The adult human brain is unexpectedly malleable: it can rewire itself and even grow new cells. Here are some habits that can fine-tune your mind



a) Scientists are discovering that the adult human brain is far more malleable than they once thought. Your behavior and environment can cause substantial rewiring of your brain or a reorganization of its functions.



b) Studies have mentioned that exercise can improve the brains executive skills, which include planning, organizing and multitasking. What you eat can also influence how successfully your brain operates.



c) Activities such as listening to music, playing video games and meditating may enhance cognitive performance as well.



Scientists are focusing that the adult brain is far more malleable than they once thought. Our behavior and environment can cause considerable rewiring of the brain or a reorganization of its functions and where they are located. Some believe that even our patterns of thinking alone are enough to reshape the brain.



Researchers now identify that neurogenesis (the birth of new neurons) is a normal feature of the adult brain. Studies have shown that one of the most active regions for neurogenesis is the hippocampus, a structure that is vitally important for learning and long-term memory.



Neurogenesis also takes place in the olfactory bulb, which is involved in processing smells. But not all the neurons that are born survive; in fact, most of them die. To survive, the new cells need nutrients and connections with other neurons that are already thriving. Scientists are currently identifying the factors that affect the rate of neurogenesis and the survival of new cells. Mental and physical exercise, for instance, both boost neuron survival.

Also in this issue of Mind



Technique1: EXERCISE

Mice that run on wheels increase the number of neurons in their hippocampus and perform better on tests of learning and memory. Studies of humans have revealed that exercise can improve the brains executive functions (planning, organizing, multitasking, and more). Exercise is also well known for its mood-boosting effects, and people who exercise are less likely to get dementia as they age. Among those who are already aged, athletic senior citizens have better executive function than do those who are inactive.



A variety of mechanisms might be responsible for this brain boost. Exercise increases blood flow to the brain, which also increases the delivery of oxygen, fuel and nutrients to those hard-working neurons. Research has shown that exercise can increase levels of a substance called brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), which encourages growth, communication and survival of neurons.



New research suggests a little music can make your workout better yet. Volunteers completed two workout sessions. In one, they sweated to the sweet sound of silence; in the other, they listened to Vivaldis Four Seasons. After each workout, participants completed assessments of their mood and verbal skills. Exercise alone was enough to boost both, but verbal scores improved twice as much when the exercisers had tunes to listen to.



Exercise also improves sleep quality, a pile of studies suggests. Studies of senior citizens have shown that as little as 20 minutes of walking a day can do the trick.



Technique2: DIET

The brain needs fuel just as the body does. So what will really boost your brainpower, and what will make you lose your mind? Saturated fat, that familiar culprit, is no better for the brain than it is for the body.



Not all fat is bad news, however. The brain is mostly fatall those cell membranes and myelin coverings require fatty acidsso it is important to eat certain fats, particularly omega-3 fats, which are found in fish, nuts and seeds. Alzheimers disease, depression, schizophrenia and other disorders may be associated with low levels of omega-3 fatty acids.



Fruits and vegetables also appear to be brain super foods. Produce is high in substances called antioxidants, which counteract atoms that can damage brain cells. Researchers have found that high-antioxidant diets keep learning and memory sharp in aging rats and even reduce the brain damage caused by strokes. Thats food for thought.



Its not just what you eat that affects the brain. Its also how much. Research has shown that laboratory animals fed calorie-restricted dietsanywhere from 25 to 50 percent less than normallive longer than other animals do. And it turns out they also have improved brain function, performing better on tests of memory and coordination. Rodents on calorie-restricted diets are also better able to resist the damage that accompanies Alzheimers, Parkinsons and Huntingtons disease.



Some of the best brain foods: walnuts, blueberries and spinach.



It is especially important that babies get enough fat. Babies who dont get enough of the stuff have trouble creating the fatty myelin insulation that helps neurons transmit signals. Populations that traditionally eat diets high in omega-3 fatty acids tend to have lower rates of disorders of the central nervous system.



Technique3: STIMULANTS

Stimulants are substances that rev up the nervous system, increasing heart rate, blood pressure, energy, breathing and more. Caffeine is probably the most famous of the group. (It is actually the most widely used drug in the world.) By activating the central nervous system, caffeine improves arousal and alertness. In high doses, though, this stimulation can go too far, causing jitters, anxiety and insomnia.



Cocaine and amphetamines are less benign. Although they work on the brain through different mechanisms, they have similar effects. Taking them increases the release of some of the brains feel-good neurotransmittersincluding dopamine and serotoninand produces a rush of euphoria. They also increase alertness and energy.



