Getting Your Brain (and Memorization Skills) in Gear

B'SD

18 Av 5768

Medical crises challenge our already stressed-out brain cells. They're struggling to remember hard-to-pronounce words, changing plans, how to deal with upsetting news and the reactions of loved ones and, well, you name it!

I've offered advice in my book and on this blog about how to cope with the rush of details and unwanted news. Today I'll let you in on a newly understood mystery of the brain: it stores different kinds of memory in vastly different areas. Ahhh, that's why we find it challenging to remember lots and lots of details! We need to look in the right storage area!

Johns Hopkins researcher Susan Courtney, associate professor of psychological and brain sciences at the Zanvyl Krieger School of Arts and Sciences, learned that the RULES which people must actively remember - stuff that's NOT part of our everyday habits - are controlled primarily through the prefrontal cortex, which is in the very front of the brain, beneath the forehead.

A different part of the brain - the parietal cortex, which is near the back of the head - becomes more active when people need to memorize FACTS (including rapidly changing facts).

"This discovery may eventually lead to enhanced understanding of... conditions in which a person's ability to remember and change such rules is impaired," said Courtney, lead author of a paper in a recent issue of Neuron. "... different parts of our brains store different kinds of memories and information." That, she said, "provides clues about how the human brain accomplishes complex, goal-directed behaviors that require remembering and changing abstract rules, an ability that is disrupted in many mental illnesses."

Caroline Montojo, a graduate student in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, co-authored this study. Learn more about it when you CLICK HERE.

Don't whirl around in circles seeking the part of your brain that stored some fact or other. Read my book to learn coping strategies for keeping your medical and other details straight. CLICK HERE TO BUY YOUR COPY TODAY!

Get it FASTER when you order from my publisher ;^ )

To your good health and memory,

Yojeved Golani
Coping with a Medical Crisis?
Make the Changes You Need in Your Life.

Make Your Memory Skills STRONG No Matter How Old You Are!

24 Kislev 5768

Some days you wonder what day it is, let alone where the car keys went. Gosh, do I have a clock for you (with thanks to John Kallestad of Day Clocks http://www.dayclocks.com/, who permits me to post his product here.)

I’ve provided simple tips for improving your memorization skills before today. The National Institute on Aging (NIA) http://www.nia.nih.gov/ just shared more good news in a November 30 2007 press release. Here’s a snippet from that announcement:

"Older adults with pre-existing mild memory impairment benefit as much as those with normal memory function from certain forms of cognitive training that don't rely on memorization, according to a study published this week in the Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society."

It means that older adults have the ability to maintain skills that allow them to carry out daily tasks and lead a higher quality of life. All they need is a bit of professional training with their existing cognitive skills (Cognitive Skills mean what you know, plus how you know facts).

The National Institute on Aging and The National Institute on Nursing Research http://www.ninr.nih.gov/ suggest using different types of activities (e.g., word lists, story telling, problem-solving exercises) and focusing on specific areas of the brain to improve memory.

Meanwhile, other evidence shows that if you have a hobby of filling in word or number puzzles, keeping diaries or journals, and of getting regular exercise, then you’re already strengthening your brain power for long-term benefits.

UPDATE: Here's a cool resource: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/11/health/11brod.html?_r=1&ei=5070&em=&en=8da9d4b5c4af4681&ex=1197608400&pagewanted=printr&oref=slogin

And here's another: http://www.sharpbrains.com/blog/2007/04/11/easy-steps-to-improve-your-brain-health-now/Steps to improve brain health which include physical exercise, good nutrition, mental exercise, and stress management with tips on each.

OH! Remember those car keys I mentioned in the first sentence up above? Here ya go! (Gosh if things were only this easy in real life!)

CHANUKA’S ONLY HOURS AWAY (Dec. 4/5)!!!!! Spread more cheer soon! Buy It's MY Crisis! And I’ll Cry if I Need To at http://www.blogger.com/

Order it in book stores if it’s not on the shelves. It's MY Crisis! And I’ll Cry if I Need To can be shipped worldwide. Specialty editions are available for large organizations.

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To your good health,

Yocheved Golani
Coping with a Medical Crisis?
Make the Changes You Need in Your Life.