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Memory Improvement Training Video 3 of 3
Posted: Fri, 17 Feb 2012 05:33:37 +0000
Welcome to memory improvement video #3 in the 3 part series. Today I will teach you some good brain foods. If you stumbled across this page and it was not emailed to you then you can sign up for all 3 videos by entering your email address in the box on the home page.
Ron White memory expert is a big promoter of brain foods. Along with omega 3 oils and Gota Kola here is an excerpt from an article on the top brain foods.
Top Brain Foods
If you’re looking to improve your memory, reasoning and analytical skills then you’ve got to start with the basics, your diet. The typical American diet doesn’t exactly bolster high mental functioning; rather it serves to expand the ever growing waistlines of the masses. Just like your BMW motorcycle parts need gasoline to function, food is fuel for the human body and the type of fuel we put in our bodies has a direct influence on our overall performance, both mentally and physically. Avoiding certain “stupid” foods and stocking up on more cognizant choices will make a significant impact on your cerebral functioning.
Salmon
Salmon, especially when it’s wild, is one of the healthiest foods you can consume. All across the board, salmon qualifies as a top brain food. It is a great source of Essential Fatty Acids, such as Omega-3, it is also a great source of lean protein, it’s low in saturated fats and it’s low in mercury levels when compared to other seafood choices. Studies have shown wild salmon to improve not only your synaptic connections and your memory, but it’s also been shown to improve your mood and reduce your risk of a stroke.
Blueberries
It’s widely known that blueberries are considered to be a superfood, as they offer wide array of antioxidants. In combination with a healthy diet, blueberries have many proven health benefits. In addition to being a delicious snack, blueberries have been shown to reduce your risk for disease, as well as improve your overall cognitive functioning.
If you are enjoying this video series and would like to learn more from Ron White and get his complete 6 hour program go here
http://www.brainathlete.com/memory-training-basic-package/Link to this post!
MEDIA ENCLOSURE: http://feeds.memorise.org/~r/memorise/~5/1txCj9RN3uY/Ku8vp89oDhU
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Memory Improvement Video Part 2 of 3
Posted: Fri, 17 Feb 2012 05:22:22 +0000
Welcome back!
IF YOU STUMBLED ACROSS THIS PAGE AND IT WAS NOT EMAILED TO YOU, YOU CAN GET ALL 3 VIDEOS BY ENTERING YOUR EMAIL IN THE BOX ON THE HOME PAGE
To this point you have received one video. If you missed that video you can get it here
http://www.memorise.org/memory-training/memory-improvement-video-part-002132.html
Next this is video #2. For video number 2 I am going to teach you memory skills on how to remember names and faces.
The videos above explain how to memorize names. Practice these methods.
1. What is their name? (ask this question silently to yourself to focus your mind)
2. Select an outstanding feature on their face (this is their file)
3. Turn their name into a picture
4. With action and emotion see the picture on their face
5. REVIEW REVIEW (Review as you walk away, drive in your car and days later) The best thing you can do in this event is have predetermined pictures for names.
For example:
Steve = stove
Karen = carrot
Lisa = Mona Lisa
Brian = brain
Lynn = lint
Ron = run
Michelle = missle
Wendi = wind
Gary = garage
Kathy = cat
Tom = tomcat
Harold = hair that is old
Eric = ear ache
Tim = tin (can)
George = gorge
David = divot (golfing)
Kevin = cave in
Dave = cave
Al = owl
Albert = burnt owl
Lee = leaves
Sue = sew
Lance = sir Lancelot
Charles = charcoal
Matt = mat
Paul = ball
CLICK THE FILES BELOW TO DOWNLOAD PICTURES FOR HUNDREDS OF NAMES
You get the idea. Every time you hear a name and turn it into a picture and once you select a picture for that name – NEVER change it! Then place the name on the face with ACTION! It is going to take time to turn names into pictures but if for the next month you turn every person’s name into a pictures that you meet you will have 200-300 at the end of the month and be AMAZED at how well you perform at remembering names and faces!
Practice, practice, practice!!
