for those interested in cognitive enhancement

[faustus]

a lot of people on the forum are willing to throw money away for nootropics whose efficacy is either negligible, mild or demonstrated only in people with dementia. methylphenidate and amphetamine might enhance working memory and attention, but just fuck up your head with prolonged use.

read this:

www.pnas.org/content/early/2008/04/25/0801268105.full.pdf[/url]

the software can be bought here:

www.apn.psy.unibe.ch/content/application/braintwister/index_eng.html

IMHO as of 2010, this software represents the most effective and safe way to enhance your intelligence. when you compare the price of the software with other nootropics, it's a decent price. there other programs such as robomemo by cogmed which have been empirically verified, but mainsteam programs such as braintrainer are complete rubbish.

Edited February 26, 2010 by faustus

[mescalito]

Couldn't open the PDF and got an error!

[ballzac]

Thanks. I'll check it out

[Slybacon]

Just ordered it..... I'll let you know what i think of it.

EDIT.... > First appearances is its a very basic program.

Edited February 26, 2010 by Slybacon

[Slybacon]

Ok... after reading the manual and going through each exercise twice I can actually see how this could improve memory and improve cognitive speed. It has a good system to log your progress and you can actually feel your brain activity rise as it gets more complicated. My first impression is quite good. Im going to try 40 min a day 5 days a week if i can. 20 mins in the morning and 20 mins at night. I'll post my statistics and you can follow the progress.

[faustus]

good stuff -- cosmetics aside, i thought you'd eventually see the rationale behind the tasks.

BTW memory and working memory are two slightly different things. memory formation generally involves the encoding of short term memory into long term memory through rehearsal, whereas working memory involves the manipulation of information in your short term memory.

so i don't think you'll develop better recall, but you may find that you're able to "join the dots" a lot better and that difficult concepts will make more sense.

[nabraxas]

This exercise is to be done at bed time. But many people have a habit of watching tv or reading books or whatever, when they go to bed. Well, there will ulimately be a point when you are trying to close your eyes and go to sleep. I actually meant this point of time when I said bed time!

When you are trying to fall asleep, you normally experience all kinds of random thoughts passing through your mind and in between you will be in a half-awake half-sleepy kind of phase till sleep finally takes over. In your exercise, you will banish those random thoughts and focus on what all you did in their proper sequence from the moment you woke up in the morning till your moment of sleep (don’t worry, the apparent contradiction will not happen as you will fall asleep before you reach the end point!)

Is that all? Yes, that’s all there is to it. But the stipulation in this exercise is that you should try to see (visualize) and remember each and every activity, conversation, thoughts, people you met and so on. It is like you have made a video recording of your whole day and you are playing the video in your mind. Go to as much detail as you can recall.

When you start, that mind video will be in a fast forward mode. You will find that you are unable to remember what else you did when you were brushing your teeth (looking in the mirror, thinking on things to do, …) and then the scene shifts to possibly mid-afternoon in your workplace and then jumps back to your starting the car or taking the metro, and shift again to some other point. That is why I stressed that you must try to remember in correct sequence!

During initial few days, you will be surprised to find how little you remember even when you thought it was a busy day! Only some big “lumps”, particularly those which had some impact, will come to your mind without many details. But if you continue to do it, you will progressively start remembering more of your day. Your aim should be to go to the extent where you can visualize in a scene the people who were present, the conversations you had, the pictures that were hanging on the walls, the signboards you saw when you were walking on the road, even the thoughts you had … you get the point?

What is your mind achieving in this exercise? A greater power of observation, the ability to see details, and increase in memory power through your effort in remebering, which is but a memory exercise.

An amusing thing also will come to your notice. Once you start doing it, you will feel a challenge and urge to remember more of your day. And as you know that you have to remember your day at bedtime, you will be more aware of what you are doing or thinking at any point of time! See, that becomes an exercise for your power of observation. Another benefit, if you are bit of insomniac, is that you will fall asleep without a need to count sheep. Our subconscious mind is like a monkey jumping from branch to branch. When your conscious mind tries to focus it, you are trying to tie up the monkey. To regain its freedom, the subconscious will try to put you to sleep so that the conscious mind loses its control and the subconscious is free again to jump (i.e., dream) to its liking.

http://www.mychessblog.com/one-simple-mental-exercise-to-improve-your-mind-power/

Picking up a new skill like learning a new language or learning how to draw help your dendrites (parts of nerve cells that improve information and thought processing) grow. You will also immediately begin thinking in a whole new way.

