In this article, I will attempt to explain the basic principles in which our brain works and a brief explanation as to why it matters to you.

To start, it’s crucial to know that it was once thought by the brightest minds in the world that our brain is fixed and that you’re basically the product of your genes – a fact that cannot be changed.

Only relatively recently has this view changed. Numerous modern researches have proven the brain’s capability to modify itself according to the stimulation it gets. In light of the findings of these new researches, Donald Hebb came up with a new hypothesis as to how the brain works.

This hypothesis the currently the most accepted one because it explains the phenomenons not previously accounted for by localizationists (scientists who believe the brain is unchanging).

Some of these phenomenons include “miraculous” recovery of stroke patients, the cases of people born with half a brain yet live a relatively normal life and even how some elderly seem to possess a brain more active than people a generation younger than they are.

The Hebbian Learning Principles

The first rule of “Hebbian Learning” is neurons that fire together, wire together. Neurons are brain cells – in everything we do, these neurons need to fire to send signals all over our body. According to Hebb, neurons who fire together, create synapses (links) with each other, thus creating a cause-effect relationship.

For example, if going to McDonald’s was a happy time for you as a kid, then the neurons responsible for realizing you’re in McDonald’s would link to the neurons responsible for being happy. So that whenever, you visit McDonald’s and you’re happy, this synapse would strengthen. Thus as you grow up, going to McDonald’s alone would make you happy.

This hypothesis, of course, can be used to explain addiction to porn, drugs, emotions and even to arguments.

The opposite side of Hebbian Learning is that neurons that no longer fire together, no longer wire together. That is if you no longer visit McDonald’s to be happy, then this synapse would weaken as gradually, you’ll lose the motivation to go to McDonald’s for joy.

This “use it or lose it” rule is crucial as to how you learn and remember. Every single basic skill that you possess as a human is stored in your brain as neurons and synapses. If you don’t constantly stimulate these neurons and synapses, you’ll eventually lose these skills.

For example, if you spend most of your time sitting down, don’t be surprise to find yourself requiring help to move around in older age because you couldn’t balance your body. If you have not continuously learn any new skills in life, don’t be surprised to find yourself having a difficult time learning new skills (thus the saying “old dogs can’t learn new tricks”).

Much of the problems faced by the older population can be traced back to the way they live their life – and unfortunately, much of these trouble can be avoided if they had taken care of their brains.

The good news is, these conditions can also be reversed. The process in which the brain grow new neurons is called “neurogenesis” and it can occur in any brain – be it old and young. This is why some people seem to enjoy great mental health well into old age while some other languish in dementia. The difference is in implementing the 4 pillars of brain health.

Why this matters to you

So what you can do to prevent age-related cognitive problems? Ask yourself these questions:

1. Are you stimulating your brain sufficiently or are you living a passive life? A brain-healthy lifestyle is normally an active one, one where you choose to do something, not one where you’re reacting. For example, some people let the weather dictate whether they will exercise or not (reactive and therefore no brain stimulation). Some other choose to jog even though it’s dark and gloomy outside (active).
2. Are you unknowingly developing addictions? Numerous teenagers mistakenly assume porn to be harmless but the fact is, porn is addictive. And when you’re addicted to porn, only porn can bring you the satisfaction that you want – not your spouse. If you watch too much TV, then life would be boring to you since it’s moving far slower to the TV scenes you are watching.
3. Are you relying too much on technology? I think electronic devices are great inventions but using it to remember everything in your life is not a good idea. By recording all your schedules and “to-do” list, you are losing your short term memory capability – a fact easily witnessed by this generation’s general incapability to remember phone numbers, a study showed.

It’s a love story between a lady who lost her memory in old age but her spouse kept by her side, despite the urging of his children. The lady would often remember him for a while, only to be afraid of the “strange” man hugging her the next second.

It got me thinking, what if I ended up like her? What sort of torture would I subject the people around me? There are little experiences that are more painful to see your loved one forget you. To lose memory of who you are. To lose your self-identity. And last but not least… to die not knowing who you are.

The movie got me thinking of my death-bed moment – I wanted to be able to say goodbye to the people around me. That’s when I truly “wake up” to the fact that my brain may need some attention.

