DailyDirt: Train Your Brain

from the urls-we-dig-up dept

Thu, Dec 1st 2011 5:00pm — Michael Ho

The human brain is a remarkable organ, but we've only really just started to study it. Scientists are scanning brains with intense magnetic fields and zapping skulls with electrical pulses -- and measuring some differences that could point to ways that'll help people understand how our minds work. Here are just a few examples of projects focused on our brains.

Measuring IQ with MRI scans suggests that IQ scores might fluctuate quite a bit. Various mental and physical training tasks can apparently boost IQ scores, and conversely, folks with jobs that don't require much mental exercise seem to lose IQ points over their lifetime. [url]
Targeted electrical pulses into the brains of mice (aka deep brain stimulation) have been shown to improve their spatial learning ability. Actual "thinking caps" might be useful tools someday. [url]
The young brains of frequent video gamers might grow differently than non-gamers' brains. Further studies could help us understand the development of addictive behaviors -- or it could help make really, really awesome video games. [url]
To discover more interesting articles on the human mind, check out what's currently floating around the StumbleUpon universe. [url]

By the way, StumbleUpon can recommend some good Techdirt articles, too.

Filed Under: addictive, brain, deep brain stimulation, gamers, iq scores, mri, transcranial magnetic stimulation

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Anonymous Coward, 1 Dec 2011 @ 11:40pm

Electrical pulses to the brain!!!
How do I get some? And do they hurt?
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Lawrence D'Oliveiro, 2 Dec 2011 @ 1:11am

Why Are Our Brains So Hard To Fathom?
Is it because we�re too smart, or because we�re not smart enough?
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- Michael Ho (profile), 2 Dec 2011 @ 4:05pm
  
  Re: Why Are Our Brains So Hard To Fathom?
  It's definitely because we're not smart enough... maybe someday we'll figure it out, but then there will be something even more complicated to figure out and we'll have to get smarter to understand ever more complicated stuff...
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  - Lawrence D'Oliveiro, 6 Dec 2011 @ 4:54pm
    
    Re: Why Are Our Brains So Hard To Fathom?
    But if we�re not so smart, that must mean our brains are simpler, therefore easier to understand, doesn�t it?
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