Mostly in Ratey’s Words

In his book SPARK, John Ratey presents the biology of what happens in the brain as a result of exercise. He described the process so clearly that I wanted to sit down and draw pictures of the brain to represent his words. (Ah, perhaps an exercise for March vacation…) He begins by stating the “the brain is flexible, or plastic in the parlance of neuroscientists–more Play-Doh than porcelain.” If you have been reading Neurons Firing, you already know this, as I’ve written extensively about brain plasticity. Play-Doh seems the perfect analogy, as it is malleable but not without initial effort at kneading and working the dough.

Ratey describes three benefits of exercise on learning.

1. Exercise “optimizes your mind-set to improve alertness, attention, and motivation.”
2. Exercise “prepares and encourages nerve cells to bind to one another, which is the cellular basis for logging in new information.”
3. Exercise “spurs the development of new nerve cells from stem cells in the hippocampus.”

He goes on to clue us in that “you can’t learn difficult material while you’re exercising at high intensity because blood is shunted away from the prefrontal cortex, and this hampers your executive function. … However, blood flow shifts back almost immediately after you finish exercising, and this is the perfect time to focus on a project that demands sharp thinking and complex analysis.”  (Stationary cyclist sculpture, Nassau Country Museum of Art)

There are chapters specific to a number of issues, including stress, anxiety, depression, attention deficit, addiction, hormonal changes, and aging. But before any of these are discussed, Ratey talks about learning. It is in this chapter that he both explains what happens in the brain as we learn and provides study after study to support what he shares. I leave you with a paragraph from the learning chapter. Please note that the links below take you to posts I’ve written about specific parts of the brain. The two prefrontal cortex links will take you to two different posts.

A lot of the research I’ve mentioned in this chapter revolves around exercise’s effect on the hippocampus, because its role in forming memories makes it vital to learning. But the hippocampus isn’t off by itself somewhere, stamping out new circuits on its own accord. The learning process calls on a lot of areas, under the direction of the prefrontal cortex. The brain has to be aware of the incoming stimulus, hold it in working memory, give it emotional weight, associate it with past experience, and relate all this back to the hippocampus. The prefrontal cortex analyses the information, sequences it, and ties everything together. It works with the cerebellum and the basal ganglia, which keep these functions on track by maintaining rhythm for the back-and-forth of information. Improving plasticity in the hippocampus strengthens a crucial link in the chain, but learning creates bushier, healthier, better connected neurons throughout the brain. The more we build these networks and enrich our stores of memory and experience, the easier it is to learn, because what we already know serves as a foundation for forming increasingly complex thoughts.

Exercise Lights A Spark

I recently finished reading John Ratey’s SPARK The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain. 

I suppose one mark of a well-written book is how powerful an impression it makes on the reader. The premise behind SPARK was not a surprise – I’ve heard John Ratey make his case at last Fall’s Learning & the Brain conference, and my years of dedicated swimming have already proved the points first hand. Rather, it was Ratey’s earnest discussion of how exercise boosts the brain, and his explanation of the biology, coupled with chapters covering everything from learning to stress to depression to attention deficit to hormones to aging, all the time with his practically begging us to take notice and don’t just sit there but DO SOMETHING about it, which got me all fired up in a good way!

Ratey begins by sharing the story of Naperville Central High School in Chicago, Illinois, which implemented a phys ed program based upon PE4Life that completely changed the dynamics of school gym class. Instead of a focus on sports teams, the focus became Getting & Staying Fit. A major component of the program was the use of heart rate monitors so students could exercise at the intensity level best for their individual health. This program wasn’t about competition or comparison, but simply about what was best for each student.

Two other important pieces of the program afforded students the opportunity for choice and control over their gym classes. There are close to twenty different activities from which students can choose as they build their fitness plan to cover four years of high school. Some of the activities have always been part of phys ed programs, such as basketball and volleyball, but a climbing wall and kayaking surely weren’t options when I went to high school. The activity that makes me smile widest is their use of DDR, which stands for Dance Dance Revolution.

