Friday 28 February 2014

10 Steps to a better brain

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http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn9968-top-10-steps-to-a-better-brain.html?full=true#.Uw_IvtDZW2c / smart drugs food for thought Mozart effect gainful employment memory marvels sleep on it body and mind nuns on a run attention seeking positive feedback brainy education improve expand improve your mind boost boosting mental faculties studying hard reclusive book worm tricks techniques habits change changes lifestyle diet behaviour flex grey matter bestbrain cells age old mean worsening memory slower reactions fuzzy thinking age 40, honest notice noticing changes mental abilities beginning gradual decline dementia reverse slow mask cognitive enhancement on the market others on the way best-known modafinil licensed treat narcolepsy condition suddenly fall asleep notable effects health healthy people awake alert jitteriness bad concentration amphetamine amphetamines caffeine coffee produce sleep deprived sleep-deprived people perform even better well-rested unmedicated medicated sleep the normal 8 hours, and then pull a few more all-nighters with no ill effects ritalin attention deficit disorder ADD superior concentration exam exams pharmaceutical pipeline promising compounds drugs nicotinic receptors smokers exploit exploited drugs drug cannabinoid augment memory major side effects cognitive enhancers Daniele Piomelli University of California Irvine UCI study studying the body's cannabinoid system making memories less emotionally charged post-traumatic stress disorder memory unwanted effects Gary Lynch concern invent invention inventor ampakines, class of drugs how memory encoded how strong a memory trace is essence of learning rules optimise optimum optimised evolution improve improvement hidden downsides penalty disadvantge sleep-deprived preliminary studies dietary supplement industry supplementation eat eating breakfast glucose studies skipping breakfast reduce reduction reduces performance school work calories beans on toast Barbara Stewart University of Ulster UK high protein high-protein beans fibre high-fibre diet improved cognition wholemeal toast Marmite yeast extract B vitamins lunch is omelette salad choline neurotransmitter acetylcholine research researchers Boston University healthy young adults drug scopolamine block blocks acetylcholine receptors brain remember word pairs Alzheimer's disease study studies suggest boost boosting dietary intake slow age related age-related memory loss salad packed antioxidants beta-carotene vitamin vitamins C E age ageing brain damage damaging free radicals Dwight Tapp diet high in antioxidants improved cognitive skills yogurt alert stress stresses amino acid tyrosine production neurotransmitters dopamine noradrenalin study studies US military deplete depleted stress supplement supplementing intake improve alertness memory snack mid-afternoon maintain glucose levels avoid junk food highly processed cakes pastries biscuits contain trans-fatty acids implicate implicated serious mental disorders dyslexia ADHD attention deficit hyperactivity disorder autism hard evidence Society for Neuroscience San Diego, California junk food rat maze remember solutions solve solved damage mediated triglyceride cholesterol performance memory tasks improved improve improvement brains brain 60 per cent fat omega-3 fatty acids docosahexaenoic acid DHA fish brain food feed lubricate developing brain DHA dementia studies published amyloid plaques disease high-DHA diet strawberries blueberries fruit fruits improved coordination concentration short-term memory music thinking Mozart improved mathematical spatial reasoning rats ran mazes faster accurately Mozart piano sonata stimulate activity genes nerve cell nerve-cell signalling brain mental faculties feel better relax relaxation relaxed stimulate stimulation stimulated stimulus story performance boost music lessons drama lessons instruction IQ scores Rauscher spatial reasoning tests computer lessons exercise mental skills delicate precise finger movements listen listening pitch rhythm emotional dimension mental boost young children mental problem-solving abilities spatial skills memory verbal reasoning genetics working memory general intelligence short-term information storage system workbench solving mental problems calculate intermediate steps answer information general intelligence Torkel Klingberg Karolinska Institute Stockholm Sweden neural systems grow in response to training functional magnetic resonance imaging fMRI MRI brain scans brain activity working-memory training programme tasks cognitive abilities /