Here are some brain facts:

1. Your brain makes up only 2% of your total body weight but requires 20% of your heart’s output of blood to sustain the amount of oxygen that it needs.

2. Your brain is the most oxygen-demanding organ in your body.

3. Your brain uses chemicals (neurotransmitters) to relay important messages to other parts of your body. These same chemicals are also involved in chemical reactions that produce damaging free radicals.

4. If your brain cells become weak or die they cannot repair themselves. Their functions then can be permanently lost if cell death or damage occurs.

Given these susceptibilities, your brain is especially vulnerable to conditions that threaten oxygen supply, such as in head injury, stroke, lung diseases and heart failure. Under these conditions, brain activity will continue even without enough oxygen. This can cause problems that lead to extreme levels of oxidative stress and the over-production of damaging free radicals.

In diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, other damaging factors are at work. In Alzheimer’s disease, a toxic protein called beta-amyloid, forms in your brain tissue. This protein acts as an irritant and causes inflammation in your brain. This inflammation then causes the production of free radicals that can destroy any membranes and cells in their path.

Parkinson’s disease results from unregulated production of the brain chemical dopamine which, with the help of free radicals, becomes toxic to the brain cells that control your motor functions.

Even in a healthy brain, oxygen radicals are produced every moment during normal high-oxygen demand of neuronal activity. In a healthy brain, enzymes and nutritional antioxidants neutralize these radicals.

Benefits of Dietary Antioxidants

What safeguards can healthy people take to reduce risk of diseases and especially to protect their brains from oxidative stress over a lifetime?

The simplest answer is to follow a diet that includes abundant sources of antioxidant chemicals derived from plant foods. Evidence for the benefits of such a dietary regimen has only been demonstrated in experiments with animals up until now, but the results are convincing. Over the past eight years, the research activities of Dr. Jim Joseph of the US Department of Agriculture, Boston, have focused on how to protect the brain from oxidative stress with dietary use of antioxidant-rich plants such as strawberries, cranberries, elderberries, blueberries and spinach.

Dr. Joseph’s research findings—a message closely pertinent to this essay—can best be represented by a quote from one of his research reports in 1998: “increased antioxidant protection through diets comprised of fruits and vegetables identified as being high in total antioxidant activity might prevent or reverse the deleterious effects of oxidative stress on neurons.”

Summary: Oxidative stress is a major factor in brain aging. This stress can be combated or balanced by including dietary antioxidants into your daily life. The best way to do this is by eating lots of colorful fruits and vegetables each day.

Enter Resveratrol.

Aging is breakdown, but broken things can be fixed. Aging is characterized by a progressive deterioration of physiological functions and metabolic processes. The healthy reputation of dietary antioxidants just got more support, with one type turning in a spectacular anti-aging performance.

Resveratrol helps lower cholesterol, and is as much as 10 to 20 times more potent than vitamin E in protecting against LDL oxidation, a process that has been linked to the development of cardiovascular disease. Resveratrol in wine is known to prevent blood clots and widen (dilate) blood vessels, sometimes producing “Viagra-like” vasodilation effects. Resveratrol pills should ideally be consumed with meals, since this is when insulin and blood sugar levels rise and when oxidation is high.

Resveratrol appears to work as a powerful antioxidant helping quench free radical damage in the body, but also has a unique mechanism of action that may prove to have significant life extension properties. Antioxidant resveratrol action is very important for brain health because it can reduce the blood pressure by opening the arteries hence increasing the blood flow through them.

Research studies continue to find more interesting benefits from this red wine compound, including potential anti-cancer and anti-aging activity. As to its antiaging potential, resveratrol activates a cell’s survival defense enzyme, which prolongs the time cells have to repair their broken DNA. Thus, resveratrol is considered by some to be the most important anti oxidant supplement available today.

Although we are continually researching the best products in this area, we have found the product Bioforte Trans-Resveratrol produced by Biotivia to be the best of combination quality and price. Bioforte contains 500mg of resveratrol, 250mg of which is the trans-resveratrol isomer.  It does not contain any cis-resveratrol, which has no beneficial health effects but which compromises the bulk of the resveratrol in many other company’s products. Although we consider Biotivia product to be the highest in quality, we have no monetary relationship with this company.

Note: Biotivia  has recently released an even more powerful resveratrol product called TransMax that contains 500mg per serving, that is Double the normal content of the Bioforte product. We have all just switched to the TransMax formula and are very grateful that this kind of product is available.