That’s when I first began to research into the subject for the next 5 years or so. What do we need to do in order to maintain a healthy brain? Thee subject is complex. To explain it in full would literally require books. For the purpose of this article, I’ll drastically summarize the most important point. Here’s what I found: There are mainly 4 pillars of a healthy brain. They are:

1. Stress management
2. Nutrition
3. Brain exercises
4. Exercise

Let’s explore them in a little depth, shall we?

Stress Management

Did you know that your brain is built to withstand only about 30 seconds of stress? Yet most of us live in an environment of constant pressure. When you’re under stress, your brain releases of hormone called “cortisol”. Cortisol raises your heart and blood sugar but decreases immune response (making you more susceptible to diseases) and excites brain cells to death. The less brain cells you possess, the lower you mental function becomes.

This is why various studies have shown people who are under stress tend to have difficulty memorizing facts, learning new skills and even sustaining attention. It makes sense. From an evolutionary viewpoint, you experience stress when a predator approaches. At that time, would you have the mood to learn and memorize? Not likely!

There are several very effective ways to manage stress. Listening to baroque music, meditating and even an taking afternoon nap are some of the great techniques to begin with. If you don’t have the time for these, simply closing your eyes and taking deep breaths can do wonders. Try it.

Brain Food

It doesn’t matter if you’re the calmest person on earth – if you’re not consuming a healthy diet, your brain will not function at its peak. Your diet contains the building blocks of your body, without which no part of your body can work optimally.

Also called “Neurogenesis”, part of the workings of your brain is its ability to grow new brain cells, so that even if you have suffered some sort of physical trauma or you’re experiencing mental decline, it can be reversed. However, the brain can only do so if it has access to the building blocks required.

As a rule of thumb, consume more green leafy vegetables but it is important to note that vitamin B12, lack of which can cause psychosis, do not have a plant source. If you would like to know more about brain food, check out this blog post.

Brain exercises

“Neurons that fire together, wire together”. That’s the first rule of “Hebbian Learning”, currently the most accepted hypothesis as to how our brain works. The opposite side of that rule, is of course, “Neurons that no longer fire together, no longer wire together”. In effect, you either “use it or lose it”.

This is why brain exercises are so crucial. When your brain wires together, it creates what is called a “synapse”. By stimulating your brain through brain exercises, you will not only be strengthening your current synapses, you will also grow new neurons and create new synapses (again, requires the necessary building blocks). The more neurons and synapses you possess, the better your brain functions.

On the other hand, if you don’t stimulate your brain, your brain will lose its current synapses – an option most people chose.

Did you know that 60% of Americans who left college never read another book again? When was the last time you learn a new skill? How much of your time do you spend sitting down? How many of the things that you recorded in your iPhone (or any other device) can you remember?

If you don’t continuously learn, you’ll find it difficult to learn later in life. If you don’t use your limbs, you’ll find it difficult to stand and balance yourself later in life. If you don’t continuously stimulate your memory, you’ll lose the ability to remember later in life. Use it or lose it, remember?

Here is a simple brain exercise to try out. From now onward, be consciously aware of your surrounding. You’ll be amazed at just how things in your life that your brain has subconsciously filter. For example, it is a well known fact in the marketing industry that the average consumer is exposed to about 3000 sales messages each day. How many do you really notice?

In this exercise, I want you to take notice of your colleague’s shoes. His/Her belt, the things on his/her table, the nooks and crooks of the office and everything you can possibly notice. Even what is the color of the shirt the person behind you is wearing. Try this: Next time you’re in a restaurant, try asking your friend what color is the shirt the person behind him is wearing. Don’t be surprise to find out that he/she don’t know!

This type of active awareness (as contrasted to our regularly passive one) stimulates the brain and thus keep its neurons firing and wiring.

Physical Exercise

There are numerous benefits of exercise but one that is not popularly known is that it allows your brain to function at its peak. Imagine this: Our ancestors walk an average of 12 miles a day. How much have you walked lately?

When you exercise, your brain releases a plethora of chemicals designed almost to keep you addicted to exercising. Some of these chemicals calm you down. Some of them increases attention. Some keep you alert. Others, such as serotonin (often used synthetically to treat depression), allows you to be euphoric.

Exercising also fires neurons responsible for moving your limbs and keeping your balance. It, therefore, strengthens their synapses and makes sure you don’t need help moving around in old age. The good news is, nothing brutal is required. A simple 30 minute walk daily has been shown to improve IQ test scores, keep your energy level up and boost your memory.

