Can certain smells boost brain power? Let’s first take a look at what else certain odors can do:

• Stores are now using special odors to make customers buy things and spend more money
• The leathery smell of a new car is an artificial odor sprayed on to enhance buyer satisfaction
• Casinos are using odors to make people gamble more
• London’s Heathrow Airport has used the scent of pine needles to reduce passenger tension and stress
• Bad odors can make people more aggressive.
• Olympic weight lifters have used smelling salts before competition to boost their strength
• Although going for a closed MRI scan can make people feel as if they’re getting buried alive, a vanilla-like odor has been shown to reduce anxiety by 63 percent in patients going for such a test. [Reference 1]

As you can see, smells are powerful forces that can change your mood and mindset. They have a surprising power to make us aggressive, happy, relaxed, anxious, focused, or aroused.

How can smells wield such power over us?

Odors can affect basic biologic processes. “Smell receptors” in your nose connect directly to the limbic area of the brain. (The limbic area is sometimes referred to as the “emotion center” of the brain.) The limbic area, in turn, connects to special brain regions that have major influences over basic bodily processes: (References 2-4)

• Heart rate
• Brain wave patterns (EEG)
• Blood pressure
• Muscle tension
• Skin temperature

Importantly, the limbic area also houses the hippocampus—the memory engine of the brain. Since smell signals project into the limbic area, it should not be too surprising, therefore, that smell can also affect memory. This leads us to the field of aromatherapy.

Aromatherapy seeks to capitalize on this nose-limbic system connection to enhance mental and physical well-being. Typically, its practitioners use essential oils (volatile organic oils derived from plants) to bring these changes about. While I am skeptical of many of the bold claims made for aromatherapy, certain studies have actually shown some real benefits and results.

Special odors can boost cognition

A study done in 2003 showed that rosemary could increase alertness. Additionally, it produced a “significant enhancement of performance for overall quality of memory and secondary memory factors”. (Reference 5)

Research out of the Neurological Clinic at the University of Kiel in Germany demonstrated that the essential oils of peppermint and eucalyptus increased cognitive performance. These same oils also had a muscle-relaxing and mentally relaxing effect. (Reference 6)

A survey of the aromatherapy literature also reveals this anecdotal evidence:

• Jasmine has been linked with an alert and awake mental state.
• Lavender may be good for reducing test anxiety or anxiety right before you give a speech. It may also be useful for reducing excess stress that may get in the way of studying.
• Vanilla lifts a person’s mood.
• Ginger is thought to promote alertness and stimulate cognition.
• Citrus is also felt to be energizing. Some companies are using lemon essential oils in offices to negate the effects of the post-lunch dip on alertness

Some cautions, however:

Odors may influence different people differently.

Just because essential oils come from plants does not mean that they are automatically safe. Be well informed before you use any essential oil. When not used properly, essential oils can do more harm than good.

"Aromatherapy for Dummies" by Kathi Keville is a good book to consult for more information on how to use essential oils responsibly.

Reference 1: Redd WH, Manne SL, Peters B, et al. Fragrance administration to reduce anxiety during MR imaging. J Magn Reson Imaging. Jul-Aug 1994;4(4):623-626.

Reference 2: Bensafi M, Rouby C, Farget V, et al. Autonomic nervous system responses to odours: the role of pleasantness and arousal. Chem Senses. Oct 2002;27(8):703-709.

Reference 3: Sanders C, Diego M, Fernandez M, et al. EEG asymmetry responses to lavender and rosemary aromas in adults and infants. Int J Neurosci. Nov 2002;112(11):1305-1320.

Reference 4: Kim YK, Watanuki S. Characteristics of electroencephalographic responses induced by a pleasant and an unpleasant odor. J Physiol Anthropol Appl Human Sci. Nov 2003;22(6):285-291.