If you are benefiting from this training and would like to get Ron White’s entire 6 hour memory improvement program go here http://www.brainathlete.com/memory-training-basic-package/
Link to this post!MEDIA ENCLOSURE: http://feeds.memorise.org/~r/memorise/~5/JWgRZYAjY3I/pictures-for-mens-names-11.doc
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Memory Improvement Video Part One
Posted: Fri, 17 Feb 2012 05:13:59 +0000
Below is part 1 of a 3 part video series on how to improve your memory. If you stumbled across this page and it was not emailed to you, then you can register for all three videos by entering your email address in the box on the home page.
This is a system I learned in 1991 and have been teaching it ever since.
Below I demonstrate the system on the CBS early show and then show you how I memorized Martha Stewart’s Magazine on her show. You can use the same system to memorize a string of words. Watch the video
If you enjoyed the video and you wanted to get Ron White’s entire 6 hour program check that out here memory improvement training http://www.brainathlete.com/memory-training-basic-package/
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Brain Transplant May Be Possible to Repair Damaged Circuits
Posted: Wed, 15 Feb 2012 18:26:54 +0000
When I think of brain transplants I think of Frankenstein’s monster – complete with nuts and bolts. This is not what scientists are proposing when they speak of brain transplants. What they want is to transplant healthy brain cells from one source to another so a damaged brain is able to repair itself in the area that is not working normally.
Is it possible? Up until now it’s only been the subject of sci-fi movies.
A recent study published in the journal, Science, indicates it’s closer than we may think.
The researchers were able to develop neurons from embryonic cells and they were efficient at integrating with the native neuronal circuitry. The cells were able to communicate to recipient neurons through normal synaptic contacts, and that the brain signaled back. Responding to leptin, insulin and glucose, these neurons had effectively joined the brain’s network and rewired the damaged circuitry.
Researchers were able to transplant new neurons to the brains of mutated mice to one specific area, and were able to normalize function to a damaged area that had been prohibited from responding to the hormone leptin, which regulated metabolism and controls body weight. Without the leptin the mice usually became morbidly obese. When the researchers repaired the defective brain circuits, letting them respond to leptin, they slowed their weight gain significantly.
Implanted rats were then given a memory task that consisted of touching one of two levers in their cage, after being distracted, in order to get a drink of water. For them to know which lever would give them the water the second time they had to know which lever they pushed the first time. Electrodes were attached to the rats that recorded signals between two areas of their brain involved in storing new information into long-term memory. A drug was administered to them to keep these two areas from communicating with each other.
The rats knew they had to press one lever, and not the other, to get their water, but couldn’t remember which one. Researchers then played back the recorded neural signals through the implants and the rats were then able to remember which lever to push. When they played back the signals in the rats that did not receive the blocker drug, this reinforced their normal memory and they made fewer mistakes and were able to remember longer which lever to push.
This research is ground breaking. It shows that neural signals involved in memory can be recorded and replayed, and that allows for the possibility of developing new therapeutic approaches to conditions such as spinal cord injury, autism, epilepsy, ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease), Parkinson’s disease, Huntington’s disease and dementias such as Alzheimer’s disease.
About the author:
Ron White is a two-time USA Memory Champion and memory training expert. As a memory speaker he travels the world to speak before large groups or small company seminars, demonstrating his memory skills and teaching others how to improve their memory, and how important a good memory is in all phases of your life.
Source
MemoryZine.com – Brain Transplant Lets Recorded Memories Be Played Back: http://memoryzine.com/
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Aromatherapy Can Improve Memory
Posted: Tue, 14 Feb 2012 06:27:33 +0000
Do you think of your childhood when you smell turkey and pumpkin pies at Thanksgiving? What about the smell of your grandmother as she makes cookies at Christmas? The same warm and comforting feelings you get from these nostalgic smells applies to increasing memory and helping you to remember things.
Aroma-memory associations have been proven to be powerful and long lasting, but can a scent actually improve your ability to recall? An abundance of research has indicated that it can, and that some smells can do more than just enhance memory. Why then would you not want to take advantage of this easy and natural memory improvement tip to improve yours?
Researchers ask participants in their study to compare their scores on cognitive assessment test as they were exposed to either lavender, rosemary or given no scent at all. Participants exposed to the lavender actually showed a decrease in memory performance and were less alert, while those exposed to the scent of rosemary showed enhanced memory function compared to those who were given no scent.
