Brain rhythm? Do you have it? How can we get it?

Does your brain have good rhythm?

[Made this post at IQ Brain Clock sister blog...but thought IQs Corner readers might find interesting]

Very interesting research (Thut & Miniussi, 2009; Trends in Cognitive Sciences) being reported on the synchronization of brain oscillation behavior (brain rhythms) and neurotechnology to stimulate brain rhythm to enhance cognitive and motor performance.

The whole concept of neurological or brain rhythm has permeated a number of strands of research related to the internal mind or brain clock (mental interval timing). Also, if you've viewed my two on-line PPT presentations on (a) mental timing (IQ Brain Clock) and (b) trying to explain the positive effects of Interactive Metronome on a variety of cognitive and motor outcomes, you will see mention of hypothesized mechanisms dealing with synchrony of brain circuits, coordination of brain regions, increased neural efficiency, etc...all that seem to possibly relate to what researchers are now calling brain rhytyms.

Very interesting stuff. Although electronically or magnetically stimluating the brain to increase neural syncrhonization and rhythm is interesting, as noted in the two PPT slides linked above, I've hypothesized that the positive effect of less expensive technologies (e.g., Interactive Metronome ; conflict of interest - I'm on the IM Scientific Advisory Board) might be accomplishing similar effects by "fine-tunning brain rhythms."

Below is the abstract for the above linked article. Warning..it is a very technical article and not an easy read. Make sure your brain rhythms are at peak performance before trying to read the article.

There is renewed interest in the functional role of oscillatory brain activity in specific frequency bands, investigated in humans through electroencephalography (EEG) and magnetoencephalography (MEG) recordings. In parallel, there is a growing body of research on noninvasive direct stimulation of the human brain via repetitive (rhythmic) transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), and on those frequencies that have the strongest behavioural impact. There is, therefore, great potential in combining these two lines of research to foster knowledge on brain rhythms, in addition to potential therapeutic applications of rhythmic brain stimulation. Here, we review findings from this rapidly evolving field linking intrinsic brain oscillations to distinct sensory, motor and cognitive operations. The findings emphasize that brain rhythms are causally implicated in cognitive functions.

Technorati Tags: psychology, school psychology, educational psychology, neuropsychology, neuroscience, neurotechnology, brain stimulation, brain clock, brain rhytm, neural efficiency

Brain investment return rate of early education

Fascinating post re: research on the rate-of-return for investing in brain development via early education.  Check it out at the Frontal Cortex.

Technorati Tags: psychology, brain fitness, plasticity, early education, IQ, IQ enhancement, intelligence, cognition, school psychology, education, educational psychology, neuropsychology

NYTimes book review: Get Smart

From The New York Times:

Get Smart
By JIM HOLT

A prominent cognitive psychologist stresses the nonhereditary factors
in determining I.Q....

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/29/books/review/Holt-t.html

Get The New York Times on your iPhone for free by visiting http://nytimes.com/iphoneinstaller

Kevin McGrew PhD
Educational/School Psych.
IAP (www.iapsych.com)

Sent from KMcGrew iPhone (IQMobile). (If message includes an image-
double click on it to make larger-if hard to see)

IQ's Corner random tidbits from mind blogosphere

• Thanks to the Brain Injury blog for the tip re: a new Spanish language web site on neurological disorders
• Check out the GNIF Brain Blogger for report that silent small strokes can accelerate the progresson of Alzheimer's
• Check out the Happy Neuron for some new brain fitness games (free trials available)
• The brain blog carnival Encephalon (#38) is now available. Thanks to the ever current Mind Hacks.
• Learning from mistakes...or not? Check out the "dopamine effect" (and basal ganglia) post at the Mouse Trap.
• PsycPort has posted a news report of a new study that confirms a long held belief.....foster care is better for cognitive development that being raised in an institution.
  

Technorati Tags: psychololgy, neuroscience, neuropsychology, educational psychology, Spanish, Alzheimers, strokes, brain fitness, brain blog carnival, IQ, IQ scores, intelligence, foster care, dopamine, learning, basal ganglia

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Fine tuning the brain clock results in better school performance? Media report

If you are interested in the concept of an internal brain clock and possible neuro-based interventions to fine-tune the clocks resolution, with the objective to improve academic functioning of school-age children, check out the today's post at the IQ Brain Clock.

