Mind training is about gaining perspective on who we are and the mystery of the world around us. This TED X talk by Polly Young-Eisendrath, a psychologist and Jungian psychoanalyst practicing in Burlington, Vermont, sheds light on how we might shift perspective and gain happiness. 
I had the privilege of meeting Young-Eisendrath and meditating in her home in Vermont some years ago. She is a colleague of my meditation teacher, Shinzen Young  (they are not related). I sense that Polly is making a wonderful contribution to our world and I consider this talk exemplary. She gives some very practical suggestions for learning to be in the moment, and for putting our experience in perspective. This is mind training, and as we know, the way we use our minds directly influences our brains.

Reduced Grey Matter, and Too Much Plasticity in the Brains of Insomniacs

By Paddy Kamen, Publisher, BetterBrainBetterLife.com

Having trouble sleeping? Chronic insomnia is bad for your health, and might contribute to Alzheimer’s disease. If you’re an insomniac, your brain may even be losing grey matter.

Two recent research studies highlight differences in the brains of people with sleep problems. A third study breaks new ground in understanding how sleep benefits the brain.

Art & Beauty Boost Brain: Three tidbits on art and beauty on mood and stress:

By Paddy Kamen, Publisher, BetterBrainBetterLife.com

One: It turns out that music that is considered ‘sad’ can lift your spirits, but only if you also find it beautiful. Research from the Universities of Kent and Limerick tells an interesting story: http://bit.ly/1eh4bel

Two: Research from the University of Westminster showed that even a brief visit to an art gallery  lowered cortisol (stress hormone) levels: http://bit.ly/1cBTQxo

Three: I swear that reading the poetry of ee cummings is good for my brain, and certainly heightens my mood. I came across a most interesting excerpt from a book on ee cummings by Susan Cheever recently in Vanity Fair: http://vnty.fr/Lisb9O. I would also refer you to the poems: http://amzn.to/NmhuEC.

In closing….

“Since love grows within you, so beauty grows. For love is the beauty of the soul.” Saint Augustine

By Paddy Kamen, Publisher, BetterBrainBetterLife.com

Male and female brains differ in overall brain volume and in the volume and density of specific brain regions, according to research by Amber Ruigrok, John Suckling and Simon Baron-Cohen from the Department of Psychiatry at Cambridge University. The group reviewed 126 articles covering sex-based brain volumes and found that men have significantly greater overall volume: from 8-13 percent, as well as larger volumes in certain regions. Women have higher density and volume in some regions.

The team did not study the implications of the findings, which could extend into the study of mood disorders, autism and mental illness. These findings make it clear that sex cannot be ignored as a factor in ongoing brain research.  ”We should no longer ignore sex in neuroscience research, especially when investigating psychiatric conditions that are more prevalent in either males or females,” says Ruigrok.

I humbly propose that sock-matching and the ability to ask for directions be considered as valid research topics.

Check out the news release at: http://bit.ly/1eQlCXF.

By Paddy Kamen, Publisher, BetterBrainBetterLife.com

I had to walk away from someone I cared about when she was on life support and declared brain dead. It was an experience I’ll never forget. My father had just signed papers agreeing that his wife’s organs would be donated to those in need. I had no problem with that decision, but what was incredibly difficult was looking at Linda hooked up to a ventilator and ‘breathing’. She most definitely looked alive. How could we just walk out on her?

This article from Wired magazine provides a useful look at the issue of brain death. Is brain death other than death itself? Christian Jarrett says that, surprisingly, even some doctors aren’t clear about when a person has passed away.

http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2014/02/brain-death/

Your Brain on Math, My Brain on Music
By Paddy Kamen, Publisher, BetterBrainBetterLife.com

I’m not mathematically inclined, but I’ve seen someone who is wax poetic about the beauty of mathematical equations. Shinzen Young, my meditation teacher, has been known, in his evening talks at retreats, to digress into a long sidebar about the beauty of mathematical equations. His enthusiasm is palpable even if the concepts elude.

Research led by Professor Semir Zeki, at University College London, has demonstrated that intellectual and abstract concepts such as mathematical equations, activate the same parts of the brain – the medial orbito-frontal cortex — as do sensory/perceptual experiences of beauty such as the appreciation of music, poetry or the beauty of the natural world. That is, the emotional reaction Shinzen has to certain mathematical formulae is the same, brain-wise, as the emotional reaction I have when listening to Ubi Caritas by the Vancouver Chamber Choir.

This research is apparently the first to establish that the experience of beauty can be quantified. Zeki states:

“We have found that, as with the experience of visual or musical beauty, the activity in the brain is strongly related to how intense people declare their experience of beauty to be – even in this example where the source of beauty is extremely abstract. This answers a critical question in the study of aesthetics, one which has been debated since classical times, namely whether aesthetic experiences can be quantified.”

The research is published in the open-access journal Frontiers in HumanNeuroscience:  http://www.frontiersin.org/Journal/10.3389/fnhum.2014.00068/abstract.

By Paddy Kamen, Publisher, BetterBrainBetterLife.com

When the ears don’t hear properly the whole brain is unhappy! In fact, it shrinks, both as a  whole and in particular areas.

Researchers from Johns Hopkins and the National Institute on Aging found that areas of the brain responsible for memory and sensory integration atrophied faster in those with hearing loss. These areas (middle and inferior temporal gyri, for example) have been implicated in mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s disease.

This certainly makes a case for treating hearing loss quickly! I wonder if remedial brain training could help those affected by hearing loss?

Read more at: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1053811914000032

Alcohol and Cocaine Damage the Brain. Toronto Mayor At Risk
By Paddy Kamen, Publisher, BetterBrainBetterLife.com

The miracle that is Rob Ford’s brain has been fascinating to watch during the past year. Seldom do we witness such a public and ongoing array of rude and risky behavior from an elected official.

Why do I call Ford’s brain a miracle? Based on scientific research into the effects of alcohol and cocaine on the brain, it seems miraculous that Ford’s brain can function at all, for chronic misuse of alcohol and cocaine is proven to cause widespread brain damage. The frontal lobes (or prefrontal cortex), the cerebral cortex, and the amygdala are all impaired by over-consumption of alcohol.

Is Ford an addict? He declares not, and I’m in no position to know. He does admit to frequent drunken stupors and has been videotaped staggering around as if under the effects. But really, the proof of the pudding is in the tasting: while we can’t see the activity within Rob Ford’s brain, we can witness his behaviors and judge from them whether or not a problem might exist. I contend that voters should be concerned about Ford holding such a prominent position, for science shows us that higher-level thinking is seriously, and to some degree permanently, impaired by over-consumption of alcohol.

By Paddy Kamen, Publisher, BetterBrainBetterLife.com

In the past 24 hours three things conspired to focus my curiosity on the subject of perseverance: an article by a university professor, a brain science research finding, and the writings of an 11-year-old boy.
Every week I get together with a few friends to sit meditation, share readings and discuss our lives on the meditative path. Last night I shared an article, ‘The Examined Life’, by Seido Ray Ronci, in which Ronci, a poet and professor of English at the University of Missouri, challenges his students to show up for life (and class), ask questions, get humble and recognize that life is short. I find this article inspiring and have read it several times since it was first published in Tricycle magazine. He writes: