tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-81552647593172979852024-03-13T16:16:27.404+00:00 MyBrain InternationalMyBrain supplies tools and materials to trainers, coaches and HR professionals. Our web site contains a large amount of information on the brain and brain related issues and provides an on-line Brain Dominance profiling tool.Alistair Schofieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15765843937037041663noreply@blogger.comBlogger68125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8155264759317297985.post-39890522867629769842018-09-10T13:02:00.001+01:002018-09-17T11:39:54.496+01:00Disrupting your environmental triggers to break a habit<br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Changing
a habit can be easier when you change your environment first. Identifying the
cue or trigger is often a first step to gaining control and helping you to
change a habit that doesn’t serve you into one that does. Triggers may be a
thought popping into your head, a feeling bubbling to the surface or something
in your environment. For example, thinking you are never going to reach your
ideal weight may trigger you to eat more chocolate; feeling you aren’t good
enough may trigger you into a spiral of apathy, or seeing your office desk
piled with work may be enough to bring on a sense of overwhelm. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Your
environment is often something you can control and play around with and make an
impact. Even just randomly changing something and disrupting your habitual
pattern can start a cycle of improvement and enable new habits to form. Neuro
linguistic programming calls this disruption a ‘pattern interrupt’, which can
facilitate changes in your thought patterns and behaviours. Get a new
screensaver, wear different clothes, drink coffee rather than tea, move your
desk, work in a different room, change your office chair from a blue one to a
red one, hang different pictures – even subtle changes can have a great effect.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">It
is thought that the chunking of tasks is an important component in how they
become habits. Over time, the repetition of sequential tasks becomes a habit; changing
a task therefore disrupts the sequence and can prevent a habit from being
formed. Similarly, stopping the initiation of the first task in a sequence of a
habit can prevent the follow through.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">New
research suggests that once started, the brain wants the whole routine to run.
N</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">euroscientists
from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have found that certain neurons
in the brain are responsible for marking the beginning and end of these chunked
units of behaviour in a sequenced habit.<sup> </sup>These neurons in the <span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 14px;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Striatum" target="_blank">striatum</a></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 16px;"> </span>fire at the outset of a learned routine, go quiet while it is carried
out, then fire again once the routine has ended. The researchers found that
excitatory neurons produced what they called the bracketing pattern at the
beginning and end while different neurons, interneurons, activate in the middle
of the learned sequence<sup>1</sup>.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">This task-bracketing appears to be important
for starting a routine and then notifying the brain once it is complete. Once
these patterns form it becomes difficult to break the habit. The brain
considers the pattern valuable and worth keeping. The researchers suggest that
the interneurons prevent the excitatory neurons from starting another routine
until the current one is finished, implying that once started, the brain wants
to complete the activation of the habit.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">The neuroscientific evidence therefore implies
that habits consist of two phases; initiation and routine.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you want to change a habit, changing the
trigger that causes the initiation will be the most powerful way, but if this
is not possible, changing elements in the subsequent routine can also be
effective.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For example, many people
struggling with quitting smoking are now finding that, rather than trying to
stop completely, smoking an e-cigarette instead changes the routine. It may not
be the perfect solution, but it is a healthier alternative to the previous
habit, and is a step towards kicking the habit altogether. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="color: #666666; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><sup>1</sup> Martiros, N., Burgess, A.A., Graybiel, A.M.
(2018). Inversely active striatal projection neurons and interneurons
selectively delimit useful behaviour sequences. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Current Biology</i>, </span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="color: #666666;">28 (4), 560-573.e5</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />Alistair Schofieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15765843937037041663noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8155264759317297985.post-55509628038835100712017-04-25T16:26:00.000+01:002017-04-25T16:26:58.125+01:00Out and About With MyBrain<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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2017 has been a busy year so far. As well as our regular client sessions and practitioner training days, we have also been attending and running a number of events.<br />
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<span style="text-align: center;">In January we spoke at a number of events run by </span><a href="http://www.ambitionschoolleadership.org.uk/" style="text-align: center;" target="_blank">Ambition School Leadership</a><span style="text-align: center;">, a charity dedicated to transforming children’s lives in disadvantaged areas by building a network of exceptional school leaders. The MyBrain sessions focused on the ways in which cognitive bias can influence decisions, without us even being aware of it. Audiences in Birmingham, London and Leeds were fascinated in the neuroscientific research in the decision making area - and discussed strategies for dealing with bias in order to form more considered judgements.</span><br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-s2825GtjHTs/WPoi5IUBOeI/AAAAAAAAAWs/iteI4VQUhY8LY8qW3hp2FxEZ3zMZLySTgCLcB/s1600/speaking.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="158" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-s2825GtjHTs/WPoi5IUBOeI/AAAAAAAAAWs/iteI4VQUhY8LY8qW3hp2FxEZ3zMZLySTgCLcB/s200/speaking.jpg" width="200" /></a>In February, we were honoured to be asked to speak at a major seminar in Mumbai jointly staged by BBC Knowledge and the World HRD Congress. <br />
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The subject of our talk was the insights neuroscientific research is providing into the ways in which the concept of storytelling can create neurological alignment. This is important as organisations are increasingly finding that traditional approaches to maintaining organisational focus and alignment are proving too inflexible in today's fast-moving economic environment.<br />
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At the same conference we were also extremely flattered to receive a prestigious award in recognition of the work MyBrain has done in introducing neuroscientific knowledge and neurometric profiling into coaching practices. In many ways this work is in its infancy, but the fact that it provides coaches with an evidence-based approach to understanding the energy, motivations and preferences of their clients is already proving invaluable.<br />
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In March we were in Edinburgh for the annual CIPD Scottish Conference and Exhibition, where we took a stand and connected with over 400 delegates. Conference topics were varied but many embraced the enormous area of organisational health and wellbeing. We had numerous conversations about the role of neuroscience in this area and how the MyBrain work and MiND can enable organisations to make strides with their teams in employee engagement, performance and happiness.<br />
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Finally, during March and April we have run two highly successful seminars in conjunction with our sister company Extensor with the title of "Neuroscience and the 21st Century Leadership Challenge". We talked about the global trends that are today leading organisations to require people to work in ways that run contrary to the default ways evolution designed our brains to work. We looked at the evidence to support this argument and at the solutions that can be adopted.<br />
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If you would be interested in exploring ways in which MyBrain could work with your organisation please get in touch for an informal conversation.<br />
