Category Archives: Hearing

Making your blogster feel great!

16May by Dr. Michael Merzenich

I was at Scientific Learning yesterday, participating in the filming of a Canadian Broadcasting System-produced documentary, and during one break, had a brief discussion with Bob Bowen (the Scientific Learning President/CEO) about state achievement test scores in one Louisiana school district in which we’ve been tracking kid performance over time. Two years ago, the average kid in this district was … Continue reading →

Posted in Autism Origins, Treatments, Brain Fitness, Brain Science, Childhood Learning, Cognitive Impairment in Children, Cognitive impairments, Hearing, Language Development, Reading and Dyslexia, Scientific Learning | 4 Comments

A sixth misconception about aging: Alzheimers Disease pathology specifically impairs memory/cognitive processes in aging

13May by Dr. Michael Merzenich

Our rule when reading about “Ten Misconceptions About Aging” is that you read about prior “misconceptions” before your are entitled to read about this current one, MC #6. If you haven’t done your homework, see blogs on this subject on November 7th, December 5th, April 29th, May 1st and May 5th. Then come back and read about…… Misconception 6. Alzheimers … Continue reading →

Posted in Aging and the Brain, Alzheimer’s, Brain Fitness, Brain Fitness Program, Brain Plasticity, Brain Science, Brain Trauma, Injury, Cognitive impairments, Hearing, InSight, Neuroscience, Posit Science, Schizophrenia, Bipolar Disorder, et alia, “Chemobrain” and Related Causes of Cognitive Impairment | 1 Comment

Mr. Leonard Krauss and Dr. Stanley Karansky win a “Merzie”

10May by Dr. Michael Merzenich

Over the past three years, we have conducted several research projects at Rossmoor, a retirement community with about 9,000 residents about 20 miles east of San Francisco. Rossmoor is in a beautiful rural setting in a narrow valley surrounded by oak-cloaked hills. I have given a number of lectures there, and am always struck by the great sense of peace … Continue reading →

Posted in Aging and the Brain, Alzheimer’s, Autism Origins, Treatments, Brain Fitness, Brain Fitness Program, Brain Plasticity, Brain Science, Brain Trauma, Injury, Cognitive impairments, Hearing, InSight, Neuroscience, Posit Science, “Chemobrain” and Related Causes of Cognitive Impairment | Leave a comment

“The Brain Fitness Program” on PBS

4May by Dr. Michael Merzenich

Many of you may have seen this program. At last count, it has been shown several thousand times. Almost every PBS station has repeatedly aired it. Moreover, like a bad penny, it’ll show up again, in the next pledge-break period! All of this attention stems from its success. PBS viewers have made this one of the most successful (perhaps in … Continue reading →

Posted in Aging and the Brain, Alzheimer’s, Autism Origins, Treatments, Brain Fitness, Brain Fitness Program, Brain Science, Brain Trauma, Injury, Childhood Learning, Cognitive Impairment in Children, Cognitive impairments, Hearing, InSight, Language Development, Neuroscience, Posit Science, Reading and Dyslexia, Schizophrenia, Bipolar Disorder, et alia, Scientific Learning, “Chemobrain” and Related Causes of Cognitive Impairment | Leave a comment

Poky young brains speed up

3May by Dr. Michael Merzenich

An important recent study reported by scientists from Harvard, MIT, Stanford, Cornell and Rutgers universities (Gaab N, Gabrieli JD, Deutsch GK, Tallal P, Temple E, Restor Neurol Neurosci 25:295-310, 2007) has documented the emergence of more normal brain response patterns resulting from intensive brain plasticity-based training, in children with impairments in language and reading abilities. Significant improvements in language and … Continue reading →

Posted in Autism Origins, Treatments, Brain Fitness, Brain Fitness Program, Brain Science, Childhood Learning, Cognitive Impairment in Children, Cognitive impairments, Hearing, Language Development, Neuroscience, Reading and Dyslexia, Scientific Learning, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Big Brains in Oregon