Reading

* Lau FC, Shukitt-Hale B, Joseph JA. The beneficial effects of fruit polyphenols on brain aging. Neurobiol Aging. 2005 Dec;26 Suppl 1:128-32.

* Joseph JA, Shukitt-Hale B, Denisova NA, Prior RL, Cao G, Martin A, Taglialatela G, Bickford PC. Long-term dietary strawberry, spinach, or vitamin E supplementation retards the onset of age-related neuronal signal-transduction and cognitive behavioral deficits.

J Neurosci. 1998 Oct 1;18(19):8047-55.

* Joseph JA, Nadeau DA, Underwood A. The Color Code. Hyperion, New York, 2002.

The concept of having a “brain age” is, itself, profoundly unscientific, despite the radio ads for the PBS program titled Brain Fitness Program, where listeners of all ages get the impression (as many friends and colleagues have reported) that, should they buy the Posit Science Brain Fitness Program, they can expect their brains “rejuvenated” by 10 years. This, I hear often, must be true, coming from PBS.

Unfortunately, it isn’t. And it isn’t because the claim is founded on the same faulty premise of having a “brain age”.

What is going on?

First, the good news. Today we know today that the brain retains lifelong plasticity (the ability to change itself through experience). Aging does not mean automatic decline.

Furthermore, we know that a variety of lifestyle factors, including physical and mental exercise, can influence how our mental abilities evolve as we age. We can delay or slow down age-related decline. Not only that, we can improve our abilities, and a number of computer-based programs have shown how they can help specific groups of people train and enhance specific cognitive skills.

Now, what is important to recognize is that there is not one overall “brain age”. We can view our brain functions or cognitive abilities as a variety of skills, some more perception-related, some more memory-related, some more language-related, some more visual, some more abstract-thinking and planning oriented. All science-based brain fitness products in the market today target specific cognitive skills. The research that has been published shows how specific brain functions can be improved. But there is no general “brain age” that can be measured or trained in a meaningful way.

Let’s analyze the PBS Posit Science-related message: you can rejuvenate your brain by 10 years. What would this mean, were it to be true? perhaps that ALL cognitive abilities would go back to where they were 10 years before. and that this would happen for individuals of all ages: in our 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s and so on. It would also mean that, given that rejuvenated “brain age”, our risk of developing Alzheimer’s symptoms would be adjusted to reflect our “new” brain age. And that the evolution of our cognitive abilities over the rest of our lives would reflect our new-found “brain age”.

Has this been shown?

Unfortunately, not. The “10 years” claim seems based on one published study, and several unpublished ones, where individuals with an average age of around 70 years take on a very intense auditory processing training program that enables them to improve related auditory cognitive skills by a significant percentage. Whereby, on average, and on those specific skills, they reach a level comparable to people 60 years old.

But this doesn’t say anything about other cognitive skills. Or Alzheimer’s related risks. Or the cognitive trajectories that will follow.

Just think about this: if, by attending an intensive tennis camp, you were able to serve at a level comparable to people 10 years younger than your age…would you say that your body is now 10 years younger? Probably not. You’d say that now you play tennis better. Which is a significant benefit in itself if that’s what you are after.

Recent studies have shown a tremendous variability in how well people age and how, to a large extent, our actions influence our rate of brain improvement and/or decline. The earlier we begin the better. And it is never too late.

What can we do to maintain our brain? Focus on four pillars of brain health: physical exercise, a balanced diet, stress management, and brain exercise. Stress management is important since stress has been shown to actually kill neurons and reduce the rate of creation of new ones. Brain exercises range from low-tech (i.e. meditation, mastering new complex skills, lifelong learning and engagement) to high-tech (i.e. using the growing number of brain fitness software programs).

In summary, the great news is that there are more tools available than ever before to assess and train a variety of cognitive skills, in what is still today a very small, but growing market. Nintendo, Posit Science, and others are offering valuable products and services.

The bad news (is this really news?) is that we shouldn’t be expecting magic pills and that “brain age” is a fiction.

In case you wonder…I do have and enjoy my copy Nintendo Brain Age, and appreciate it as a stimulating game. I simply don’t outsource my brain fitness to Dr. Kawashima…

It is common for people to experience a gradual decline in their mental abilities as they age. We are told that this is normal and is the result of age-related structural changes in the brain - and that such changes are inevitable.