<br />Alistair Schofieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15765843937037041663noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8155264759317297985.post-89239750386229779642016-09-25T21:46:00.000+01:002017-04-21T16:06:04.032+01:00How your synaptic network develops<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Given that all human brains, like human bodies, are remarkably similar, it is surprising that thoughts, ideas, like and dislikes can be so different. The reason is that it is not our brain regions per se that create the difference, but rather the ways in which those regions are connected.<br />
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Each human brain consists of something in excess of 85 billion specialist cells called neurons, and each neuron will establish an average of around 15,000 connections with other cells in your body.<br />
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Amazingly, brain cells do not touch one another but instead communicate with other cells by converting the electrical impulse from within the cell to a chemical message that then passes to other cells across gaps between the cells called synapses.<br />
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These tiny gaps, around one ten-millionth of a millimetre in size, form what is known as your synaptic network. As a result of the DNA you inherited from your parents and your lifetime experiences, it is this network of connections that makes you the person you are. Everything you think, know and feel is as a result of the way in which this network operates. In the words of the American neuroscientist and NYU Professor Joseph LeDoux, "You are your synapses. They are who you are."<br />
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In order to explain how your synaptic network develops we often use the analogy of the way in which a road network develops and evolves over time, but we recently came across a brilliant video clip from a BBC series featuring the British doctor and Professor Robert Winston. In the video clip he describes the way in which the synaptic network develops as we learn something new by drawing an analogy with crossing a deep ravine. Have a look at the video and see what you think: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t4np5wLAhWw">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AGieqH2tl8M</a><br />
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Alistair Schofieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15765843937037041663noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8155264759317297985.post-87283728700572707432016-04-18T20:16:00.000+01:002016-04-18T20:16:24.393+01:00Do you allow pets in your bed?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Hygiene debates aside, a new survey published in journal Mayo Clinic Proceedings (Krahn et al., 2015) suggests having a pet in bed may benefit some people’s sleep. Of the 150 pet owners interviewed, over half allowed their pets into the bedroom with 41% of that group saying there was no disruption to sleep. Indeed some people claimed it to aid sleep, providing relaxation, security, companionship and even bed warming.<br />
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Recognising the potential for bias in positive responses, the researchers state that sleep is dependent on a state of physical and mental relaxation, so indeed it must be true that some pet owners sleep better with their beloved animal next to them. Many pet owners view companion animals as family members that they wish to bring into as many aspects of their life as possible. <br />
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It is long known that animals can tap into calm and well-being in people. Pet therapy has a huge impact in elderly care homes and tactile stimulation can enable some memories, however fleeting, to return to previous pet owners now suffering from neurological disorders. We should encourage more interaction with animals and the elderly – maybe not for a sleepover, but certainly to stimulate and build relationships with.Alistair Schofieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15765843937037041663noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8155264759317297985.post-29643703241363057962016-04-18T17:33:00.001+01:002016-04-18T17:33:57.539+01:00Sleep Cleans the Brain<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Sleep continues to be of great interest to scientists as we look to discover why it is so important for human survival. Sleep is not an inactive state, rather it is a period of time when strengthening and rejuvenation takes place. We know it matters for our bodies to restore and regenerate, to grow muscle, repair tissue and to synthesise hormones. We also know sleep matters for our brains and for optimal cognitive functioning. It is required for storage of memories and lack of it impedes attention, decision making, reasoning and focus. <br /><br />Some new research led by Danish Neuroscientist Dr Maiken Nedergaard and her colleagues at the University of Rochester Medical Centre have now started to unlock some of the mysteries around the mechanisms behind sleep benefits for the brain. She is interested in the glial cells – a group found uniquely in the brain – and their purpose, believing them to be part of what keeps the brain “healthy”.<br /><br />Given the fact that brain tissue has a significantly higher energy demand than other human tissues Nedergaard’s team were interested in the lack of a lymphatic system in the brain and spinal cord to “drain away” excess molecules such as proteins. The lymphatic system plays a critical role in the human immune system enabling the disposal of waste to the liver – so why does this process not apply to the brain? Her team have found that cerebrospinal (CSF) fluid, a clear liquid surrounding the brain and spinal cord, moves through the brain along a series of channels – managed by the glial cells. It is as if the CSF acts as a “sink” for waste and the brain actually can export molecules to the liver. Rodent studies show that the glia are the start of a transport network that end up in the lymph nodes in the neck. The team have termed this process the glymphatic system.<br /><br />The team reported that this glymphatic system helps remove a toxic protein called beta-amyloid from brain tissue and their most recent research shows that sleep helps to clear these proteins. This has a huge implication for a number of neurological conditions such as Alzheimer’s and other dementias as they are characterised by an accumulation of proteins. Dr Nedergaard also points out in the journal Science that medical teams should allow patients with traumatic brain injury to sleep and not to keep waking them up every 10 minutes to take vital measurements.<br /><br />The glymphatic system paves the way for more understanding of brain health. And the message is, as Dr. Nedergaard says, “…we need sleep. It cleans up the brain.”<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;">The work was funded in the USA by the National Institute of Health’s specialist group – The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS).</span><br />Alistair Schofieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15765843937037041663noreply@blogger.com0England, UK52.3555177 -1.174319700000069142.4994672 -21.828616700000069 62.2115682 19.479977299999931tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8155264759317297985.post-9484584623016395932015-09-24T13:23:00.000+01:002015-09-24T13:23:47.526+01:00The Brain at Work<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Would you like to learn more about the fascinating subject of neuroscience and the way in which it can help individuals and teams become more effective at work?<br />
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If so MyBrain International is running two free seminars on Thursday 8th October and Monday 30th November in central London.<br />
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Seminar attendees will also have the opportunity to complete a MiND profile. <br />
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MiND is the world’s first and only neurometric - a profiling tool based on the latest neurological research and discoveries.<br />
<br />It was developed following research by various eminent neuroscientists into the way in which information is distributed by the synaptic network. As a result we are now able to identify the causal link between the psychology of a person and the physiology of their brain. This insight has made MiND a genuinely ground-breaking tool as, for the first time, we are able to go beyond the mere assessment of how people think by providing an explanation of why they think the way they do and why other people may think differently.<br />
<br />In addition to providing an opportunity for you to complete a profile for yourself, the seminar will cover: <br />
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<li>An overview of the neuroscientific research that has led to the identification of the causal link between the psychology of a person and the physiology of their brain. </li>
<li>An explanation of how that research led to the development of MiND, the world’s first neurometric. </li>
<li>Details of how MiND differs from psychological profiling tools including an explanation as to why those differences are so valuable in team-building, leadership, coaching and numerous other applications. </li>
<li>A demonstration of the ways in which MiND and the subject of neuroscience provides people with genuinely new insights into why they are the way they are and in what ways other people are different. </li>
