The title of this post seems to be an age old question that is suppose to test your general optimism. The optimist among us views the glass as half full, while the pessimist see it as half empty. Do you think you will be successful or do you think things will be difficult for you?…
Author Archive for Ward
lifespan, longevity, neuroeconomics
Longevity: think of yourself now, and yourself in the future
by Ward • • 3 Comments
Imagine yourself now – are you dedicated? Now imagine yourself in 10 years – are you dedicated? Differences in your brain activity dependent on these two different questions might be fundamental to the future of longevity research and society in general. The future of the longevity field and society To take longevity research seriously it…
brain fitness, brain hack, brain health, enriched environment
My head is going to explode with all this info said the university student
by Ward • • 12 Comments
Now I am sure most readers have experienced the situation of the above student lament – when you are studying so long and hard that it feels like your head is going to explode – well maybe it is because you are growing so much new brain mass. Who knew – learning is good for your…
brain hack, brain health, enriched environment, exercise
Can you teach an old dog new tricks – or at least juggling – and increase gray matter density in the brain ?
by Ward • • 2 Comments
Image via Wikipedia You might, or might not, be an old dog – but we all want to be able keep on learning and ‘growing’. Yesterday, I wrote about a couple papers that demonstrated how learning to juggle increased gray matter density in a particular region of the brain (middle temporal area of the visual…
brain hack, brain health, enriched environment, exercise
Learn juggling to increase your gray matter – but don’t stop
by Ward • • 4 Comments
Image via Wikipedia Maybe being a court jester is not all bad – you get to play music, which increases your brain’s gray matter and improves your general cognitive ability, and you get to entertain the court with your juggling skills, which you will find out, if you read the rest of this post, is…
brain fitness, brain health, enriched environment
Increase your brain’s gray matter with musical training
by Ward • • 5 Comments
American Pie by Don McLean (a classic American anthem). “Bye, bye Miss American Pie…. When the Jester sang for the King and Queen, In a coat he borrowed from James Dean, In a voice that came from you and me. Oh, and while the King was looking down, The Jester stol’ his thorny crown….” The…
brain fitness, brain health, enriched environment
How playing the court jester can improve your brain
by Ward • • 1 Comment
The court jester’s (harlequin) job was to entertain the court with his/her music and juggling abilities. The court members laughed at the jester (maybe not with him), but possibly the jester had the last laugh since his various entertaining endeavors possibly promoted in his brain greater plasticity and health. All this week I will discuss…
cancer, genetics, lifespan, longevity
Sirt1 and aging: fighting wars on two fronts
by Ward • • 0 Comments
A new paper just out in Cell by the Sinclair group gives us some intriguing but sobering information about aging and genomic integrity. The new twist to the ever evolving story is the Sirt1 protein might have at least two primary roles in the cell. The first role is to locate itself on DNA to…
brain fitness, brain health, enriched environment, exercise
Exercise for healthy new neurons: even in middle age
by Ward • • 3 Comments
Here is a follow-up to my Monday post on the quick rebound from an exercise layoff in the important brain health protein brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). A new paper published in the Journal of Applied Physiology examined running, BDNF, trkB, neurogenesis (new neurons), and neurite outgrowth (branching of the new neurons) in middle age rodents.…
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What are the criteria for a good scientific meeting performance ?
by Ward • • 2 Comments
Most scientist that are attending a conference are in one way or another funded by the tax payers so I think we have an obligation to make the most of any meeting we attend. So what are some of the criteria that should be met? (in my opinion) 1 – Try to travel there at an economical rate:…