Category Archives: plasticity

Music exercises increase gray matter in the brain

Last week, on June 21, France celebrated World Music Day, a day that has been important for the past 30 years and has also been adopted by several other countries and states in the United States… Street performers, free concerts and all sorts of music related events! So why are we talking about music now? [...]

Internet may Influence your Memory Skills

Internet is well known to be a quick and easy way to access to knowledge. But did you know that using it could affect the way we store information? The team of Betsy Sparrow, assistant professor in psychology at Columbia, analysed the impact of the huge accessibility of data through Internet on memory skills. One [...]

Changing Your (Cognitive) Fitness Habits

So we’ve read it in many studies: Physical exercise is important and contributes to a healthy life style. It has also been shown to be essential for cognitive health, helping us not only to remain physically fit but also to maintain mental sharpness. Today, however, researchers find that it is not enough to inform people. [...]

What is Neuroplasticity?

For more than four centuries it was a common held belief that our brains only developed during childhood and then grew rigid during adulthood lending false credence to the old adage, “you can’t teach an old dog new tricks.” But researchers are continuing to prove that this outdated theory is not accurate and are providing [...]

Magnesium May Improve Memory Study Shows

A recent study on magnesium showed measurable improvements in working memory, short and long-term memory, and an improved ability to learn new things (with supplementation).

Physical Brain Boosters

To get the most from your brain performance as you take physical exercise,  follow this simple advice: Exercise within the boundaries of your fitness level. Work out a training program that suits you and never over-do it. From week to week gradually increase the length of your exercise sessions and along with improving your physical [...]

Staying Sharp by Getting Social

brain decline has a profound impact on the life and relationships of people who develop it. “Being socially active, being an intellectually engaged individual, having recreational time, enjoying a good diet, lacking stress – these are all things that tend to help in avoiding dementia,” says Dr. Lawrence Whalley, author of The Aging Brain and [...]

Better tools for Cognitive Remediation Programs

The 5th annual Games for Health Conference was held in Boston.  It was co-sponsored by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, from whom HAPPYneuron was a proud award recipient last year. I presented about enabling better tools for professionally guided Cognitive Remediation programs. The slides can be found here…..

10 Signs of Alzheimer’s Disease

The Alzheimer’s Association recently published an article on the 10 signs of Alzheimer’s disease. The first sign is occasional memory loss, like not being able to remember important dates or events, further signs are difficulties in planning or solving problems, completing everyday tasks, confusing time and place and not knowing how and why you arrived [...]

Sleep Your Way to a Healthy Brain

Now, according to a study published on April 3 in the journal Science, researchers from University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health found more evidence that sleep resets the brain to allow more growth and learning the next day.  Read about their fascinating research here. So get a good night’s sleep – your [...]