BrainBeat Launches Innovative "Brain Training" for Kids - Press Release - Digital Journal

http://www.digitaljournal.com/pr/1273202

Press release story at link above.

Conflict of Interest Disclosure: I am a paid external Research and Science Advisor to Interactive Metronome, the parent company of Brain Beat.

Update: A Fresh Look at How to Enhance Brain & Mental Health

May 2013 eNewsletter ,      Time for SharpBrains' May e-newsletter. which features a variety of articles offering a more optimistic and evidence-based approach to brain and mental health than current practices.   First of all, let us highlight that Scientific American just published an excellent review of our new book. The review author sums it up by saying that "...I wish I had read this awesome guide when I was much younger...I find the emerging field of neuroplasticity immensely exciting, and guides like this one are both hopeful and reasonable." As a reader points out, the word "awesome" does not appear often in science-oriented publications...so we are especially proud to see The SharpBrains Guide to Brain Fitness: How to Optimize Brain Health and Performance at Any Age (April 2013; 284 pages) merit such treatment.    New thinking: Founder of SharpBrains talks about brain health Six tips to build resilience and prevent brain-damaging stress Time to revamp psychiatry and mental health in light of modern neuroscience? A new type of cognitive science think tank Why investment in brain research is an intelligent investment New science: White House BRAIN Ini­tia­tive is a nice start, but too small and with questionable focus Dementia costs more than heart disease, and cancer. And it will balloon. Challenging medical dogma: Mental exercise vs drugs, supplements and physical exercise to prevent cognitive decline What is the combined effect of physical and mental training? Monitoring stress-related use of antipsychotic drugs in the military New tools: Does brain training work? Yes, if it meets these 5 conditions Cognitive enhancement in the future: electric brain stimulation plus cognitive training? The future of intuitive technology and neurocognitive care Train your brain with targeted videogames, not with crossword puzzles New reviews of The SharpBrains Guide to Brain Fitness: Great Kirkus Review: "A stim­u­lat­ing, chal­leng­ing resource, full of solid infor­ma­tion and prac­ti­cal tips for improv­ing brain health." "Reading this book will change the way you think about your brain, and perhaps the way you live." (R. Goodman, 5-star amazon review)   "...help you invest in your own brain and mind...This book, at the very least, will make you wiser." (Julian L. Sevillano, 5-star amazon review)   "...this book is mandatory reading for the entire staff... an inspirational and educational goldmine." (Martin J. Pazzani, 5-star amazon review)   "...straightforward and easy to understand for the person who hasn't been immersed in the study of neuroscience...tells exactly what a person can do to keep the brain healthy." (May Lou Hely, 5-star amazon review) "You can read the book from front to back, from back to front, in chunks or paragraphs, use it as an encyclopedia...or use it as a very sophisticated self-help book that's solid and accurate, with no fluff or filler." (Judith C. Tingley, 5-star amazon review)    That's it for now. Have a stimulating June!     -- The SharpBrains Team

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Article: Why investment in brain research is an intelligent investment

Why investment in brain research is an intelligent investment
http://sharpbrains.com/blog/2013/05/29/why-investment-in-brain-research-is-an-intelligent-investment/

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Article: Neuroscience: Method man

Neuroscience: Method man
http://www.nature.com/news/neuroscience-method-man-1.13077

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Article: Great review of The SharpBrains Guide at Scientific American’s Beautiful Minds

Great review of The SharpBrains Guide at Scientific American's Beautiful Minds
http://sharpbrains.com/blog/2013/05/28/great-review-of-the-sharpbrains-guide-at-scientific-americans-beautiful-minds/

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Article: Normal of Not? How Coffee Drinking May Brew a Mental Disorder

Normal of Not? How Coffee Drinking May Brew a Mental Disorder
http://www.livescience.com/34765-coffee-drinking-is-mental-disorder-dsm.html

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Article alert: Why Aren't We Smarter Already: Evolutionary Trade-Offs and Cognitive Enhancemen..., Hills, T.; Hertwig, R.

http://cdp.sagepub.com/lookup/doi/10.1177/0963721411418300

Article: Cure for distracted mind: Stare at a painting for three hours - Health & wellness

Cure for distracted mind: Stare at a painting for three hours - Health & wellness
http://www.bostonglobe.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/2013/05/26/cure-for-distracted-mind-stare-painting-for-three-hours/rzlKob6JEBy0RIsQI1DSqN/story.html

