Researchers have uncovered a new clue to the cause of Alzheimer’s disease.

The brains of people with the memory-robbing form of dementia are cluttered with a plaque made up of beta-amyloid, a sticky protein. But there long has been a question whether this is a cause of the disease or a side effect. Also involved are tangles of a protein called tau; some scientists suspect this is the cause.

Now, researchers have caused Alzheimer’s symptoms in rats by injecting them with one particular form of beta-amyloid. Injections with other forms of beta-amyloid did not cause illness, which may explain why some people have beta-amyloid plaque in their brains but do not show disease symptoms.

The findings by a team led by Dr. Ganesh M. Shankar and Dr. Dennis J. Selkoe of Harvard Medical School were reported in Sunday’s online edition of the journal Nature Medicine.

The researchers used extracts from the brains of people who donated their bodies to medicine.

Forms of soluble beta-amyloid containing different numbers of molecules, as well as insoluble cores of the brain plaque, were injected into the brains of mice. There was no detectable effect from the insoluble plaque or the soluble one-molecule or three-molecule forms, the researchers found.

But the two-molecule form of soluble beta-amyloid produced characteristics of Alzheimer’s in the rats, they reported.

Those rats had impaired memory function, especially for newly learned behaviors. When the mouse brains were inspected, the density brain cells was reduced by 47% with the beta-amyloid seeming to affect synapses, the connections between cells that are essential for communication between them.

The research, for the first time, showed the effect of a particular type of beta-amyloid in the brain, said Dr. Marcelle Morrison-Bogorad, director of the division of neuroscience at the National Institute on Aging, which helped fund the research.

It was surprising that only one of the three types had an effect, she said in a telephone interview.

Morrison-Bogorad said the findings may help explain the discovery of plaque in the brains of people who do not develop dementia. For some time, doctors have wondered why they find some brains in autopsy that are heavily coated with beta-amyloid, but the person did not have Alzheimer’s.

The answer may lie in the two types of beta-amyloid that did not cause symptoms.

Now, the question is why one has the damaging effect and not others.

"A lot of work needs to be done," Morrison-Bogorad said. "Nature keeps sending us down paths that look straight at the beginning, but there are a lot of curves before we get to the end."

Dr. Richard J. Hodes, director of the National Institute on Aging, said that "while more research is needed to replicate and extend these findings, this study has put yet one more piece into place in the puzzle that is Alzheimer’s."

In addition to the Institute on Aging, the research was funded by Science Foundation Ireland, Wellcome Trust, the McKnight and Ellison foundations and the Lefler Small Grant Fund.

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Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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How Convinced Are You That Your Child Is Not One of The 98% of Children Missing Out On His Extraordinary Potential?

I want to tell you a story… a true story of two children who grew up to be happy and successful in life. One is a photographer, the other a musician.

They are very much alike, these men. They are both living their dreams. Both are enjoying life to the fullest. And they are both receiving recognition for their wonderful creative expressions.

But there was a difference. One man took 80 years to achieve his dream. The other took just 20 years.

What Made The Difference?

Have you ever wondered, as have I, what makes some people able to achieve the success of their dreams and find their life purpose at such a young age? Have you always wanted to know how they did it, not so much for yourself, but even more for your children to have the life of opportunities you never had?

Well, let me tell you that it isn’t always talent, opportunity or hard work that makes the difference. Nor is it that one person harbors dreams and the other doesn’t.

The difference lies in the person’s growing years and the freedom he was given to retain and maximize his natural talents, intelligence and intuition. Without this nurtured freedom, a child would otherwise be confined, only to spend a lifetime searching and struggling to regain that magic.

Trust me, I know …

I am that 80+ year old man, and the 20-year-old musician is my grandson. Only at the age of of 78 did I start photography, and at the age of 80 my work was recognized by the International Photography Hall of Fame.