Reference 5: Moss M, Cook J, Wesnes K, et al. Aromas of rosemary and lavender essential oils differentially affect cognition and mood in healthy adults. Int J Neurosci. Jan 2003;113(1):15-38.

Reference 6: Gobel H, Schmidt G, Soyka D. Effect of peppermint and eucalyptus oil preparations on neurophysiological and experimental algesimetric headache parameters. Cephalalgia. Jun 1994;14(3):228-234; discussion 182.

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There is an ever-growing body of scientific evidence indicating omega-3 fats likely play a very significant role in depression. Unfortunately, because drug companies can’t really profit from omega-3 oils (non-patentable), I doubt you’ll currently find many physicians who understand the potential significance of such a simple intervention.

Just a quick stroll through the medical literature reveals the following interesting lines of recent research findings:

• People who are depressed have smaller amounts of grey matter in the cingulate cortex, the right amygdala, and the right hippocampus. Now, new research by Sarah Conklin from the University of Pittsburgh reveals that people who have higher blood levels of omega-3 fats have higher volumes of grey matter in these same brain regions.

• Last year, a study out of the University of Pittsburgh showed that those with lower levels of omega-3 fats in their blood were more likely to be impulsive and have a negative outlook on life. Additionally, those with higher levels of omega-3 fats were less likely to have mild or moderate symptoms of depression.

[Source: The 65th Annual Scientific Conference of the American Psychosomatic Society in Budapest, Hungary, March 7-10, 2007]

• Another study published in the December 2006 issue of Biological Psychiatry reveals that patients who had severe depression (i.e., MDD “Major Depressive Disorder”) had a deficit of DHA (the brain’s major omega-3 fatty acid) in the orbitofrontal cortex. The study mentions how prior research reveals that people who suffer from severe depression (MDD) have a deficiency of omega 3 fatty acids in their blood cells.

[Source: Biol Psychiatry. 2006 Dec 21]

• A study published in the British Journal of Psychiatry reveals supplementing patients with suicidal behavior with omega 3 fats resulted in substantial reductions in this sort of behavior and improvements in well-being.

[Source: Br J Psychiatry. 2007 Feb;190:118-122]

• Another study published in the Journal of Affective disorders reveal that regular use of cod liver oil (which is rich in omega-3 fats) is associated with fewer symptoms of depression.

[Source: J Affect Disord. 2006 Dec 18]

• And finally, a meta-analysis (i.e., a review of many research papers) published in the December 2006 Journal of Clinical Psychiatry reveals “The preponderance of epidemiologic and tissue compositional studies supports a protective effect of omega-3 fat intake, particularly eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), in mood disorders” (i.e., major depressive disorders). Furthermore, “meta-analyses of randomized controlled trials demonstrate a statistically significant benefit in unipolar and bipolar depression (p = .02)”

[Source: J Clin Psychiatry. 2006 Dec;67(12):1954-67]

Please note: I am not saying a couple of omega-3 pills a day will cure depression. Many patients do truly need antidepressant drugs. The neuroscientific literature does, however, strongly suggest these special fats do play a very significant role in mediating depressive disorders. While I’ve given a sampling of some of the most recent studies, if you go back further to 2005, 2004, etc…, you will find many dozens of papers supporting this view.

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Your mental energy and ability to concentrate depend to a very large extent on the types of food you eat. Unfortunately, most people fall short when it comes to understanding how to best feed the brain. Here’s a short tip you may find helpful:

One of the quickest things you can implement to improve brain power is to modify the protein to carbohydrate ratio of your lunch. While it’s all too easy to down a large, tasty plate of food- most of us wind up ruining the rest of the afternoon’s mental productivity by consuming meals that are loaded with excess carbohydrates.

The modern diet suffers horribly from a surplus of carbs-with most meals having a protein to carb ratio in excess of 4:1. According to multiple lines of research, however, the human brain tends to perform much better with a ratio that is closer to 1:1 [Sample reference provided below].

