Image credit: Frits Bonjernoor via Scientific American

"Our brains are exquisitely tuned to perceive, recognize and remember faces," says the article. The visual trick above illustrates this better. Find the face of a man hidden among the coffee beans. At first, it might be difficult to find it, but once you see the face, you will always find it every time you look at the picture.

(If you want to find the face yourself, don't read the next paragraph.)

Need help? The face is in the lower left quadrant, 2 o'clock of the logo on the picture.

 

While the program's name, Warrior Mind Training, sounds bad-ass enough, some camp commanders find this a bit of a tough sell; making the macho soldiers get on the program because the training sessions are not unlike your regular housewives-on-mats yoga classes. The Warrior Mind Training program is a meditative technique that aims to give the soldiers mental strength, train them to cope with stress better, and to learn to channel their thought processes better.

The sessions' exercises are the ones usually associated with the urbanites and the socialites in quest of peace, balance, and tranquility in their day to day rat race - not the usual fodder for our hardened, muscle-bound special forces.

Adam Credle, a military instructor at the Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, in North Carolina who teaches Coast Guard personnel how to drive fastcrafts mounted with machine guns on very high speeds, is one of these training officers who have been rebuffed for his efforts at encouraging his trainees to try out meditation.

How did this program overcome the soldiers' reluctance? They packaged the meditation program after the Bushido warrior - the Samurai - discipline. Nothing gay about a Samurai, right? It was then easier for the troops to sit on mats (like the ancient ferocious Samurai) and learn to meditate.

To help develop this skill, Time.com reports that, "Warrior Mind relies upon music. The idea is to listen, really listen, to the wail of the guitar or the staccato tap of the drums instead of letting your mind wander. In athletics, this concept is called being in 'the zone'"

Now, thanks to modern world's stressful life, executives, Beverly Hills denizens, and the rich and the famous turn to meditation as a means of calming down and getting balance in life. Modern health literature too haven't been remiss in recommending meditation as a mind-body complementary medicine.

It comes then as no surprise when the Dalai Lama gave the inaugural Dialogues for scientists during the Annual Meeting of the Society for Neuroscience in Washington, D.C., one could not help but think that east finally meets west.

Based on accounts of that "east-west" encounter (see text of his speech), the Dalai Lama seems a fairly cool dude. He, the "mystical" one - believed to have reincarnated 13 times (he is the 14th Dalai Lama), is more scientific than most of us. "The specific areas of science I have explored most over the years are subatomic physics, cosmology, biology and psychology. For my limited understanding of these fields I am deeply indebted to the hours of generous time shared with me by Carl von Weizsacker and the late David Bohm both of whom I consider to be my teachers in quantum mechanics, and in the field of biology, especially neuroscience, by the late Robert Livingstone and Francisco Varela. I am also grateful to the numerous, eminent scientists with whom I have had the privilege of engaging in conversations..."

One interesting remark (a break from his prepared speech) the Dalai Lama made was when he confided to his audience of scientists that meditation was hard word for him, "and that if neuroscientists were able to find a way to put electrodes in his brain and provide him with the same outcome as he gets from meditating, he would be an enthusiastic volunteer."

Interestingly, neuroscience's remarkable progress in the field of cognitive enhancement have also led scientists along the same path. One such study was conducted by Christopher Moore and Li-Huei Tsai at MIT and Karl Desseroth at Stanford using optogenetics. The result of the experiment showed that, with the use of lasers, they were able to induce gamma brain waves that are highly reminiscent of the type produced by the brains of long-time meditators. Experts, however, agree that this development is still not identical to meditation.

But, by itself, it already is a major step...you know, in forgoing those long hours of meditation and towards simply zapping your brain for rest, relaxation, and a sense of well-being.

Tenzin Gyatso, the Dalai Lama, would be thrilled.

We have the latter interpretation in mind when scientists reported that negative notions about one's self can "foster a self-fulfilling prophecy" - If you are an older adult and you think your memory is fading, it will. (I think) I am getting senile therefore, I am (senile).