It was a great achievement at my age… yet at the same time, I saw my grandson, Shawn, living his musician dreams at an age when I was still naive in my direction. In just his early twenties, Shawn was already composing, singing and performing songs with his band, earning an Inland Empire Music Awards nomination for Best Indie Rock Group and Best Live Act, all while completing his college degree.

What was Shawn’s secret to utilizing his full potential, living his dreams and finding his life purpose at such an early age? How did he accomplish this feat four times faster than I did?

My 50 Year Journey To Reawaken My Inner Magic

Many people are surprised to know I only started photography at the age of 78. Many are even more surprised that I also started writing and painting at this age.

It was something I never had the talent for (or at least that’s what I thought)… but with my mastery of mind power techniques, I found a way to tap into and reawaken an inner magic that unleashed a creative expression I never thought I had it in me.

It was a long journey, but my experience enabled me to develop specific techniques and mental conditioning exercises. Once I saw for myself this true power of the mind, it became my mission to help others tap into the latent power of their mind and unleash their true inner magic.

The Right Intervention at the Right Time

Today at over 80 years old, I prefer to stay home, but I’ve been able to unleash my teachings to the entire world through the Internet. I now have a membership list of over 70,000 from my site called The American Monk, and through this I’ve reached out and transformed the lives of more people than I ever imagined possible with my teachings.

Today, looking back upon my experience, I noticed one prominent pattern. All the adults whom I’ve helped throughout my travels over the past 50 years were all natural geniuses that lost it somewhere, and they turned to me to help them regain the inner magic of their mind.

They too knew that they were more capable than what life currently holds for them. They too held the belief that the mind is the most powerful tool one can master. And just like me, they too were looking for the key to unlock their talents and excel in life.

But one day it dawned upon me what I should have realized a long time ago.

If the adults I was helping hadn’t lost their genius in the first place, would they be needing my help as adults to reawaken that inner magic?

Click Here To Get Your Free Copy of The Genius Dip Report >>

Wouldn’t it then make more sense for an earlier intervention… to reach out to people when they are younger… to reach out to children?

It’s all about the RIGHT intervention at the RIGHT time, isn’t it?

Upon realizing this, I shifted my efforts to focus on children. I started to do some research. And I came across a shocking study.

Shocking Harvard Study Shows That Between Age 4 and Age 20, 98% Will Lose Their Capabilities for Genius That They Were Naturally Born With

I came across a Harvard study led by Howard Gardner, the professor that revolutionized our understanding of intelligence by being the first to define intelligence into seven different dimensions.

Leading a research group at Harvard called Project Zero, Howard Gardner made another discovery that shook the ground of psychology.

They proved that almost every child is born with genius! But after the age of 20, only a mere 2% retain their talents. 98% LOSE THEIR POTENTIAL.

I call this sad phenomena the Genius Dip.

Click Here To Get Your Free Copy of The Genius Dip Report >>

What is going on? Why does this Genius Dip happen?

SOMETHING happens during upbringing that causes 98% of children to have these abilities ERASED from their mind.

It can’t be genetic. Not when almost every child is born a genius. So if nature is not the answer, the only logical conclusion left is nurture.

But what? I asked myself the same question and after some investigation and research, the results both shocked and disappointed me.

Now please don’t get me wrong. I don’t want to sound like I’m against education, because I’m not. In fact, two of my daughters are school teachers and I’m proud of the work they do. Education is essential and important.

But there are shortcomings of the mass education system that you have to know… otherwise you too will be lulled into thinking that mass cookie-cutter school systems are enough to develop your child into a successful well-balanced adult.

Click Here To Get Your Free Copy of The Genius Dip Report >>

The Shortcomings of the Education System

Yes, while it is essential for your child to be in school, your children are going to need more than that in the world to come. They are going to need more than historical facts, geographic locations, mathematical ability, musical skills and the likes.

Those things are important BUT they will also need to know how to understand the world… how to communicate and interconnect with others… how to visualize goals and attract success. And in the bigger picture, how to tap into intuition, fulfill their life purpose and leave behind a mark in their world.

But all of that… they don’t learn in school.