So in other words, most people would do well to markedly reduce the amount of carbs in their lunches. By doing so, you’ll also lessen the chance you’ll become one of the 1 in 3 Americans who are slated to develop diabetes, which in itself is a major player in ruining the integrity and health of your brain cells.

[Reference: Fischer K, Colombani PC, Langhans W, et al. Carbohydrate to protein ratio in food and cognitive performance in the morning. Physiol Behav. Mar 2002;75(3):411-423.]

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There are many cognitive benefits to napping some of which I’ll be posting about over the next week or two. An interesting study out of the Harvard School of Public Health, however, indicates that an afternoon nap may also be very healthy for your heart.

The study, published in this month’s issue of Archives of Internal Medicine reveals that people who took an afternoon nap of 30 minutes or more at least three times a week had a 37% lower risk of dying from heart disease than those who did not.

Additionally, the study showed that those who took at least an occasional nap at work had a 64% lower risk of death from heart attacks or other heart-related ailments than those who did not nap.

Reference: Arch Intern Med. 2007;167:296-301. Siesta in Healthy Adults and Coronary Mortality in the General Population.

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Can college students pull an ‘All-Nighter’—staying up the entire night to cram for a test—and have their brains function close to normal the next day? The majority, of course, think so …

But several studies clearly show brain function takes a big hit after an all-nighter. Memory systems and frontal lobe function especially suffer. [References 2-6 below]

Take a look at the title of this article published in the journal Occupational & Environmental Medicine [Reference 1 below]:

Moderate Sleep Deprivation Produces Impairments in Cognitive and Motor Performance Equivalent to Legally Prescribed Levels of Alcohol Intoxication

According to the article, after 19+ hours without sleep, performance on cognitive tests reached levels equivalent to those associated with a BAC (blood alcohol concentration) of 0.1 percent. In the majority of states, a BAC of 0.08 percent is grounds for a DUI—an arrest for driving under the influence of alcohol! This means that if you pull an all-nighter, you don’t have enough brain function to legally drive a car.

As mentioned above, memory systems and frontal lobe function markedly suffer after an all-nighter. The functions of memory systems are obvious, but what do the frontal lobes do? They are brain regions important for:

• Verbal fluency (how well you speak, read, write, and understand)
• Creativity (how original, imaginative, and resourceful you are)
• Executive function (planning skills and problem solving skills

Frontal lobe function is therefore particularly important for:

• Exams in math, physics, chemistry, or economics, or in any other test that requires not only recall of information but application of recalled knowledge to new situations and problem solving
• Oral presentations, debates
• Essay tests in literature, history, social sciences, art

Frontal lobe function is less important in these:

• Multiple-choice tests that emphasize rote memorization
• Short answer tests that don’t involve much problem solving; that is, plain recall

However, it is worth repeating that after an all-nighter, all types of memory recall will be impaired regardless of the type of test you take.

ADDENDUM: If you’re a medical student or medical resident still suffering through crazy call schedules, you may want to print out the articles below and take them to the dean of your medical school or head of your residency program and tell them to stop being such hypocrites.

References:

1. Williamson AM, Feyer AM. Moderate sleep deprivation produces impairments in cognitive and motor performance equivalent to legally prescribed levels of alcohol intoxication. Occup Environ Med. Oct 2000;57(10):649-655.
2. Jones K, Harrison Y. Frontal lobe function, sleep loss and fragmented sleep. Sleep Med Rev. Dec 2001;5(6):463-475.
3. Kim DJ, Lee HP, Kim MS, et al. The effect of total sleep deprivation on cognitive functions in normal adult male subjects. Int J Neurosci. Jul 2001;109(1-2):127-137.
4. Halbach MM, Spann CO, Egan G. Effect of sleep deprivation on medical resident and student cognitive function: A prospective study. Am J Obstet Gynecol. May 2003;188(5):1198-1201.
5. Forest G, Godbout R. Effects of sleep deprivation on performance and EEG spectral analysis in young adults. Brain Cogn. Jun-Aug 2000;43(1-3):195-200.
6. Dahl RE. The impact of inadequate sleep on children’s daytime cognitive function. Semin Pediatr Neurol. Mar 1996;3(1):44-50.