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<b>Who should attend?</b> <br />The seminar open to senior managers, trainers and HR professionals who are interested in either becoming an accredited MyBrain Practitioner themselves or in learning how the use of the MiND tool could benefit their organisation.<br />
<br /><b>Seminar Details:</b><br />Dates: Thursday 8th October (almost full) or Monday 30th November<br />Time: The event will begin at 9:30 with coffee served from 9:00. It will end at 2:00 following lunch<br />Venue: The Meeting House, 124 Wigmore Street, Central London, W1U 3RY<br /><br />
Please note that places are limited to a maximum of two people from any one organisation and will be allocated on a first come first served basis. Please use the following link to book places:<br />
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Click <a href="http://www.mybrain.co.uk/public/disc_booking_form.php" target="_blank">here</a> to book.<br />Click <a href="http://mybrain.co.uk/public/become.php" target="_blank">here</a> for more information on the MyBrain Practitioner programme.<br /><br />
If you would like to attend but are unable to make this date or location, please email enquiries@mybrain.co.uk providing your contact details and we will be in touch to see if we can accommodate you at a future event.<br />
<br />Alistair Schofieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15765843937037041663noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8155264759317297985.post-73242969866458166072015-08-14T14:29:00.001+01:002015-08-14T14:29:12.078+01:00Left Handers’ Day<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Did you know that people who are left handed have a special day dedicated to them? The 13th August. It was a day to celebrate the fact that lefties are special as they represent less than 10% of the population. <br /><br />Lefties often claim special skills. For example, did you know that three of the last four US presidents are left handed, as were Albert Einstein, Marie Curie, Bill Gates and Bart Simpson!<br /><br />Because the brain is cross-wired to the opposite side of the body, it is often claimed that left-handedness is associated with the type of creativity sometimes associated with the right hemisphere of the brain. While there appears to be some evidence to support this, there is no evidence to support the claim that all left-handers are right-brained.<br /><br />Interestingly, the incidence of left-handedness appears to be consistently around 10% of the population everywhere in the world. It is also interesting that in virtually every society left-handers have been persecuted. I recall that one of my friends at primary school in the 1960s in a small village in Lincolnshire used to get caned by our teacher if he was caught writing with his left hand. Why our teacher thought that handedness mattered and what psychotic perversity led him to believe that corporal punishment was needed to correct such a trivial matter is anyone’s guess.<br /><br />So why is right-handedness more prevalent than left-handedness? The answer to this question is not known but numerous theories exist ranging from hemispheric lateralization in the brain to genetic factors. Interestingly a study of ultrasound scans of human foetuses in 1991 found that at 15 weeks most foetuses prefer to suck their right thumb, hinting that handedness is present prior to birth. Interestingly, Hepper et al. followed up this study of 75 individuals. They found that the 60 foetuses that preferred to suck their right thumb were indeed right-handed as teenagers, and of the 15 foetuses that preferred to suck their left thumb, 5 were right-handed and 10 were left-handed.<br /><br />Whether handedness is an inherited genetic trait or not is also not known. In 1991 Robert Collins of the Jackson Laboratory attempted to breed left- or right-handed mice. Since the attempt failed it suggests that handedness is not inherited. However, the study did find that left or right paw dominance was associated with higher levels of dopamine in the corresponding hemisphere, leading to suggestions that physiological and neurological lateralisation are associated.<br /><br />Left Handers’ Day may seem like a bit of a gimmick, but as a result of highlighting the plight of left handers many things have improved. For example, whereas once items such as can openers, scissors and computer mice were only available in right-handed versions, today many more products are designed to be ambidextrous.<br /><br />To find out more about Left Hander’s Day visit <a href="http://www.lefthandersday.com/">www.lefthandersday.com</a>. <br />Alistair Schofieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15765843937037041663noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8155264759317297985.post-77248368169156724052015-08-13T17:24:00.000+01:002015-08-13T19:35:23.982+01:00Do Brain Games Work?<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_LhTfjKLJCWU/SbO3mfW_R0I/AAAAAAAAADk/vYvgwHyaGyY/s1600-h/BrainTrainer.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" style="clear: left; float: left; font-family: arial; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5310790257480779586" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_LhTfjKLJCWU/SbO3mfW_R0I/AAAAAAAAADk/vYvgwHyaGyY/s200/BrainTrainer.jpg" style="float: right; height: 180px; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; width: 200px;" /></a><span style="color: black; font-family: arial;">I was recently asked whether the variety of brain games and brain apps available that are promoted as a means of keeping your brain fit and healthy are any good. </span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: arial;">The answer I gave was that while there does appear to be some support for the notion that cognitive exercise can help maintain cognitive capacity and what neuroscientists call 'cognitive reserve', I am not aware of any hard evidence to support the claims of the brain game manufacturers. </span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: arial;">The best piece of research I could find on the subject was a study by the consumer watchdog Which? in 2009, where they looked at the validity of the claims made by products such as Dr <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Kawashima's</span> Brain Training. Coincidentally, I had one bought for me by my children as a Christmas present, but stopped using it after it said I had the brain of an 83 year old!</span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: arial;"> </span> <br />
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Which? began by asking the manufacturers what the benefits of using their products were and to back their claims up with evidence. They sent this to three experts and asked if they thought the evidence justified the claims. They looked at whether the evidence related directly to the product concerned and whether it had been checked by experts working in the same field and published in a reputable scientific journal.<br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: arial;">As an example, one manufacturer claimed that “in just 20 minutes a day, the CD will help increase thinking ability, prevent brain aging, and hone memory, language, concentration, visual/spatial skills and executive function.”</span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: arial;"> </span> <br />
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One of Nintendo’s claims was that playing the game helps improve blood flow to the frontal cortex and thereby improve "practical intelligence". But the three neuroscientists consulted by Which? said there was no evidence that an increased blood flow had "any functional impact on your life whatsoever."<br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: arial;">Which? Editor Martyn Hocking said: "If people enjoy using these games, then they should continue to do so - that's a no-<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">brainer</span>. But if people are under the illusion that these devices are scientifically proven to keep their minds in shape, they need to think again."</span>Alistair Schofieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15765843937037041663noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8155264759317297985.post-84838575319504758712015-08-10T17:50:00.000+01:002015-08-11T08:17:57.187+01:00The Brain at Work Seminar - Additional Date<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<![endif]--><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">As there are very few places remaining on our free seminar on the
8th September, we have added another seminar the following