When our oldest son was in high school, he and two friends had jobs at New Roc City demonstrating and teaching how to use the DDR machines. Of his four years in high school, he was the most fit during the time he worked at New Roc. With his friends, they tried to convince the director of their school’s athletic center to include DDR as one of the activities, but to no avail. They participated in contests, taking bus and trains (and cajoling parents to drive them) to areas in Queens, NY, that were known to have the best DDR machines, and shared video of their routines with other DDR aficionados.

Phil Lawler, the Director of PE4life Instruction and Outreach, testified before the United States House Subcommittee on Healthy Families and Community in May, 2007. You can read his testimony here. I am going to share this pdf with faculty at my school – not because I question our phys ed program, but because I think the adults in my school community could benefit from understanding the brain~body connection, and perhaps apply this to their own lives.

A Pyramid by any other version…

Back in December I referenced this pyramid in a post discussing Aaron Nelson’s suggestions for improving your memory. For U.S. readers who have ever taken note of the Government’s Food Pyramid, the one below is distinctly different from the old pyramid, as well as from the new pyramid. (You can also see an interactive version of the new U.S. Food Pyramid at the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s site.)

What I like most about the pyramid below is that everything rests on DAILY EXERCISE. Every recent book about the brain that I have read includes EXERCISE as one of the most important features of building and maintaining a healthy brain.

Exercise ~

• promotes neuroplasticity
  
• promotes neurogenesis
  
• releases norepinephrine, which facilitates memory and neuron communication
  
• boots the protein BDNF (Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor) that fosters neurogenesis
  
• improves executive function, which is managed in your frontal cortex
  
• promotes memory
  
• helps deal with and manage stress

Yes, I know, some of these overlap. Come at it any which way you like, but there’s no getting around the fact that EXERCISE is BENEFICIAL for your BRAIN. You already know it is beneficial for your body, and since your brain resides in your body, the sum total of this is that EXERCISE is GOOD for YOU!

You can read more about this Healthy Eating Pyramid in Food Pyramids: What Should You Really Eat? and see a larger image of the pyramid by clicking any one of three links at the end of this article about the pyramid. I asked for, and was given permission to repost the pyramid, providing the following attribution was included:

Copyright © 2008 Harvard University. For more information about The Healthy Eating Pyramid, please see The Nutrition Source, Department of Nutrition, Harvard School of Public Health, http://www.thenutritionsource.org, and Eat, Drink, and Be Healthy, by Walter C. Willett, M.D. and Patrick J. Skerrett (2005), Free Press/Simon & Schuster Inc.

A New Year and Brain Fitness

As a kid I enjoyed making New Year’s resolutions, even though there was never any intent to carry them out. Rather, they simply provided the same sense of satisfaction as cleaning out my loose leaf binder for school; I knew everything would get messy again but it was nice to have a fresh start! I’m not making any resolutions, or suggesting you should, about brain fitness programs, but mentioning them at the start of a new year tickles that same sense of satisfaction.

Coincidentally, as I sat down to write this post, I checked Neurons Firing to see what I wrote around this time last year. Turns out on January 20th I posted about Michael Merzenich. Big deal, you may say. Well, among other occupations, Merzenich has a company called PositScience that focuses on brain fitness. Hmm, January and brain fitness – there’s that tickle again! 

There have been a number of prominent neuroscientists who have talked about the benefits of keeping one’s brain fit by using a combination of physical exercise, and stimulating, novel mental challenges. The latter comes under the arch of brain fitness, which has emerged as a market onto itself, complete with digital programs designed to challenge the brain, one level at a time.

SharpBrains, where I guest blog, specializes in assessing the brain fitness market, and makes its research available via several formats. In March 2008 they published The State of the Brain Fitness Software Market, a summary of which can be accessed  here. SharpBrains also has a useful post containing a 10 item checklist to help select brain fitness programs. 