You can’t blame the system though. It’s unfortunately an inevitable shortcoming of any mass system. The old-fashioned cookie cutter method of mass education destroys any chance of meeting each individual child’s needs of creative nurturing.

The Genius Dip: Why Children Are Losing their Genius Potential and What You Can Do to Help Your Child

Are you one of those people that see genius as a “gift”? Do you still believe that a person is either born with intelligence, or they’re not? Do you still believe in the old-fashioned myth that intelligence is inherited?

Could you be one of the parents unknowingly holding back your own child’s genius because you are stuck with this old-programming belief that genius is only exclusive to the “lucky” few?

Because you truly care about the most important asset of out future – our CHILDREN – I’m going to share with you the most crucial discoveries that I’ve made in my 50 years of collected knowledge of the mind’s power and potential.

Here’s what I’m going to share with you in my report:

• How to unleash the hidden abilities of the mind at ANY age
• The Harvard study discovery that will forever change how you see the mind’s potential
• The ugly truth about America’s “No Child Left Behind” campaign and how it is the worst disaster any government ever inflicted upon children
• The crucial elements you must understand to IMMEDIATELY save your child’s genius capability from the shocking factors the education system refuses to acknowledge
• Learn the One-Two-Three punch combo that is the sure-fire way to reawakening genius
• How to give your child boosted self esteem and confidence to achieve success in all walks of their present and future life

Click Here To Get Your Free Copy of The Genius Dip Report >>

Here is an opportunity to hear Ed Dames pour his heart out as he shares his life, his experiences and his adventures.

Pick his brains and discover what this man -the face of Remote Viewing –REALLY has to say.

If you like to get your information from ‘the source’…

…today is your lucky day!

Click HERE

to get FREE access to

Major Ed Dame’s exclusive interview.

Inside, Ed Dames reveals…

• The REAL reason the U.S. government ended the controversial Remote Viewing Research Project, and what members of congress were afraid of
• “The Cold War beneath the Cold War” — Insights that Major Ed Dames and his team gained when spying upon the Soviets during the Cold War, and what the Soviet psychic team knew about them
• How anyone can learn remote viewing and use it to do absolutely anything – including diagnosing medical conditions that no physician can detect and solving “cold case” crimes
• How remote viewing can be used to make money by accurately pinpointing the location of gold and predict the movement of stock markets
• The impending global pandemic that is dawning quickly upon humanity that you MUST know about and prepare for
• And SO much more…

It’s as good as asking him face to face. Get yours now.

“You Asked the Question So Be Prepared For The Answer… How Much Are You Willing to Open Your Mind?”

~ Ed Dames

Sit down, relax, take a deep breath or two, and listen to the stories that will change your life forever…

Get Your Exclusive Interview Here NOW…

Enjoy!

PS. You can also visit the Learn Remote Viewing Blog by clicking here.

Scientists performing experimental brain surgery on a man aged 50 have stumbled across a mechanism that could unlock how memory works.

The accidental breakthrough came during an experiment originally intended to suppress the obese man’s appetite, using the increasingly successful technique of deep-brain stimulation. Electrodes were pushed into the man’s brain and stimulated with an electric current. Instead of losing appetite, the patient instead had an intense experience of déjà vu. He recalled, in intricate detail, a scene from 30 years earlier. More tests showed his ability to learn was dramatically improved when the current was switched on and his brain stimulated.

Scientists are now applying the technique in the first trial of the treatment in patients with Alzheimer’s disease. If successful, it could offer hope to sufferers from the degenerative condition, which affects 450,000 people in Britain alone, by providing a “pacemaker” for the brain.

Three patients have been treated and initial results are promising, according to Andres Lozano, a professor of neurosurgery at the Toronto Western Hospital, Ontario, who is leading the research.

Professor Lozano said: “This is the first time that anyone has had electrodes implanted in the brain which have been shown to improve memory. We are driving the activity of the brain by increasing its sensitivity – turning up the volume of the memory circuits. Any event that involves the memory circuits is more likely to be stored and retained.”

