helps you teach your brain to focus (hands-on) -- Engadget

I saw this article when reading leading brains on the Paper.li Mobile Edition and thought you might be interested:

Axio's EEG headband helps you teach your brain to focus (hands-on) -- Engadget

Usually when an EEG sensor headset graces these pages, it's used to peer into your thoughts or grant the wearer the power to control other gadgets with his or her mind. While such uses have appeal,...
Read the full article on engadget.com



Young for grade and ADHD @AlvaroF, 6/21/12 9:43 AM

Alvaro Fernandez (@AlvaroF)
6/21/12 9:43 AM
Why Being Young for Grade Increases Odds of ADHD Diagnosis and Stimulant Medication: ADHD is the most commonly d... bit.ly/MvGLrN



Article: The CogniFit Assessment


The CogniFit Assessment
http://blog.cognifit.com/2012/06/cognifit-assessment.html

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Article: 'Brain pacemaker' effective for years against Parkinson's disease


'Brain pacemaker' effective for years against Parkinson's disease
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/06/120620162426.htm

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Wednesday, June 20, 2012

More on quieting the busy mind (default brain network)

http://www.forbes.com/sites/alicegwalton/2012/06/20/how-to-kill-a-thought-in-a-good-way-more-on-mindfulness/

NEWS CONFERENCE: EFFECTS OF COMBAT ON AGING VETERANS, WOMEN WARRIORS, FAMILIES

NEWS CONFERENCE: EFFECTS OF COMBAT ON AGING VETERANS, WOMEN WARRIORS, FAMILIES

University of California, San Francisco

Jennifer O'Brien, Interim Executive Director/News
Source:    Steve Tokar (415) 221-4810 x5202 or 722-3359 (cell)
E-mail:    steve.tokar@ncire.org
Web:    www.ncire.org, www.ucsf.edu

MEDIA ADVISORY
June 20, 2012

NEWS CONFERENCE:
-Prevention of Dementia In Aging Veterans
-Challenges Facing Women Warriors
-Effects of Multiple Deployments on Families and Communities

In association with The Brain at War conference on the neurocognitive consequences of combat, sponsored by NCIRE-The Veterans Health Research Institute

WHEN:
Thursday, June 21
2:00 PM – 3:00 PM

WHERE:
Library, 11th Floor
Marines' Memorial Club and Hotel
609 Sutter St., San Francisco

WHAT: A news conference about:
-Growing evidence that post-traumatic stress and traumatic brain injury put older Veterans at increased risk for Alzheimer's disease and other dementias

-The unique challenges facing the first generation of American women to directly participate in combat operations

-The long-terms effects of multiple deployments on military families and on communities


PARTICIPANTS:
Aging Veterans:
-General (Ret.) Peter W. Chiarelli, former US Army Vice Chief of Staff and CEO of One Mind for Research

-Michael Weiner, MD, Director, Center for Imaging of Neurodegenerative Diseases, San Francisco VA Medical Center and University of California, San Francisco (UCSF)

-Kristine Yaffe, MD, geriatric psychiatrist, SFVAMC and UCSF


Women Warriors:
-Thomas Neylan, MD, Director, Stress and Health Research Program, SFVAMC and UCSF

-Aoife O'Donovan, PhD, Mental Health Researcher, SFVAMC and UCSF

-Captain Rebecca Murga, U.S. Army Reserve: Personal perspective on women serving in combat operations


Family and Community:
-Karen Kelly, Gold Star mother, advocate for military families, wife of Lieutenant -General John F. Kelly, USMC, Senior Military Advisor to the Secretary of Defense

-Sergeant Major (Ret.) Wayne Bell, USMC, former Sergeant Major of the 1st Marine Division, advocate for Veterans and military families

___________________________________________________________________

About The Brain at War: The Brain at War is the leading national conference on the neurocognitive consequences of combat and their effects on service members and Veterans.

About NCIRE: The nonprofit research institute associated with the San Francisco VA Medical Center, NCIRE supports the largest biomedical research program in the VA system. Our mission: Advancing Veterans Health Through Research.-----------------------------------------------------------------------

How Aerobic Excercise Affects Your Brain



This is a guest blog post by the folks over at What Are Nootropics?  As per usual, guest posts are posted "as is" and do not necessarily reflect the endorsement by Kevin McGrew or this blog.