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Article: Intelligence Linked To Being Able To Block Out Background Distractions

Intelligence Linked To Being Able To Block Out Background Distractions
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/261034.php

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Article alert: A Rhythmic Musical Intervention for Poor Readers: A Comparison of Efficacy With..., Bhide, Adeetee et. al

http://doi.wiley.com/10.1111/mbe.12016

Article alert: Review of the Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence, Second Edition (WASI-..., McCrimmon, A. W. et. al

http://jpa.sagepub.com/cgi/doi/10.1177/0734282912467756

Article: 12 Great New iPad Learning Apps for your Kids ~ Educational Technology and Mobile Learning

12 Great New iPad Learning Apps for your Kids ~ Educational Technology and Mobile Learning
http://www.educatorstechnology.com/2013/02/12-great-new-ipad-learning-apps-for.html?cid=dlvr.it

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Article: Frontiers | Dreaming as (intensified) mind wandering: evidence from functional neuroimaging and first-person content reports

Frontiers | Dreaming as (intensified) mind wandering: evidence from functional neuroimaging and first-person content reports
http://www.frontiersin.org/Human_Neuroscience/abstract/54094

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Article: Resting-state fMRI in the Human Connectome Project. [Neuroimage. 2013] - PubMed

Resting-state fMRI in the Human Connectome Project. [Neuroimage. 2013] - PubMed
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23702415?dopt=Abstract

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Article: Resting-state fMRI in the Human Connectome Project. [Neuroimage. 2013] - PubMed

Resting-state fMRI in the Human Connectome Project. [Neuroimage. 2013] - PubMed
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23702415?dopt=Abstract

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Article: If your brain were a computer, how much storage space would it have?

If your brain were a computer, how much storage space would it have?
http://io9.com/if-your-brain-were-a-computer-how-much-storage-space-w-509687776

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Article: A new iOS game looks to kickstart neuroscience education

A new iOS game looks to kickstart neuroscience education
http://pandodaily.com/2013/05/22/a-new-ios-game-looks-to-kickstart-neuroscience-education/

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Automatic v controlled cognitive brain clock timing systems: A link with working memory?

[Double click on image to enlarge]

Contemporary research (Buhusi & Meck, 2005; Lewis & Miall, 2006) supports the idea that there are two mental timing circuits that can be dissociated: (1) an automatic timing system that works in the millisecond range, which is used in discrete-event (discontinuous) timing, and involves the cerebellum; and (2) a continuous-event, cognitively controlled timing system that requires attention and involves the basal ganglia and related cortical structures.

The above figure, which is based on a meta-analysis of studies (see Lewis & Miall, 2006), provides neurological evidence for two such systems via the localization of each system in different parts of the brain. What I (as a cognitive psychologist with a primary interest in psychological testing and theories of intelligence-see IQs Corner) find particularly intriguing is the conclusion (as reported in the Lewis & Miall, 2006 article as well as many other articles I've read) that the primary brain region associated with the cognitively controlled timing system is that also primarily associated with working memory--the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC).

• Buhusi, W. & Meck, C. (Oct, 2005). What makes us tick: Functional and neural mechanism of interval timing. Nature Reviews: Neuroscience, 6, 755-765

• Lewis, P. & Miall, C (2006). Remembering the time: a continuous clock. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 10(9), 401-406.

Technorati Tags: psychology, educational psychology, cognition, school psychology, neuropsychology, neuroscience, neurology, intelligence, IQ, interval timing, mental timing, brain timing, master clock, brain clock,temporal processing,Interactive Metronome,scalar timing,working memory,prefrontal cortex,Gsm

Article alert: Distinguishing How From Why the Mind Wanders: A Process-Occurrence Framework for Self-Generated Mental Activity

More on mind wandering.