But you know what… there’s a lot of evidence coming from the latest research into brain health that brain aging is only ‘normal and inevitable’ if you do nothing to prevent it. This means that it doesn’t have to happen to you – that you can keep your brain healthy and in ‘tip-top’ shape, enjoy being creative and improve your memory with just a little bit of effort… whatever your age.

The question is how…?

Research findings point to three main ways to support your brain: healthy diet, mental activity and getting physical with the brain. The first two have been promoted for many years. However, the third - getting physical with the brain - is not widely known yet may well prove to be the most powerful factor in maintaining brain health.

What does ‘getting physical’ with your brain mean? To make the explanation simple I’ll define getting physical as anything that is clearly not diet related nor a mental activity such as puzzles, number sequence exercises, memory games, practicing musical instruments and so on.

So what can you do to get physical with your brain? Plenty! In fact, as you’ll discover shortly, there are many powerful ‘hands-on’ ways of using physical activity to boost your brain-power and keep you as sharp as a tack regardless of your age.

And, because they are based solely on natural health principles, they help your brain to help itself without having to resort to popping pills, taking supplements, mood enhancers or anything like that.

What’s more, you’re likely to find getting physical with your brain so easy and enjoyable that you can readily picture yourself doing it for life.

Here are some of the factors you should consider when developing a strategy to keep your brain healthy, alert and vital:

Physical exercise:

Physical exercise can encourage a healthy brain to function optimally in ways that are not widely known or their value appreciated. For example, exercise can help the brain by promoting the production of new neurons (brain cells) and strengthening the connections between neurons.

Reduce stress levels:

Stress plays havoc with the functioning of the brain and the body systems it controls. In particular, the sustained presence of stress hormones in the bloodstream can damage brain cells.

Encourage the flow of oxygenated blood to the brain:

Increasing blood flow and oxygen can help support the survival of new neurons and foster neuron ‘firing’. In simple terms, ‘firing’ means a neuron connecting with its neighbours – which is how messages are transmitted to and from the brain.

Sexual Energy:

Promote the generation and circulation of sexual energy around the body can play a key part in supporting mental health as it fosters, for example, the movement of chemicals called neurotransmitters between neurons. These play a critical role in the communication of information between nerve cells. As an illustration, the neurotransmitter serotonin associated with sexual behaviour and arousal is involved in a number of functions including influencing mood and alertness.

Control the breathing rate:

Another important factor in optimising brain health is the practice of slowing down the breathing rate as that can enhance the activity of the hypothalamus and the pituitary and pineal glands, the optimum performance of which is central to the maintenance of both physical and mental health.

Challenge the brain:

Challenge the brain with a variety of ‘new’ experiences – walking backwards is a simple example. By experiencing such unusual patterns of behaviour the brain is stimulated and there is some evidence that the brain can actually increase in size.

Stimulate the senses:

The bottom line here is that you should take every opportunity to engage your eyes and smell sensors by continually sampling your surroundings – consciously keep your eyes moving so you present your brain with new information to analyse and process while you ‘sniff’ the environment in search of smells and odours for your brain to identify.

In conclusion it is fair to say that all the above elements can have a marked positive influence on brain health in their own right. However, it is the synergistic impact of using them in combination that is likely to provide the most powerful benefits.

This past Tuesday, the MIT Club of Northern California, the American Society on Aging, and SmartSilvers sponsored an event on The Emerging Brain Fitness Software Market: Building Better Brains to explore the realities and myths of this growing field. Before the panel, I had the chance to present an overview of the state of the Brain Fitness Software Market.

Why are we talking about this field at all? Well, for one, an increasing number of companies are achieving significant commercial success in packaging “brain exercise”. An example is the line of Nintendo games, such as Brain Age and Brain Training, that have shipped over 15 million units worldwide despite limited scientific support, since 2005. What is less visible is that a number of companies and scientists are partnering to bring products to market with a more solid clinical validation. We estimate the US market was $225m in 2007 (growing from $100 in 2005). Wheras K12 Education used to be the major segment, adult consumers are responsible for most of that growth: we estimate the consumer segment grew from a few million in 2005 to $80 m in 2007.