As Rene Descartes who found it imperative to prove his existence, so did our researchers at North Carolina State University. In an experiment on older adults, the group that was told that "older folks perform poorly on memory tests," indeed fared poorly as stereotyped. The group of older adults who were not given this thought- did better. You think, therefore, you are.

They also found that the participants with highest educational levels, are the ones most adversly affected by the negative stereotype. The study showed that those who value their ability to remember things, are the ones more sensitive to the suggested stereotype; causing a negative effect in their behavior and, as a consequence, poor test performance.

Negative suggestions can negatively affect one's perception of himself. What makes this worse, is that those who fall for bad stereotyping. lose interest in learning new skills. They would even go to the extent of avoiding tasks or situations that would require memorization or the use of their memory. Unfortunately, these actions actually help in realizing that fear.

Truth is, continuous use of the brain, challenging it, learning new skills, playing memory games, filling-up crossword puzzles, playing suduko, etc. will actually help keep your brain in good running condition. Remember, "use it, or lose it."

Tom Hess, lead researcher, said that "the negative effect of this negative thought could be counteracted; if you are confident that, regardless of your advanced age, you will not lose your memory, you are more likely to help make this a reality. "

Take the advice of Norman Vincent Peale, author of "The Power of Positive Thinking," who says that "the most devastating handicap you can ever have is "self-doubt.""

Don't forget! Faith in yourself makes good things happen to you. "You think, therefore you are," remember?

 

Enrolling in a yoga class, socialization, or taking up a new hobby or craft are good ways of relaxing your mind. A walk in the countryside, does not only freshen up your perspective, it also gives you that much needed exercise (which pumps blood and oxygen to the brain).

2. Healthy Living

You know, an unhealthy lifestyle such as frequent drinking, lack of sleep, and other practices that expose you to ailments can make you sick. Not having enough exercise, and frequent binge eating may lead to obesity, or worse, type 2 diabetes or stroke. These ailments affect your brain.

Also Read: Vitamin B-12 may stop brain shrinking and memory loss

3. Watch that cycle of consciousness

An article from Live Science mentioned this. It said that our level of awareness or consciousness has its ups and downs throughout the day. Whether this has a scientific basis or not, it still makes sense to watch how your mental state is doing when performing a task. It would be good to be on your most "awake" mind state when dealing with the most difficult tasks (or problem-solving). The same article also said that for creative matters, it would be good to work on them when your level of consciousness is low.

4. Sweet dreamszzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

You see, sleep's purpose is not only to give you a "good night's rest," your brain needs it for memory consolidation. Scientists even recommend an afternoon siesta as it locks in memory faster. That same article from Live Science mentioned above claims that "previewing key information and then sleeping on it increases retention 20 to 30 percent...chronic sleeplessness is tied up to cognitive decline in old age, although the relationship may not be casual."

Speaking of retaining memories in your sleep, there are times that sudden inspiration occurs while you are on your way to dreamland. It would be very convenient if you keep a pen and paper by your bed table. It can be very frustrating in the morning when you know you thought of something brilliant but you cannot remember exactly what it was.

Also read: 10 Reasons You Should Have Enough Sleep
            and New Report: Napping Better than Coffee as Picker-Upper

5 Do you really need those pills?

GroundReport, said, vitamin pills may be useless. As early as seven years ago, BBC News reported that "Vitamin pills (are) a waste of money." It further reported that scientists said that people would be better off eating fresh fruit and vegetables. In a scientific report posted April 16, 2009 in Reuters say scientists, "Found that vitamin C, often taken in an attempt to ward off colds, seemed to have no positive or negative effects." Goran Bjelakovic, who carried out the review at Copenhagen University Hospital in Denmark said, "The findings of our review show that if anything, people in trial groups given the antioxidants beta-carotene, vitamin A, and vitamin E showed increased rates of mortality."