What was interesting is that the scented groups, lavender and rosemary, were slower in their recall of memory, compared to those with no scent exposure. This supports the traditional use of lavender as a more calming essential oil, and rosemary as a more invigorating and mentally stimulating essential oil.
The scent of rosemary has been proven time and again to be one of the biggest mental stimulators, along with sage, basil, bay laurel, peppermint and eucalyptus. These spices have been proven to stimulate the brain cells connectivity, increase memory and improve concentration. Rosemary is being used for the treatment of Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia in many nursing homes to improve memory as well as regulate and balance blood pressure.
Another study also used lavender and rosemary to evaluate alertness and mood. Participants were attached to an EEG scanner and evaluated after three minutes of inhaling one of the scents. The lavender group felt calm, relaxed and less depressed. Their EEG activity showed an increase in drowsiness. Those in the rosemary aromatherapy group also felt more relaxed and showed less anxiety.
Participants in this study also were given a math computation test before and after aromatherapy. Those in the rosemary group did their test quicker and more accurately than those in the lavender group.
Exposed to a blend of the essential oils brandy mint, lavender and anise, flight controllers in a 1983 study who had worked a full and busy shift showed a significant decrease in feeling of fatigue. Those exposed to the oils also showed no indication of change in their cerebral circulation that would indicate fatigue, while those in the control group who did not have essential exposure did show signs of fatigue.
Another test group was given sage, a traditional memory enhancer, internally – through two essential oil-filled capsules. The young volunteers participating in the study either received the two capsules, or a placebo. Those who took the sage capsules performed significantly better on word-recall tests.
Other memory enhancing oils worth mentioning includes: ginger, lemon, grapefruit, thyme, black pepper and coriander. Calming oils other than lavender are jasmine, rose and neroli.
Essential oils are concentrated smells that should be used in small amounts, and moderation. Elderly and children should use ½ the strength of the average person. Those with serious illness should consult their physician before starting an aromatherapy regime.
To prove it to yourself, try this experiment. While studying for a test or preparing for a presentation, smell some essential oil from rosemary, sage or basil. While you are taking the test take another whiff from a handkerchief dabbed in the oils. See for yourself if you feel as if you have done better than you would have without the scents.
Here are a couple essential oil blends that help relieve the fog of confusion and clear your mind, aiding in memory enhancement:
Confusion Blend
- 5 drops black pepper oil
- 4 drops ginger oil
- 8 drops grapefruit oil
- 5 drops helichrysum
- 7 drops basil
Mix these in an amber bottle and apply a drop or two to a cotton ball and attach to the collar or lapel. Apply once daily. A diffuser can also be used.
Concentration Blend
- 20 drops lemon oil
- 6 drops basil
- 2 drops rosemary
Mix oils and place in diffuser to put into the air.
About the author:
Ron White is a two-time USA Memory Champion and memory training expert. As a memory speaker he travels the world to speak before large groups or small company seminars, demonstrating his memory skills and teaching others how to improve their memory, and how important a good memory is in all phases of your life.
Source:
Science Channel: Which Essential Oil Can Help Improve Your Memory? http://curiosity.discovery.com/question/improve-your-memory-with
Wavelength Natural Health: Essential Oils May Aid Memory Recall, Concentration, & Alertness: http://www.wlnaturalhealth.com/aromatherapy-articles/aromatherapy-memory-concentration.htm
Birch Hill Happenings: Helping Memory Loss with Essential Oils: http://birchhillhappenings.com/nomemory.htm
Link to this post!MEDIA ENCLOSURE: http://feeds.memorise.org/~r/memorise/~5/USovCvEiGxA/JiBJeYgPQvw
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Recognition Memory
Posted: Tue, 14 Feb 2012 04:57:11 +0000
We never really learn to appreciate our memory until we reach a point where we are afraid we may be losing it. As young children, and even into middle age, we simply take memory for granted the majority of the time. When we age we are more aware that our memory does not work as well as it once did.
Neuroscientists from the University of Bristol have been able to block certain brain mechanisms to control the way nerve cells communicate with each other by preventing visual recognition memory in rats. This shows they have been able to identify mechanisms in the cell, and molecular structures of the brain, that could be able to provide a key to understanding the process of recognition memory.