The discovery had caught him and his team “completely by surprise”, Professor Lozano said. They had been operating on the man, who weighed 190kg (30st), to treat his obesity by locating the point in his brain that controls appetite. All other attempts to curb his eating had failed and brain surgery was the last resort.

The treatment for obesity was unsuccessful. But, while the researchers were identifying potential appetite suppressant points in the hypothalamus, the part of the brain associated with hunger, the man suddenly began to say that memory was flooding back.

“He reported the experience of being in a park with friends from when he was around 20 years old and, as the intensity of stimulation increased, the details became more vivid. He recognised his girlfriend [from the time] … The scene was in colour. People were wearing identifiable clothes and were talking, but he could not decipher what they were saying,” the researchers write in Annals of Neurology, published today.

The man, who has not been identified, was also tested on his ability to learn lists of paired objects. After three weeks of continuous hypothalamic stimulation, his performance on two learning tests was significantly improved. He was also much more likely to remember a list of unrelated paired objects with the electrodes turned on than when turned off.

Speaking to The Independent yesterday, Professor Lozano said: “His performance improved dramatically. As we turned the current up, we first drove his memory circuits and improved his learning. As we increased the intensity of the current, we got spontaneous memories of discrete events. At a certain intensity, he would slash to the scene [in the park]. When the intensity was increased further, he got more detail but, when the current was turned off, it rapidly decayed.”

The discovery surprised the scientists as the hypothalamus has not usually been identified as a seat of memory. The contacts that most readily produced the memories were located close to a structure called the fornix, an arched bundle of fibres that carries signals within the limbic system, which is involved in memory and emotions and is situated next to the hypothalamus.

Professor Lozano is a world authority on deep-brain stimulation who has undertaken 400 operations on Parkinson’s disease sufferers and is developing the technique as a treatment for depression, for which he has performed 28 operations. He said the discovery of its role in stimulating memory had wide implications.

“It gives us insight into which brain structures are involved in memory. It gives us a means of intervening in the way we have already done in Parkinson’s and for mood disorders such as depression, and it may have therapeutic benefit in people with memory problems,” he said.

The researchers are testing the approach in six Alzheimer’s patients in a Phase 1 safety study. Three have so far had electrodes surgically implanted. The electrodes are attached via a cable that runs below the skull and down the neck to a battery pack stitched under the skin of the chest. The “pacemaker” delivers a constant low-level current that stimulates the brain but cannot be perceived by the patient.

Professor Lozano said: “It is the same device as is used for Parkinson’s disease. We have placed the electrodes in exactly the same area of the hypothalamus because we want to see if we can reproduce the findings in the earlier experiment. We believe the memory circuits we are stimulating are close by, physically touching the hypothalamus.

“It is a very effective treatment for the motor problems associated with Parkinson’s disease and it has been used on 40,000 people. We are in the early stages of using it with Alzheimer’s patients and we don’t know if it will work. We want to assess if we can reach the memory circuits and drive improvement. It is a novel approach to dealing with this problem.”

British researchers welcomed the discovery. Andrea Malizia, a senior lecturer in psychopharmacology at the University of Bristol who is studying deep-brain stimulation as a treatment for depression, said: “If they had said let’s stick an electrode in the hypothalamus to modify Alzheimer’s disease, I would have said ‘Why start there?’ But, if they have had a serendipitous finding, then that is as good. Serendipitous findings are how a lot of discoveries in science have been made.”

Ayesha Khan, a scientific liaison officer at the Alzheimer’s Disease Society, said: “This is very cutting-edge research. It is exciting, but the initial result is in one person. It will need much further investigation.”

How deep-brain stimulation works

Deep -brain stimulation has been used for more than a decade to treat a range of conditions including depression, chronic pain, Parkinson’s disease and other movement disorders.

It has been so successful in treating Parkinson’s that 40,000 patients worldwide now have electrodes implanted in their brains driven by pacemakers stitched into their chests.