The consensus is that taking vitamins to protect against disease is a waste of money as you just pee them out. Reports say your body only absorbs a minimal amount of vitamins from these supplements. In fact, reports say most people are able to meet their nutritional needs through balanced and varied diet - this means including plenty of fruits and vegetables.

Also read: Low caloric diet may improve memory and learning
            and Brain-doping execs on the rise?

6 Brain calesthentics

Our brains are like our body muscles; the more you use them and train them, the better they become. Just like how exercise makes your body fit, strong, and healthy. Brain exercises in the form of crossword puzzles, soduko, learning new languages, learning to play a musical instrument, or even learning a new craft or hobby are good for keeping your brain in shape, and sharpening your fluid intelligence. The phrase, "use it or lose it," could never be more appropriate than in this context.

As reported at Physorg.com, Karl Deisseroth, MD, PhD, at Stanford University, results of the two researches (where he was senior author) show that gamma brain waves that oscillate at the frequency of 40 Hertz (cycle per second) "enhance information flow among different cell types in the frontal cortex..."

The researches focused on parvalbumin-producing neurons in mice. Parvalbumin, a type of protein, is responsible in driving the gamma brain waves to oscillate at the correct frequency (40 hertz). What is interesting in these studies is that Deisseroth's (associate professor of bioengineering and of psychiatry and behavioural sciences) team may have found the right gamma brain rhythm that "clocks" the brain to optimum performance - and links parvalbumin to this process.

Parvalbumin appears to work like the coxswain - or the drumbeater in a dragon boat race - that coordinate the rhythm of strokes of rowers to the right cadence for optimum performance.

Deisseroth's team have developed optogenitics - a technique to hack parvalbumin neurons in mice through the aid of visible light pulses. They found out that by inhibiting parvalbumin neurons, gamma waves are suppressed which resulted to the decrease in bitrates processed - much like your computer modem with low kbps. When these gamma waves are prodded to oscillate at the correct frequency of 40 Hertz, the information flow, in bitrates, in the circuits of the brain improves - much like a faster computer modem.

Deisseroth said, "This is a new perspective relevant to both schizophrenia and autism, conditions in which information comes in but it isn't necessarily processed correctly." The reports further said that gamma oscillations in autism appear to be cycling at the wrong intensity or frequency. In schizophrenia, it appears to have less parvalbumin neurons.

This development also reinforces iMusic technology of brain performance enhancement through the right rhythms in music.

Also read: Study shows the right music can boost athletic performance up to 20%

Among the other benefits, we can with conviction, share with you, six no-nonsense ways to increase your brain power as reported by Scientific American.

1. Exercise - exercise pumps up your "happy hormones," called endorphins. This happy hormone provides natural pain relief. Low levels of endorphins are associated with depression. Experiments on mice show that running on wheels boost the number of neurons in the hippocampus resulting better in terms of learning and memory retention.

Here's a new experiment: thirty-three men and women were asked to exercise without music and were tested for mood and verbal skills after their work out. They were also asked to exercise with music and were tested again.

The result, the combination of music and exercise showed considerable improvement in verbal scores while exercising without music only showed half the improvement. You can further boost up this exercise with iMusic's BrainAmp, FitDrive Suite, or Energy Suite for maximum results.

Here's some great news: you don't need to exercise like Bruce Lee to get that brain-boost - 20 minutes a day of walks in the park would do. In fact, even if you haven't been exercising all your life (like many of us) you could start now and still reap the benefits. Just don't forget to consult with your doctor before embarking on an exercise regimen.

2. Diet - Let's make it easier to remember, what is good for the body, is good for the brain, and vice versa. Mice experiments have shown that diets on high saturated fat cause poor performance in relation to learning and memory tests. Green leafy vegetables and fruits are rich in anti-oxidants - they counteract atoms that cause damage to brain cells. Certain fats like Omega-3 fats found in fish, nuts and seeds are good for the brain. Don't forget your dose of vitamin B-12 that prevents brain shrinkage.