Basically, recognition memory is the ability to recognize objects, people and places that you have experienced before. When you recognize what it was you had known before your brain matches is up to stored long-memory of the same image you end up with matching signals.
Professor of Cellular Neuroscience, Zafar Bashir, led the team at Bristol University. He said: “This is a major step forward in our understanding of recognition memory. We have been able to show that key processes controlling synaptic communication are also vital in learning and memory.”
It is crucial to our normal functioning that we have the ability to recognize elements in the surrounding environment – such as faces or places, as well as the ability to learn about that environment. Unfortunately the changes that occur in the brain that allow learning to occur are still a puzzle to scientists.
One theory about recognition memory is that changes in the synapses that occur between nerve cells in the brain hold the secrets to learning and memory. The strength of communication and the changes that occur are called synaptic plasticity and this is believed to be important for learning and memory.
According to Dr Sarah Griffiths, lead author of the paper published online in Neuron explained: “Nerve cells in the perirhinal cortex of the brain are known to be vital for visual recognition memory. Using a combination of biological techniques and behavioral testing, we examined whether the mechanisms involved in synaptic plasticity are also vital for visual recognition memory.”
In their study, researchers were able to identify a key molecule that controls plasticity in the perirhinal cortex, and then were able to show that blocking that molecule allowed them to prevent visual recognition memory in rats. This indicted to them that recognition memory relies on a specific molecular processes in the brain.
Professor Bashir added: “The next step is to try to understand the processes that enable visual memories to be held in our brains for such long periods of time, and why these mechanisms begin to break down in old age.”
About the author:
Ron White is a two-time USA Memory Champion and memory expert. As a memory keynote speaker he travels the world to speak before large groups or small company seminars, demonstrating his memory skills and teaching others how to improve their memory, and how important a good memory is in all phases of your life. His CDs and memory products are also available online at BrainAthlete.com.
Sources:
Science Daily – Major Step Forward In Understanding How Memory Works: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080423121427.htm
Wikipedia – Recognition memory: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Recognition_memory
Link to this post!MEDIA ENCLOSURE: http://feeds.memorise.org/~r/memorise/~5/9rNqMwTI6v8/Z1fZQCs74Cg
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Age Proof Your Brain As Early as You Can
Posted: Tue, 14 Feb 2012 01:12:34 +0000
American society looks upon its aging citizens as a problem they need to address. They talk of older people as if they have out outgrown their usefulness and they are going to be a burden to their families and society. This is counter to many cultures that revere older people for their wisdom and experience.
Despite the fact that there are ways to improve your memory and limit the amount of brain loss as we get older, the truth is that there are changes that take place in older brains. It doesn’t have to mean an older brain will always turn into a demented one, and slowing down does not have to be disabling or incompetent.
It is therefore important to begin a regiment of age-proofing our brain in order for it to maintain optimum health at all times.
Keeping the mind active and fit needs to start as early as possible, so you get into a routine that won’t change your life. This involves:
1. Keeping your body healthy. A regular regime of keeping your body fit – exercising and eating right will keep your brain healthy. A diet full of essential nutrients will keep your brain working on all cylinders, and your memory intact. Control the intake of sugar and white flour; eat more food that is not processed or sold at a fast-food restaurant. Be mindful of how many empty calories you are taking in, and substitute healthy snacks for sweet ones.
“In our research as little as 15 minutes of regular exercise three times per week helps maintain the brain,” says Eric B. Larson, M.D., executive director of Group Health Research Institute in Seattle.
2. Keep a positive outlook. Positive energy is essential. Your brain protects itself by deleting negative thoughts. Positive thoughts process better. Someone with depression is not able to think clearly, and this leads to brain cells dying out. It also keeps a person energetic, and positive energy keeps you looking and feeling young.
Discovering your mission in life can help you stay sharp, according to a Rush University Medical Center study of more than 950 older adults. Participants who approached life with clear intentions and goals at the start of the study were less likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease over the following seven years, researchers found.
3. Creativity doesn’t stop when we get older. Many of the world’s greatest works of art were created by people who were in their later years, such as the works of Grandma Moses or Verdi. Seek out new skills that will utilize different parts of your brain than you normally use. A person who is creative when young may take off in another direction, but never stop creating.