Technorati Tags: psychology, educational psychology, education, learning, brain clock, Interactive Metronome, neurotechnology, intelligence, cognition, attention, ADHD

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James "Flynn Effect" Flynn in the news again

James Flynn has been making the rounds recently, probably due to his new book "What is intelligence: Beyond the Flynn Effect.". Check out the following

• 10 Questions for James Flynn at Gene Expression
• "Shattering intelligence: Implications for education and interventions" essay at CATO Unbound [Thanks to J. McMaster for this tip]

Click here to view all recent Flynn Effect postings at IQ's Corner

Technorati Tags: psychology, educational psychology, school psychology, neuropsychology, intelligence, general intelligence, g, Flynn Effect, IQ, IQ scores, intelligence quotient, IQ tests

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What is intelligence: Beyond the Flynn Effect

It looks like James Flynn (of the infamous "Flynn Effect" fame) has just published a new book on intelligence. I've not read it nor do I have a copy. This is an fyi post.

Technorati Tags: psychology, educational psychology, school psychology, neuropsychology, cognition, intelligence, IQ, IQ test, IQ score, g, Flynn Effect

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Random tidbits from the mind blogosphere 8-21-07

• Check out eh British Psychological Society (BPS) blog for a post regarding new research on the formation of new memories.
• The 15th edition of the Brain Blogging carnival is now available
• Living the Scientific Life has an interesting post regarding the age-related benefits of coffee for females 65 years of age or older.
  

Technorati Tags: psychology, educational psychology, school psychology, neuropsychology, memory, Glr, Brain Blogging, brain carnival, coffee, caffeine, brain fitness, cognition, intelligence

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Brain damage can make you smarter?

Interesting post on the ever great DI blog on a recent study that suggests that brain injury to the prefrontal cortex might actually help with certain kinds of problem solving.

Now...this does not mean you should run out and bang the front of your head on a brick wall.

Technorati Tags: psychology, educational psychology, neuropsychology, neuroscience, intelligence, cognition, IQ, prefrontal cortext, executive function, brain injury

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Auditory processing (Ga) malleability/intervention

Check out the post on auditory timing/processing (Ga) malleability posted at IQ's Corner sister blog...the IQ Brain Clock.

Can disabling a gene make you smarter - Joel Schneider guest post

The following is a guest blog post by Joel Schneider (Clinical psychologist, Illinois State University), a member of IQs Corner Virtual Community of Scholars project.

Can Disabling a Gene Make You Smarter?

Try answering this analogy: Athletes are to Steroids as Scholars are to ___________.

Erdos’s joke that mathematicians are machines that turn coffee into theorems notwithstanding, there is no really good answer to this question. That may change in the near future, however. Soon we may be faced with a deluge of drugs and genetic procedures that enhance cognitive functioning.

A new study to be published in Nature Neuroscience was released recently may be a harbinger of things to come. The researchers disabled a gene in mice and the mice with the disabled gene performed better than the control group on a variety of cognitive tasks like navigating mazes and remembering how to avoid shocks. The gene in question codes for an enzyme that is implicated in Alzheimer’s dementia.

Here is the new twist: the gene was disabled in adult mice and only in the brain! Amazing! If these similar techniques become available for humans, the raging controversies about whether IQ is partly inherited will be moot. Soon envious people will spread rumors about “unnaturally” quicklearners and call them names like “brain-tweakers” and “GENE-iuses.”

Technorati Tags: psychology, educational psychology, neuropsychology, neuroscience, genetics, behavior genetics, IQ, intelligence, IQ scores, intervention

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Music training and sensitivity to speech sounds (Ga)

A forthcoming brief article in the April issue of Nature Neuroscience continues to support the connection between learning music and sensitivity to speech sounds (Ga), a skill important for early reading. Check out the press release as well as a copy of the article.

Technorati Tags: psychology, education, educational psychology, neuropsychology, neuroscience, music, Ga, auditory processing, speech sounds, reading, music training

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Ravens test and Flynn Effect webcast

Thanks to Dr. Steve Hughes, Director of Research, The TOVA Company, and Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota Medical School, for the follow-up to a prior IQ's Corner post that announced the webcast of a presentation by Dr. John Raven on the topic "The Raven Progressive Matrices and the Flynn Effect: Review and Recent Research."