That all sounds pretty good , but cocaine and amphetamines are extremely addictive drugs and in high doses they can cause psychosis and withdrawal. The withdrawal symptoms are nasty and can lead to depression, the opposite of that joyful feeling. And of course, an overdose can kill you.



Although high doses of caffeine can undoubtedly have unpleasant effects (ranging from irritability to the most unpleasant of all: death in rare cases), small to moderate amounts can boost our mental functioning in ways researchers are now measuring.



One study showed that the equivalent of two cups of coffee can boost short-term memory and reaction time. Functional MRI scans taken during the study also revealed that volunteers who had been given caffeine had increased activity in the brain regions involving attention. In addition, research suggests caffeine can protect against age-related memory decline in older women.



Three quarters of the caffeine we ingest comes from coffee. Try to limit yourself to fewer than 100 cups a day. That much coffee contains about 10 grams of caffeine, enough to cause fatal complications.



One of fictions most famous stimulant users is the great caper cracker Sherlock Holmes. Many of the detectives capers include descriptions of the relief he found from injecting cocaine. It must be tough to make sure justice is done.



Technique4: VIDEO GAMES

Video games could save your life. Surgeons who spend at least a few hours a week playing video games make one-third fewer errors in the operating room than non gaming doctors do. Indeed, research has shown that video games can improve mental dexterity, while boosting hand-eye coordination, depth perception and pattern recognition. Gamers also have better attention spans and information-processing skills than the average Joe has. When non gamers agree to spend a week playing video games (in the name of science, of course), their visual-perception skills improve. And strike your notions of gamers as outcasts: one researcher found that white-collar professionals who play video games are more confident and social.



A number of studies have reinforced this link. Young men who play a lot of violent video games have brains that are less responsive to graphic images, suggesting that these gamers have become desensitized to such depictions. Another study revealed that gamers had patterns of brain activity consistent with aggression while playing first-person shooter games.



This does not necessarily mean these players will actually be violent in real life. The connections are worth exploring, but so far the data do not support the idea that the rise of video games is responsible for increased youth violence.



Video games activate the brains reward circuits but do so much more in men than in women, according to a new study. Researchers hooked men and women up to functional MRI machines while the participants played a video game designed for the study. Both groups performed well, but the men showed more activity in the limbic system, which is associated with reward processing. What is more, the men showed greater connectivity between the structures that make up the reward circuit, and the better this connection was in a particular player, the better he performed. There was no such correlation in women. Men are more than twice as likely as women are to say they feel addicted to video games.



Technique5: MUSIC

When you turn on Queens Greatest Hits, the auditory cortex analyzes the many components of the music: volume, pitch, timbre, melody and rhythm. But theres more to musics interaction with the brain than just the raw sound. Music can also activate your brains reward centers and depress activity in the a amygdale, reducing fear and other negative emotions.



Music does seem to possess some good vibrations. It can treat anxiety and insomnia, lower blood pressure, soothe patients with dementia, and help premature babies to gain weight..



Music training can bolster the brain. The motor cortex, cerebellum and corpus callosum (which connects the brains two sides) are all bigger in musicians than in non musicians. And string players have more of their sensory cortices devoted to their fingers than do those who dont play the instruments. There is no agreement yet on whether musical training makes you smarter, but some studies have indeed shown that music lessons can improve the spatial abilities of young kids.



Technique6: MEDITATION



Meditation, or the turning of the mind inward for contemplation and relaxation, seems to help all types of conditionsanxiety disorders, sure, but it can also reduce pain and treat high blood pressure, asthma, insomnia, diabetes, depression and even skin conditions.



And regular meditators say they feel more at ease and more creative than non meditators do.

Researchers are now illuminating the actual brain changes caused by meditation by sticking meditators into brain-imaging machines. For one, although the brains cells typically fire at all different times, during meditation they fire in synchrony. Expert meditators also show spikes of brain activity in the left prefrontal cortex, an area of the brain that has generally been associated with positive emotions. And those who had the most activity in this area during meditation also had big boosts in immune system functioning.



Meditation can increase the thickness of the cerebral cortex, particularly in regions associated with attention and sensation. (The growth does not seem to result from the cortex growing new neurons, thoughit appears that the neurons already there make more connections, the number of support cells increases, and blood vessels in that area get bigger.)



Meditation can increase focus and attention, improving performance on cognitive tasks.