Growing, hacking, communicating and matching…it’s all about our brain…in this episode of the Reading List.
You Can Grow New Brain Cells. Here’s How.
By Sandrine Thuret
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And then Robert looked at me like I was crazy and said, “But Sandrine, these are adult patients – adults do not grow new nerve cells.” And much to his surprise, I said, “Well actually, we do.” And this is a phenomenon that we call neurogenesis.
Neurogenesis. Remember that term…
So activity impacts neurogenesis, but that’s not all. What you eat will have an effect on the production of new neurons in the hippocampus. So here we have a sample of diet – of nutrients that have been shown to have efficacy. And I’m just going to point a few out to you: Calorie restriction of 20 to 30 percent will increase neurogenesis. Intermittent fasting – spacing the time between your meals – will increase neurogenesis. Intake of flavonoids, which are contained in dark chocolate or blueberries, will increase neurogenesis. Omega–3 fatty acids, present in fatty fish, like salmon, will increase the production of these new neurons. Conversely, a diet rich in high saturated fat will have a negative impact on neurogenesis. Ethanol – intake of alcohol – will decrease neurogenesis. However, not everything is lost; resveratrol, which is contained in red wine, has been shown to promote the survival of these new neurons.
These pull quotes are from a fantastic TED talk, follow the link to watch it all the way through. After all this time, after all those food pyramids, no egg, no butter, diet sugars, and health fads, it seems research is finally showing us what my grandparents’ generation already knew:
Cook and eat naturally. Get off your butt. And get more sleep. You’ll be healthier.
I suspect they would have also told us to put our phones down from time to time but they probably didn’t see those coming.
Watch This Short Documentary About the Future of Brain Hacking
By Rachel Pick
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A short documentary called Master/Mind by Francesco Paciocco
“If you get into a car accident, it’s a circumstance that’s out of your control and you wish you could just rewind to last week. Conceivably, you could image your brain every two weeks and then you would never lose more than two weeks of your experience.”
Yes, backing up your brain, biologically, is coming. Much like you back up your hard drive on your computer. If you get weirded out by this, you’re not alone. Yes it seems odd to conceive a world in which we can all back up our brains, experience catastrophic trauma, reboot and be back up and running, with the only loss of memory coming from experiences which occurred since out last backup.
It’s a little freaky…yes.
But, now think of a person suffering from Alzeihmer’s. Or dementia. Or Parkinson’s. Or ALS. Yeah, that takes on a different feel to how we can restore healthy brain functioning to a diseased or damaged brain.
It’s both fascinating and a little frightening. Just like science should be.
Tearing Down the Borders Between Mind and Computer, Enabling a Two-Way Interaction
By Valero A and Pérez-Sánchez H
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This one is a deep dive. Put your thinking cap on before testing the waters…
The application of the latest advances in computer science and telecommunications of the last few decades opens the door to a brand new source of evolution of human beings in particular and of any living creature in general as genetic evolution will stop being the unique means of evolving. This new source of evolution would come from the application of technology to the development of new psychical abilities of the human mind, and will be a convergence point where technology will go hand in hand with medicine and psychiatry.
and…
In some decades’ time, Neuroscience will turn into state-of-the art technology that will change utterly human way of life not only making it at least sustainable on planet Earth but also opening a brand new world of possibilities ranging from healing mental diseases to expanding human mind’s capabilities beyond current natural frontiers.
Uniqlo Is Reading Your Mind to Match You With Clothing You’ll Like
By Kimberly Wang
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Apparently brain research doesn’t have to be so serious. Well, unless you take your wardrobe seriously.
Uniqlo created a machine that shows you images and uses neuroscience to determine how you’re feeling. While you’re taking the test, you actually wear a cool headpiece that measures your brainwaves and will assess your mood. Based on the data they collect from your brainwaves, it’ll select the perfect tees for you right there in store. Think of it as a mood ring, but with T-shirts.
Mood ring, but with T-shirts. Awesome…
Why a Reading List? I do a good amount of reading and I‘m constantly finding articles which are informative, entertaining and applicable to my private practice. Instead of hoarding this information to myself, I’ve decided to begin sharing the articles and pull quotes on a semi-regular basis.