The Sharp­Brains Guide to Brain Fitness: How to Optimize Brain Health and Performance at Any Age

Now here’s a book I not only want to read, but probably should read:  The Sharp­Brains Guide to Brain Fitness: How to Optimize Brain Health and Performance at Any Age

The authors describe the book as one that “…cuts through the clutter of misconceptions, superficial and conflicting media coverage, and aggressive marketing claims, to help readers discover what really works, and what doesn’t, to improve brain health and performance at any age, to delay or prevent cognitive decline, and become smarter consumers of both media coverage and scientific research in the process.”

That’s a mouthful, but here’s some thoughts that struck me as I read it:

“…cuts through the clutter of misconceptions superficial and conflicting media coverage, and aggressive marketing claims,” – I find that the enormous amount of brain-building claims and counter-claims both confusing and frustrating. That these guys provide some objective third party point-of-view is really helpful.

“…help readers discover what really works, and what doesn’t” – If ginkgo biloba works, great! If not, somebody please tell me. That this book will point out the pretenders and the programs that really do improve brain performance is really attractive.

And, by the way, all the authors - Alvaro Fernandez, Elkhonon Goldberg, Pascale Michelo - are brainiacs: overly educated high achievers who are experts in this brain-building and exercise business.

For more info, use this link: http://sharpbrains.com/book/

Is brain plasticity good or bad?

Good.  If you don’t have it, you should want it.

According to an article by Dr. Pascale Michelon on the SharpterBrains website, 

“Neuroplasticity or brain plasticity refers to the brain’s ability to CHANGE through­out life.” And in this case, Dr. Michelon is talking about change for the better.

In addition to genetic factors, the environment in which a person lives, as well as the actions of that per­son, play a role in plasticity.

Neuroplasticity occurs in the brain:

• At the begin­ning of life: when the imma­ture brain orga­nizes itself.
• In case of brain injury: to com­pen­sate for lost func­tions or max­i­mize remain­ing functions.
• Through adulthood: whenever something new is learned and memorized.

So why is this a big deal?

Well, to begin with the article notes that:

“A sur­pris­ing con­se­quence of neu­ro­plas­tic­ity is that the brain activ­ity asso­ci­ated with a given func­tion can move to a dif­fer­ent loca­tion as a con­se­quence of nor­mal expe­ri­ence, brain dam­age or recovery. In his book “The Brain That Changes Itself: Stories of Personal Triumph from the Frontiers of Brain Science, Norman Doidge describes numerous examples of functional shifts.

In one of them, a sur­geon in his 50s suf­fers a stroke. His left arm is par­a­lyzed. During his rehabilitation, his good arm and hand are immobilized, and he is set to cleaning tables. The task is at first impossible. Then slowly the bad arm remembers how to move. He learns to write again, to play tennis again: the functions of the brain areas killed in the stroke have transferred themselves to healthy regions.”

Would like to improve your neuroplasticity? Want to read more?  Here’s a link to the article:  http://www.sharpbrains.com/blog/2008/02/26/brain-plasticity-how-learning-changes-your-brain/

 

And here’s a Doidge’s book: http://www.amazon.com/The-Brain-That-Changes-Itself/dp/0143113100/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1338060843&sr=1-1