Category Archives: Brain

Does your IQ really matter?

May 31, 2011 Roy A. Ackerman, Ph.D., E.A. 10 Comments

So, are you smart- or just motivated? When I was growing up, my elementary (K-9) school loved to test the heck out of us. I swear that I could have recited the test questions on the Stanford Binet Achievement test by heart, they tested us so often. This IQ test was actually used as a weapon by the school. Oh, no, they would never say that, but it was. You see, our grade was divided into two classes- the smart class and the dumb class. And, to be in the dumb class your IQ had to be 120. The smart class cut-off was a little less stringent, but it was somewhere around 140 or 150. (No, I am not making this up!)

Continue reading Does your IQ really matter? →

Share this:

Brain, Medicine

The Breakfast Effect?

May 26, 2011 Roy A. Ackerman, Ph.D., E.A. 19 Comments

You know that expression, “Do as I say, not as I do?”. I am not a fan of it at all. But, there’s new preliminary research (much more work must be done before we can prognosticate with certainty) that may make this posting one of “Do as I say, I’ll be joining the ranks imminently!” Given that introduction, we can proceed.

Continue reading The Breakfast Effect? →

Share this:

Brain, Medicine

Folic acid, cobalamin, and pyridoxamine may protect against Alzheimer’s

May 23, 2011 Roy A. Ackerman, Ph.D., E.A. 6 Comments

I recently talked about folic acid and cobalamin supplements for pregnant mothers. It turns out that vitamin B supplements may also work to slow down brain shrinkage associated with Alzheimer’s disease. If there is brain shrinkage, there is cognitive impairment (at least a mild case), and it often leads to the subject manifesting dementia.

Continue reading Folic acid, cobalamin, and pyridoxamine may protect against Alzheimer’s →

Share this:

Brain, Technology

How our brain works…and meditation shows the way

May 18, 2011 Roy A. Ackerman, Ph.D., E.A. 8 Comments

Dr. Zoran Josipovic, a research neuroscientist and adjunct professor at New York University, has been examining the rearranging of brains for about 3 years now. What is more unusual about the study is that his study subjects are Buddhist nuns and monks.

Continue reading How our brain works…and meditation shows the way →

Share this:

Brain, Medicine

More on Sleep (too much or too little!)

May 11, 2011 Roy A. Ackerman, Ph.D., E.A. 9 Comments

It also turns out that changes in sleep patterns can have a profound effect on our lives. A new study, published in Sleep, states that changes in our sleep patterns that we make- or just happen as we age- in our late middle ages can lead to cognitive decline. This decline is equivalent in scope to adding some 4 to 7 years to our actual mental age. Notice, I said “changes” in sleep patterns.

Continue reading More on Sleep (too much or too little!) →

Share this:

Brain, Medicine

Are you asleep? Or are you awake? Or- are you both?

May 9, 2011 Roy A. Ackerman, Ph.D., E.A. 4 Comments

So, many of you know that I sleep 3 hours a night. No, I don’t sleep during the day. (OK, put me in a boring lecture and I am out faster than you can say “boo”.) And, there was a recent Wall Street Journal article that made me feel better. Dr. Chris Jones of the University of Utah (and Dr. Fu of UC San Francisco) have been running a study (actually checking folks genetic code) about folks who thrive on 3 hours of sleep. The problem is that while many people think they need little sleep- but only 5% of those who do so think, really meet this criterion. It turns out only a select few (elite?) can survive healthily on such a regimen, about 1-3% of the total population. The short-sleepers are night owls and early birds. (Yes, they, like I, burn the candle at both ends.) We short-sleepers are also energetic, outgoing, optimistic and ambitious. (I clearly include myself in this “elite” group.) Moreover, this practice (habit?) starts when we are kids and runs in families. (Until my dad was dying, he was like that. My grandmother as well.)

Continue reading Are you asleep? Or are you awake? Or- are you both? →

Share this:

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

Brain, Energy, Just Because, Medicine

Read all about it! (Oh, damned, the headline wasn’t really the truth!)

May 2, 2011 Roy A. Ackerman, Ph.D., E.A. 10 Comments

FIRST: AN ASIDE. (2 May 2011) Until last night at 11:00, I had no idea how profoundly my (then) 10 year old son was affected by 9-11. Or, how in the middle of 10th inning (to go onto 14 innings) game filled with Mets and Phillies fans could coalesce to declaim with gusto: “USA! USA”! while their two teams were dueling it out on the field to win a game (4:45 minutes by the time it ended unfortunately)… To the tenacious, steadfast efforts of the (guessing) 12 Navy Seals who carried out a mission, unsure they could make it home (due to the destruction of their personal transportation): We salute you!

Continue reading Read all about it! (Oh, damned, the headline wasn’t really the truth!) →

Share this:

Brain, Just Because, Medicine

Does she or Doesn’t she? (no, it’s not the hairdresser this time!)

April 28, 2011 Roy A. Ackerman, Ph.D., E.A. 9 Comments

Resized image of Ritalin-SR-20mg-full.png; squ... — Image via Wikipedia

Continue reading Does she or Doesn’t she? (no, it’s not the hairdresser this time!) →

Share this:

Brain, Business Management, Economy

Risky Business

April 27, 2011 Roy A. Ackerman, Ph.D., E.A. 8 Comments

I wrote about risk and sunk costs yesterday. (Other posts about Risky business risk are here and here.) And, I still don’t see any improvement in our leader’s capabilities (read Congress, Senate, Governors, et. al.) in this area. Nor have I seen schools taking up the banner. And, the end results is that we will continually make choices that are counter to our best interests. Some history…