month on Thursday 8th October. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The purpose of the seminar is to demonstrate the tools and materials MyBrain International provide to enable people to incorporate the subject of neuroscience in their own learning and development work.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />Attendees at the seminar will also have the opportunity to complete a MiND profile. MiND is the world’s first and only neurometric - a profiling tool based on the latest neurological research that is used to identify the causal link between the psychology of a person and the physiology of their brain. This insight has made MiND a genuinely ground-breaking tool as, for the first time, we are able to go beyond the mere assessment of how people think by providing an explanation of why they think the way they do.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />Click <a href="http://www.mybrain.co.uk/public/disc_workshop.php" target="_blank">here</a> for more information on the seminar and a link to the booking system.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />If you would like to attend but are unable to make either of these dates or location, please get in touch so that we can see if we can accommodate you at a future event.</span></span>Alistair Schofieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15765843937037041663noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8155264759317297985.post-48476077746359877802015-08-10T12:23:00.000+01:002015-08-10T17:28:53.632+01:00New Evidence of the Brain Body Connection<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="envelope address"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="envelope return"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="footnote reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="annotation reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="line number"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="page number"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="endnote reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="endnote text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="table of authorities"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="macro"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="toa heading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Bullet"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Number"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Bullet 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Number 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Signature"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text Indent"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text First Indent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text Indent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Plain Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="E-mail Signature"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Top of Form"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Normal (Web)"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Acronym"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Address"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Cite"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Code"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Definition"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Keyboard"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Preformatted"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Typewriter"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Normal Table"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Outline List 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Classic 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Colorful 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Colorful 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table 3D effects 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Elegant"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Subtle 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Subtle 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Web 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Balloon Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" QFormat="true"
Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" QFormat="true"
Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" QFormat="true"
Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" QFormat="true"
Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" QFormat="true"
Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" QFormat="true"
Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="41" Name="Plain Table 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="42" Name="Plain Table 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="43" Name="Plain Table 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="44" Name="Plain Table 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="45" Name="Plain Table 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="40" Name="Grid Table Light"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46" Name="Grid Table 1 Light"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51" Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52" Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kKgkIZ-cMU0/VciJGZfL6BI/AAAAAAAAAUM/MRcfR8fqaTY/s1600/Fotolia_34266135_S.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="203" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kKgkIZ-cMU0/VciJGZfL6BI/AAAAAAAAAUM/MRcfR8fqaTY/s320/Fotolia_34266135_S.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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A new study published in the journal Nature (<a href="http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v523/n7560/full/nature14432.html" target="_blank">Louveau et al.,2015</a>) appears to present new evidence of the connectedness of the body to the
brain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Until now it was thought that the
lymphatic system, a vital component in our immune system, operated throughout
the body but that it did not pass into the tissues of the brain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, the discovery announced in this
report is that the team have discovered vessels located in the membrane that
surrounds the brain and spinal cord (the meninges) that connects the brain to
the immune system.</div>
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Whereas previously the brain had been thought of as
independent of the immune system, these findings demonstrate that the brain is
like every other tissue connected to the peripheral immune system.</div>
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The finding will hopefully have major implications for every
neurological disease that has an immune component to it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For example, the large protein chunks that build
up in the brains of Alzheimer sufferers may be as a result of the failure of
these vessels to remove them efficiently.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>If that is the case entirely new medicines may emerge to treat Alzheimer’s
as a result of these findings.</div>
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As with all research, the timescale for it to translate into
effective human treatments is relatively slow.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>But the discovery of these previously unknown structures is nevertheless
a major advance in our understanding of the brain and neurodegenerative
illnesses. </div>
Alistair Schofieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15765843937037041663noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8155264759317297985.post-8349317585386778372015-07-28T14:01:00.000+01:002015-07-28T14:01:15.133+01:00Neuro-science or neuro-nonsense?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CTcO9hm510E/Vbd7OpCL47I/AAAAAAAAAUA/f81joQwxnHc/s1600/neuro.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="241" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CTcO9hm510E/Vbd7OpCL47I/AAAAAAAAAUA/f81joQwxnHc/s320/neuro.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Today, the brain sells. Take an old idea, put ‘neuro’ in front of it and you have an apparently exciting new product. It seems that everything from energy drinks to training companies are getting in on the act, there is even a music app you can get for your smartphone that claims to be “scientifically optimised” to boost your attention span by up to 400% using “neuroscience based music”. Sadly, most of these claims are neuro-nonsense.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />MyBrain International is different. Rather than trying to persuade you with snazzy advertising, we would rather prove our case by giving people the opportunity to experience our offering first-hand. To do this we are running a free seminar in central London on the 8th September.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /><b>Who should attend?</b><br />The seminar is open to senior managers, trainers and HR professionals who are interested in learning how use of the MiND tool could benefit their organisations. More specifically, the seminar will cover the following areas:</span></span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">An overview of the neuroscientific research that has led to the identification of the causal link between the psychology of a person and the physiology of their brain. </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">An explanation of how that research led to the development of MiND, the world’s first neurometric. </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Details of how MiND differs from psychological profiling tools including an explanation as to why those differences are so valuable in team-building, leadership, coaching and numerous other applications. </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">A demonstration of the ways in which MiND and the subject of neuroscience provides people with genuinely new insights into why they are the way they are and in what ways other people may differ.</span></span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">If you are interested in attending please email <a href="mailto:enquiries@mybrain.co.uk">enquiries@mybrain.co.uk</a> providing your details and a contact number. We will then get in touch to provide further details and to confirm your attendance.</span></span>Alistair Schofieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15765843937037041663noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8155264759317297985.post-30260792500052787912015-06-26T18:41:00.000+01:002015-06-27T14:15:04.847+01:00CIPD 2015 L&D Show<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MqcEc6uTc4I/VY2MUAE3a4I/AAAAAAAAATs/EZuucJk_iRk/s1600/CIPD.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="244" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MqcEc6uTc4I/VY2MUAE3a4I/AAAAAAAAATs/EZuucJk_iRk/s320/CIPD.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Thank you to everyone who visited the MyBrain stand at the recent CIPD Learning & Development Show in London. It was a great pleasure to meet and chat with so many people with a genuine interest neuroscience.<br />