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One of the greatest misunderstandings people have about the brain is their belief in “free energy”.

Hundreds of millions of students and workers all over the world consume drinks and pills in the hopes of magically relieving fatigue and boosting their energy levels without suffering any downside. Hence the popularity of Red Bull, Monster, Mountain Dew, Coke, Pepsi, energy pills, caffeine pills, amphetamines, cocaine, and of course coffee.

I’m a firm believer that when it comes to brain circuitry and energy metabolism, Newton’s Third Law still holds: Every action has an equal an opposite reaction.

Based on my years of studying the brain and expertise as a neurologist, I am deeply convinced that, on a fundamental level, the consequences of a chemical energizer are twofold:

• As high up as the drug brings you, you will afterwards sink to an equally commensurate low
• Pushing neural circuits into overdrive stresses the hardware, and leads to cumulative wear-and-tear type brain damage

In life, there are always tradeoffs, and everything has a benefit and a risk. Surely, there are times when it is worthwhile to consume a chemical energizer. The important point is to realize there is a downside to taking it, and therefore only use the minimal amount needed to get the job done.

Taking a large dose initially doesn’t mean the beneficial effect will last longer. It just means your handgun gun just magically became a nuclear bunker buster.

Back in college, I never thought twice about downing an oversize vanilla cappuccino to help get in the studying mood. In actuality, all that was probably needed was a few sips at the start and maybe another couple sips an hour or two later.

Just because Monster Energy shoves 16 ounces of caffeinated sugar into a can doesn’t mean you need to drink all of it.

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The neurologic theory of Consolidation states that things you learn during the day are etched more permanently down in memory at night while you sleep. In other words, sleep plays a major role in learning and memorizing.

New proof of this process comes from researchers out of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, who recently published their work in the December 18th issue of Nature Neuroscience.

The research basically shows that the hippocampus, which initially records information while awake, rewinds and replays its stored data at night and passes it along to the neocortex while you’re sleeping . The neocortex is thought to be the long-term home of memories, and is also the place where higher order thinking takes place.

So basically, no sleep, no transfer of knowledge to long-term memory.

And if you’re not getting a full 8-10 hours of sleep per night, you’re probably shortchanging your true learning potential.

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Snoring can be one of the signs of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), a relatively common disease that affects children and adults. There’s been quite a bit of press lately about it- and for good reason: sleep apnea, which tends to be greatly underdiagnosed, can have a tremendous affect on your brain power.

Furthermore, unlike many neurologic conditions, it is usually easy to treat. Patients are usually prescribed a CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure) mask to wear at night over their nose.

[above picture taken from the Mayo Clinic Website)

A new study out of Brown University Medical School looked at how memory ability faired with CPAP usage.

• Of those who used it less than 2 hours per night (i.e., poorly compliant), 21% had normal memory function
• Of those who used it 2-6 hours per night, 44% had normal memory function
• Of those who used it more than 6 hours per night (optimal treatment, compliant), 68% had normal memory function

“Patients with OSA often complain of daily forgetfulness, e.g., losing their keys, forgetting phone numbers, or forgetting to complete daily tasks,” said senior study author Mark S. Aloia, PhD, who published his research in the December issue of the medical journal Chest. “Where memory is concerned, we may have the ability to reverse some of the impairments by providing effective and consistent use of CPAP treatment.”

Unfortunately, I’ve noticed that compliance is an issue, as many patients don’t get used to the CPAP machine and find it intrusive.

You may want to read an earlier post about how sleep apnea can:

• Damage the hippocampus- one of the main memory centers of the brain, and also
• Lower children’s IQ test scores

Another post discusses how enlarged tonsils can lead to sleep apnea, which in turn can lead to ADHD in children.

