Neuroplasticity programs

The program aids individuals who struggle with reading, who have developed inefficient or inaccurate reading habits. The Listening Program, TLP Spectrum, and TLP Achieve — The brain is musical; neuroscience has proven through functional brain imaging that when we listen to music, virtually the whole brain is involved.

Music listening not only involves the auditory areas of the brain, but also engages large-scale neural networks including: prefrontal cortex, motor cortex, sensory cortex, auditory cortex, visual cortex, cerebellum, hippocampus, amygdala, nucleus accumbens, corpus callosum, autonomic nervous system, vestibular system, and the intrinsic nervous system.

The Listening Program music helps conduct the neural symphony, connecting the most ancient parts of the brain to the most advanced. First, we assess to determine the underlying cause of the reading problems. Second, the child would usually take one of our programs to strengthen those weak cognitive abilities. Then third, once the cognitive abilities are strong, we can teach the child to read, spell, and print.

We use methods that are proven to be the very best methods for all kids, but are especially helpful for kids with severe reading struggles, even dyslexia and reading disabilities. The reading instruction methods we use come by a number of names including synthetic to blend phonics, explicit clearly taught phonics, systematic in a precise order phonics, and linguistic reading.

Reading instruction is done face-to-face or online. Samonas — Suitable for children who need a gentle approach to auditory training. We offer it as a two-week intensive to get big results quickly. The objectives of the study are creating positive neuro-attitudes, overcoming procrastination, breaking bad habits, and improving memory.

The course content includes brain structure and neuroplasticity, neuroscience of self-talk, building neural growth, the concept of identity-based habits, strategies to break bad habits, secrets to improved productivity among other areas. You will also learn about overcoming procrastination, techniques for improving memory, goal setting, and concentration, the importance of learning, building confidence, and accelerating change.

Review: I enjoyed the exercises tremendously. The course is smooth, entertaining and informative. By far the best structured course I have ever taken. Rick Hanson offers two-level training in neuroplasticity. The first level of the training focuses on rewiring your brain for a better life.

You will learn how to feel happy, confident, and loved. In the second level, you will learn to apply positive neuroplasticity concepts in your work life.

Educators, coaches, therapists, mindfulness trainers, and doctors will find this course very useful. Greater healing, growth, and motivation are the targeted outcomes of this course. Review: This was a truly life-altering, life-affirming training. I feel peaceful, content, loved, and excited to bring HEAL into my everyday life. I am seeing how when I grow the good in myself, there is so much more available to offer others.

This is an advanced-level course in neuroplasticity and brain repair that studies in depth the mechanisms of neuroplasticity. It particularly focuses on neurofeedback in the elderly.

The course content includes definitions of neuroplasticity, neural markers, treatments to promote neuroplasticity, brain injury, and cognitive rehabilitation. During the sessions, you will learn about the effects of traumatic brain injury, mechanisms, and biology of neuroplasticity, various forms of neurofeedback, and the connection between neuroplasticity and cognitive rehabilitation.

Those who participated weekly in an hour-long music-based exercise class during the 6 months had decreased anxiety and gained in the executive skill of resisting interference as compared to the control group Hars et al. Japanese individuals 65 and older enjoyed physical exercise with musical accompaniment for 1 h once a week completing 40 h in 1 year Satoh et al. With each session the exercise intensity was gradually increased. Half of the group heard the music played in harmony with the exercise.

The other half only heard percussion that kept the beat while the people read the lyrics without music while exercising. While both groups may have appreciated gains in psychomotor speed, only the music group had significant improvement in visuospatial function. These scientists believe that cognitive functioning in elders can be enhanced when music is combined with physical exercise.

To what extent is neurogenesis relevant to information processing? New brain cells in the dentate gyrus are essential for discriminating fine differences in experiences and sensory inputs Jessberger and Gage, It is this awareness of differences in small details that picks up newness.

It is during their sixth to eighth week that new neurons are more excitable than mature brain cells Ge et al. This important period is when the per cent of new brain cells that survive and get integrated Tashiro et al. It is also when less strong exciting currents are essential to cause a plastic response such as survival, integration, memory, or long term potentiation. These new brain cells are also thought to hold associations between time-related experiences that may not be related in content like those that occur during memory flashbacks.

In their first few days of life new brain cells grow dendrites that reach into the dentate gyrus and axons are evident. It is during this young and excitable period that new neurons require experiences such as physical activity and learning that includes challenge and newness to become integrated and stable in the dentate gyrus. Although the many steps between birth and the connectivity that includes synaptic integration are still awaiting definition, there is largely no difference between mature brain cells and newborn ones by the time new neurons are about 8 weeks old Deshpande et al.