PT J
AU Smallwood, J
AF Smallwood, Jonathan
TI Distinguishing How From Why the Mind Wanders: A Process-Occurrence
Framework for Self-Generated Mental Activity
SO PSYCHOLOGICAL BULLETIN
AB Cognition can unfold with little regard to the events taking place in
the environment, and such self-generated mental activity poses a
specific set of challenges for its scientific analysis in both cognitive
science and neuroscience. One problem is that the spontaneous onset of
self-generated mental activity makes it hard to distinguish the events
that control the occurrence of the experience from those processes that
ensure the continuity of an internal train of thought once initiated.
This review demonstrates that a distinction between process and
occurrence (a) provides theoretical clarity that has been absent from
current discussions of self-generated mental activity, (b) affords
conceptual leverage on seemingly disparate results associating the state
with both domain-general processes and task error, and (c) draws
attention to important questions for understanding unconstrained thought
in contexts such as psychopathology and education. It is suggested that
identifying the moment that self-generated mental events begin is a
necessary next step in moving toward a testable account of why the mind
has evolved to neglect the present in favor of ruminations on the past
or imaginary musings of what may yet come to pass.
PD MAY
PY 2013
VL 139
IS 3
BP 519
EP 535
ER

Article: Does brain training work? Yes, if it meets these 5 conditions

Does brain training work? Yes, if it meets these 5 conditions
http://sharpbrains.com/blog/2013/05/22/does-brain-training-work-yes-if-it-meets-these-5-conditions/

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Article: Frontiers | Distraction and Mind-Wandering Under Load

Frontiers | Distraction and Mind-Wandering Under Load
http://www.frontiersin.org/Cognition/10.3389/fpsyg.2013.00283/abstract

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Article: Alvaro Fernandez: Founder of SharpBrains talks about brain health

Alvaro Fernandez: Founder of SharpBrains talks about brain health
http://saludify.com/alvaro-fernandez-sharpbrains-health/

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Attentional control (Posner, 2007 review): Executive attention may be trainable

A recent Annual Review of Psychology had a nice overview article (by Posner and Rothbart..click here to view) dealing with research on the cognitive construct of attention. I found Figure 2 and Table 1 (above) particularly informative. Below are some key quotes from the article. Given my prior reading and posts regarding the importance of executive attention, I was particularly interested in Posner and Rothbart's suggestion that executive attention may be a domain general learning mechanism that may be trainable. The italics and/or underlining below were added by this blogmaster.

• In recent years, attention has been one of the fastest growing of all fields within cognitive psychology and cognitive neuroscience.
• Certainly many, perhaps even most, imaging studies have been concerned with anatomical issues. As Figure 2 illustrates, several functions of attention have been shown to involve specific anatomical areas that carry out important functions.
• Imaging data have supported the presence of three networks related to different aspects of attention (Fan et al. 2005). These networks carry out the functions of alerting, orienting, and executive attention (Posner & Fan 2007). A summary of the anatomy and chemical modulators involved in the three networks is shown in Table 1. Alerting is defined as achieving and maintaining a state of high sensitivity to incoming stimuli; orienting is the selection of information from sensory input; and executive attention involves mechanisms for monitoring and resolving conflict among thoughts, feelings, and responses.
• ..we have argued that the executive attention network is involved in self-regulation of positive and negative affect as well as a wide variety of cognitive tasks underlying intelligence (Duncan et al. 2000). This idea suggests an important role for attention in moderating the activity of sensory, cognitive, and emotional systems.
• There is considerable evidence that the executive attention network is of great importance in the acquisition of school subjects such as literacy (McCandliss et al. 2003) and in a wide variety of other subjects that draw upon general intelligence (Duncan et al.2000).
• It has been widely believed by psychologists that training involves only specific domains, and that more general training of the mind, for example, by formal disciplines like mathematics or Latin, does not generalize beyond the specific domain trained (Thorndike 1903, Simon 1969). However, attention may be an exception to this idea. Attention involves specific brain mechanisms, as we have seen, but its function is to influence the operation of other brain networks (Posner & Rothbart 2007). Anatomically, the network involving resolution of conflict overlaps with brain areas related to general intelligence (Duncan et al. 2000). Training of attention either explicitly or implicitly is sometimes a part of the school curriculum (Posner&Rothbart 2007), but additional studies are needed to determine exactly how and when attention training can best be accomplished and its long-lasting importance.
• Executive attention represents a neurodevelopmental process in children and adolescents, the alteration which could affect the propensity for the development of a number of disorders.

