Exercise Promotes Brain Plasticity (BSP 111)

John Ratey, MD
Click picture to hear interview

According to psychiatrist Dr. John Ratey the best way to improve brain plasticity is by exercise.  I spoke to him shortly after he published his best-seller Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain (2008). He commented that even compared to drugs "Exercise is the champ."

Download BSP 111

Since then Dr. Ratey has been traveling the world promoting the value of exercise for people of all ages, but his main focus has been on young people and on trying to restore and invigorate physical education programs in the schools. In Spark he provided some of the preliminary evidence that vigorous exercise promotes better academic performance, but that evidence had continued to mount.

Besides improving academic performance regular exercise also helps over all mental health. Exercise is especially effective for problems like depression and ADHD. Our brains rely on a complex mixture of neuroactive chemicals (neurotransmitters, etc.), but since our understanding of these is still very primitive, treatment with drugs can be unpredictable. Dr. Ratey feels that medications can be an important part of treating problems like ADHD, but that exercise should be included as an essential element.

Of course, even those of us who don't struggle with mental illnes are concerned with keeping our brains healthy as we age. Here again Dr. Ratey argues that exercise is essential. He speculates that exercise tricks your brain "into thinking that you're younger and that you still need to grow, as opposed to being stationary and having atrophy occur." Also, when you keep on learning (new things) your brain continues to respond and build new pathways. This is very similar to what Dr. Michael Merzenich (one of the pioneers of brain plasticity) told us in BSP 105.

Dr. Ratey is working on a new book that will be an update on the science that has been done since Spark was published, but his 2008 interview remains one of my favorites. That's why I just released an updated version of this interview as BSP 111. 

How to get this episode:

• FREE: audio mp3 (click to stream, right click to download)

• Buy Episode Transcript for $1.

• Premium Subscribers now have unlimited access to all old episodes and transcripts.

• New episodes of the Brain Science Podcast are always FREE. All episodes posted after January 1, 2013, are free. See the individual show notes for links the audio files.

References and Links

• Visit http:johnratey.com.

• Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain (2008) by John J. Ratey

• A User's Guide to the Brain: Perception, Attention, and the Four Theaters of the Brain
  by John J. Ratey

• Soft-Wired: How the New Science of Brain Plasticity Can Change Your Life by Dr. Michael Merzenich PhD (References for Soft-Wired)

• See the episode transcript for additional references.

Related Episodes:

• BSP 45: Dr. Ratey talks about ADHD

• BSP 87: Dr. Patricia Greenwood talks about her book Nurturing the Older Brain and Mind.

• BSP 105: Dr. Michael Merzenich talks about his book Soft-Wired: How the New Science of Brain Plasticity Can Change Your Life.

Announcements:

• Reminder: The Brain Science Podcast mobile app is now FREE for iOS, Android and Windows Mobile. Click here to learn more.

• This is the first time I have reposted an older episode. I need listener suggestions about what other older episodes you would like me to share with new listeners.

• Don't forget to check out my other podcast Books and Ideas.

• Please share your feedback about this episode by sending email to brainsciencepodcast@gmail.com or going to the Brain Science Podcast Discussion Forum at http://brainscienceforum.com. You can also post to our fan pages on Facebook or Google+.

Brain Aging Research with Dr. Pamela Greenwood (BSP 87)

Pamela Greenwood, PhD

Nuturing the Older Brain and Mind, by Pamela M. Greenwood and Raja Parasuaman provides a comprehensive review of the current research in cognitive aging.  In the latest Brain Science Podcast (BSP 87), Dr. Greenwood explains that brain aging and cognitive aging are not the same thing; the typical brain changes that are associated with normal brain aging (such as shrinkage) are not reliable predictors of cognitive decline. Fortunately, even though normal brain aging is still not well understood, the discovery of brain plasticity is shifting the focus of research. Not only does brain plasticity offer new hope for people who suffer strokes and other brain injuries, it also suggests that life style choices influence cognitive function at all ages.

Nurturing the Older Brain and Mind is intended for an academic audience but it is accessible to everyone. This month's interview with Dr. Greenwood (BSP 87) focuses on dispelling the most stubborn myths about brain aging. We also talk about the practical steps we can all take to help maintain our cognitive performance.

How to get this episode:

• Buy mp3 for $1.

• Buy Transcript for $1.

• Premium Subscribers now have unlimited access to all old episodes and transcripts.

• New episodes of the Brain Science Podcast are always FREE. All episodes posted after January 1, 2013, are free. See the individual show notes for links the audio files.

Listen in your Favorite Audio app: Audible, Amazon music, Pandora, Spotify, YouTube and many more.

Related Episodes:

• BSP 10: Introduction to Brain Plasticity.

• BSP 26: Norman Doidge, author of The Brain That Changes Itself: Stories of Personal Triumph from the Frontiers of Brain Science.

• BSP 28: Edward Taub: applying brain plasticity to stroke rehabilitation.

• BSP 68: Peter Whitehouse on dementia versus normal brain aging.

References:

• Nurturing the Older Brain and Mind, by Pamela M. Greenwood and Raja Parasuraman (2012).

• The Brain That Changes Itself: Stories of Personal Triumph from the Frontiers of Brain Science, by Norman Doidge.

• Greenwood, P. M. (2007) Functional Plasticity in Cognitive Aging: Review and Hypothesis. Neuropsychology 21(6) 657–673.