<br />
During the two days of the show there was hardly ever a quiet moment - more than 200 people visited the stand and left their business cards. We were also impressed by how multinational the conference was with people from as far afield as Australia and India. In total we counted more than 10 nationalities just from the visitors to our stand!<br />
<br />
For those people who have booked to complete the MiND Practitioner training we look forward to seeing you soon, and to everyone else we look forward to keeping in touch and to seeing you again sometime in the future. <br />
<br />
<br />Alistair Schofieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15765843937037041663noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8155264759317297985.post-22670475796340007572014-02-25T15:30:00.000+00:002014-02-25T15:31:54.915+00:00Cool, risky teenagers<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-b8Z-ZN_D2AQ/Uwy26pSvgyI/AAAAAAAAAO4/u1qAn2wxHgk/s1600/5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-b8Z-ZN_D2AQ/Uwy26pSvgyI/AAAAAAAAAO4/u1qAn2wxHgk/s1600/5.jpg" height="320" width="269" /></a></div>
I have two teenagers and anyone who has brought up that age group will know they tend to show off and take riskier decisions when they are around their friends. It is a well researched area that teenagers are more likely to speed when driving, use alcohol and other drugs and even break the law, when with their friends.<br />
<br />
It isn’t just about peer pressure or daring each other though. Neuroscientists are interested in looking for reasons to explain how the process of making decisions differs when teenagers are in groups. Jason Chein, Professor of Psychology at Temple University, Philadelphia took brain scans of teenagers and adults when they were playing a video game in which they drove a car and had to make decisions as to whether to stop at intersections or speed through into oncoming traffic.<br />
<br />
The experiment found that when teenagers had friends watching in another room, they were more likely to speed through even though they were not talking to each other at the time. Simply the awareness that they were being watched by their peers influenced their decisions about risk and the underlying brain activity. The reward centre of the brain was more active when they were being watched, leading to more risky decisions, than when they weren’t being observed by their peers.<br />
<br />
It may be that kids are anticipating how cool they will seem after pulling off something perceived as risky. But it could also be that simply being with friends turns on the reward centre of the brain, giving more immediate focus to that rather than the part of the brain that urges caution during split-second decision making. Clearly this is just a preliminary piece of research, but it does make me wonder what I can do to try and get my teenagers to take a risk and get out of bed in the mornings!Gill McKayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09341640865226045657noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8155264759317297985.post-63262241965994392722011-09-22T15:01:00.002+01:002014-02-25T15:23:06.282+00:00Not tonight darling<div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KhBfrDy4i8E/Uwy1N8orKZI/AAAAAAAAAOs/hxO9VvyD1gI/s1600/4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KhBfrDy4i8E/Uwy1N8orKZI/AAAAAAAAAOs/hxO9VvyD1gI/s1600/4.jpg" /></a></div>
The clinical trials of the drug flibanserin were the first ever that tested a drug that works at the level of the brain to enhance libido in women reporting low sexual desire.<br />
<br />
Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina, John Thorp McAllister comments that while flibanserin was a poor antidepressant, it appeared to increase libido in lab trials.<br />
<br />
He conducted multiple clinical trials and the women in the studies who took it for low sex drive reported significant improvements in sexual desire and satisfactory sexual experiences. These subjects didn’t report any specific change in mood or depression<br />
<br />
The drug is known to alter the level of serotonin in the brain and it shows promise as the first drug to treat female libido in this manner, rather than drugs which increase blood supply to the sex organs. More trials are required but I bet this will be a popular drug when it is able to be subscribed by doctors. And surely increased sex has a positive effect on depression?</div>
Gill McKayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09341640865226045657noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8155264759317297985.post-78989925675651220152011-09-22T14:51:00.001+01:002011-09-23T16:55:00.479+01:00Why chimps can't talk<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DKzdEKEMnrQ/Tns9Cc_NQBI/AAAAAAAAALk/4cgzl2nsDfc/s1600/chimp.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DKzdEKEMnrQ/Tns9Cc_NQBI/AAAAAAAAALk/4cgzl2nsDfc/s1600/chimp.jpg" /></a></div>Scientists have long since wondered why it is that humans developed the ability to express themselves through speech whereas other animals haven’t. In the past, most research focused on the circumstances of human evolution, implying that speech developed as a result of the need for more advanced communication. But more recently, scientists have begun to look at the generic makeup of humans to see if there is a more fundamental reason.<br />
<br />
A recent article in the journal ‘Nature’ considered research being undertaken by the University of California where they are comparing a gene called ‘FOX2P’ to the same gene in chimpanzees, our nearest relative in the animal kingdom.<br />
<br />
During their experiments they applied FOX2P genes from humans and chimps to cells in the laboratory to see which circuits they activated. To their surprise, they found that the human and chimpanzee versions of the gene triggered different reactions. Despite the crude similarities between chimpanzee and early human brains, it appears that the human version of the FOX2P gene ‘switches on’ the circuits in the brain that are associated with language and speech, the so called Broca and Wernicke regions, whereas the chimpanzee version didn’t.<br />
<br />
The FOX2P gene had previously been known to be implicated in speech, as defects in the gene were known to cause speech and language impairment, but the extent of its involvement is a new discovery that paves the way for new avenues of research. For example, by identifying the genes that are influenced by FOX2P it may be possible to develop cures for a variety of speech related problems and conditions.<br />
<br />
The implication this research has for furthering our understanding of the development of the human brain, is that it appears language may have developed as a result of a genetic mutation, rather than as the result of environmental requirements and Darwinian evolution.Alistair Schofieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15765843937037041663noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8155264759317297985.post-29569310106582122522011-05-30T14:15:00.006+01:002014-02-25T15:18:12.559+00:00Mother hen<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Lbc_lNwNAkM/Uwy0EgeOYpI/AAAAAAAAAOg/r6SOoF-bRlM/s1600/2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Lbc_lNwNAkM/Uwy0EgeOYpI/AAAAAAAAAOg/r6SOoF-bRlM/s1600/2.jpg" /></a></div>
British researchers at Bristol University, School of Veterinery Sciences have shown that hens show empathy to their young – the first time this has been shown in a bird.<br />
<br />
Making use of technical advances in non-invasive monitoring, the researchers found that domestic hens show a clear physiological and behavioural response to their chicks’ distress. <br />
<br />
During one of the controlled procedures, when the chicks were exposed to a puff of air, the hens’ heart rate increased and eye temperature decreased. The hens also changed their behaviour, and reacted with increased alertness, decreased preening and increased vocalisations directed to their chicks.<br />
<br />
Empathy was once thought to be a completely human trait and that the brains of mammals functioned for survival and reproduction, not for any purpose of emotional intelligence. Of course this finding has implications for the welfare of chickens in battery farms and research labs.<br />
<br />
It also supports the theory that in humans our empathetic ability resides in the 'lower' parts of the brain, areas such as the limbic system and brain stem, which we have in common with other mammals.