Also in 2008, Dan Rather filed a report called Mind Science. The report is broken up into six parts, all of which are available on YouTube. Below is part three, which focuses on brain fitness, in particular PositScience. Approximately 8 minutes into the video, Rather and Eric Kandel provide a fascinating look into memory.

I have no experience with any of the brain fitness programs, so cannot speak to their effectiveness or ease of use. However, I have written extensively about the benefits of providing novel challenges to the brain as a way of strengthening memory and creativity. I am convinced there are benefits for older folks in getting baseline cognitive testing, particularly if there are concerns about memory, general functioning or if there is a history of age-related cognitive decline in the family.

Below are links to brain fitness programs and related articles. If you have experience in this field, please feel free to turn this post into a conversation!

This first set of links comes either from searches I did or readers of Neurons Firing.

• Eaton Brain Improvement
• PositScience 
• Senior Journal – Brain Fitness Program Clinical Trial Attracts 500 Senior Citizens
• New Brain Fitness Program In High Demand – Erickson Knows Fitness Isn’t Just About The Body
• Allstate Launches Brain Fitness Program to Improve Older Driver Safety
• Mind Sparke – Brain Fitness Pro
• Brain Fitness Program and Neuroplasticity at PBS
• Lumosity

This set of links are to programs mentioned in the earlier referenced SharpBrains report.

• Advanced Brain Technologies
• Applied Cognitive Engineering’s Basketball IntelliGym (brain training for basketball players!)
• The Brain Resource Company
• BrainTrain – designed to help folks with ADD/ADHD and related brain issues
• CNS Vital Signs – “measure, monitor and manage” neurocognitive function
• Cogmed – designed to improve memory, focus and concentration
• CogniFit – “enhance cognitive abilities thus improving the quality of life”
• Cognitive Drug Research – cognitive testing
• CogState – cognitive testing for clinical trials
• Dakim Brain Fitness  – “The fight against dementia starts here” – A wonderfully organized and implemented site, complete with video of the founder explaining the site in an easy to understand, welcoming manner
• Lexia Learning – specializes in reading from pre-K through adults
• MyBrainTrainer – “virtual mental gymnasium”
• Nintendo Brain Age
• Scientific Brain Training
• Scientific Learning – for ESL and Special Ed
• Teach Town – “for children with autism spectrum disorders”

Nelson’s Memory Nuggets

When I think about the body-brain connection, the spiritual Dem Bones comes to mind. Perhaps you are familiar with the lyrics for this tune about the connection of one bone to the next, starting with the toes and going all the way up to the head and then back down again. It ain’t just the bones that are connected; our entire internal system is connected, and that includes the brain!

According to Aaron Nelson, there are a number of reasons, in addition to those related to normal aging, that our memories become less optimal as we age.

• poor sleeping due to habits or physical issues
• hereditary factors 
• hormones that act up
• age-related illnesses
• neurological illnesses
• side-effects of cancer treatment
• accidents to the head
• exposure to excessive stress
• taking certain medications or drugs
• eating a nutritionally poor diet
• excessive alcohol intake
• inadequate exercise
• insufficient intellectual stimulation
• smoking

While some of these factors are beyond our control, many of them are manageable. For those that are manageable, making changes will likely improve both cognitive functioning as well as physical functioning. Nelson’s prescriptions sound like common sense, and most are suggestions that have been touted in the news at one point or another as facilitating improved health in a part of the body. Many of us are general practitioners of our own health, so it may behoove us to remember that our internal systems are interconnected, and delight that improved memory is now added to the list of benefits that can accrue from taking care of ourselves. 