4. Develop a passion for something. You can’t start too young developing a deep interest in something. Many people have found a passion keeps them going when times are tough. Whether it is for politics, religion, motivating others or being competitive at sports or remembering things – a passion keeps you motivated, and keeps your brain active.
5. Change your routine. Don’t let yourself get stagnant. Change may be difficult, but it keeps those brain cells moving and it keeps you on your toes. It also teaches you to cross-train your brain for better functionality.
“When you challenge the brain, you increase the number of brain cells and the number of connections between those cells,” says Keith L. Black, M.D., chair of neurosurgery at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. “But it’s not enough to do the things you routinely do — like the daily crossword. You have to learn new things, like Sodoku or a new form of bridge.”
6. Keep stress to a minimum. What disaster is going to take place if your drive home takes a couple minutes longer? Learn the advantages of delegation, or prioritizing. The less stress you have in your life the better your health. You will be able to sleep better, control your temper, get more done, and remember more when you have less stress.
Even if you have a hereditary predisposition to Alzheimer’s, it is not inevitable when you get older. You can reduce the risks by avoiding a lifestyle that keeps you on a couch and overeating. Avoid smoking. These things alone can prevent up to half a million cases of dementia in the United States alone, according to a recent study through the University of California in San Francisco.
About the author:
Ron White is a two-time USA Memory Champion and memory training expert. As a memory speaker he travels the world to speak before large groups or small company seminars, demonstrating his memory skills and teaching others how to improve their memory, and how important a good memory is in all phases of your life. His CDs and memory products are also available online at BrainAthlete.com.
Sources:
AARP – Age-Proof Your Brain: 10 easy ways to keep your mind fit forever: http://www.aarp.org/health/brain-health/info-01-2012/boost-brain-health.1.html
Link to this post!MEDIA ENCLOSURE: http://feeds.memorise.org/~r/memorise/~5/UTD0tGP2GlY/player
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Eliminate Test Anxiety By Improving Study Skills
Posted: Tue, 14 Feb 2012 01:09:52 +0000
Parents never seem to recognize the “A” on a test or report card as easily as they see the “D” or “F.” They will then accuse the student of not studying or goofing around. Parents are frustrated, but actually not as much as the kids who know they studied and their test scores don’t reflect it.
It is so difficult to explain to someone who has never experienced it that “test anxiety” is a real condition. A student will study and know the material inside and outside, and still blank out when they get to the test room. They have put so much pressure on themselves to do get a good grade that their mind puts up a barrier to protect itself from damage caused by the stress.
Low tests scores are not always an indication that the student is lazy. Many very intelligent and highly motivated people have performance anxiety before a big test.
My friend, Mary, once told me, “I can’t take a test! I feel so stupid. I try really hard to pay attention, take good notes, and I know everything backwards and forwards, yet as soon as I enter the testing room my mind is a complete blank!” She added, “When it doesn’t really matter whether I do well or not, I can ace it. What’s wrong with me?” Mary suffers from “test anxiety,” – a form of performance anxiety that stops the memory from recalling the information. The information is still there, but blocked.
Although a little nervousness before taking a test is normal, when you freeze up or zone out, then you have a problem!
Performance anxiety is caused by stress. It can manifest itself physically, such as with butterflies in the stomach or nausea, pounding heartbeat or headaches. Perfectionists are the ones who seem to be most at risk. They put pressure on themselves to be the best and their mind is telling them to let up. Ironically, the pressure they put on themselves is what stops them from achieving their goal.
Next in line to experience test anxiety are those who are actually unprepared. They may find the subject matter too difficult, they just didn’t study, or they were lacking proper rest or nutrition.
Numerous techniques have been found to improve memory and relieve anxiety.
- Don’t cram. No one who spent the entire night before a test studying did well. They didn’t get the rest they needed for their brains to work and retain what they learned. You can’t learn in one night what you should have been learning all along.
- Make sure you understand the material. If you don’t understand the subject matter, ask for help, from your teacher, your parents or someone who does understand. Develop good study habits, and learn to improve your study skills. Consult with memory experts or take some memory training courses to help you re-learn how to remember and develop good study habits. Work with a study buddy and quiz each other. This will help you to better understand the material because you can’t teach what you don’t understand.
- Manage your time. Don’t put off doing your work just before a big test. Organize your materials and study room to be more comfortable. Have all of what you need there so you won’t be interrupted.