<!-- Blogger automated replacement: "https://images-blogger-opensocial.googleusercontent.com/gadgets/proxy?url=http%3A%2F%2F2.bp.blogspot.com%2F-Lbc_lNwNAkM%2FUwy0EgeOYpI%2FAAAAAAAAAOg%2Fr6SOoF-bRlM%2Fs1600%2F2.jpg&container=blogger&gadget=a&rewriteMime=image%2F*" with "https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Lbc_lNwNAkM/Uwy0EgeOYpI/AAAAAAAAAOg/r6SOoF-bRlM/s1600/2.jpg" -->Gill McKayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09341640865226045657noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8155264759317297985.post-4306469929500846982011-05-30T12:13:00.002+01:002014-02-25T15:14:45.258+00:00Switching off fear<div>
<div style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pqLjzSAWVxU/UwyzScUGdjI/AAAAAAAAAOY/rFsk9SEg3ew/s1600/3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pqLjzSAWVxU/UwyzScUGdjI/AAAAAAAAAOY/rFsk9SEg3ew/s1600/3.jpg" /></a>Researchers at Stanford University have found that stimulating a particular brain circuit can counter fear. Pulses of light triggered the stimulation in mice and boosted their willingness to take risks. Inhibiting it had the opposite effect and made them more timid. </div>
<br />
Neuroscientist Professor Ken Deisseroth targeted a circuit within the amygdala area of the limbic brain working within the specialist field of optogenetics, where nerve cells become photo-sensitive. The action of the cell can therefore be controlled and switched on or off by using different wavelengths of light.<br />
<br />
The mice became much more comfortable in situations they would otherwise be wary of – such as being in wide open spaces. As soon as the light was pulsed into the brain circuit, the mice were much more willing to explore. Yet changing the pulse to a different wavelength turned the mice much more anxious. <br />
<br />
This could be the beginning of some interesting debates around treating human anxiety and panic, which of course can be debilitating for many people.<br />
<br />
I wonder if optogenetics is responsible for our behaviour in laser games and discos?!</div>
Gill McKayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09341640865226045657noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8155264759317297985.post-54876606481942500772011-05-30T11:34:00.001+01:002011-05-30T11:35:45.937+01:00Unable to recognise a face?<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--JMNbtu_vRY/TeNypqJ4QTI/AAAAAAAAALY/efu3oXcrjB4/s1600/unknown_man.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; cssfloat: right; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="304" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--JMNbtu_vRY/TeNypqJ4QTI/AAAAAAAAALY/efu3oXcrjB4/s320/unknown_man.jpg" t8="true" width="320" /></a></div>I was with a friend the other day and she looked at me for a long time before saying my name. I casually asked if all was OK and she told me she suffers from face-blindness – which I never knew about, even though I have known her for 10 years. She took her cue to realise it was me, when she remembered the dress I was wearing.<br />
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<div>The condition is called prosopagnosia which can be inherited or caused by a brain injury. For my friend, its symptoms occurred quite suddenly as an adult and she had had no injury as a catalyst – she described it as being very frightening and only achieved some sense of relief with the diagnosis. It is more than not being able to put a name to a face, which is something a lot of people experience. It is caused by an impairment in the right hemisphere of the brain that specifically identifies faces. She can make out facial features fine – and is actually a wonderful portrait artist – but she doesn’t connect it with that person in her brain. <br />
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Dr Joseph DeGutis, a neuroscientist at Harvard University is currently using a training programme to help sufferers which encourages them to look at the whole face as typically they seem to look at only one facial feature at one time. <br />
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For my friend, having prosopagnosia has increased her sensory acuity in other senses. She says she is far more conscious of smell – the perfumes people wear, if they are big coffee drinkers for instance. And I was glad to offer her the genuine feedback that she comes across always as being a wonderful listener – which she would be irrespective of the prosopagnosia – as she is very aware of different people’s voices, the pitch, tone and different subtleties in the spoken word. </div></div>Gill McKayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09341640865226045657noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8155264759317297985.post-10168907420711664622011-03-14T11:39:00.001+00:002011-03-14T13:08:29.624+00:00My Brain Hurts<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-pawvQvrfTeI/TX4SNIezFiI/AAAAAAAAALU/w5zQjRYaRRc/s1600/my-brain-hurts.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-pawvQvrfTeI/TX4SNIezFiI/AAAAAAAAALU/w5zQjRYaRRc/s1600/my-brain-hurts.jpg" /></a></div>In the middle of a workshop last week, one of my participants announced that she needed a rest as her brain was full! I was aware that I had possibly overloaded the class with information, but was intrigued by her comment that her brain hurt and she all of a sudden felt utterly exhausted.<br />
<br />
We are all familiar with the mid afternoon energy slumps and the consistently well documented advice around regulating blood sugar levels by eating little and often, with a good balance of nutrients, keeping hydrated, maintaining a regular sleep pattern to promote healthy rhythms etc etc. But what happens when we feel real brain “pain” and are utterly depleted?<br />
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Fatigue, like pain is fundamentally a brain mediated sensation. As with pain, most people report that they experience fatigue as an overwhelming phenomenon, apparently occurring mainly in the muscular skeletal areas. However on closer questioning, people also refer to mental fatigue and this is typically precipitated by complex neurological tasks or intense bouts of concentration. At the extreme end, some people may suffer from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, which is still a subject of intense interest to neuroscientists – as it is as much about the brain, the nervous system as it is about the physical body.<br />
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Fortunately my participant came back from the mid-afternoon workshop break after a glass of water and a walk around the block, challenging the group for more information! It's as though when we get to overload and we need a period of down-time to process the information and clear the 'log-jam' before coming back for more.Gill McKayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09341640865226045657noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8155264759317297985.post-36102394484986819412011-03-11T16:52:00.002+00:002014-02-25T15:08:40.076+00:00Older drivers 'see too much'<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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In October 2009 we reported on research by Adam Gazzaley of the University of California in an item entitled “<a href="http://mybrain-limited.blogspot.com/2009/10/does-your-brain-slow-down-as-you-get.html">Does your brain slow down as you get older?</a>” The researchers, who were looking into the speed at which older people perform mental tasks relative to their younger counterparts, found that the brains of older people were not slower but that they appear slower because older people’s brains are not as good at blocking irrelevant information. They therefore are more easily distracted and find it harder to concentrate on the task in hand.<br />
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I mention this as recent research by Professor Duje Tadin at the University of Rochester in New York has produced similar conclusions.<br />
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His research was investigating a worrying phenomenon of ageing that results in older drivers failing to notice other cars, pedestrians and cyclists moving around them. For some time this has been blamed on a reduced ability to notice moving objects, but the research suggests that it is actually caused by an inability to separate the objects from the background.<br />