Here are Nelson’s Memory Nuggets:

Obtain regular exercise 

• lowers the risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s
• increases brain plasticity
• helps manage weight
• helps manage stress

Put out the cigarettes

• give your lungs and blood vessels a reprieve
• unfog your memory and your cognitive functioning

Take vitamins

• antioxidants fight against free radicals
• antioxidants may protect against memory loss

Involve yourself with others

• social stimulation improves mood
• interacting with others provides cognitive stimulation

Maintain healthful nutrition

• read Walter Willett’s Eat, Drink, and Be Healthy
• Frontline interview about nutrition with Walter Willett
• check out the foundation of Willet’s healthy eating pyramid

Aim for a good night’s sleep

• six hours is minimum needed
• helps cement new learning

Learn something new

• engaging in novel challenges promotes memory and cognition
• cognitive reserve applies to lifelong learning

Moderate alcohol intake

• one to two drinks of red wine might help fend off dementia
• excessive alcohol promotes memory loss

Engage in life

• learn something new
• engage in social interaction
• stimulate your mind
• feel worthwhile

Manage stress

• high levels of stress make it difficult to attend to new information, thus impacting memory

Organize your thinking, organize your life

• organization aids memory

Routinely take precautions to protect your brain

• “Head trauma is a major cause of memory impairment in young people and a risk factor for later development of dementia.” (This direct from Nelson, who serves as the neuropsychology consultant to the Boston Bruins hockey team.)
• wear helmets, mouth guards and seat belts

Yes you can! Maintain a positive attitude

• All of the above are within your control to manage, and are worth managing for both your physical and mental health.

Move It!

Holy BDNF Batperson! BDNF (Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor) is a protein in the brain that John Medina, author of Brain Rules, likens to “miracle-gro for the brain”. It turns out that EXERCISE boosts not only BDNF, but also the neurotransmitters serotonin, dopamine and norepinephrine, all known for helping the brain to feel good and be alert, as well as assisting with neuron communication. 

This probably does not come as a surprise to many, because the benefits of exercise have been espoused in the news on and off for many years. Exercise helps alleviate stress, can be a preventative for many diseases, and can assist with weight control and body image. The surprising aspect, really, is why you can still visit schools where phys ed has been curtailed (budget issues) and businesses where office workers still spend the overwhelming portion of their day in sedentary conditions.

Rule #1 in John Medina’s Brain Rules states:

Exercise boosts brain power.

And he goes on to explain what happens inside your brain when you exercise your body. 

• Your brain needs oxygen and food. While your brain may only represent about 2 percent of your body weight, it accounts for about 20 percent of your total energy usage. 

• What exercise does is provide your body greater access to the oxygen and the food. 

• The more you exercise, the more tissues you can feed and the more toxic waste you can remove. 

• …exercise literally increases blood volume in a region of the brain called the dentate gyrus. … The dentate gyrus is a vital constituent of the hippocampus, a region deeply involved in memory formation.

• BDNF…keeps existing neurons young and healthy, rendering them much more willing to connect with one another. It also encourages neurogenesis, the formation of new cells in the brain.

I’m a swimmer and a walker and a kayaker. On average, during the school year, we walk about 15 miles a week. And during the summer I swim several miles a week. Take away my exercise and I get grumpy. With my exercise, I have more energy and think more clearly. 

You don’t have to take my experiences and writing, or John Medina’s word for it. There is a wealth of information regarding the physical and cognitive benefits of exercise. Aaron Nelson, in stating his pointers for improving memory, listed regular exercise as his first nugget of advice, followed by getting a good night’s sleep and alleviating stress, both which can be positively impacted by exercise.

• Brain Rules Exercise Reference pages, (7 1/2 pages!) 
• Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain by John Ratey (which is now sitting on my shelf awaiting reading – I bought this book after attending a presentation by Ratey at November’s Learning & the Brain conference)
• Mayo Clinic – Exercise: 7 benefits of regular physical activity 
• The Exercise and Physical Fitness Pages by Georgia State University, Department of Kinesiology and Health 
• The Franklin Institute: The Human Brain:  Renew – Exercise 
• SharpBrains: Physical Exercise and Brain Health
• SharpBrains: The brain virtues of physical exercise

 

Summertime & the Body Is Moving

Exercise and diet seem to be popular topics of conversation these days, probably because summer is just around the bend. The weather has turned warm and sunny, even hot on some days with high humidity. And this change in weather, along with the ending of another school year, brings out the inner exerciser in many of us. To paraphrase the Gershwins: Summertime and the Body Is (should be) Moving.

