Mind-Brain Learning

The brain is a powerful information processor.

Researchers continue to pursue the connection between mind, brain and learning. As the brain begins to reveal to science the intricate processes involved in acquiring, storing and using the information processed across its network of billions of cells, the far-reaching benefits of this knowledge extends from the classroom to treatments and possible cures for diseases affecting memory and learning.

Naps Boost Brain Capacity

He'll be smarter when he awakens.

A University of California, Berkeley, study conducted by Matthew Walker, an assistant professor of psychology, and his team, revealed how a nap can recharge and improve your brain’s ability to learn. The study involved 39 participants divided into “nap” and “no-nap” groups. At noon, study participants in each group completed a demanding learning task designed to exhaust the hippocampus, the temporary storage area of the brain. The results were similar for both groups.

Two hours later, at 2 p.m., the participants in one group took a 90-minute nap. At 6 p.m., upon retesting all study participants using a new set of learning tasks, the researchers noted that the “no-nap” group's learning capacity had deteriorated while the “nap” group exceeded their previous performance.

Beneficial Stress

Stress can aid learning.

When released in response to stress, THP has a calming effect on adults and prepubescent children. In teenagers, however, the release of this hormone has the opposite effect of inducing stress. This research indicates the possibility that stress can benefit pubertal children by facilitating learning.

In March 2010, Science Daily published comments by Dr. Sheryl Smith, one of the researchers involved in this project, indicating that this discovery may lead to development of a drug to increase learning capacity beyond puberty. If developed, this drug would also benefit learning-disabled adolescents.

Interpreting New Experiences

With each new experience, chemical messengers, called neurotransmitters, carry signals along neurons (nerve cells) and across synapses to the part of your brain where memories are stored. A synapse is the place where neurotransmitters cross from neuron to neuron as they transport this new information. Plasticity (flexibility) provides the ability to alter the strength and weakness of the synapses as they process each new learning experience and new memory. This flexibility allows new knowledge to be stored in different parts of the brain where it becomes available when needed.

In March 2010, neuroscientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology discovered the protein Arc has a direct affect upon synaptic plasticity, making it a crucial component in learning and memory. Arc deficiencies appear in some forms of mental retardation.

Learning and the Elderly

In May 2010, Science published a report on research conducted with young and elderly mice to determine the relationship between learning and memory and age-related chemical changes occurring in the brain. The researchers discovered that chemical tags in the brain called acetyl groups, which help DNA to activate the genes that aid in the process of memory formation, were more prevalent in the young mice than in the older mice. This enabled the young mice to remember a learning experiment while the deficiency in acetyl groups interfered with memory retention in the older mice. When the researchers restored the chemical balance by injecting a drug into the brain of the elderly mice, their memory was equal to that of the young mice. If the memory formation process works the same in humans, additional studies may lead to development of a drug to enable memory restoration in the elderly.

Internet and Brain Function

Internet use improves brain function.

In October 2009, UCLA Newsroom reported on a study to determine the effect of Internet use in relation to brain function. Study participants ranged in age from 55 to 78 years. Half of the participants were experienced Internet users, the other half were not. During the study, both groups searched the Internet while MRIs (magnetic resonance imaging) recorded cerebral activity patterns and measured blood flow in their brains.

The study participants then returned home and, during a two-week period, searched the Internet for one hour a day for seven days. After this period, the researchers had the participants perform another Internet search while having an MRI scan. The scan revealed after just one week of performing Internet searches, study participants with minimal Internet experience had enhanced brain function in areas of the brain related to memory, decision-making and complex reasoning. They had also achieved the same cerebral activity levels of participants experienced in Internet use. According to the report, Teena D. Moody, the study’s first author, stated, "The results suggest that searching online may be a simple form of brain exercise that might be employed to enhance cognition in older adults."

References

• “UC Berkeley News”; An afternoon nap markedly boosts the brain’s learning capacity; Yasmin Anwar; Feb. 22, 2010
• “Science Daily”; Could a Pill Increase Learning Ability Post-Puberty?; March 19, 2010
• “MIT News”; A change of mind; Anne Trafton; March 24, 2010
• “UCLA Newsroom”; Internet users boost brain function; Rachel Champeau; Oct. 19, 2009

Resources

• Molecule that boosts learning
• Live Science: Mind Control: Learning How the Brain Works
• The Brain from Top to Bottom: The Process of Memory and Learning
• The Brain from Top to Bottom: Synapses