Working with adults aged 60—89 using a computer training program, the duration of and presentation speed of stimuli adapted to the skill level of the person in order to maintain a degree of challenge Berry et al. As a result of practice and challenge, individuals had improved working memory for tasks they had not been trained on. Pre-training and post-training electroencephalography also showed functional brain plasticity.

Further research is indicated on how to maximize transfer of gains from training programs that are computer based, provide adaptive challenge and can reinforce progress with greater accuracy and effectiveness than could ever be managed by human trainers.

Ball et al. Computerized speed of processing training showed immediate gains regardless of age, gender, mental status, health status or education with gains maintained over 5 years Ball et al. Ten years after their initial training, gains were evident in the targeted cognitive skills of reasoning and speed of processing but not for memory.

All participants at 10 years reported less difficulty with instrumental activities of daily living Rebok et al. This was a randomized, controlled, single blind trial involving 2, humans in six cities in the USA, the largest trial to date.

A recent small study with people 65 and older who were cognitively intact found that less daily computer use was associated with a smaller percent of hippocampal volume Silbert et al. Pairing the use of these training programs with aerobic exercise could increase brain gains Anderson-Hanley et al. It is clear that physical exercise prescriptions need to be part of healthcare to enhance brain health Hallal and Lee, ; Ryan and Nolan, Without such, the harms that can accrue are similar to those of smoking and obesity.

Willey et al. Regular exercise can reinvigorate the immune system Simpson et al. In elders without known cognitive impairment exercise can improve cognitive performance Angevaren et al. Being aerobic up to 60 min can improve information processing. With elders whose average age was 83, it predicted greater integrity in microstructures in brain networks related to memory Tian et al.

It can result in greater health of brain white matter in people aged 60—78 Burzynska et al. Exercise energizes motor responses to improve the speed of reaction Audiffren et al. Aerobic exercise has been associated with increased neurogenesis in humans Pereira et al. Exercise influences survival and maturation of adult born neurons Snyder et al. Six months of high intensity aerobic exercise with women between the ages of 55 and 85 who had mild cognitive decline was a potent non-pharmacologic treatment that improved their performance on multiple tests of executive functioning Baker et al.

A review of random controlled trials suggested that physical exercise could be a powerful way to increase gray brain matter in elders such that cognitive losses and behavioral problems associated with brain atrophy can be prevented Erickson et al. There is no reason to hold back on these prescriptions while evolving research attempts to establish guidelines on preferred dose, timing and method.

In the Cardiovascular Health Study, calorie expenditure was measured along with assessments of cognitive functioning and MRI measurements of brain volume Raji et al. Total intake of food and fluid, frequency of intake and content consumed all factor into the molecular events of energy metabolism and neuroplasticity Gomez-Pinilla and Tyagi, The optimal combination of nutrients can be a practical way of enhancing cognitive performance while increasing the health span.

Given the scope of this review, full coverage of all pertinent research is not possible in this writing. The intent of this writing is to highlight several dietary choices that could be neuroprotective Dauncey, , could have positive effects on neuroplasticity Murphy et al.

Calorie restriction with adequate nutrients has been associated with health benefits through increased longevity in organisms from yeast to flies, worms, and mammals. Some of these cognitive and general health benefits of calorie restriction in humans are thought to be related to the reduction of inflammation and oxidative damage. Still, the molecular nuances of the calorie restriction remains poorly understood. The problem with low grade inflammation that can be chronic as well as undiagnosed is that it can be associated with decreased cognitive functioning with aging Marioni et al.

Intermittent fasting in animals found benefits that equaled or exceeded the benefits of calorie restriction; brain cells in these animals were more capable of resisting the injury of an injection into the hippocampus that has known toxic effects Anson et al.

Reducing caloric intake seems to improve synaptic resilience to damage and modify the number, architecture, and performance of synapses Rothman and Mattson, A reduction in inflammation with better preservation of cognitive function in animals with sepsis suggested that intermittent fasting can induce adaptive responses systemically as well as in the brain Vasconcelos et al.

Neither calorie restriction nor intermittent fasting should be taken lightly. Each require healthy nutrition. Whether that uses the Okinawan Diet, that was one of the factors in the lives of high-functioning centenarians Willcox et al. Since both emphasize vegetables, fruits, fish as a source of protein, and low glycemic load, both would be rich in polyphenols and the healthier polyunsaturated fats and would have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory benefits.

