Many college student rely on caffeine for accelerated learning. However, contrary to what most people think, caffeine does not simultaneously stimulate all regions of your brain.

New brain imaging technology reveals that it preferentially stimulates the Frontal Lobes and the Anterior Cingulum. These areas are important for:

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.

For years it was thought (and taught!) that the brain can not create and make new brain cells.

This is false. Numerous studies have now conclusively proven otherwise.

What is really interesting, however, is that new studies show that the hippocampus- the memory engine of your mind- can actually

Look at the amount of fat in your subscapular area (the region on your back just beneath your shoulder blade). Do you have more fat there than most people you know? If so, you may be much more likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease.

Amy Rothman Schonfeld from Clinical Neurology News

Are you eating all organic yet? Organic foods taste much better. They’re vastly superior in nutrient content. But if these reasons aren’t good enough, here’s a fairly compelling one:

There have been numerous studies linking chronic, low-level pesticide exposure to

As we get older, we all begin to lose brain power. Some will just lose it faster than others.

The foods you eat play an enormous role in determining this rate.

In 2003, it was shown that eating fish at least once per week was associated with a 60% reduction in the risk of Alzheimer’s disease compared with eating fish rarely or never eating fish.

Growing up, kids are tought the difference between concrete and abstract. ‘Anger’, ‘love’, ‘happiness’, ’stress’ are abstract things because you can not touch them. Snow, paper, leather, and copper are concrete things, because you can touch them.

A recent study in the Annals of Neurology confirms the incredible power of brain food. The study showed people who followed a diet:

• low on meat
• low on dairy products
• heavy on fish
• heavy on fruits
• heavy on vegetables
• heavy on monosaturated fats

As mentioned in an earlier post, one of the most important aspects to keeping an aging mind sharp is to keep the blood vessels that feed the brain open.

Recent studies show that tomatoes are high in a special

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.

As we get older, every part of the body slowly degenerates. The brain is no different: as you age, you will lose brain power slowly but surely. No one can escape this. For those of you in your 20’s or 30’s, it is even happening to you right now as you read this.

Studies of students at colleges report that a whopping 16% or more had tried Ritalin.  This sort of thing was unheard of back in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s.

With drug company profits in excess of $3 billion per year for ADHD drugs alone, I’m almost inclined to post a link to a picture of what a real drug kingpin looks like…

A fairly recent study showed that zinc supplementation can improve brain power.

Researchers have found a link between the TV viewing habits of elderly women and brain power

One of the key concepts for preserving intelligence and brain power as you get older is:

Keep the pipes open.

In other words, make sure the blood vessels that feed the brain don’t get clogged and narrowed; i.e. atherosclerotic.

Scientists at the Douglas Hospital Research Centre have published a recent article in the European Journal of Neuroscience that suggests those who regularly drink black or green tea

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

can be increased. At least in elderly folks.

A very simple way for older folks to improve their IQ and brain power is to make sure their senses are working as best they can be. Quite of bit of research over the last few years has shown that when sensory perception is abnormal in elderly people, brain performance suffers and IQ drops-

New research out of Washington University suggests a great

Yet another scientific study

Over the last 15 years several studies have revealed how music can boost brain power.

• One study found students with music training scored 52 points higher on the verbal portion and 37 points higher on the math portion of the "old" SAT than students with no such training