1. The first group practiced playing the piano with instructions and guidance, just as a normal student would.
2. The second group was asked to play the piano but without any guidance. They played randomly – just as most of us would without a teacher.
3. The third observed the first group’s lessons but they don’t actually touch the piano. What they did is they imagined playing the piano exactly how they observed it was played.
4. The fourth group is the control group – they did nothing.

According to brain scans, the fourth group, obviously, did not make any improvements. Neither did the second group, for that matter.

The first group, also obvious, developed large a neuronal network in the part of the brain traditionally involved in playing the piano. What’s surprising is that the third group – the group that merely imagined the pactice – developed a network similar to that of the first group.

It showed significant improvement in their ability to play the instrument.

This is a classic case of “Hebbian Learning” – neurons that fire together, wire together.  Imagining doing something and physically doing something, fires the same network of neurons in your brain… and thus strengthens the same network of neurons. In other words, the brains of the subjects in the third group couldn’t tell the difference between what’s their imagination and what’s the reality.

Is this an isolated incident? Let’s take a look at another experiment.

Conducted by Drs Guang Ye and Kelly Cole, the experiment involved two groups of subjects doing finger exercises. The first group physically performed the exercises while the other imagined it. Again, they get the same results. The group that imagined strengthened their finger muscles by a whopping 22%.

How could your muscle develop without physical exercise? Hebbian Learning.

In fact, yet another study involving 3 groups of basketball players practicing shooting hoops resulted in the same results. The group that shot hoops for practice and the group that visualized it (imagined) both improved by an average of 23%. The group that spent their time relaxing did not see any improvement.

Hebbian Learning and The Placebo Effect

The power of Hebbian Learning is so strong that for every medical drug that is about to hit the market, scientists have to make sure that it’s not what curing the patients. They call it “the placebo effect”. The placebo effect kicks in when the brain thought you’re getting a cure for your disease… even when you didn’t receive it. According to the latest statistics, the placebo effect has been shown to be responsible for 30% of all cures. Your brain’s neurons have fired and strengthen its link so strongly that it was convinced your cancer (or whatever disease) is gone! (Makes you wonder whether it’s your brain that cured you or the drugs)

You can recreate the placebo effect just by meditating. Brain scans have shown that people who meditate literally shut down the parts of their brain involved in tracking time, space and even their own senses (This is why they often go to “that” place where there is no time, space and self).

By shutting down these senses, the brain can then focus on the imagination… and eventually rewire itself through the principle of Hebbian Learning. This is why meditation is crucial in maintaining your brain health.

But be careful: The Hebbian Learning principle is a double-edged sword because neurons that no longer fire together… no longer wire together, potentially causing memory loss and the lost of basic skills such as walking. This is why meditation is crucial if you want to keep your mental functions sharp even in old age.

How To Meditate

For a long time, people have associated the mind and brain as two separate entities. One as physical and tangible – the brain – and the other as something mythical and out of of reach – the mind.

But the truth couldn’t be further. You mind is simply the experience you’re having as interpreted by your brain. Your every thought affects the brain in physical. For example, when you’re anticipating something pleasurable (thought), your brain releases a chemical called “dopamine” (physical), which makes you excited (experience). Thus what you think determines what you feel. By the same principle, when you’re stressed (thought), you release a chemical called cortisol (physical), which in turn makes you more alert (experience) in the short term (but cortisol kills brain cells in the long term).

To meditate, is really, to control your brain’s chemistry. All you have to do is sit in a comfortable chair and think of nothing but one thought. Or if you want – think of nothing (easier said than done).

Be warned: You’ll feel strange at first. You’ll feel like you can’t do it. You’ll feel like you’re wasting time. But know that you’re feeling that way because there are synapses (links) in your brain that dictates meditation are useless, impossible or even absurd. Once you’ve rewired yourself, once you’ve created new synapses, then you’ll enjoy a whole other experience.

Well, the latest research has found an answer to the age old question. Contrary to popular beliefs, your brain doesn’t rest at night.

In fact, brain scans showed it to be quite busy – perhaps busier than when you were awake. What is it doing? It’s consolidating what you’ve learned for the day so that it can learn new information tomorrow. Perhaps this is why some studies have shown people who get the proper amount of sleep remember more and thus learn better.