- Ignore Distractions. Turn off the radio and television when studying. It may seem you can think better with background noise, but your concentration level is lower since you are trying to do more than one thing, and not concentrating on the subject at hand. Our brains are not wired for multi-tasking.
- Get a good night’s sleep – at least 8 hours, prior to taking a test. Studies show people who got enough rest before a test were three times more likely to do well when taking a test. There is a direct link between sleep and memory
- Eat a nutritious meal just before a test. If the test is in the morning start off with a good breakfast. Food fuels the body, and the mind. Make the meal high in protein and low in sugar. Too much sugar gives your body a quick rush, but has a quick decline as well, so you may start off quick from the gate, but your finish leads a lot to be desired. Get a list of brain foods
- Put yourself in a positive frame of mind. Don’t worry about the consequences if you don’t pass the test, focus on the fact you will pass – with flying colors. By putting your emphasis on the negative you leave no room in your brain for the test questions themselves. Also, don’t worry about your anxiety, it just makes you more anxiety.
About the author:
Ron White is a two-time USA Memory Champion and memory expert. As a memory speaker he travels the world to speak before large groups or small company seminars, demonstrating his memory skills and teaching others how to improve their memory, and how important a good memory is in all phases of your life.
Sources:
Increase Concentration And Recall – Extinguish Test Anxiety: http://www.articlesbase.com/adhd-articles/increase-concentration-and-recall-extinguish-test-anxiety-1906965.html
Study Guides and Strategies website – Overcoming test anxiety: http://www.studygs.net/tstprp8.htm
Teens Health (from Nemours) – Test Anxiety: http://kidshealth.org/teen/school_jobs/school/test_anxiety.html#
Link to this post!MEDIA ENCLOSURE: http://feeds.memorise.org/~r/memorise/~5/WeAW2qdNEgs/MCuSTQvewrA
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Nurturing and Love Expand Hippocampus
Posted: Tue, 14 Feb 2012 00:43:05 +0000
A larger hippocampus area of the brain, the structure important for memory, learning and stress response, has been found in school-age children who received a great deal of love and nurturing early in life. Studies show that this could make a strong case that nurturing and love are good methods for memory improvement.
Neuroscientists and child psychiatrists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, published their research online in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Early Edition to support this information. It is the first study that has been able to show that a mother’s nurturing can produce these kinds of changes in this critical region of children’s brain structure.
“This study validates something that seems to be intuitive, which is just how important nurturing parents are to creating adaptive human beings,” says lead author Joan L. Luby, MD, professor of child psychiatry. “I think the public health implications suggest that we should pay more attention to parents’ nurturing, and we should do what we can as a society to foster these skills because clearly nurturing has a very, very big impact on later development.”
Ninety-two children aged 7 to 10, who had taken part in a previous study on depression, participated in this brain-imaging study. At that time the children had either exhibited signs of depression or other psychiatric disorders, or were in the control group who were mentally healthy.
As part of the initial study, when the same children were between 3 and 6, the children were closely observed and videotaped interacting with a parent, almost always a mother. The parent was to complete an assigned task while the child was to sit patiently and wait to open a pretty package until the parent was done. This was a stressful situation for the child, as few young children can quietly sit by when their curiosity was peaked. The experiment was designed to simulate daily stresses in parenting, and the parents and the child were both observed for reactions, support and interaction. Those doing the evaluations did not have access to any information about the parent or the child’s health or temperament.
“It’s very objective,” Luby says. “Whether a parent was considered a nurturer was not based on that parent’s own self-assessment. Rather, it was based on their behavior and the extent to which they nurtured their child under these challenging conditions.”
Even though the study was not conducted in the actual home, similar methods have been used as valid measurements for normal stress exercises and the degree as to how much a parent nurtured a child when they interacted.
Researchers found that imaging revealed the healthy children who have been nurtured had a 10% larger hippocampus than children whose mothers were not as nurturing.
“For years studies have underscored the importance of an early, nurturing environment for good, healthy outcomes for children,” Luby says. “But most of those studies have looked at psychosocial factors or school performance. This study, to my knowledge, is the first that actually shows an anatomical change in the brain, which really provides validation for the very large body of early childhood development literature that had been highlighting the importance of early parenting and nurturing. Having a hippocampus that’s almost 10 percent larger just provides concrete evidence of the powerful effect of nurturing.”