Dr. Hughes just dropped me an email altering me to the fact that the entire 90 minute webcast is now archived and available for viewing via the University of Minnesota BREEZE technology server (click here to view).

In addition, it appears that Dr. Raven will be back in Minnesota in March for a two day seminar that expands on some of this material, and covers more territory on fostering high-level competencies, effective educational environments and how to change the education system to actually produce such outcomes. When I know more, I will make a post with specific information.

Technorati Tags: psychology, educational psychology, neuropsychology, neuroscience, cognition, intelligence, IQ, IQ test, IQ score, Raven, Ravnes, RPM, Ravens test, Flynn Effect, University Minnesota, TOVA
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Random tidbits from mind blogsphere 1-10-07

• Developing Intelligence continues its excellent streak of neuroscience posts. Today dealt with the possible functional organization of the prefrontal cortex...that part of the brain integral to executive functions
• Yippeeeee!!!!!!!! Another report (at Happy Neuron) that suggests coffee may be beneficial to my brain health. This is one of the few vices I have left. I'm pumped. I think I'll go get a triple shot.
• Check out Mind Hacks for information on "neural time travel."
• More on memory improvement methods at Sharp Brains.

Technorati Tags: psychology, educational psychology, neuropsychology, neuroscience, blogsphere, mind, executive function, brain fitness, prefrontal cortex, coffee, caffeine, intelligence, cognition

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Enhancement of working memory

Developing Intelligence, which recently moved to Science Blogs, has a post today re: potential drug-induced methods to improve working memory.

Technorati Tags: psychology, educational psychology, school psychology, neuropsychology, neuroscience, working memory, short term memory, executive functions, intelligence, cognition

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SharpBrains feature added to sister blog

Interested in keeping abreast with the neurotechnology/brain fitness movement?

If you are, check out the blog post reproduced below from my sister blog...Tick Tock Talk: The IQ Brain Clock blog. If you want to keep abreast you will need to regularly visit the IQ Brain Clock blog....or, routinely check SharpBrains yourself.

I continue to tinker with the focus and direction of the IQ Brain Clock blog. As noted in the blog description, aside from a primary focus on mental time-keeping research, interesting neuroscience research, particularly that related to education, is another focus.

As I've started to monitor more neuroscience-related blogs, I've become increasingly interested in the neurotechnology/brain fitness movement.

Given the above, I've decided that I should not attempt to reinvent the wheel and should let "the" blog in this domain (SharpBrains) speak for itself, and I should simply provide an automatic RSS feed mechanism for readers. Thus, beneath the RSS topic feed from my "mother" blog (IQs Corner), I've now added an RSS feed feature for recent topics posted at SharpBrains. Readers can now readily keep track of whats "happening" over at SharpBrains and then click and go to the mother source.

I hope readers find this useful.

Random tidbits from the brain and mind blogsphere 11-1-06

• The BBC has an interesting news story about the future including new "brain boost" drugs that might enhance intellectual performance.
• Science Dailey reports on a study from Chapel Hill's Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute that highlights the important role fathers play in child language development
• SharpBrains has a nice post, with lots of links, regarding "neurogenesis and how learning saves your neurons"
  

Technorati Tags: psychology, educational pysychology, neuropsychology, neuroscience, intelligence, IQ, brain, plasticity, neurgenesis, neurons, brain drugs, cognitive enhancement, language, language development, fathers

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Collective intelligence?

Thanks to Positive Technology Journal for the FYI regarding MIT's "collective intelligence" project, which will investigate if people connected via computers can act more intelligently than individuals or other groups.

Technorati Tags: psychology, educational psychology, education, school psychology, IQ, intelligence, MIT, collective intelligence, Positive Technology Journal

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Breastfeeding kids makes them smart, right? Guest post by Joel Schneider

The following is a guest blog post by Joel Schneider (Clinical psychologist, Illinois State University), a member of IQs Corner Virtual Community of Scholars project.

Breastfeeding kids makes them smart, right?

Well, maybe not!