Who is buying these products? Yes, of course, many adults over 50 who want to protect their memory are among the pioneers. 78 million baby boomers are eager to try new approaches. A growing number of retirement communities and nursing homes are offering programs to their residents to expand their usual fitness and social activities. And we can’t forget about K12 education: certain brain fitness software packages have shown they can help kids who have dyslexia and related difficulties.

Is there science behind these claims? Do these products work? It depends on how we define “work”. If “working” means quantifiable short-term improvements after a number of weeks of systematic “brain training” to improve specific cognitive skills, then the answer is that a number of programs do seem to work. If , on the other hand, “working” means measurable long-term benefits, such as better overall brain health as we age, or lower incidence of Alzheimer’s symptoms, the answer is that circumstantial evidence suggests they may, but it is still too early to tell.

Are there any public policy implications? We certainly believe that there are. The Center for Disease Control recently partnered with the Alzheimer’s Association to develop a comprehensive Cognitive Health roadmap to better guide research efforts and improve public education on the lifestyle habits that every proud owner of a brain could benefit from following. Given the high rates of traumatic brain injuries and stress disorders found in a large number of the men and women coming home from the Iraq war, the military is investing heavily in research to help identify problems to develop tools to solve them, and we expect that research will translate into wider health applications. No presidential candidate, to our knowledge, has directly addressed his or her priorities in the cognitive health realm but, given the growing importance and economic impact of brain-related disorders, we expect that to happen soon.

What are some trends that executives and investors should be looking at to understand this growing market? Let me make a few predictions:

1) An increased emphasis on Brain Maintenance, from retirement communities to gyms and health clubs. Will health clubs one day offer brain fitness programs, and perhaps “brain coaches”? We think so.

2) Better and more widely available assessments of cognitive function will enable of all us to establish an objective baseline of how our minds are evolving, identify priorities for “workouts” and lifestyle interventions, and help us measure progress. Science-fiction? Not really. there are already pretty good tests used in clinical and medical environments, the challenge will be to refine and package those assessments in a consumer-friendly way.

3) We will see more and better computer-based tools, each of which may be more appropriate to work on specific priorities. Just as we find a variety of machines in health clubs today, in the future we can expect different programs tailored to train specific cognitive skills.

4) More non-computer based tools will also provide much value. There is more and more research on how meditation and cognitive therapy, to mention 2 examples, can be very effective in literally re-wiring parts of the brain.

5) Insurance Companies will introduce incentives for member who want to follow brain fitness programs. Perhaps even companies will offer such programs to employees to attract and retain mature workers who want access to the best and the latest innovations to keep their minds sharp.

Now, this being a pretty new field, many questions remain open. For example, how will consumers and institutions receive quality information and education to navigate through the emerging research and the overwhelming number of new programs, separating reality from hype?

In summary, what were the main take-aways from the event?

1. Research indicates that a number of cognitive abilities (attention, memory…) can be assessed and trained

2. An emerging market is starting to develop-growing from an estimated $100m in 2005 to $225m in 2007, in the US alone-, and is poised to keep growing at significant rates.

3. Many companies are currently selling products direct to consumers (as well as through institutions) with sometimes unclear claims - this threatens to confuse consumers and present a major obstacle to the growth and credibility of the sector.

If you are interested in this rapidly growing field, please stay tuned! There are fascinating research reports every month.

Author's Pic

This is a great article I came across on the net, I thought I would share with everyone. Adam.

Article by Mary Desaulniers

My parents were in their early fifties when I turned 22 and the chasm that separated us seemed unbridgeable. My father had his hat and tie on everywhere he went—even when he mowed the lawn. My mother kept indoors most of the time and warned us girls that no man would marry a woman made brown by the sun. I used to wonder if their brains had turned to mush.

Now I look at my 22 year old son and chuckle at the chasm that yawns between us. With his mp3 looped permanently over his neck, pants baggy and cuffed, he looks like an alien from a distant star. I have no doubt the as far as he is concerned, my brain has gone to mush.

Yet great as these differences seem, research suggests that there is very little difference in capacity between a 50 year old and a 25 year old brain. The myth of the post 40 brain decline is just that -a myth. According to Dan Gray in “The Surprising Power of the Aging Brain,”( Time Jan 16/2006) neurologists and psychologists are coming to the conclusion that “the brain at midlife -a period increasingly defined as the years 35-65 and even beyond—is much more elastic, much more supple than anyone ever realized.” Far from declining, the 50 year old brain can reorganize and reinforce its neural networks in response to new stimuli and experiences. The basic network for neural growth that was set in place in our infancy continues to develop and expand even when we age and the structural capacity for this growth is unlimited. In essence, the brain is like the web—there is no end to its memory capacity or functional ability.