Here's a new experiment:

Research volunteers were grouped into three. The first group was subjected to calorie-restricted diet (calorie intake was reduced to 30% of their usual fare). The second group was made to increase their diet of unsaturated fatty acids to 20% (with no increase in total fat intake); and the third served as the control.

The result, the calorie-restricted diet group showed considerable improvement in cognitive tests while the two other groups have shown no improvement in memory tests.

3. Stimulants - Vin Diesel and Paul Walker don't run out of nitro boosters in The Fast and the Furious. Stimulants like caffeine from coffee are like nitro boosts to your nervous system. Caffeine helps reduce the production of beta amyloid protein in the brain which is linked with Alzheimer's disease. The moderate consumption of coffee is shown to be a cognitive stimulant. Coffee ingested in higher doses produce negative effects like palpitations, anxiety, jumpiness, and insomnia.

Anti-aging-guide.com reports that coffee helps protect men from developing Parkinson's Disease.

Here's the experiment: 15 volunteers, initially subjected to 12-hour coffee-free and nicotine-free control. After they were made to consume two cups of coffee, their fMRI scans showed increased brain activity.

The result, they showed improvement in reaction time, and their short-term memory test results improved.

Here's more good news: Recent studies have shown that caffeine may protect elderly women from age-related memory problems.

4. Video Games - We can't deny that video games have been associated with patterns of violent tendencies. There are studies that have confirmed that the gamers' brain activity, while on first-person shooter games are consistent with aggression. While this remains debatable, video games have been also shown to have improved players' hand-eye coordination, mental dexterity, pattern recognition and depth perception.

Video games like Nintendo's BrainAge, Dance Dance Revolution and In The Groove have shown to improve reading and math fluency.

and "Playing the game ‘Pairs' can boost up your intelligence"

5. Music - studies have shown how music has enhanced the brain's learning and cognitive capabilities. Some of history's greatest minds, like Einstein and Thomas Jefferson, have been known to turn to music to perk up their brains. Classical music by Mozart and Bach especially, have been known to have some influence in improving one's mental faculties.

Dr. David Soto at Imperial College in London said, "Music appears to improve awareness because of its positive emotional effect on the patient, so similar beneficial effects may also be gained by making the patient happy in other ways "

Here's the good news: Volition Thought House has a collection of over 30 iMusic titles of single and iMusic Suites. Used correctly, iMusic can be an aid to get instant "in-the-zone" results simply by listening to them. iMusic can get you into peak performance brain state for different purposes. There are specific products intended for sleep, for reading speed, for increasing intelligence, for creativity, for exercise and stamina, focus, and even meditation. For more info, click here.

6. Meditation - typically, your brain cells fire at different times. During meditation, they fire away synchronized. Meditation increases the thickness of the cerebral cortex - more specifically in the region of the brain mostly associated with attention and sensation. This growth is characterized by more new neurons, more neural connections, and blood vessels are bigger.

and "Stress may cause loss of your gray matter"

He believes that planning and organization functions are responsible for ones ability to manage "the current and the present" among other things, and the organization of materials to be "the ability to impose order on work, play and storage spaces." 

The fact sheet also goes on to state that " People with executive function problems have difficulty with planning, organizing and managing time and space. They also show weakness with "working memory" (or "seeing in your mind's eye"), which is an important tool in guiding one's actions. "  

So, the next time that you find yourself with a messy desk at work, you can rationalize it... at least a little, but you have a defense... BrainAmp.  

For more information on this topic and the rest of Dr. Gioia's 8 Executive Functions visit: http://www.ldonline.org/article/29122

 

 

Computer vs. Brain (CvB.net) comes up with a "simplistic" calculation to say that the brain has about 100 million MIPS (Million computer Instructions Per Second) while today's most powerful supercomputer only has a few million MIPS worth in processor speed; and there's still the matter about the memory to deal with...

Everyday, scientists continue to discover something new about this extremely complex and fascinating 1,200 lbs. of mushy, yucky mass that pumps up about 3 cans of soda every minute.

Stay with us as we continue this exploration of the brain....everyday!