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Damn, so when I'm having a really slow response day I should try doing sudoko puzzles or something to get my brain moving faster.

The smarter the person, the faster information zips around the brain, a UCLA study finds. And this ability to think quickly apparently is inherited.

The study, published in the Journal of Neuroscience, looked at the brains and intelligence of 92 people. All the participants took standard IQ tests. Then the researchers studied their brains using a technique called diffusion tensor imaging, or DTI.

DTI is a variant of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) that can measure the structural integrity of the brain's white matter, which is made up of cells that carry nerve impulses from one part of the brain to another. The greater the structural integrity, the faster nerve impulses travel.

"These images really give you a picture of the mental speed of the brain," says Paul Thompson, Ph.D., a professor of neurology at UCLA School of Medicine.

Haier says the good news is that we're not necessarily stuck with the brain, or the brain speed, we inherit. He says thinking is like running or weightlifting. It helps to have certain genes. But anyone can get stronger or faster by working out.

The brain is like a muscle, Haier says: "The more you work it the more efficient it gets."

So people who practice the violin, or do math problems, or learn a foreign language are constantly strengthening certain pathways in their brains.

And Thompson notes that our brains, unlike our bodies, peak relatively late in life.

"The wires between the brain cells, the connections, are the things that you can modify throughout life," he says. "They change and they improve through your 40s and 50s and 60s."

Woohoo!

Labels: brain, intellect, neurology

This seems common sense to me, but I suppose it isn't.

This study was specifically done with children who live in poverty in an area of Oregon. This clearly means the study needs to be intensely expanded.

"Researchers at the University of Oregon studied a unique counseling strategy in a small group of poor families enrolled in a federal Head Start program in Oregon. They looked at measures of thinking skills in young children before and after parents had special counseling."

"Fourteen children aged 3-5 were tested on language ability and attention, and they had brain scans before their parents began the counseling. Another 14 children had the same tests, but their parents did not receive any special counseling. Once a week for eight weeks, parents of the experimental group went to sessions where they learned good parenting practices, like keeping consistent routines at home and how to discipline children in constructive ways."

Now I'm not sure studying fourteen children in one area who probably all know each other can give you any sort of insight on whether or not this theory is founded. But it's something interesting to further pursue.

The real issue is the lack of parental involvement in a child's life. And for the majority of parents they are less involved because they have to work more to make the money they need for their families. By the time these parents have time to spend with their children they are stressed and tired which doesn't make for good company. Right?

I wish I had a way to mend this situation, because it is indeed an issue which needs repair. If children grow up in this type of environment they will have trouble succeeding as adults. This only causes the cycle to continue repeating.

It's important for everyone to realize what is at stake here whether you are directly involved or not. This needs to happen in all communities, not just poverty stricken ones. Perhaps volunteer to be a mentor or tutor for the children. Employers, allow more training opportunities for these adults so they can progress within your company. Together we can make a difference.

SOURCE

Labels: children, education, intellect, parenting