Gray reports specifically on 2 aspects of brain activity that are alive and well in the 50+ group.

One is the increase of white matter in the prefrontal region of the brain, which is composed of nerve cells sheathed with myelin—the neural glue that makes connections possible. Myelin is the Grand Central Station of emotional and intellectual connections—the seat of our intelligence and humanity. As long as we maintain a high level of brain activity in our middle age, we can increase the “myelination” of the brain.

A second aspect is the tendency of both hemispheres of the brain to work together. This is another reason why the 50+ brain can often outperform its younger counterparts. A study at the Baycrest Centre for Geriatric Care found that as people age, their ability to focus on one activity in one part of the brain decreases, which explains why older people are easily “distracted.” Yet this distraction suggests that different areas of the brain are working simultaneously which explains why older people can often access higher reasoning processes (such as intuition) by using both hemispheres at the same time.

Like any other muscle, the brain can only function at its peak capacity when it is used consistently. What are the steps we can take to ensure a strong and healthy brain in our later years?

1.Pursue leisure activities. Read books and magazines. Knit with friends, go for a walk, play bridge. Leisure activities can reduce the risk or delay the onset of dementia. A study involving close to 1800 people up to age 65 showed that those who were involved with leisure activities had 38% less risk of developing dementia.

2.Read and write Poetry. In the famous Nuns’ Study, researchers concluded that the sisters who had more resilient brains later in life were the ones who tended to use multi-syllabic words and richer vocabulary in their diary entries. Those who developed dementia tended to use simple, monosyllabic words. The sisters with the more resilient brains also demonstrated stronger “density of ideas” in their writing—which researchers defined as the average number of ideas expressed in each grouping of 10 words. Idea density reflects the brain’s capacity to integrate memory, language, thought and emotion within a complex of words. Writing prose or poetry that creates layers of meaning within one metaphor is the best example of idea density. It makes sense that writing in general, specifically writing poetry, can supercharge your brain.

3.Again and again, studies confirm the relationship between exercise and a healthy brain. A recent study shows that exercise creates significant anatomical differences in the grey and white matter areas of the brain. Aging brings about a shrinking of these areas that closely matches declines in cognitive performance. However, cardiovascular fitness through exercise actually slows down this decline.

4.Eat a healthy diet. Avoid foods that are rich in fatty red meats and whole fat dairy products that contribute to high cholesterol levels in the brain; cholesterol promotes production of a toxic protein that attacks myelin and breaks down neural connections in the brain, leaving a trail of plaques that hamper brain function. Eat whole grains and legumes as these are rich in lecithin . Eat fish, high in omega 3 fatty acids( good fats) which have anti-inflammatory properties that can prevent the formation of plaques in the brain. Have 5-7 servings of fruits and vegetables for their powerful anti-oxidant benefits . Finally increase consumption of Soy Protein, rich in phytonutrients and gives you all the benefits of protein without the fat.

5.Learn new things and take risks. Evidence shows that learning new activities( starting a new project, hobby , business or venture) is exactly what is needed to prevent the loss of myelin in the brain. The brain is plastic which means it is capable of regeneration when stimulated by new activities. Every new sensation or experience carves a new neural pathway in the brain. The diaries of Darwin are filled with dead ends; these were risks he took and never stopped taking until the time became ripe for his emergence. The best way to nurture your brain is to cultivate a vision, then approach your vision from different angles without abandoning the path, taking new turns when the last one does not work for you, always being willing to take further risks , in fact expecting to make mistakes not only because mistakes serve as the most meaningful guides but because the success that comes eventually is a numbers game.

6. Last but not least—love and enjoy what you have. Be thankful for the abundance you have been blessed with and give generously to those you can serve. A positive sense of purpose and a healthy optimism can do wonders to ensure longevity in the brain.

1) First, Exercise Your Brain, or Else You’ll … Uh …, by Katie Hafner (5/3/08). Some quotes:

- “At the same time, boomers are seizing on a mounting body of evidence that suggests that brains contain more plasticity than previously thought, and many people are taking matters into their own hands, doing brain fitness exercises with the same intensity with which they attack a treadmill.”

