The Brain that Changes Itself
Watch the full episode. 43:38 min
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For centuries the human brain has been thought of as incapable of fundamental change. People suffering from neurological defects, brain damage or strokes were usually written-off as hopeless cases. But recent and continuing research into the human brain is radically changing how we look at the potential for neurological recovery.
The human brain, as we are now quickly learning, has a remarkable ability to change itself – in fact, even to rewire itself.
The Brain that Changes Itself, based on the best-selling book by Toronto psychiatrist and researcher Dr. Norman Doidge, presents a strong case for reconsidering how we view the human mind.
Source: CBC
Image:iStockphoto
University of Queensland neuroscientists have, for the first time, been able to demonstrate that moderate exercise significantly increases the number of neural stem cells in the ageing brain.
In research published in Stem Cells, Dr Daniel Blackmore and his colleagues at the Queensland Brain Institute (QBI) have shown that moderate exercise directly increases the number of stem cells in the ageing brain.
Despite the conventional wisdom that we only have a set number of neurons or brain cells, neuroscientists have known for some time that, in healthy brains, the creation of new neurons is an ongoing and lifelong mechanism. [continue reading…]
Push-ups, crunches, gyms, personal trainers — people have many strategies for building bigger muscles and stronger bones. But what can one do to build a bigger brain?
Meditate.
That’s the finding from a group of researchers at UCLA who used high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to scan the brains of people who meditate. In a study published in the journal NeuroImage and currently available online (by subscription), the researchers report that certain regions in the brains of long-term meditators were larger than in a similar control group. [continue reading…]
Published: April 20, 2009
Photo montage: iStock/Tori Deaux
On January 1st, I (like many) draw up a list of New Years resolutions; lose weight, get fit, drink less….. Ah….Then in jumps winters legacy. The rain, snow and dark days see my resolve weaken, aren’t most New Years resolutions doomed? Well I do tell a lie, this year I have kept up my resolution to get fit, and I am well on that path! [continue reading…]
