Tariq Nelson

Brain Enhancement

2 Responses to “Brain Enhancement”

1. 

   ummadam, on November 14th, 2006 at 11:02 am Said:

   Verily, that site is da bomb! I’m still reviewing the memory and concentration tips, insha’Allah it will be beneficial for Hifdhul Quran. Some points of benefit:

   1.Exposure to green outdoor settings (parks, trees, grassy backyards, etc…) can significantly improve concentration and productivity. Also noted is that green spaces can lead to “profound differences in attention capacities”.

   2. A new study out of Boston University and UCLA and published in the journal Current Biology, confirms that learning is more efficient when multiple senses are involved.

   The researchers (led by Aaron Seitz) found that stimuli involving both vision and hearing can be combined to produce speedier learning of visual information.

   For example, after reading a couple pages of notes or text, turn away and try to summarize what you just read. Instead of doing it mentally, however, if you actually recall the info aloud- so that you’re also hearing it- you’ll be implementing the concept of multisensory learning.
   ****This is what I have found works well for me with Quran!****
   3.While reviewing, its can be helpful to mix new information in with the old.

   4.A new study published in the May issue of The Lancet Neurology suggests that those who socialize with friends and family members are less likely to suffer the damaging effects of Alzheimer’s disease.

   The study seems to indicate the larger your social network, the more your brain and its cognitive power is protected.

   5.In the last several years, several small studies seem to indicate that chewing gum can help reduce stress and improve short- and long-term memory.

   Is it the sugar or the chewing?

   One study out of the University of Northumbria on 75 healthy volunteers found the improvement was present even when the gum was sugar-free.

   ***I remember hereing a tape of Aboo Usamah, in the nineties, where he talked about some gum that the Talibul Ilm were chewing for memory. I thought I had found it at Halaco, but maybe that wasn’t it. Anybody remember the name of it?***

   6. Children in elementary and middle school typically need 9.5 - 10 hours of sleep per night (probably closer to 10). When they only get 8-9 hours of sleep, their brain function and ability to learn drops markedly. Surprisingly, research studies seem to indicate just this 1 extra hour of sleep a night can make a very large difference.

   Recent studies suggest that up to 30% of school-age kids are not getting enough sleep.

   As strange as this may sound, when kids do not get enough sleep, their behavior the next day commonly mimics that of ADHD.

   7. A recent study out of Massachussetts General Hospital found that meditating actually increases the thickness of the brain in areas involved in attention and sensory processing.

   Interestingly, the study also found evidence that meditation may slow down shrinkage of the brain due to aging.

   8. Researchers have found a link between the TV viewing habits of elderly women and brain power. The more soap operas and TV talk shows they watched, the lower their mental capacity and cognitive skills.

   Women who watched talk shows were 7 times more likely to have long-term memory problems. Those who watched soap operas were 13 more times likely to experience memory problems.

   9. A new study led by Dr. Bryan Raudenbush found that eating chocolate can improve cognitive performance, mood, and task workload.

   “Composite scores for verbal and visual memory were significantly higher”, as was reaction time.

   It is interesting to note that chocolate contains numerous chemicals which act on the brain:

   theobromine(a stimulant)
   marijuana like substances (anandamide)
   Phenethylamine (aka PEA, a stimulant, “love drug”)
   caffeine

   10.

   A new study that tracked 2500 Australian children for 16 years found that babies breastfed for less than six months had a 61% increased risk of mental health problems at 8 years of age than those children breastfed for longer.

   The study was done by a team at the Telethon Institute for Child Health Research in Perth.

   Earlier this month, researchers out of the University of Edinburgh claimed their findings show breast milk does not boost IQ. However, this goes against mounds of previous research indicating breast milk does in fact boost brain power.

2. 

   AnonyMouse, on November 15th, 2006 at 8:41 pm Said:

   Looks good, masha’Allah!
   Should be very helpful, ’specially as I’m actually prepping for a Social Studies test right now…

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