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In healthy young brain a region called the middle temporal visual area actively suppresses irrelevant background motion so that the person can concentrate on the more important movements of smaller objects in the foreground. Previous studies have found that elderly people, as well as those with psychological conditions such as schizophrenia and depression are better at perceiving motion in the background. <br />
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The problem is that since our brains are only capable of consciously processing a limited amount of information at any one time, this heightened awareness of the background serves as a distraction that draws our attention away from the more important foreground objects.<br />
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"The amount of visual information around us is huge, and we don't have the brain power to process it all," Tadin said. "Evolutionarily speaking, moving objects are the most important visual features to detect quickly, because they could be your lunch or they could want to eat you for lunch. It just makes sense that our vision prioritizes processing them."<br />
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The results of both studies would therefore suggest that a natural part of the ageing process is an improvement in our ability to perceive things holistically, but decrease in our ability to concentrate on the specifics of any one thing.<br />
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While the implications of this research for the medical professions lie in improved diagnosis of certain medical conditions, the implication for employers is that to get the best from their staff they should consider these age-related differences when assigning tasks.Alistair Schofieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15765843937037041663noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8155264759317297985.post-4344902208675224602011-03-11T14:48:00.002+00:002014-02-25T15:34:47.187+00:00Risk and Reward<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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When a child is first born it is broadly speaking true to say that they know nothing. While they enjoy the support and protection of their parents this is not a problem, but if they are to survive in the longer term, they need to learn fast, which is why we are all born with an innate sense of curiosity.<br />
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At this stage of life learning consists of experimenting, pushing boundaries, copying others and, above all, making mistakes. Adults also play an important role in our learning by helping us differentiate between good behaviour and practices and bad ones. For example, we quickly learn to recognise the meaning of the different sounds our mothers make when we on the one hand do something cute, or on the other use her favourite lipstick to draw on the wall.<br />
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As we grow bigger and more physically capable, this learning-by-doing approach brings increased risks, which is why parents will often keep toddlers on reins to stop them suddenly running into the road. <br />
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At some stage though we need to be able to fend for ourselves, so we have to develop the ability to assess and judge a situation before acting. This cognitive process takes place in the cerebral brain, which is the part of the brain that allows humans to over-ride our more basic animal instincts – to think before we act. Recent research at the University of Oregon has highlighted the ways in which the regions of the brain involved in making these reasoned judgements develop. Their research study used fMRI (functional magnetic resonance imaging) scans of the brains of 24 girls and 12 boys when they were 10 years old and then again three years later when they were 13.<br />
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Their findings, which are detailed in the March 2011 edition of the journal Neuron, were that activity in an area of the prefrontal cortex increased significantly between the ages of 10 and 13. So at just the time when parents are worrying that their children are coming under the influence of other people and being exposed to a broader range of risks, their brains are adapting to help them cope.<br />
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However, this raises the question as to why this region of the brain does not develop earlier, as I am sure that most parents would agree that even at 13 years children tend to take many more risks than they would like. The most likely answer is that the inhibitions of youth are a key component in a child’s learning and that if they were restricted by a greater sense of risk aversion their learning would be impeded. It is also likely that by developing this ability later in life and slowly over a period of time enables children to learn the skill of balancing risk and reward.<br />
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Possibly these research findings explain why some children switch from taking too many risks in their early childhood to being far too risk averse as teenagers.Alistair Schofieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15765843937037041663noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8155264759317297985.post-80147910910591082902011-01-11T18:20:00.001+00:002014-02-25T15:41:26.900+00:00Disrupting harmful memories<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5LsJcURnm0o/Uwy5j1d1dkI/AAAAAAAAAPE/dTXlhl-89YA/s1600/7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5LsJcURnm0o/Uwy5j1d1dkI/AAAAAAAAAPE/dTXlhl-89YA/s1600/7.jpg" /></a>Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is now recognised and accepted as a real medical condition that can affect anyone, but which is most prevalent in people whose jobs place them in situations where they are likely to witness horrifying events.</div>
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When such events occur, such as following the 7/7 London bombings or after a particularly harrowing Police raid, people are often given time off to get over the initial shock. However, recent research findings from Oxford University suggest that this may not be the best thing to do.<br />
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As part of their research they showed 40 healthy volunteers a series of traumatic images of injuries sustained in motoring accidents. After waiting for 30 minutes, half the volunteers played the computer game Tetris for 10 minutes while the other half did nothing. The volunteers were then asked to record each occasion during the following week when they had "flashbacks" to the images.<br />
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The result was that the volunteers who had played Tetris experienced significantly fewer flashbacks, suggesting that their memory of the images was less strong.<br />
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Dr Emily Holmes, who led the research, concluded that the reason the Tetris player had fewer flashbacks was because concentrating on the game so soon after seeing the images disrupted the brain's ability to commit the images to long-term memory. She explains that this is because, in forming memories, the brain must process the information in two ways; one sensory and the other analytical. Given the brain's limited ability to do more than a few things at any one time, such as performing a numerical calculation while holding a conversation, the playing of the game therefore interfered with its ability to complete the process of committing the traumatic image information to memory.<br />
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Although this was only a small study, it does suggest that the best course of action for anyone who is unfortunate enough to find themselves in a situation where they are likely to experience PTSD is to get them busy with something else as soon as possible.<br />