Worldwide, people engage in aerobic exercise on a daily basis. The majority of these people are trying to lose weight and strengthen their hearts. An improved basal metabolic rate and cardiovascular fitness are the most commonly known benefits associated with aerobic exercise. But how many people have thought about the ways aerobic exercise affects their brain? Probably not many. 

Aerobic exercise affects your brain?

Research in recent years has shown that aerobic exercise effects our brain in three distinct ways. If you don't have the motivation to engage in regular aerobic exercise, hopefully you will have found it by the time you are finished reading this post.

Aerobic exercise increases levels of the protein brain-derived nootropic factor (BDNF).  1 The BDNF protein plays an important role in our brain's ability to create new neurons, a process called neurogenesis. BDNF also improves the survivability of new neurons after they have been created. The process of neurogenesis takes place in the hippocampus, the area of the brain responsible for memory formation. Interestingly, one study showed that aerobic exercise increased hippocampal volume by 2% and effectively reversed age related loss in volume by 2 years. 2 If you want your brain to be at its sharpest, you need to be exercising on a regular basis. This is especially important as you age.

Higher levels of BDNF isn't the only way aerobic exercise improves cognitive function. As stated earlier, it is common knowledge that aerobic exercise strengthens your heart, but many people are aware of the link that exists between heart health and brain health? You heart is responsible for pumping blood to your brain. Blood contains oxygen and glucose, which your brain uses as fuel to carry out all of its functions. Think of your heart as the battery which powers your brain. By strengthening that battery, you can improve cognitive function across the board. 3

Aerobic exercise does more than improve cognitive abilities.

Aerobic exercise effects the levels of one very important neurotransmitter. Neurotransmitters are what your brain cells use to communicate with each other. Different neurotransmitters have different functions. There is a neurotransmitter for learning, memory, attention, energy, appetite, mood, etc. Aerobic exercise increases release of the neurotransmitter serotonin. 

Serotonin's most prevalent function is its ability to regulate mood. Many people who are chronically depressed have abnormally low levels of serotonin. Consequently, most anti-depressants work by inhibiting the breakdown of serotonin. Simply put, the more serotonin in your brain, the better you feel. Aerobic exercise is a completely natural way to increases serotonin levels in the brain. 4 This is why aerobic exercise is such an effective stress reliever.

In fact, some marathon runners actually become addicted to the activity. The engage in such strenuous amounts of aerobic exercise, they experience what is called a "runner's high." 5 Many have the desire to run longer and longer distances simply to achieve a greater high.  Will you experience a "runner high"? Not likely, but you will elevate your serotonin levels and find you are in a better mood on a day-to-day basis.

Are there other ways to achieve these effects?

The cheapest and safest way to improve cognitive abilities and boost mood is to exercise for one hour, at least three days a week. However, there are other ways. Using nootropics such as lion's mane mushroom can also increase neurogenesis. Piracetam, on the other hand, improves cerebral blood flow. Personally, I would not even think about nootropics until you are doing everything else you can to improve cognitive function, and aerobic exercise is the single best place to start!

Resources

1. Running is the neurogenic and neurotrophic stimulus in environmental enrichment http://learnmem.cshlp.org/content/18/9/605.abstract
2. Exercise training increases size and hippocampus and improves memory: http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2011/01/25/1015950108.abstract

3. Cardiovascular fitness is associated with cognition in young adulthood: http://www.pnas.org/content/106/49/20906.full.pdf

4. Abstract, How to increase serotonin in the human brain without drugs: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2077351/

5. ABC News, Exercise Addicts Can Blame Their Brains: http://abcnews.go.com/Health/MensHealthNews/story?id=8430744

Wednesday, June 13, 2012

The original Time Doc (Jim Cassily) and Time Machine







I have made it clear via my conflict of interest statements that I am a paid external consultant to Interactive Metronome. This blog would not exist if I had not been involved in an IM school-based intervention study that showed positive outcomes.

Thus, it was with considerable excitement that I made a serendipitous connection with the wife of the inventor of the core IM technology (Katie Cassily...the wife of the late Jim Cassily). As a result, I learned more about the very interesting alignment of the stars the resulted in Jim's creation of IM...a brain clock based neurotechnology. I have made a post at the IM-HOME blog where I provide a bit of history regarding Jim (the original Time Doc) and the original IM Time Machine.

For readers who want a PDF copy of the post, click here.