As the devices become smaller, requiring less risky surgery, and the target areas of the brain requiring stimulation are more precisely identified, demand for the treatment is expected to leap. Although it is expensive, the potential savings in care and treatment costs are immense. It does not lead to dependence on drugs and is reversible.

The electrodes are implanted under local anaesthesia while the patient is awake. Before the operation, the neurosurgeon performs an MRI scan and establishes the target location for the electrodes. He then carries out a craniotomy – lifting a section of the skull – and inserts the electrodes and leads. By stimulating the electrodes and checking the patient’s response, the surgeon can check that they are positioned in the right place.

Different areas of the brain are targeted for different conditions. For Parkinson’s disease, they are placed in the subthalamic nucleus; for depression, in area 25 of the cingulate cortex.

Deep-brain stimulation was developed in France and first licensed by the Food and Drug Administration in the US in 1997 as a treatment for tremor. In the UK, the surgery is performed at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery in London, in Bristol, in Oxford and at a handful of other centres.

The name of the procedure is in some ways a misnomer as it often involves inhibiting electrical activity in an area of the brain rather than stimulating it. The technique is as much about restoring balance between competing brain areas which leads to the tremor characteristic of some types of Parkinson’s disease.

(Source)

Is communion with your God or Spirit merely a figment of your imagination? Or does it make sense that spiritual experiences stimulate specific areas of the brain? This is the question researchers are trying to answer as they study devout worshippers of different faiths, measuring their brain activity as they meditate, pray, or recall powerful experiences.

While interpretation could go either way towards proving or disproving the existence of a higher power, it is logical that a Buddhist in meditation has an active right prefrontal cortex (responsible for attention and planning), given the meditative requirements of intensely focusing on one thought or object. And on the same coin, who’d argue the merits of nuns experiencing an activated caudate nucleus, common when experiencing feelings of love – coinciding with reported feelings of “unconditional love” while in prayer.

So, is science or faith the real player here?

Maybe it’s both:

Moreover, no matter what neural correlates scientists may find, the results cannot prove or disprove the existence of God. Although atheists might argue that finding spirituality in the brain implies that religion is nothing more than divine delusion, the nuns were thrilled by their brain scans for precisely the opposite reason: they seemed to provide confirmation of God’s interactions with them.

Either way, mastering the replication techniques described here could provide vast benefits for the general public, like improving immune systems, decreased depression, or just a more happy, healthy person. Faith and Science… maybe they CAN get along.

Scientific American::Searching for God in the Brain

An incredible new website, Productivity Zen, identifies the top 15 productivity stories and blogs of the day by monitoring the buzz of the productivity blog community.

The developers of the site use a software called SocialRank to monitor each of the best productivity sites and determine the day’s hottest articles and bloggers in the field.

According to the SocialRank team:

This is done by analyzing how sites and users link, connect, and discuss each other’s content. Add a touch of math and what we have is a powerful filter into the hottest stories of the day.

Now you can find better productivity stories, learn more, and get updated… much faster and easier than before.

So far great sites like Zen Habits, Life Optimizer, Matt Idea, and Lifehack have been showing up on the top rankings for the site. But also some new faces that I urge all your productivity junkies to go check out!

It’s so nice to be able to find stuff from within the longtail without having to deal with the complications of technorati and the sheer bias some some social networking sites.

Want to know more about these great sites? Visit the links below:

SocialRank
Productivity Zen

 These are 15 fun ideas that will increase your brain activity. It has been proven that the more exercise you give your brain the more it will grow and operate to new super levels. Are you striving to be more intelligent, more creative? Here’s a great platform on how you can achieve your goals. 

15 Extra Ways to Keep Your Brain In Shape

“If you nurture your mind, body and spirit, your time will expand. You will gain a new perspective that will allow you to accomplish much more.”

- Brian Koslow

It’s simple, your brain is at the center of everything you do, all you feel and think, and every nuance of how you relate to people. It’s both the supercomputer that runs your complex life and the tender organ that houses your soul. So it is very important to focus on keeping your brain in shape.

