Last year my sister moved to Spain with her two young children. For my sister, the process of learning a new language has been slow and hard work, involving hours of dedicated study and instruction. But her children have absorbed not one but two dialects of Spanish as if by osmosis, and already switch effortlessly back and forth between their native and adopted tongues. Scientists now understand the neurological processes that account for the amazing plasticity of the child's brain. And this understanding lays the foundation for the exciting new field of brain training.
During the critical period of childhood learning, a child's brain secretes large quantities of a protein known as BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor). This process triggers the nucleus basalis (the brain's attention governor), keeping the brain constantly ready to absorb new memories and skills. Children pay attention to everything... well, almost everything.
But once we reach our late teens our bodies begin to produce a lot more BDNF, a trigger that shuts down the brain's attention center. While it may seem odd that our bodies put an end to effortless learning, from an evolutionary perspective it makes good sense; having an always on brain as an adult would make it difficult to discriminate between choices and avoid unproductive distractions.
As scientists have shown, however, the adult brain isn't hopelessly cut off from further growth and change. We can reactivate the absorption of new information by engaging in mental tasks that requires focus and attention. When these mental tasks also induce a sense of achievement or satisfaction, we can create the conditions for the growth of new nerve cells and plastic change.
Known in the scientific community as neurogenesis and neuroplasticity the ability to rewire the brain provides the foundation for effective brain training. Effective brain training protocols use mental tasks that demand focus and reward that focus via exercises that strengthen memory, processing speed, and problem-solving ability.
The Three Building Blocks of Effective Brain Training
1. Attention
To activate the nucleus basalis we must exert considerable focus and attention. This stimulates the nucleus basalis to produce acetylcholine, which in turn instructs the brain to fix the memories being formed.
2. Challenge
Tackling a mental challenge that yields a sense of satisfaction or reward causes the brain to produce a second substance crucial to plastic change called dopamine.
3. Targeted Mental Exercise
Through the release of acetylcholine and dopamine, focus and mental challenge bring about the production of new neural nerve cells and changes in the brain's neural infrastructure. Cell growth and plastic change provide the capability for strengthening and improving core brain functions such as problem-solving ability, memory, and processing speed.
Brain Training In Everyday Life
There are many activities that stimulate neural growth and help us stay mentally fit - studying a new language, tackling puzzles and brain teasers, learning a new skill - but while these are relevant and worthy pursuits, they're not as targeted and effective as a carefully designed and scientifically tested brain training exercise.
The right brain training software can strengthen core brain functions in a highly efficient, measurable and predictable way. This brings a slew of possibilities: Brain training is being used today for correcting learning dysfunctions, reversing the adverse effects of aging, helping to delay or prevent the onset of Alzheimer's symptoms or dementia, improving academic success, and for plain old self-improvement. Some training programs can even produce measurable increases in fluid intelligence or problem-solving ability - until recently believed to be impossible.
Although brain training is relatively new, there is no shortage of products on the market, and no guarantee that they will achieve the desired results. This presents us with the challenge of first identifying which product is right for us. They range in cost from less than fifty dollars to several hundred dollars, and the variance in efficacy is, if anything, even greater.
Fortunately, a little due diligence on this front will pay dividends. First, check the scientific basis for the training exercises. It's a bad sign if the marketing material describes the science and benefits of the program in vague or general terms without spelling out what the training is designed to accomplish, and what specifically to expect in terms of improvement. And the vendor should tell you for how long and with what duration you should be training to achieve those gains.
And finally, we should remember that the critical ingredients for plastic change are focus and challenge. Just as we don't expect to stay physically fit without breaking a sweat, a truly effective brain training program requires our attention and effort. The rewards, however, can be worth every ounce of that investment.
During the critical period of childhood learning, a child's brain secretes large quantities of a protein known as BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor). This process triggers the nucleus basalis (the brain's attention governor), keeping the brain constantly ready to absorb new memories and skills. Children pay attention to everything... well, almost everything.
But once we reach our late teens our bodies begin to produce a lot more BDNF, a trigger that shuts down the brain's attention center. While it may seem odd that our bodies put an end to effortless learning, from an evolutionary perspective it makes good sense; having an always on brain as an adult would make it difficult to discriminate between choices and avoid unproductive distractions.
As scientists have shown, however, the adult brain isn't hopelessly cut off from further growth and change. We can reactivate the absorption of new information by engaging in mental tasks that requires focus and attention. When these mental tasks also induce a sense of achievement or satisfaction, we can create the conditions for the growth of new nerve cells and plastic change.
Known in the scientific community as neurogenesis and neuroplasticity the ability to rewire the brain provides the foundation for effective brain training. Effective brain training protocols use mental tasks that demand focus and reward that focus via exercises that strengthen memory, processing speed, and problem-solving ability.
The Three Building Blocks of Effective Brain Training
1. Attention
To activate the nucleus basalis we must exert considerable focus and attention. This stimulates the nucleus basalis to produce acetylcholine, which in turn instructs the brain to fix the memories being formed.
2. Challenge
Tackling a mental challenge that yields a sense of satisfaction or reward causes the brain to produce a second substance crucial to plastic change called dopamine.
3. Targeted Mental Exercise
Through the release of acetylcholine and dopamine, focus and mental challenge bring about the production of new neural nerve cells and changes in the brain's neural infrastructure. Cell growth and plastic change provide the capability for strengthening and improving core brain functions such as problem-solving ability, memory, and processing speed.
Brain Training In Everyday Life
There are many activities that stimulate neural growth and help us stay mentally fit - studying a new language, tackling puzzles and brain teasers, learning a new skill - but while these are relevant and worthy pursuits, they're not as targeted and effective as a carefully designed and scientifically tested brain training exercise.
The right brain training software can strengthen core brain functions in a highly efficient, measurable and predictable way. This brings a slew of possibilities: Brain training is being used today for correcting learning dysfunctions, reversing the adverse effects of aging, helping to delay or prevent the onset of Alzheimer's symptoms or dementia, improving academic success, and for plain old self-improvement. Some training programs can even produce measurable increases in fluid intelligence or problem-solving ability - until recently believed to be impossible.
Although brain training is relatively new, there is no shortage of products on the market, and no guarantee that they will achieve the desired results. This presents us with the challenge of first identifying which product is right for us. They range in cost from less than fifty dollars to several hundred dollars, and the variance in efficacy is, if anything, even greater.
Fortunately, a little due diligence on this front will pay dividends. First, check the scientific basis for the training exercises. It's a bad sign if the marketing material describes the science and benefits of the program in vague or general terms without spelling out what the training is designed to accomplish, and what specifically to expect in terms of improvement. And the vendor should tell you for how long and with what duration you should be training to achieve those gains.
And finally, we should remember that the critical ingredients for plastic change are focus and challenge. Just as we don't expect to stay physically fit without breaking a sweat, a truly effective brain training program requires our attention and effort. The rewards, however, can be worth every ounce of that investment.
About the Author:
Oxford-trained scientist, author, and technologist, Martin G. Walker is a member of The British Neuroscience Association, Learning and The Brain, and MENSA. His company Mind Evolve Software publishes free information on the field of neuroscience and brain training as well as effective and affordable brain fitness software under the brand name Mind Sparke.
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