27Apr by Dr. Michael Merzenich

This past weekend I visited two outstanding programs in Portland designed to inform Oregon educators (and through them, school-age children) and an interested citizenry about advances in neuroscience. I was very much impressed by these programs; they are good models of what SHOULD be happening, all across America. Brain Awareness (www.oregonbrains.org) targets teachers and school administrators. BRAINet (Brain Research and … Continue reading →

Posted in Aging and the Brain, Alzheimer’s, Autism Origins, Treatments, Brain Fitness, Brain Fitness Program, Brain Science, Brain Trauma, Injury, Childhood Learning, Cognitive Impairment in Children, Cognitive impairments, Hearing, InSight, Language Development, Neuroscience, Posit Science, Reading and Dyslexia, Schizophrenia, Bipolar Disorder, et alia, Scientific Learning, Uncategorized, “Chemobrain” and Related Causes of Cognitive Impairment | Leave a comment

An insight into INSIGHT

25Apr by Dr. Michael Merzenich

I spent a little time yesterday, describing the obvious virtues of our new INSIGHT brain fitness training program. Here’s two more: 1) Visual cognition is language independent. If your native language is German or Italian or Tagalog or Swahili or Bengali, it should work, for YOU! You need to read a little English to follow the rules of the game, … Continue reading →

Posted in Aging and the Brain, Alzheimer’s, Autism Origins, Treatments, Brain Fitness, Brain Fitness Program, Brain Science, Brain Trauma, Injury, Childhood Learning, Cognitive Impairment in Children, Cognitive impairments, Hearing, InSight, Language Development, Neuroscience, Posit Science, Reading and Dyslexia, Schizophrenia, Bipolar Disorder, et alia, Scientific Learning, Uncategorized, “Chemobrain” and Related Causes of Cognitive Impairment | Leave a comment

Rust and Kissinger win coveted “Merzie”

24Apr by Dr. Michael Merzenich

After long consideration, a jury (of one, your honorable scribe) has chosen Susanne Rust and Meg Kissinger of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinal as the winners of a prestigious “Merzie” in the category of Investigative Reporting for an article titled “EPA drops ball on danger of chemicals to children”, posted on March 29, 2008. This article exposes the EPA’s programs for … Continue reading →

Posted in Autism Origins, Treatments, Brain Fitness, Childhood Learning, Cognitive Impairment in Children, Cognitive impairments, Hearing, Language Development, Neuroscience, Posit Science, Schizophrenia, Bipolar Disorder, et alia, Scientific Learning, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Eating crow.

4Sep by Dr. Michael Merzenich

Some months ago, after my grand-daughter Leila’s school in Oakland, California burned down and its rebuilding seems to be drowning in a bureaucratic swamp, I predicted that it would NEVER be rebuilt in time to begin the 2007-8 school year on time. I was wrong. The Oakland Unified School District and the contractors that they hired came through. Parents, students, … Continue reading →

Posted in Brain Fitness, Brain Science, Childhood Learning, Cognitive Impairment in Children, Cognitive impairments, Hearing, Language Development, Neuroscience, Reading and Dyslexia, Scientific Learning | 2 Comments

“What you do matters” ALSO applies (of course) if you’re a young’un!

14Aug by Dr. Michael Merzenich

The extent of confusion about the relationships between what infants and young children spend their time doing, the development of their behavioral abilities, and the genesis of their ‘interests’ and ‘personality’ is massive, both in the lay and scientific communities. l was reminded of this once again when I read the comments of scientists (the use of this label is … Continue reading →

Posted in Autism Origins, Treatments, Brain Fitness, Brain Fitness Program, Brain Science, Childhood Learning, Cognitive Impairment in Children, Cognitive impairments, Hearing, Language Development, Neuroscience, Reading and Dyslexia, Scientific Learning | 1 Comment