- “Alvaro Fernandez, whose brain fitness and consulting company, SharpBrains, has a Web site focused on brain fitness research. He estimates that in 2007 the market in the United States for so-called neurosoftware was $225 million.”

- “Mr. Fernandez pointed out that compared with, say, the physical fitness industry, which brings in $16 billion a year in health club memberships alone, the brain fitness software industry is still in its infancy. Yet it is growing at a 50 percent annual rate, he said, and he expects it to reach $2 billion by 2015.”

- “Boomers believe they have ample reason to worry. There is no definitive laboratory test to detect Alzheimer’s disease”.

Comments: I enjoyed the conversations I had with the NYT reporter, Katie Hafner. The main 3 points I wanted to convey were, and are:

a) The brain fitness software programs mentioned in the article (and others) are no more than “tools” to exercise certain brain functions. None of the products on the market today offer an overall brain health solution. Some programs are helpful at training specific cognitive skills that tend to decline with age, others improve attention or decision making skills, and still others help assess cognitive functions. If health, education and corporate executives as well as consumers become more familiar with the progress that cognitive science has made over the last 10-20 years, they will be able to make informed decisions about which, if any, tools, may help. This is what “smart people” do: adapt to new environments and use new tools appropriately - without falling prey either to manufacturers’ inflated/ confusing claims, or negating the value of those tools as a general principle.

b) Many times, baby boomers worried about their memory tend to blame Alzheimer’s disease. This reaction causes stress and anxiety, which in turn harms the brain structurally (by reducing neurogenesis - the creation of new neurons) and functionally (by reducing working memory and decision-making abilities). Hence, stress management or emotional self-regulation, is often a much needed cognitive training intervention.

c) The brain fitness market is growing fast and this trend will continue. This is not just a Nintendo-fueled fad. The article reflects this point best. Part of the market confusion lies in the disconnect between what computerized brain fitness programs can do (the ones with more science behind them than Nintendo Brain Age) and what people seem to want them to do. Computerized programs can be an efficient way to exercise and train specific cognitive skills and improve productivity and daily life. Think of them as similar to the range of equipment in a health club. If you walk into a health club today, you will find machines for abdominal muscles and others for cardio training, biceps, etc. Similarly, there are brain fitness programs to improve auditory processing, others to expand working memory, maintain driving-related skills, etc.

However, what the current brain fitness software programs can’t do is to prevent Alzheimer’s disease altogether. At most, there is circumstantial evidence that they can (together with, say, learning how to play the piano, taking on a second or third career, or nurturing new stimulating interests) help lower the probability of developing Alzheimer’s symptoms. But, again, no specific program has been shown to be better than another from this “anti-Alzheimer’s” point of view. The best protection is to lead rich, stimulating lives.

The second excellent article in the New York Times on a related topic was an opinion piece by David Brooks, which provides the perfect context for why cognitive fitness and training deserves more attention than it gets today.

2) David Brooks: The Cognitive Age (5/2/08). Quotes:

-”It’s the skills revolution. We’re moving into a more demanding cognitive age. In order to thrive, people are compelled to become better at absorbing, processing and combining information.”

-”the most important part of information’s journey is the last few inches  the space between a person’s eyes or ears and the various regions of the brain. Does the individual have the capacity to understand the information? Does he or she have the training to exploit it?”

-”But the cognitive age paradigm emphasizes psychology, culture and pedagogy  the specific processes that foster learning.”

Comments: Beautifully said. Yes, we are “moving into a more demanding cognitive age.” This is true for the reasons that Brooks aludes to: because of globalization that requires workers to keep their cognitive skills sharp to compete. But, there are other reasons such as current demographic, health and scientific trends. People are living longer which means that they have more opportunities to experience cognitive decline and and will require specific interventions. Huge medical advances over the last 100 years have enabled longevity, improved quality of life overall. But, they have focused more on how to maintain “healthy bodies” than on “healthy brains.” Thanks to scientific research, there is now more knowledge on the cognitive effects of a variety of medications and conditions, from attention deficit disorders to chemotherapy and beyond. Our market projections take into account these trends.

In sum, we agree with Brooks: the Cognitive Age is here. And we add: new tools will help us be more healthy and productive.

i just want to train for a couple months and get in one amateur fight but my parents wont let me they say it can damage your brain to box and i think that doesnt apply to amateurs and if i only am in one or two matches??

also how can i convince them and get started??