Interestingly, the polyphenol resveratrol also increases longevity Dauncey, ; Witte et al. This polyphenol occurs naturally in grapes, purple grape juice and some berries such as blueberries and cranberries. Other invaluable polyphenols that get much wider dietary acceptance are the flavonoids found in cocoa which are noted for powerful anti-inflammatory as well as antioxidant effects.

The added benefits of these flavonoids are the dose dependent improved blood flow to the brain as well as increased health and flexibility of blood vessels Monahan et al. Humans aged 50—69 years who consumed mg of cocoa flavanols daily for 3 months enjoyed improved dentate gyrus performance on cognitive testing as well as on fMRI Brickman et al.

Curcumin is a neuroprotective polyphenol with antiinflammatory and antioxidant capacity that can increase differentiation of neural stem cells into neurons in rats Chen et al.

It has shown a capacity to enhance neurogenesis and increase the number of neural stem cells in the hippocampus of adult mice Kim et al. Healthy humans aged 60—85 appreciated improvements in cognition and mood Cox et al.

Also crucial to optimal central nervous system structure and function are the essential omega-3 fatty acids eicosapentaenoic acid EPA and docosahexaenoic acid DHA; Barberger-Gateau, which humans cannot create. Primary sources include fish and plant foods. Interestingly, in the parts of the brain essential to cognition and memory one study found increased gray matter volumes that were associated with fish consumption and independent of plasma measures of omega-3 fatty acids Raji et al.

An animal study Tyagi et al. A random controlled trial Boespflug et al. A research review suggests that a high brain concentration of DHA can optimize synaptic plasticity and efficiency and help maintain homeostasis in the synapses Denis et al. For efficient transmission of data between brain cells, the plasma membrane must remain fluid. DHA is a component of this membrane. Rats maintained on a mixture of alpha-linolenic and linoleic acid showed enhanced learning that the researchers opined was due to the fatty acids changing the amount of cholesterol in the membrane of the neurons Yehuda et al.

Adequate intake of the essential fatty acids is crucial to maintaining the fluid transmission of molecules across neuronal membranes because this is where much of the action takes place for such core brain functions as learning, memory, and sleep Yehuda et al. They are also essential in building the myelin sheath that enhances efficient processing of information Yehuda et al.

The finding that DHA is vulnerable to oxidative damage underscores both the need for polyphenols as well as the complexity of the interactive neuroplastic influence of the several components of the dietary intervention matrix which also needs to consider essential vitamins and minerals. For example, since brain health requires adequate Vitamin B 12 , episodic measures of this status are recommended Barnard et al.

Perhaps love is one of the most valuable intentional emotional experiences humans can produce to drive brain plasticity in a positive direction. Diamond believed that the same gains could be appreciated in older humans but a confounding variable to consider is human perception. In the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging stereotypes were assessed in people without dementia decades prior to when annual magnetic imaging and brain autopsies were done Levy et al.

Richard Davidson brought affective neuroscience to the forefront by showing the neuroplastic gains in humans associated with thought Davidson and Lutz, ; Ferrarelli et al. Mindfulness meditation could have antiinflammatory influences similar to those targeted by prescription drugs with a faster response noted in experienced meditators Kaliman et al.

A study of long-term meditators and controls between the ages of 24 and 77 years, suggested that practitioners of long term meditation may have less atrophy of brain gray matter with aging Luders et al. Their average was 20 years of meditation with a range from 4 to 46 years. White brain matter plasticity has even been found with short periods of meditation Tang et al. A review of social influences on neuroplasticity Davidson and McEwen, described interventions that can reduce stress and promote wellbeing as well as prosocial behaviors.

These include studies of meditation on compassion, mindfulness and kindness with associated functional and structural changes. A rich social network of friends and family stimulates and enhances healthy aging. In contrast, neurogenesis in animals is reduced with stress and depression. In humans hippocampal volume loss is predicted by depression but not age Sheline et al.

Training such as cognitive therapy and meditation could enhance wellbeing and other prosocial elements of the human experience and positive plasticity Davidson and McEwen, Mice showed decreased function in the blood brain barrier with sleep deprivation He et al.

This interface between circulation and the brain is crucial to adequate supply of nutrients and oxygen to brain cells. Sleep deprivation in mice resulted in neuroinflammation in the hippocampus and associated deficits in learning and memory Zhu et al.

A primary role of sleep may be to restore brain energy metabolism since wakefulness consumes more energy particularly in gray brain matter Plante et al. A study of 6, adults aged 65 or older Spira et al.

Chronic insomnia in humans was associated with hippocampal atrophy that suggests decreased neurogenesis; this was associated with cognitive deficits Joo et al. In a population of 2, men aged 67 and older, measured and reported sleep disturbance was associated with cognitive decline.