By regularly engaging in the right activities, you can increase your memory, improve your problem-solving skills and boost your creativity. Here are some extra tips on how to keep your brain in top nick.

1. Just stop.

“Take 20-30 minutes out of your day to think about nothing. But don’t sleep – you’ve got to meditate. Sit still, reduce sensory input, and try to focus your mind on something like a calm scene or a color (to begin with thinking about something rather than trying to think of ‘nothing’ is easier). A study at the University of Kentucky revealed that subjects who took a late-afternoon test after meditating for 30 minutes had better scores than those who napped for the same time.”

2. Hit the streets.

“Lace up your running shoes and get moving. A study from the University of Illinois, US, revealed that aerobic exercise actually increases brain volume. They put two groups through different regimens – one did aerobic training three times weekly for one hour; the other group did just stretching and toning exercise. The aerobics group had increased their brain volume and white matter, which forms the connections between neurons.”

3. Mix it up.

“Exercise has long been hailed as an aid to brain-power longevity. But to ensure you’re not leaving the gas on in your eighties, vary your workout routines now. Try changing things up on a regular basis and you’ll stimulate your brain more because you’re not using the same pathway over and over again.”

4. Read a book.

“Choose from classic literature, science fiction or personal development books and give your brain a boost. Pick up a novel before your next flight or vacation. On top of the cerebral benefits, the escapism that comes from reading can be very relaxing. Reading helps you exercise your cognitive skills and increase your vocabulary. Do it regularly and you’ll be amazed at the information you absorb, which will make you a more interesting conversationalist.”

5. One-cup-manship.

“Swilling coffee could be the perfect accompaniment to the cryptic crossword. Austrian researchers measuring brain activity found short-term memory and concentration improved after consuming 100mg of caffeine – equal to an Americano. But after 40 minutes those guinea pigs were back to the dumbness levels of a twice-a-day Deal Or No Deal viewer.”

6. Engage in a debate.

A lively discussion can be invigorating. As long as you avoid letting it digress into an argument, you can have a lot of fun debating the pros and cons of an issue with a friend or colleague. Playing with your brain stimulates blood flow and strengthens the connections (synapses) between nerve cells in the brain. You’ll practice your quick thinking skills, logic and creativity. And developing convincing theories on the spot will help you in your career and in your personal relationships.

7. Grab the Brainbox 360 controller.

“Believe it or not, playing certain video games can actually be good for your health. You’ll develop stronger visual skills and make decisions 85% faster than non-gamers, say experts from the University of Rochester, New York. Gamers can read the newspaper, recognize a scene or pick out facial features faster in between fragging killer aliens.”

8. Subscribe to a daily newsletter.

“Make the most out of your web surfing. Whether it’s a “word of the day,” “quote of the day” or “this day in history” newsletter, receiving new information each day will add data to the hard drive in your head. The mental stimulation will increase your comprehension skills. The additional knowledge will also make you sound more worldly and intelligent.”

9. Curry favours.

“Tuck into a Ruby Murray tonight to clear the mental cobwebs. Scientists from University of California discovered that curcumin – a yellow-coloured compound found in the curry spice turmeric can slow the onset of memory loss. Small doses of curry could also help protect the brain against Alzheimer’s disease – at least that’s the effect in rats. Curries with a yellow tinge will have the highest curcumin count.”

10. Grab a cue and play pool.

“Rack ‘em up, grab a cue and concentrate on your strategy. Billiard players must focus on the immediate, blocking out distractions as they plan their next moves. Strategic planning increases mental clarity. Concentrating on the immediate helps keep your mind sharp. Furthermore, this game of angles demands that players think in terms of physics, something most of us rarely do in our everyday lives. And it’s a brilliant way to pass the time.”

Read the full story and other 5 ways

Why don’t you find out more about the brain and increase your brain activity by reading another post on Increasing Your Brain Activity.