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For everyone else the lesson to be learned is that "down time" is important to both memory and the processing of information. So next time you leave one meeting and rush straight into the next, just remember that while being "back-to-back" may look impressive, it is in fact limiting your ability to process information and remember important facts.Alistair Schofieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15765843937037041663noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8155264759317297985.post-82893043923766573572011-01-11T17:21:00.001+00:002011-01-12T07:36:03.609+00:00ADHD and the Daydreaming Switch<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_LhTfjKLJCWU/TSyRQIhz23I/AAAAAAAAAK0/_FZF0zwODI0/s1600/Fotolia_16877572_XS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_LhTfjKLJCWU/TSyRQIhz23I/AAAAAAAAAK0/_FZF0zwODI0/s320/Fotolia_16877572_XS.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Syndrome (ADHD) is a condition that appears to prevent people from concentrating on any one thing for more than a few moments at a time. It is most prevalent in children and often comes to light when they begin school.<br />
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For a long time the condition was considered to be psychological but now researchers at the University of Nottingham believe that they have found a physiological reason for the condition.<br />
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The research focused on the default mode network (DMN) that allows our brains to daydream when we are not focused on a particular task. This default setting in the brain is what enables us to relax and is also thought to be associated with the process of dreaming and in converting short-term memories into long-term memories. For example, it is this default process that allows ideas to “pop into your head” when you are thinking of nothing in particular.<br />
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In the case of children with ADHD the researchers found that they were not able to switch off the daydreaming default mode, and that this was therefore the reason why they found it far harder to concentrate. <br />
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Dr Martin Batty, co-author of the study, said: "Using brain imaging, we have been able to see inside the children's heads and observe what it is about ADHD that is stopping them concentrating."<br />
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"Most people are able to control their 'daydreaming' state and focus on the task at hand. This is not the case with children with ADHD. If a task is not sufficiently interesting, they cannot switch off their background brain activity and they are easily distracted. Making a task more interesting, or providing methylphenidate (otherwise known as Ritalin), turns down the volume and allows them to concentrate."<br />
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The findings are published in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry.Alistair Schofieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15765843937037041663noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8155264759317297985.post-28262886241555947142011-01-10T18:20:00.007+00:002014-02-25T13:01:40.457+00:00Are politicians made or born?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zEuZcIR3jcs/UwyUHUtpqTI/AAAAAAAAAN4/P1eDq4FgMSM/s1600/political_brain.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zEuZcIR3jcs/UwyUHUtpqTI/AAAAAAAAAN4/P1eDq4FgMSM/s1600/political_brain.jpg" height="256" width="320" /></a></div>
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_LhTfjKLJCWU/TStOzdeIooI/AAAAAAAAAKs/duWKMJH1H3Q/s1600/political_brain.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"></a>According to British scientist, Professor Geraint Rees of University College London, the brains of Conservative politicians and supporters are physically different to those of their Labour counterparts.<br />
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Inspired by an off-hand comment from the actor Colin Firth, Professor Rees scanned the brains of a Conservative and Labour politician and issued a political questionnaire to 90 other people who had previously had their brains scanned by the UCL Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience.<br />
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What they found was that Conservatives have larger amygdalas, which are almond shaped areas in the centre of the brain often associated with anxiety and emotion, and smaller anterior cingulates, an area at the front of the brain associated with courage and looking on the bright side of life. The opposite was true in the brains of people with more liberal and left-leaning political opinions.<br />
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Since the study looked only at adult brains it is impossible to tell whether these peoples' brains had developed in this way as a result of their beliefs, or whether it was the physical attributes of their brains that led them to hold those views in the first place. All we know is that where nature and nurture are concerned, neuroscientists appear to be increasingly favouring nature over nurture – which suggests that politicians and political activist are not made, they’re born!<br />
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Add your comments below or click <a href="http://www.mybrain.co.uk/public/extra_article_23.php">here</a> to read the full article.Alistair Schofieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15765843937037041663noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8155264759317297985.post-22824075537913069312010-04-27T18:04:00.001+01:002010-04-27T18:07:34.078+01:00Why the good guys always win<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_LhTfjKLJCWU/S9cZmK2YI0I/AAAAAAAAAKQ/Sk9-7BjUiWc/s1600/gun_slinger.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 228px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_LhTfjKLJCWU/S9cZmK2YI0I/AAAAAAAAAKQ/Sk9-7BjUiWc/s320/gun_slinger.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5464864816375538498" border="0" /></a>
Following our article entitled “<a href="http://www.mybrain.co.uk/public/extra_article_22.php">Eyes in the back of your head</a>” published earlier this month I received a link to an article from one of our readers.<p>
The article was a ‘tong-in-cheek’ item that sought to explain why actors such as Clint Eastwood and John Wayne always won in gun fights. The reason, according to the article, is because they drew their guns second.</p><p>
The more serious point the article was making is that the brain has two ways of seeing. The first is the cognitive one of passing the information from your eyes to the cerebral part of your brain where you then think about it before making a decision as to what actions you should take as a result. The second way of seeing is where information from your eyes is passed directly into the lower part of your brain, into your limbic system. This part of your brain is the seat of your emotions and instincts. Because there is no cognitive thinking taking place in this part of your brain information is processed much more quickly than in the cerebral part of the brain.</p><p>
The argument put forward in the article therefore was that the person who draws their gun first is thinking about the situation and making a decision. They must therefore be using their cerebral brain and will therefore be processing information more slowly than the other person who is now reacting instinctively to save their own life and will therefore be processing information using their limbic brain.</p><p>
There is truth in this theory but if you would like to prove it for yourself I would not recommend using guns. Instead you could try playing the game we used to call “hand-slap” (click <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Hands">here</a> for instructions) and you will find that the speed with which the person reacting can move is often greater than the person attempting to slap the hand.</p><p>
Click <a href="http://www.mybrain.co.uk/public/extra_article_22.php">here</a> to read the full article on the MyBrain website.
</p>Alistair Schofieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15765843937037041663noreply@blogger.com0