Posted using BlogPress from Kevin McGrew's iPad
www.themindhub.com

Article: Using iPads with Students with ASD | The Spectronics Blog | iPads in Special Education


Using iPads with Students with ASD | The Spectronics Blog | iPads in Special Education
http://www.scoop.it/t/ipads-in-special-education/p/1945109907/using-ipads-with-students-with-asd-the-spectronics-blog

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Article: Brain correlates of resting, alert, and meditation states.


Brain correlates of resting, alert, and meditation states.
http://mindblog.dericbownds.net/2012/06/brain-correlates-of-resting-alert-and.html

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Article: What the McLean brain bank malfunction means for autism research


What the McLean brain bank malfunction means for autism research
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/jun/13/mclean-brain-bank-autism-research?CMP=twt_gu

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Article: The Student's Guide to Cognitive Neuroscience, 2nd Edition


The Student's Guide to Cognitive Neuroscience, 2nd Edition
http://www.psypress.com/the-students-guide-to-cognitive-neuroscience-2nd-edition-9781848720039

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Article: How Barbara Arrowsmith-Young rebuilt her own brain


How Barbara Arrowsmith-Young rebuilt her own brain
http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2012/jun/12/barbara-arrowsmith-young-rebuilt-brain

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Tuesday, June 12, 2012

How Much Do You ‘Zone Out’ While Reading?

More on mind wandering due to default brain network

PsyBlog

Reading

Everyone zones out from time-to-time while reading, but how much is normal?

Everyone has had the experience of reading a few pages of a book and then suddenly noticing none of it has gone in. But how common is this experience?

A study by Schooler et al., (2004) suggests it's fairly common:

"On average participants caught themselves zoning out approximately 5.4 times during the 45 min reading period. Several findings were consistent with the hypothesis that people are often (at least initially) unaware of the fact that they are zoning out."

This means you're not always aware of when you're zoning out. To combat this the experimenters used a system to catch people zoning out. This found that they were zoning out from reading about 13% of the time. And what were they thinking about while zoning out?

"...they were only very rarely (less than 3%) thinking about what they were reading when they reported zoning out. Although they sometimes reported thinking about nothing at all (18%), more often participants reported thinking about specific things, such as school-related topics (27%), fantasies (19%), and themselves (11%)." (Schooler et al., 2004)

So we are often unaware that our minds are wandering from what we are reading, even when it's a gripping Amazon bestseller rather than a boring textbook.

In fact, mind wandering is very common:

"Killingsworth and Gilbert (2010) sampled the experience of 2,250 US adults at random intervals. Each time participants reported, through their smartphone, how they were feeling and what they were doing. Almost half the time people were asked, at that moment their minds were wandering from whatever they were doing—43% to pleasant topics, 27% to unpleasant topics and the rest to neutral topics. The only time their minds weren't wandering was when they were having sex." (From: Does Keeping Busy Make us Happy?)

If our minds wander only 13% of the time when we're reading, that's actually pretty good compared to an average of 50% for everyday life.

Image credit: Mark Sebastian


→ The GUTS of Depth Psychology -- terrific insight for uptight times -- at www.WhyWeSuffer.com.

PsyBlog's How to Be Creative

Creativity eBookIf we can all be creative, why is it so hard to come up with truly original ideas?

It's because creativity is mysterious. Just ask any scientist, artist, writer or other highly creative person to explain how they come up with brilliant ideas and, if they're honest, they don't really know.

But over the decades psychologists have given ordinary participants countless tests, forms and tasks and conducted hundreds of hours of interviews. From these emerge the psychological conditions of creativity.

Not what you should do, but how you should be...

Click here to find out more...

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PEBS Neuroethics Roundup (JHU)

Neuroethics & Law Blog
Last Edition's Most Popular Article: Flute's Revised Age Dates the Sound of Music Earlier, New York Times In The Popular Press: Morals and the machine: As robots grow more autonomous, society needs to develop rules to manage them, The Economist...
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Friday, June 08, 2012

Zen meditators tap in to subliminal messages - life - 07 June 2012 - New Scientist

I saw this article when reading leading brains on the Paper.li Mobile Edition and thought you might be interested:

Zen meditators tap in to subliminal messages - life - 07 June 2012 - New Scientist

MEDITATION increases our ability to tap into the hidden recesses of our brain that are usually outside the reach of our conscious awareness. That's according to Madelijn Strick of Utrecht Universit...
Read the full article on newscientist.com



Article: ctp - leading brains


ctp - leading brains
http://www.corporate-training.ch/page14/page7/brains.html

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Wednesday, June 06, 2012

IM's Central Midwest Summer Courses!