Luby reveals they were not surprised that the children who were depressed had smaller hippocampus volume. A similar finding was discovered in adults with depression. What was surprising was the big difference nurturing played in mentally healthy children.
“We found a very strong relationship between maternal nurturing and the size of the hippocampus in the healthy children,” she says. “The fact that the researchers found a larger hippocampus in the healthy children who were nurtured is striking,” Luby says, “because the hippocampus is such an important brain structure.”
The brain activates an autonomic nervous system when it encounters stress by releasing stress hormones. The heart rate increases to accommodate the stress and allows the body to adapt. The hippocampus is essentially involved in that response, and is the key in learning and memory. A larger hippocampus volume would indicate potential for improved performance and enhanced learning in many areas of life.
Until now, there has not been solid evidence linking a nurturing parent to changes in brain anatomy in children. Up until now animal studies have shown nurturing can influence brain development but not biological changes, like the volume of the hippocampus.
“Studies in rats have shown that maternal nurturance, specifically in the form of licking, produces changes in genes that then produce changes in receptors that increase the size of the hippocampus,” Luby says. “That phenomenon has been replicated in primates, but it hasn’t really been clear whether the same thing happens in humans. Our study suggests a clear link between nurturing and the size of the hippocampus.”
About the author:
Ron White is a two-time USA Memory Champion and memory expert. As a memory speaker he travels the world to speak before large groups or small company seminars, demonstrating his memory skills and teaching others how to improve their memory, and how important a good memory is in all phases of your life.
Sources:
Science News – Mom’s Love Good for Child’s Brain: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120130170147.htm
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Why You Should Try To Improve Your Memory
Posted: Mon, 13 Feb 2012 20:05:09 +0000
This would appear to be a no-brainer. We need our memory to be strong in order to get through the day and do the basic things, like remember passwords for our ATM or where we put our car keys. We want to impress our boss, and do better in school, and those all require a good memory. What we don’t realize is that there are things in our lives that tend to hurt our memory, and we can do that without realizing it.
Numerous studies have proven that the more stress we have the worse our memory is. People who are constantly forgetting where they parked their car, or missing appointments, have been proven to have a higher stress level than those who don’t have memory problems. When you want to remember more, stress less. The good news is that the more you lower your stress, the better your memory, and the better you will feel overall. Stress has been shown to cause other physical problems as well, including inflammation of joints (inflammation also affects memory); weight loss; better sleep patterns.
Actively improving your memory helps you to learn faster and retain what you learn. You are better able to grasp concepts and apply them to situations. The better you are able to grasp concepts and knowledge, your brain connects the dots to form more brain cells connections, which strengthen the chain of connectivity to increase understanding.
Faster learning puts you on the fast track to success in school and career. Being able to catch on quickly definitely sets you apart from the rest of the crowd when it comes to getting noticed and advancing.
You enhance your ability to become a more well rounded person, being able to utilize more areas of your brain and strengthening them to perform better, when you increase your memory. It can also affect your relationships. By being able to remember dates and appointments you will score points with your significant other. By recalling what they like and dislike, remembering something they said a while back they had wanted, and remembering what they really have an aversion for will definitely save a lot of arguments, and bring a renewed affection that you actually were listening to and hearing them.
At work, remembering the names of clients or potential clients, and small bits of information they had previously provided, will make an impression on the client and the boss.
No one can know enough about everything. Listening to what goes on around you, and improving your memory by reducing your stress, getting proper rest, eating right and exercise you will be amazed at the difference you will make in your life – for the better.
About the author:
Ron White is a two-time USA Memory Champion and memory expert. As a memory speaker he travels the world to speak before large groups or small company seminars, demonstrating his memory skills and teaching others how to improve their memory, and how important a good memory is in all phases of your life. His CDs and memory products are also available online at BrainAthlete.com.
Sources:
Memory Training Secrets – Benefits of Improving Your Memory: http://memorytraininginfo.com/
Link to this post!MEDIA ENCLOSURE: http://feeds.memorise.org/~r/memorise/~5/vCRyIv30_fI/MG2Ln-URg0s
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