A 14-year old blogger from my school, in his June 13th blog post, wrote:

Mark is a bit of a health crazy (at least compared to me), so we decided to enter into an arrangement. For these summer months, Mark and I are going to meet and he is going to try to make me at least a little athletic. I’m optimistic, especially if I don’t make this more complicated than it needs to be.

And my 51-year old brother just this weekend told me that the recent death of Tim Russert, moderator of Meet the Press, has inspired him to try and change his eating habits. My brother was shaken by the fact that there were just seven years between their ages.

People have often talked about and made changes to their eating and exercise habits in terms of how they look or what might be good for their hearts. Rarely, though, have I heard people consider these in terms of what might be good for their brains, yet healthy eating is good for your entire body, starting at the top! You can read more about diet specifics at The Franklin Institute’s page on nourishing your brain with a healthy diet.

And while there are many folks who may choose to skip breakfast, the fact is that when you wake up in the morning your brain needs to be replenished with a fresh stock of glucose. Don’t take my word for it; you can listen to NPR’s A Better Breakfast Can Boost a Child’s Brainpower. Just this morning, as my 17 year old was heading off to his English Regents and was in no mood for breakfast, he finally succumbed to the offer of a crunchy peanut butter and blueberry jam sandwich (much to his mother’s delight .)

NPR (National Public Radio) has two additional short pieces on the benefits of exercise. At the younger years, Exercise Helps Students in the Classroom, discusses how brain cells are strengthened by exercise. In the older years, Study: Exercise Lowers Dementia Risk, details the results of a study done on people age “65 and older who did moderate exercise had a significantly reduced risk of developing dementia.” The fascinating part of this study is that folks who had already started to show signs of decline benefitted the most from the exercise. As Eric Larson, the interviewee from the Center for Health Studies – Group Health Cooperative says:

Use it or lose it.
Use it even after you start to lose it!

There have been a number of articles written about the benefits of exercise for the brain. John Ratey, an associate clinical professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, has written the book SPARK, which is all about “the connection between exercise and the brain’s performance”. Ginger Campbell has a 2008 interview with Ratey on her Brain Science Podcast.

I’d really rather you stopped reading this post and headed outdoors to move your body! But if you need one more ounce of convincing, read through the rest of The Franklin Institute’s pages devoted to The Human Brain, particularly the Nourish and Renew sections that cover eating, exercise, and sleep.

p.s. Yes, to answer the questions some of you may be posing, I DO get out and move, especially in the summer when I kayak and swim. Our neighborhood has an outdoor pool where 72 laps is a mile. I am up to daily half-miles and am aiming for 3/4 of a mile by July and daily miles by August. Will keep you posted.

p.p.s. Happy 24th Birthday J!

Endorphin

I teach computer classes to middle schoolers and maintain a bulletin board chock full of computer related humor. In the center is posted the rationale for the humor: science has shown if you smile or laugh wide enough to crinkle the corners of your eyes your body will release chemicals that make you feel good. Laughter IS good for you (Check out the U of E link below for more details.) Ah, endorphin, one of the “feel good” triplets, along with serotonin and dopamine.Not only does endorphin’s release make you feel good, but it also acts as a natural pain killer.Undergrads at the University of Edinburgh have put together an information site that sets to answer the query “Does Exercise promote good health?” Of particular interest is the page How Does Exercise Affect Our Mood?, which contains lots of information on endorphins and their stress relieving, pain killing, positive feeling impact.The Molecular Expressions site, noted for “exploring the world of optics and microscopy”, has some colorful images along with explanatory text in its Endorphin Collection. Just looking at the colorful images of endorphins might cause you to smile, which should remind you of endorphin’s feel good benefits.