Sonia Arrison » Brain issues

Juggling and brain power

sonia — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 06:13:26 +0000

Cross-posted from H+:

This is an interesting piece in the BBC about how complex tasks enhance the structure of the brain. Time to take up juggling!

Hat tip to Ramez Naam who posted this earlier today on Facebook.

Blue Brain project

sonia — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 01:19:13 +0000

Here’s an interesting article about the Blue Brain project. The author asks what would happen if scientists actually managed to simulate a human brain. Would turning off the computer be considered murder? Hmmm…

In related news, the NIH announced last month that it was launching “the Human Connectome Project to Unravel the Brain’s Connections.” According to the release, “the Human Connectome Project (HCP) will yield insight into how brain connections underlie brain function, and will open up new lines of inquiry for human neuroscience.” Wonder what Paul Allen thinks of this given that it sounds very similar to what his organization is trying to do.

Progress on treating Alzheimer’s

sonia — Thu, 07 May 2009 17:14:07 +0000

From the BBC:

“US scientists say they have successfully reversed the effects of Alzheimer’s with experimental drugs. The drugs target and boost the function of a newly pinpointed gene involved in the brain’s memory formation.

In mice, the treatment helped restore long-term memory and improve learning for new tasks, Nature reports. “

Surprise (not): people are taking brain boosting drugs

sonia — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 19:12:50 +0000

Here’s the story.

“Up to a fifth of adults, including college students and shift workers, may be using cognitive enhancers, a poll of 1,400 by Nature journal suggests. “

The Internet can improve your brain?

sonia — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 19:08:27 +0000

Well, for older people perhaps, according to UCLA researchers. “A simple, everyday task like searching the web appears to enhance brain circuitry in older adults, demonstrating that our brains are sensitive and can continue to learn as we grow older,” said professor Smith.

This is in contrast to an article in Atlantic called “Is Google Making us Stupid?”. Author Nicholas Carr argues that b/c of the ease of search we are getting lazy and don’t use our brains as much as we used to (memory etc). He has a good point. How many of us even know the phone numbers of our friends anymore?

Older Brain Really May Be a Wiser Brain

sonia — Wed, 21 May 2008 16:03:36 +0000

This news story from the NYT is good news for John McCain.