It is only a matter of time before we are feeding our crops Brawndo.
In a world of reality TV, children of baby boomers feeling a sense of entitlement and educational concerns faced with governmental malaise, society is getting dumber. Therefore, when a week to celebrate the brain presents itself, unlike all the nonsensical days created to celebrate random things, it should be paid a bit more heed. Brain Awareness Week is this week, and it’s something we should be not be ignoring. Rather, we should be paying as much attention as possible to those spongy masses of neurons and nerves in our skulls.
Brain Awareness Week is the “the global campaign to increase public awareness of the progress and benefits of brain research” as stated by the official website. During the week, organizations worldwide celebrate the brain and the scientific studies supporting cognitive functions. Participating organizations open up their laboratories, workshops are help at local libraries and community centers and lectures take place on brain related topics. While most of the world is celebrating pie day or whatever weird day that has infiltrated the public consciousness, science is focusing on the brain.
Enter companies like SharpBrains, an independent market research firm and think tank. They track health and productivity applications of cognitive and affective neuroscience. Annually, SharpBrains honors Brain Awareness Week by releasing a litany of prepared studies related to brain science. This material comes from the 2012 SharpBrains Virtual Summit, where more than 40 of the world’s leading scientists in applied neuroplasticity presented and discussed this research on applied cognitive science. There is a wealth of content available, for only $15. Sure, who wants to pay for anything in this internet age, but it’s science man. Science!
The presentations focus on a few key points in relation to the future of brain health:
- How will the health industry better incorporate the bodyâ€™s most vital organ?
- How are consumer beliefs and behaviors towards brain health evolving?
- How will Big Data and global internet access transform brain health practices?
- Which professional groups are ideally positioned to become â€śbrain fitness coachesâ€ť?
- How can neuroscience and special education become better connected?
â€śOur communities need more well-informed ambassadors of brain health and fitnessâ€ť, said Alvaro Fernandez, CEO of SharpBrains via press release. â€śTo enable this we are pleased to share the collective insights of more than 40 leading scientists and pioneers in the field of applied neuroplasticity for just the cost of a movie and popcorn at the theater. Our summit brought together forward-looking leaders from research, industry and practice, and their collective thoughts present an amazing picture of the current state and future of brain health.â€ť
So just what is the current state of brain health? Well, in my estimation it’s pretty damn bad. Every second someone watches TLC, they lose a handful of intelligence, grey matter and moments of their life. Of course that’s just my opinion, but tack on our growing obesity problem (physical health has always been tied to brain health) and there is something there. However, those smarter than me have a more succinct take on the current state of brain health I’m sure, you just have to read through a ton of white papers to figure it out. You can at least check the Brain Health Index to see where your state stands.
If you are so inclined to help the world improve brain health, there are things you can do – such as play games. Through a series of web based games; “anyone sitting in their living room can just fire up a Web browser and look at images of neurons, and help us figure out how they’re connected,” says Sebastian Seung, a neuroscientist at MIT. Seung and his team have set up a site called EyeWire to study the cell connections in the eye. “It looks like a three-dimensional coloring book,” Seung says. “Your job is just to stay between the lines, which are the boundaries of a neuron, and follow the branch of a neuron through that cube.”
Then there is Foldit from the Center for Game Science at the University of Washington. This game takes advantage of the humans ability to think in three dimensions and asks users to help solve a major problem in biology â€” how proteins fold. So far there are a half-million registered users. The best part is, you don’t have to be some super scientist to play. The games are open to anyone, and according to Adrien Treuille who was involved the design of Foldit, could be your ticket to a very exclusive scientific community. “These games have given us â€” really, for the first time in history â€” a way of identifying these people completely outside of the ordinary, academic food chain, which is [typically] very elitist and very difficult to get into.”
As we become more dependent on technology in our day to day lives, our brains may become just as stagnant as muscles would without a proper workout. Brain health isn’t just about thinking though, it’s about curing diseases such as dementia and Alzheimer’s and progressing scientific discoveries about how the brain functions. Brain health is about understanding all there is to understand about that skull sponge, outside of just knowing that it makes us go. Uncovering all the secrets of the human brain (of which there are many to discover) should be something we are all involved in. Think about it.
Image: Wikipedia Commons