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Review
The Brain That Changes Itself by Norman Doidge, "stories of personal triumph from the frontiers of brain science" Viking, 2007.
Featured on the PBS show, "The Brain Fitness Program" and available if you give them money. I'm glad I got it from the library. It's an interesting book, but then, I find neuroanatomy interesting. It's about half history of research on the brain, and its adaptability, and half anecdotes. Early research resulted in a model that after childhood, the brain cannot adapt, change, compensate. This led to, for example stroke victims, not being given all the rehabilitative help they might have been able to use. Recovery from strokes and injuries is much more possible than originally thought, because the brain can re-route much more than seems possible. Some of the stories are quite amazing. The book is written at a first year college level; it assumes you know a little about anatomy, and don't mind learning more. Some of this re-routing can be applied to adapting as one ages, so the topic is of interest to anyone who is concerned about healthy aging.
But there is little about how to exercise the brain in this book, just that it can be done. There are references to the work of Merzenich, who designed a couple of programs, including the one PBS is s/e/l/l/i/n/g giving as a premium with a $365 donation. I’m a bit snarky because I think it's a marketing technique. The local PBS station has been showing "The Brain Fitness Program" show over and over, and really flogging it. I went online and researched it. The program would be of some use to some people in maintaining "brain fitness" as they age, or recovering a bit of their mental agility, I think. It would not help me, because a number of the components are based on sound, hearing rising or falling tones. I've never been able to distinguish tones, even in high school. I got a "B" instead of an "A" in Music Theory as a result. This sort of exercise would be as frustrating for me as a color distinguishing exercise to someone who is color blind. I think they have other programs, and I may look into them at some point. But rather than spend money on this program I'll just get harder crossword and puzzle books to keep my mind limber, and keep walking.
Featured on the PBS show, "The Brain Fitness Program" and available if you give them money. I'm glad I got it from the library. It's an interesting book, but then, I find neuroanatomy interesting. It's about half history of research on the brain, and its adaptability, and half anecdotes. Early research resulted in a model that after childhood, the brain cannot adapt, change, compensate. This led to, for example stroke victims, not being given all the rehabilitative help they might have been able to use. Recovery from strokes and injuries is much more possible than originally thought, because the brain can re-route much more than seems possible. Some of the stories are quite amazing. The book is written at a first year college level; it assumes you know a little about anatomy, and don't mind learning more. Some of this re-routing can be applied to adapting as one ages, so the topic is of interest to anyone who is concerned about healthy aging.
But there is little about how to exercise the brain in this book, just that it can be done. There are references to the work of Merzenich, who designed a couple of programs, including the one PBS is s/e/l/l/i/n/g giving as a premium with a $365 donation. I’m a bit snarky because I think it's a marketing technique. The local PBS station has been showing "The Brain Fitness Program" show over and over, and really flogging it. I went online and researched it. The program would be of some use to some people in maintaining "brain fitness" as they age, or recovering a bit of their mental agility, I think. It would not help me, because a number of the components are based on sound, hearing rising or falling tones. I've never been able to distinguish tones, even in high school. I got a "B" instead of an "A" in Music Theory as a result. This sort of exercise would be as frustrating for me as a color distinguishing exercise to someone who is color blind. I think they have other programs, and I may look into them at some point. But rather than spend money on this program I'll just get harder crossword and puzzle books to keep my mind limber, and keep walking.