For a list of sleep apnea symptoms and associated features, click here.

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There have been several studies lately that reveal how bad sleep disordered breathing can be for your brain.

Now, a recent article published in the journal Public Library of Science Medicine shows how harmful sleep apnea can be to even children’s minds. The study, conducted by Dr. Ann Halbower and colleagues at Johns Hopkins University, reveals kids who have sleep apnea have:

• significant changes in the hippocampus (the memory engine of the brain) and right prefrontal cortex (important for thinking & reasoning) indicative of brain damage
• lower mean IQ test scores (85 vs. 101)
• poorer verbal working memory and verbal fluency test performance

Halbower notes:

We can only assume that it could turn an otherwise smart kid into a mediocre kid, which could mark him for life

From the article (which you can read here), signs of sleep apnea include: snoring, pauses in breathing, loud or labored breathing, gasping, coughing, and choking.

An earlier study I posted discussed the relationship between ADHD and enlarged tonsils (which leads to sleep apnea).

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Many turn to soft drinks loaded with sugar for energy. These drinks are everywhere; you can’t leave your house without passing a coke or pepsi vending machine. The common belief is that the sugar bolus gives you that extra mental energy boost.

A new study, however, shows otherwise. 80 minutes into testing, subjects made more mistakes on a test of vigilance and attention. Their reaction times also appeared slower, and there was also a trend towards greater sleepiness.

The study was published in the July issue of Human Psychopharmacology: Clinical and Experimental.

Modern science clearly teaches us these soft drinks are very bad for your health. The flood of sugar wreaks havoc on the pancreas, sends insulin levels on a rollar coaster ride, and ruins the metabolic machinery of your cells. If you’re itching to become part of the 1 in 3 Americans who develops diabetes, keep drinking.

[ for a great student gift idea, be sure to check out Smartkit Student Guidebook ]

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Chronic Fatigue Syndrome affects over 1 million Americans. Frequent symptoms include trouble concentrating, poor memory, and of course lack of energy.

The largest study to date on the syndrome was recently released, and interestingly reveals that people who suffer from it tend to have very high levels of physical and/or psychological stress in their lives (April 2006 Pharmacogenomics).

So excessive stress basically sucks your mental energy away, and impairs your memory and ability to concentrate.

By what mechanism does this happen?

Stress causes the hormone cortisol to flood into your body. Cortisol has potent effects on almost every organ system, and when present in excess, disrupts your immune system, cardiovascular system, digestive system, as well as your brain. Earlier we discussed what stress does to the hippocampus- just one, specific, but very important area of the brain. But there are other areas that also get injured.

Here’s a nice overview on how stress biochemically injures your organs (Mayo Clinic webpage).

A significant amount of research over the past several years indicates that stress also plays a major role in:

• Diabetes
• Atherosclerosis (which leads to heart attacks and strokes)
• Cancer

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A recent study out of the University of Michigan School of Medicine showed that 11 out of 22 children were cured of their ADHD when their enlarged tonsils were removed.

Large tonsils are thought to lead to breathing problems during sleep.

Why is this important? Numerous research studies have come out recently showing that sleep disorders are probably responsible for a large percentage of ADHD cases.

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The results from this recent study out of the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center are very unsettling:

After just 3 months of use, Ritalin has been found to significantly damage children’s DNA (Cancer Letters 2005;230:284-91).

What is DNA? It is the fundamental blueprint for your body. All of the cells, organs, and systems in your body are entirely dependent on it.

Imagine you hire an architect to draw up plans for your new custom house. After many months of hard work, he delivers the blueprints to the builder’s mailbox. Unfortunately, a vandal gets hold of them, erases lines, changes the scale, draws new lines, reconfigures the electrical layout, etc…

How is your new house going to look? Are you even going to be able to live in it?

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Many college student rely o