Even afternoon benefits your brain fitness

Geoff Colvin, in his book, “Talent is Overrated“, mentioned about a study that found top violinists took more afternoon naps than their less successful counterparts! NASA conducted a study on the subject found pilots who took a short 26 minutes afternoon nap performed 34% better.

As it turns out, people who take afternoon naps are not just lazy – they are simply reacting to they normal body rhythm. There are numerous rhythms in which we live in. The most popular rhythm, and perhaps the only rhythm that people know of, is called the circadian rhythm, in which we sleep at night and wake up in the morning.

Relatively new research showed that the circadian rhythm dictates that we sleep in the afternoon or suffer the consequences – split focus and decreased productivity. By measuring the body temperature of their subjects, researchers found that our body temperature tend to dip a little in the afternoon between 3pm to 5 pm – a full 12 hours since our last REM (deep) sleep. Take a look at the graph below:

If you deny yourself of sleep, you lose productivity. The same can be said about afternoon naps. If you deny yourself of afternoon naps, you’re essentially splitting your focus onto two tasks: fighting off your natural urge to sleep, and doing what you’re doing. Productivity gurus such as Eban Pagan and Tony Robbins have always advised that if you have conflicting thoughts, you’ll never be able to achieve your potential.

Now science proves right.

But remember: More doesn’t mean better. The optimum amount is about 30 minutes. More than that and you risk falling into the second cycle of sleep, which will last for a few hours. Waking up before a cycle completes results in irritability and sometimes even lowered energy.

By taking short afternoon naps, in other words, you’re improving your learning and memory capability, attention span and overall brain fitness.

P.S. Original graph can be found here: http://web.ukonline.co.uk/bjlogie/graph.htm

Is it probable what your brain will function optimally? Not likely.

According to Sharp Brains, the four pillars of healthy brain functions are nutrition, exercise, brain exercises and stress management. In this blog post, I’m going to concentrate on just one, the one I believe to be one of the biggest culprit of early mental decline: Stress.

What Happens To Your Brain Under Intense Stress

A healthy amount of stress is, of course, crucial to a healthy psyche. But when you’re over your healthy limit, your brain releases cortisol, a chemical known as cortisol. Cortisol increases your heart rate and raises blood pressure. You become increasingly alert… at least for the moment.

This is, of course, a crucial system to keep the human race alive. When you’re faced with a saber-tooth tiger, you want yourself to be literally on your toes, ready to fight or run. Cortisol saves lives.

But in the long run, cortisol kills brain cells. It literally excites brain cells to death. Several studies have also shown cortisol to damage the part of your brain called the hippocampus, which is believed to be where short-term memory are converted into long term ones. It can be inferred, therefore, that stress reduces memory – a correlation that has been repeated in several studies.

And it’s not just your memory that suffers. The part of your brain that regulates stress is called the limbic system (the part of the brain that separates us mammals from reptiles). It’s also the part of the brain that controls emotion, bonding (relationships) and cooperation. According to Dr Daniel G. Amen, author of “Change Your Brain, Change Your Life“, over-activity of your limbic system can lead to paranoia and depression… among many other side-effects.

Stress literally kills.

How Listening To Music Reduces Stress

There are many ways to reduce stress. Studies have shown meditation, yoga, deep breathing and even prayer to be excellent alternative. But if you don’t believe in these “new-age” stuff, then listen up: Simply listening music works as well. Caveat: Not all music will work though.

By exposing subjects to loud music such as the various genres of rock, neuroscientists found decreased concentration, memory and even intelligence (I was skeptical of the results at first because I was a rock fan). One of the reasons is perhaps of the irregular rhythm of such music. Neuroscientists theorized that irregular rhythms that do not correlates with the brain’s rhytms is essentially noise of the brain. Background noise (such as those of refrigerator, air-conditioner and even computers), has been shown to have the same effect on the developing minds of toddlers.

Classical symphonies, on the other hand, have the opposite effect. A Standford University study found that subjects exposed to baroque music enhances the ability to anticipate events and sustain attention. MABT conducted a similar study and found that children who are exposed to baroque music did better in standard tests against those who weren’t exposed. Numerous studies have since been done on the effect of classical music on the brain and the conclusion is clear: It’s beneficial for everything from intelligence (also called the Mozart Effect) to ADD (attention deficit disorder) to happiness and of course, stress.

So the next time you feel like you’re going to explode, close your eyes and listen to some Mozart. He is great for your brain fitness.