Last Monday, NPR (very good US-based radio station) had a program on "do brain training programs work?" that reflected very old-fashioned thinking. In short, the guest speakers talked and talked about the importance of nutrition and physical exercise (both very important, as we have covered in this blog multiple times), and expressed skepticism about the concept of exercising our brains to improve attention, memory and other skills...I guess it takes a while to change old mental paradigms (And yes, some programs work better than others). Neuroscientists have finally debunked that old thinking that our brains decline inexorably after a certain age and that there is little each of us can do to "exercise" and "train our brains". But don't trust me. During the last year I have had the fortune to interview 11 cutting-edge neuroscientists and cognitive psychologists on their research and thoughts. Here are some of my favorite quotes (you can read the full interview notes by clicking the links): Join discussion...

Insomnia is estimated to affect more than half the adult U.S. population. In my anxiety article, I discussed my own struggles falling asleep. And if you keep reading this article, you’ll discover all my insomnia busting techniques – everything I know to help you get a good night’s sleep, no matter what type of anxiety you’re dealing with. Join discussion...

Half of the world's human population is infected with Toxoplasma, parasites in the body-and the brain. Remember that. Toxoplasma gondii is a common parasite found in the guts of cats; it sheds eggs that are picked up by rats and other animals that are eaten by cats. Toxoplasma forms cysts in the bodies of the intermediate rat hosts, including in the brain. Join discussion...

A woman was arrested Tuesday after her husband woke up in the middle of the night with a terrible headache and later learned he had a bullet lodged in his head. St. Lucie County Sheriff's deputies initially thought Michael Eugene Moylan had been hit by a stray bullet, but later realized the couple's story did not match up, Sheriff Ken Mascara said. Join discussion...

It failed to bring Jim Carrey happiness in the award-winning film Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, but scientists have now developed a way to block and even delete unwanted memories from people's brains. Researchers have found they can use drugs to wipe away single, specific memories while leaving other memories intact. By injecting an amnesia drug at the right time, when a subject was recalling a particular thought, neuro-scientists discovered they could disrupt the way the memory is sto Join discussion...

These are 15 fun ideas that will increase your brain activity. It has been proven that the more exercise you give your brain the more it will grow and operate to new super levels. Are you striving to be more intelligent, more creative? Here’s a great platform on how you can achieve your goals. Join discussion...