A review Guzman-Marin and McGinty, found that accumulated sleep deprivation and sleep fragmentation greater than 24 h was associated with a decrease in neurogenesis that was not quickly reversible. Chronic sleep deprivation in animals resulted in increased inflammatory molecules and decreased BDNF which is crucial to many components of neuroplasticity Zielinski et al.

One of the neuroprotective mechanisms of adequate sleep may be its reduction of inflammation that can be associated with aging Irwin, as well as with decreased neurogenesis as observed in animal models Guzman-Marin and McGinty, However, when one night of sleep deprivation in rats included gentle handling to prevent sleep, neurogenesis increased significantly initially as well as 15 and 30 days later Zucconi et al. Diamond et al.

Perhaps most important, rats continued to show brain gains across this longer lifespan; Diamond opined that humans could appreciate these same brain gains at any age. Equally convincing on the value of the power of positives is the work by Zucconi et al. Rather than finding the usual detrimental effects of sleep deprivation, gentle handling of rats to prevent sleep was associated with significant increases in neurogenesis initially, 15 days later and 30 days later. Caution is essential in generalizing these findings to humans.

Based on animal research it was assumed that neurogenesis declines rapidly after a certain age Jessberger and Gage, Humans show less decline in neurogenesis with aging and still produce new brain cells in each hippocampus each day Spalding et al. The rate of neurogenesis in animals and in humans has been increased by factors including aerobic exercise and sustained fivefold with long-term environmental enrichment Kempermann et al.

Even though this was a small sample, it might help clinicians influence motivation and empower clients to increase healthy sleep for brain health. Essential molecules for health must circulate in adequate supply to the brain and waste products that could have toxic impact must be removed for best brain performance and maintenance. That is part of the critical function of sleep as shown in research on the glymphatic system Jessen et al.

Coupled with multiple other studies showing improvements in brain chemistry, architecture, and performance this body of research is an invitation to apply concepts and techniques in clinical practice to educate as well as increase treatment compliance with this and other non-pharmacological interventions that can be powerful, portable, and inexpensive ways of enhancing brain chemistry and architecture while improving general health.

Human research has the added advantage of considering the impact of thought alone. Whether long term meditation for tens of thousands of hours Davidson and Lutz, or short term for 4 weeks Tang et al. Although calorie restriction and some nutrients have been associated with increased healthy longevity in many species, this could require greater creativity in motivating individuals to eat less and eat differently. Educating people that some cognitive and general health benefits could be related to the resultant reduction in inflammation and oxidative damage may not be enough.

More research on the Okinawa Program should be encouraged because the World Health Organization declared Okinawa a centenarian center of the world based on the percentage of Okinawans that remained physically, socially and cognitively intact well past the age of , a distinction that persisted until Western lifestyle choices markedly changed that demographic. With the growing global burden of obesity and associated negative health impacts, clinicians could play pivotal roles in empowering people to celebrate benefits of hara hachi bu for their brain health; to structure reinforcement schedules for adherence to healthier food choices; and to learn from the Okinawan model that led to remarkable vigorous longevity.

Extensive work by Karlene Ball and Michael Merzenich has used behavioral techniques in computer software training that could adapt to the current level of functioning such that positive reinforcement was predominant. Both Ball and Merzenich have found significant gains in skills that were trained.

It is especially significant that these enduring positive effects of neuroplasticity based computerized cognitive training have been found to impact such important issues as quality of life Wolinsky et al. Thus, ample research exists to indicate the need for behavioral techniques in neuroplasticity based computerized programs in healthcare. The finding of Ball and associates that some gains persisted up to 10 years highlights the need for research on dose, timing, and how broadly these gains might influence other factors such as memory, judgment, and prosocial behaviors.

Since computerized complex new learning coupled with aerobic exercise has shown increased gains over either intervention alone in early research Anderson-Hanley et al. A recent review Gajewski and Falkenstein, suggests that combining cognitive training with aerobic exercise in natural activities like dancing might be the most beneficial because it is multilevel with both physical and cognitive coordination required.

Since aerobic exercise is associated with increased neurogenesis in humans, integration of these new brain cells requires newness and challenge, research has shown increased survival rates of new brain cells in animals afforded an enriched environment, and type of stimulation during aerobic exercise can influence the site of integration as well as improved cognition related to those efforts, the timing is right for increased research to develop computerized interventions that can be used in association with aerobic activity, whether on the dance floor or cardio machine, to assess potential academic, cognitive, prosocial, and business benefits across a healthier longevity.