A new paper by Der, Batty, and Deary (2006) suggests that although breast milk has many wonderful properties, IQ enhancement is not one of them. Here is a summary of the evidence:

• Like virtually every other study on the matter, this paper found in a large representative sample of U.S. mothers and their children that breast-fed children have higher IQ scores than children who were not breast-fed. The advantage is about 4.5 IQ points, which is substantial but not huge (a 4.5 point boost would move an average score to the 62^nd percentile).
• Unlike most other studies, this one also measured the IQ scores of the mothers. Once mothers’ IQ is controlled for statistically, the breast milk boost shrinks to only 1.3 IQ points.
• The researchers also found a subset of mothers in their sample who breastfed some of their children but not others. On average, the breast-fed siblings did not score significantly higher than their siblings who were not breast fed.
• A systematic review of other studies that also controlled for maternal IQ also found that breastfeeding had little effect on IQ.

This paper deals a strong blow to the theory that breastfeeding has long-term cognitive benefits beyond those that can be had from the responsible use of high-quality formula milk. It appears that the higher IQ of breast-fed children is not a result of the breast milk itself but is instead inherited directly from their high-IQ mothers.

It is possible that future research will refine our understanding of the cognitive benefits of breast milk. There is reason to believe that this paper is not final word on the matter. This study measured “IQ” with the Peabody Individual Achievement Test (PIAT), a test of math reasoning and reading comprehension. While it is true that this test correlates strongly with traditional IQ tests, traditional IQ typically measure a much broader array of abilities. It is possible that breast milk enhances abilities that were not measured by the PIAT. For example, perhaps breast milk enhances nonverbal reasoning, mental processing speed, or short-term memory. These kinds of abilities are less strongly influenced by the effects of schooling and the family environment and are more directly tied to the overall biological integrity of the brain.

The researchers strongly caution against overinterpreting the results of the study. It is not known how the results might have been different for preterm infants or for infants from developing nations. They agree with the World Health Organization’s statement that breast milk is “an unequalled way of providing ideal food for the healthy growth and development of infants.”

• Der, G., Batty, G.D., & Deary, I.J. (2006). Effect of breast feeding on intelligence in children: prospective study, sibling pairs analysis, and meta-analysis, British
  Medical Journal, doi:10.1136/bmj.38978.699583.55

Abstract

• Objective: To assess the importance of maternal intelligence, and the effect of controlling for it and other important confounders, in the link between breast feeding and children’s intelligence.
• Design: Examination of the effect of breast feeding on cognitive ability and the impact of a range of potential confounders, in particular maternal IQ, within a national database. Additional analyses compared pairs of siblings from the sample who were and were not breast fed. The results are considered in the context of other studies that have also controlled for parental intelligence via meta-analysis.
• Setting: 1979 US national longitudinal survey of youth.
• Subjects: Data on 5475 children, the offspring of 3161 mothers in the longitudinal survey.
• Main outcome measure: IQ in children measured by Peabody individual achievement test.
• Results: The mother’s IQ was more highly predictive of breastfeeding status than were her race, education, age, poverty status, smoking, the home environment, or the child’s birth weight or birth order. One standard deviation advantage in maternal IQ more than doubled the odds of breast feeding. Before adjustment, breast feeding was associated with an increase of around 4 points in mental ability. Adjustment for maternal intelligence accounted for most of this effect. When fully adjusted for a range of relevant confounders, the effect was small (0.52) and non-significant (95% confidence interval − 0.19 to 1.23). The results of the sibling comparisons and meta-analysis corroborated these findings.
• Conclusions: Breast feeding has little or no effect on intelligence in children. While breast feeding has many advantages for the child and mother, enhancement of the child’s intelligence is unlikely to be among them.

Technorati Tags: psychology, educatonal psychology, school psychology, developental psychology, infants, mothers, breastfeeding, cognitive, cognition, IQ, intelligence, child care

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Today's random tidbits from mind and brain blogsphere 8-30-06

• Eide Neurolearning Blog hypothesizes about the positive effect of blogging on cognition and the brain
• Science Daily on use of fMRI to map the brain prior to brain surgery for brain tumors

Technorati Tags: psychology, cognition, neuropsychology, neuroscience, neurology, fMRI, brain tumors, neurosurgery, blogging, blog, learning, education, educational psychology

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