Regular excercise increases your ability to learn, the ability of your frontal lobes (that help you think ahead), and your ability to make decisions quickly. Uninterrupted sleep is important to maintain proper information processing.

Playing sudoko or crossword puzzles will also extend dendrites. The intake of ginkgo leaves (in any form, ie. tablets, tea) increases blood flow to the brain thus improving memory and concentration. It has a quick effect and the result doesn’t appear to diminish from regular use.

Chewing gum also increases heart rate, leading to more oxygen and glucose (sugar) to go to the brain. It also produces more saliva, leading to a great increase in insulin which stimulates learning and memory receptors in the brain.

Foods rich in vitamin B, like oats, tuna, chicken, wholewheat foods and bananas boost brain power. Vitamin B6 improves memory, while B1, 2, 3 and 12 helps manufacture and repair brain tissue.

Listening to a Mozart sonata for 10 minutes daily improves 3-D problem solving abilities by 15%.

Keeping a "sketch diary" is useful for developing complex reasoning. Imagine seeing an object from every angle and draw it.

http://www.improveyourmemory-x.com/memory-exercise/what-are-some-ways-to-help-increase-memory-logic-and-cognitive-skills-naturally-chess-reading-etc

[GingaNinja]

Have you tried that first one out nabraxas? Any thoughts?

I will start giving it ago from tonight.

[Slybacon]

Listening to a Mozart sonata for 10 minutes daily improves 3-D problem solving abilities by 15%.

Ok so have other types of music been studied. Surely its not just Mozart. I reckon there would be some cognitive enhancing electronic music floating around for sure. Neural Acoustics I think its called. There are some psy trance producers experimenting with oscillating sounds to sync certain brainwaves. I wonder if many studies have been done, off to the interwebs hehe

[nabraxas]

Have you tried that first one out nabraxas? Any thoughts?

I didn't really give it long enough, but i totally can see the logic behind it. Once you start you make a conscious effort to be more aware during the day so you'll be able to remember more.

Instead ov "spent 20 minutes commuting to work" it becomes " the train was 3 minutes late, & the air conditioning was up too high, i sat next to a sexy office chick w/red shoes & opposite a guy in sweats w/a rolex(!), at the next station one person wearing jeans & a hoodie got off & 2 men in suits & 3 schoolgirls from St Mary's got on....etc."

edit--also the exercise itself is a great way to put yourself to sleep naturally.

Edited February 27, 2010 by nabraxas

[Slybacon]

I tried it last night.... I was asleep before my day ended. I was actually surprised in the detail in which i could recall my day. Thanks for that, just need to find some Mozart on 12inch now.

Im in my first year of chemistry so Im hoping all this helps me get good grades.

Edited February 27, 2010 by Slybacon

[ballzac]

Maybe it's just a personal bias, but I feel that baroque music would probably be superior to classical as far as cognitive enhancement goes. My logic is that counterpoint requires much more concentration to comprehend because of the concurrent melodies. If one is totally absorbed in the music, the mind begins to follow multiple instruments at the same time, and I can't help but think that this is good for the brain.

Most people listen to baroque music and can hum along with the 'main' melody. With familiarity, you can find yourself humming along with, for example, the cello instead of the recorder. I can't see this happening with classical because, apart from percussion, the instruments either play the melody, or play simple harmonies that support the melody (that is my naïve understanding anyway).

[ThunderIdeal]

i know you aren't saying that classical music is simple, but FOAF once found that with the right song (is song the right word? lol) classical and spice are exceptionally complementary of each other.

[mescalito]

I've found Pink Floyd's Pulse Live has put many people to sleep as well as Tool's Lateralus if you re-organise the tracks.

i know you aren't saying that classical music is simple, but FOAF once found that with the right song (is song the right word? lol) classical and spice are exceptionally complementary of each other.

 

Rider's on the storm

[Slybacon]

Indonesian Gamelan Bands have very complex Rhythms. My mind often splits between multiple instruments.

[Zen Peddler]

Blood pressure and blood flow have a huge effect on cognitive ability. Low blood pressure and or reduced postural cerebral blood perfusion are more common than people realise.

[mescalito]

Blood Sugar levels too.