Conflict on interest notice.  I am a paid external consultant (Director of Science and Research) for Interactive Metronome

Untitled Document
June Courses
Date Location
6/16 Cincinnati, OH
6/30 Cedar Rapids, IA
6/30 Madison, WI
July Courses
7/7 Akron, OH
7/14 Kalamazoo, MI
August Courses
8/18 Omaha, NE
8/18 Detroit, MI
8/25 Minneapolis, MN
September Courses
9/15 Indianapolis, IN
9/22 Milwaukee, WI
Already Certified? And ready for more?
Learn More:

                                                                     

Article: Canadian Study: Youngest Kids in Class More Likely to be Diagnosed with ADHD


Canadian Study: Youngest Kids in Class More Likely to be Diagnosed with ADHD
http://nesca-news.blogspot.com/2012/06/canadian-study-youngest-kids-in-class.html?%2BNotes%29

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Article: Between ear and brain, an orderly orchestra of synapses


Between ear and brain, an orderly orchestra of synapses
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/06/120605175256.htm?%2BBrain%2BNews%29

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Tuesday, June 05, 2012

Article: The Virtues of Daydreaming - the need for selective on demand focus

Another article supporting the need for "on demand selective focused attention" (where the default brain network is shut down from mind wandering) and when it is good for focus to be turned off to allow for creative mind wandering of the default network.


The Virtues of Daydreaming
http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/frontal-cortex/2012/06/the-virtues-of-daydreaming.html

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___________________________
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Kevin McGrew, PhD
Educational Psychologist
___________________________
The MindHub (TM)
Purpose, Passion & Serendipity
___________________________

Article: Interview with Daniel Kahneman on the Pitfalls of Intuition and Memory


Interview with Daniel Kahneman on the Pitfalls of Intuition and Memory
http://www.spiegel.de/international/zeitgeist/interview-with-daniel-kahneman-on-the-pitfalls-of-intuition-and-memory-a-834407.html

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Sunday, June 03, 2012

Dual process cognition theories. Special issue of Mind & Society, Vol. 11, Issue 1




Sunday, June 3

Dear Valued Customer,
We are pleased to deliver your requested table of contents alert for Mind & Society. Volume 11 Number 1 is now available on SpringerLink

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Special Issue!
We invite you to read this Special Issue on "Dual process theories of language and thinking" and attend the International Conference on Thinking (ICT) in London, July 4-6. Several members of the editorial board of M&S will be among the keynote speakers.
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In this issue:
Special issue on: Dual process theories of human thought: the debate
Laura Macchi, David Over & Riccardo Viale
Abstract    Full text HTML    Full text PDF

Defining features versus incidental correlates of Type 1 and Type 2 processing
Keith E. Stanovich & Maggie E. Toplak
Abstract    Full text HTML    Full text PDF

Dual processes, probabilities, and cognitive architecture
Mike Oaksford & Nick Chater
Abstract    Full text HTML    Full text PDF

Probabilities, beliefs, and dual processing: the paradigm shift in the psychology of reasoning
Shira Elqayam & David Over
Abstract    Full text HTML    Full text PDF

Dual systems and dual attitudes
Keith Frankish
Abstract    Full text HTML    Full text PDF

Intuitive and analytical processes in insight problem solving: a psycho-rhetorical approach to the study of reasoning
Laura Macchi & Maria Bagassi
Abstract    Full text HTML    Full text PDF

Rational decision making: balancing RUN and JUMP modes of analysis
Tilmann Betsch & Carsten Held
Abstract    Full text HTML    Full text PDF

The social functions of explicit coherence evaluation
Hugo Mercier
Abstract    Full text HTML    Full text PDF

Analytic thinking: do you feel like it?
Valerie Thompson & Kinga Morsanyi
Abstract    Full text HTML    Full text PDF

Implicit cognition, emotion, and meta-cognitive control
Ron Sun & Robert C. Mathews
Abstract    Full text HTML    Full text PDF

Spot the difference: distinguishing between two kinds of processing
Jonathan St. B. T. Evans
Abstract    Full text HTML    Full text PDF
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