Technorati Tags: psychology, educational psychology, neuropsychology, neuroscience, intelligence, IQ, cognition, executive attention, attention, domain general, learning, education, ADHD

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Article: Fit Brains Trainer for iPad and iPhone

Fit Brains Trainer for iPad and iPhone
http://trainer.fitbrains.com/

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Article: Jon Lieff YouTube Channel

Jon Lieff YouTube Channel
http://jonlieffmd.com/blog/jon-lieff-youtube-channel

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Article: Complexity in Searching for the Neural Code

Complexity in Searching for the Neural Code
http://jonlieffmd.com/blog/complexity-in-searching-for-the-neural-code

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Article: Could a brain scan tell you how smart you are? Research shows intelligence linked to strength of neural connections

Could a brain scan tell you how smart you are? Research shows intelligence linked to strength of neural connections
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2182624/Could-brain-scan-tell-smart-Research-shows-intelligence-linked-strength-neural-connections.html

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Article: Physicist’s tool has potential for brain mapping

Physicist's tool has potential for brain mapping
http://www.psypost.org/2013/05/physicists-tool-has-potential-for-brain-mapping-17976

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Article: Posit Science Supplies Brain Fitness Exercises for New AARP Service

Posit Science Supplies Brain Fitness Exercises for New AARP Service
http://www.positscience.com/news/posit-science-supplies-brain-fitness-exercises-new-aarp-service

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Picture: Brain grows till early 20s!

Brain grows till early 20s!
http://twitter.com/JNNP_BMJ/status/334611111167029248/photo/1

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Article: Watch 32 discordant metronomes achieve synchrony in a matter of minutes

Watch 32 discordant metronomes achieve synchrony in a matter of minutes
http://io9.com/5947112/watch-32-discordant-metronomes-achieve-synchrony-in-a-matter-of-minutes

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New forensic technique for estimating time of death by checking internal clock of the human brain - Science - News - The Independent

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/new-forensic-technique-for-estimating-time-of-death-by-checking-internal-clock-of-the-human-brain-8614624.html

Article: A Randomized Controlled Trial of Cognitive Training Using a Visual Speed of Processing Intervention in Middle Aged and Older Adults

A Randomized Controlled Trial of Cognitive Training Using a Visual Speed of Processing Intervention in Middle Aged and Older Adults
http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0061624

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Article: Visualizing the Connectome : Neuroskeptic

Visualizing the Connectome : Neuroskeptic
http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/neuroskeptic/2013/05/12/visualizing-the-connectome/

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Article: Brain training technique gets a critique

Brain training technique gets a critique
http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/350299/description/Brain_training_technique_gets_a_critique

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Article: Brain system for emotional self-control discovered

Brain system for emotional self-control discovered
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/05/130509104354.htm

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Article: Release Notes for NIF 5.0

Release Notes for NIF 5.0
http://neuinfo.org/about/release_notes_5.0.shtm

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Article: What Is Working Memory and Why Does It Matter? | Executive Function

What Is Working Memory and Why Does It Matter? | Executive Function
http://www.ncld.org/types-learning-disabilities/executive-function-disorders/what-is-working-memory-why-does-matter

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Article: Study: Meditation Improves Memory, Attention

Study: Meditation Improves Memory, Attention
http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2013/05/study-meditation-improves-memory-attention/275564/

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Article: Brain, Interrupted

Brain, Interrupted
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/05/opinion/sunday/a-focus-on-distraction.html

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Article: Fascinating rhythm: The brain’s ‘slow waves’

Fascinating rhythm: The brain's 'slow waves'
http://www.psypost.org/2013/05/fascinating-rhythm-the-brains-slow-waves-17739

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Article: Special Promotion for Friends of SharpBrains.com

Special Promotion for Friends of SharpBrains.com
http://www.linkedin.com/groups/Special-Promotion-Friends-SharpBrainscom-2225687.S.237961442?gid=2225687&item=237961442&type=member&view=

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Article: Video Game Play Sharpens Elderly Minds

Video Game Play Sharpens Elderly Minds
http://www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/episode.cfm?id=video-game-play-sharpens-elderly-mi-13-05-03

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Article: What Is Executive Function? | Executive Functioning

What Is Executive Function? | Executive Functioning
http://www.ncld.org/types-learning-disabilities/executive-function-disorders/what-is-executive-function

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NIMH · Transforming Diagnosis

FYI. MINH on DSM-5

http://www.nimh.nih.gov/about/director/2013/transforming-diagnosis.shtml

Article: Are Doctors Diagnosing Too Many Kids with ADHD?

Are Doctors Diagnosing Too Many Kids with ADHD?
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=are-doctors-diagnosing-too-many-kids-adhd

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