• Greenwood, P. M., and Parashauraman, R. (2010) Neuronal and cognitive plasticity: A neurocognitive framework for ameliorating cognitive aging. Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience 2: 150.

• Gould, E. and Gross, C.G. (2002) Neurogenesis in adult mammals: Some progress and problems. Journal of Neuroscience 22 (3): 619-623.

• Taub, E., Uswatte, G., and Elbert, T. (2002) New treatments in neurorehabilitation founded on basic research. Nature Reviews Neuroscience 3 (3): 228-236.

• Grady, C. L., McIntosh, A.R., and Craik, F.I. (2003) Age-related differences in the functional connectivity of the hippocampus during memory encoding. Hippocampus 13 (5): 572-586.

• Colcombe, S.J., A.F. Kramer, K.I. Erickson, P. Scalf, E. McAuley, N.J. Cohen, A. Webb, et al.,

• Cardiovascular fitness, cortical plasticity, and aging. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A, 2004. 101(9): p. 3316-21.

• Hertzog, C., Kramer, A. F., Wilson, R. S. and Lindenberger, U. (2009) Enrichment effects on adult cognitive development: Can the functional capacity of older adults be preserved and enhanced? Psychological Science in the Public Interest 9 (1): 1-65.

• Kramer, A.F., Larish, J. F., and Strayer, D. L. (1995) Training for attentional control in dual tasking settings: A comparison of young and older adults. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied 1: 50-76.

• Nagamatsu, L.S., Handy, T. C., et. al. 2012. Resistance Training Promotes Cognitive and Functional Brain Plasticity in Seniors With Probable Mild Cognitive Impairment.Archives of Internal Medicine 172 (8) 666-668.

• Liu-Ambrosea, T., Nagamatsua, L.S., Vosse, M.W., Khanc, K.M., and. Handy, T. C. (2012) Resistance training and functional plasticity of the aging brain: a 12-month randomized controlled trial. Neurobiology of Aging 33: 1690 –1698.

• Willis, S.L. et. al (2006) Long-term effects of cognitive training on everyday functional outcomes in older adults. Journal of the American Medical Association 296 (23): 2805-2814.

• For more references: see Nurturing the Older Brain and Mind.

Announcements:

• Don't forget to check out my new eBook Are You Sure? The Unconscious Origins of Certainty. It is available from Amazon.com and you can buy the Pdf version here.

• Send me feedback at gincampbell at mac dot com.

• Post your comments on the Brain Science Podcast Facebook Fan Page, Google+, or in the BSP Discussion Forum (on Goodreads).

Alzheimer's Disease with Dr. Peter Whitehouse (BSP 68)

Brain Science Podcast 68 is an interview with Dr. Peter Whitehouse, co-author (with Daniel George) ofThe Myth of Alzheimer's: What You Aren't Being Told About Today's Most Dreaded Diagnosis.  Alzheimer's Disease originally referred to a relatively rare form of premature dementia, but in recent decades the diagnosis has been expanded to include patients of all ages. This change is not based on science, and in this interview we talk about why being labeled with with Alzheimer's may be doing older patients more harm than good.

Dr. Whitehouse is one of the pioneering researchers in this field, but advocates devoting resources to helping elders with with a wide range of age-related brain changes.  This interview should be of interest to physicians, scientists, as well as patients and their families.  I will be posting a supplemental interview with Daniel George, the co-author of The Myth of Alzheimer's later this month.  (Learn more at http://booksandideas.com)

How to get this episode:

• Premium Subscribers now have unlimited access to all old episodes and transcripts.

• Buy mp3 for $1.

• Buy Transcript for $1.

• New episodes of the Brain Science Podcast are always FREE.  All episodes posted after January 1, 2013, are free.  See the individual show notes for links the audio files.

Listen in your Favorite Audio app: Audible, Amazon music, Pandora, Spotify, YouTube and many more.

References:

• The Myth of Alzheimer's: What You Aren't Being Told About Today's Most Dreaded Diagnosis, by Peter J. Whitehouse, Daniel George.

• Dementia Reconsidered: the Person Comes First, by Tom Kitwood.

• Self, Senility, and Alzheimer's Disease in Modern America: A History, by Jesse F. Ballenger.

Links:

• Peter Whitehouse, MD: neurologist at Case Western Reserve School of Medicine.

• The Myth of Alzheimer's website (includes a discussion forum).

• The Intergenerational School in Cleveland, OH.

• Tom Kitwood: pioneered the "person-centered" approach to dementia.

• Dr. Alois Alzheimer: described  several cases of premature dementia (around 1901) that seemed to be associated with distinctive brain changes (discovered during autopsy).

• Emil Kraepelin: a contemporary and adversary of Sigmund Freud who introduced the term "Alzheimer's Disease" in his influencial textbook Psychiatry (1910).

• Robert Butler, MD: the first director of the National Institute on Aging.

• Drapetomania: an alleged mental illness invented in 1851 that supposedly caused slaves to run away.  As Dr. Whitehouse observed during his interview, "diseases are not discovered by doctors, they are invented."

Announcements:

• Subscribe to the Books and Ideas podcast to get the extra interview with Daniel George.

• The Brain Science Podcast iPhone application also works on the new iPad, but we are having to re-upload our old episode transcripts.

• Don't forget you can get show notes to each episode automatically if you subscribe to the Brain Science Podcast   Newsletter.

• This podcast is supported by listener donations.

Send feedback to brainsciencepodcast@gmail.com.