FoxBusiness published this article on 12/15/2007
Mark Miller, in his great PBS article “The Brain Fitness Program” , provides anyone in their late 30’s and older a great wake up call regarding memory and our functioning brain:
” What we now know about brain function is that we begin to experience decline in most cognitive functions in our 30s and 40s. As we grow older, the rate of decline increases, and the cumulative effects become more noticeable. We have increasing difficulty remembering, paying close attention, responding rapidly, performing complex tasks and our coordination and movement and many other cognitive functions that once came easily are now more difficult”
Realtors and other professionals are constantly attempting to present a younger image, you know that headshot that is 10-15 yrs old, to the public. These attempts focus exclusively on the physical appearance; how refreshing would it be if you could remember every client name, come up with answers faster, and be perceived as “young minded” to your clients?
The great news about the brain according to University of California at San Francisco professor of Otolaryngology and neuroscientist Dr. Michael Merzenich is as follows:
1. Your brain is plastic. . . your brain can change itself physically and functionally at any age
2. With the right stimuli, neural connections can be rewired and refined, the brain’s gray matter can thicken, and new neurons can be produced. . . this natural adaptive ability (brain plasticity or neuroplasticity). . . can have dramatic – and sometimes life-changing – effects.
3. Intensive, repetitive, and progressively challenging brain training is the answer to the problems outlined above in Mark Miller’s PBS article.
In order to implement the exact brain training for the desired results, investigate Dr. Merzenich’s website www.positscience.com. Within the site is a great demo video which explains how the training is run, what is involved, and the type of exercises you will be implementing. In addition you can investigate Dr. Merzenich’s blog “On the Brain.”
The following youtube videos are very important to understanding the incredible benefits of Dr. Merzenich’s program. If you have a relative who is looking for answers or if you wish to help prevent the ravages of aging on the brain please watch these videos and investigate Dr. Merzenich’s website.
DeansGuide 
I am suffering from Dysphagia since January 2004. I receive my nutrition, water and medication through a J-tube as I am unable to swallow. I have poor laryngeal elevation when attempting to swallow. I was told that it would be unlikely that any surgery could be done to enable me to swallow secondary to my laryngeal dyfunction. Is it possible that brain plasticity or neuroplastocity would allow me to regain my ability to swallow, even it is only water and nutrients in liquid form ?
Yes. I have/had dysphagia. I now take orally 1-8 oz serving of Ensure a day in a half hour. But this has taken years and can only be explained by neuroplasticity, in that you basically present the stimulus over and over. So with swallowing, it’s over and over. Don’t just start with water until a speech therapist approves. But do Oral-Motor exercises every day, http://www.wearetbi.org/angelar70/journals/447. Also, put something like Mentholatum or Blistex on your lips every day.
Liliane,
I am neither a doctor or a scientist. I wish I had the answer to your question.
The best chance for an answer is to go to Dr Merzenich’s blog at http://merzenich.positscience.com and ask this question. I hope he can help you! Best wishes and heartfelt love for you in the New Year!
dean
great wake up call regarding memory and our functioning brain
As a senior citizen with an all too small and fixed income, it is beyond my means to spring for $365, much as I would love to help public television and the brain fitness program business.
I would appreciate having the ‘exercises’ for my computer and wondered if there is any way I may access this one item and for how much money. Where? How much?
Thank you for a response. Dr. Merzenich’s e-mail address would be helpful. Thank you.
P.R.,
I looked for Dr. Merzenich’s email address and couldn’t find one. Here is his blog-website address link: http://merzenich.positscience.com/
If you go to that link try the following:
1. At the top of the page are short articles (like here). Go to bottom of the first article and place a comment on his article like you did here. Ask him the same question and maybe he will help.
I don’t know where you can find anything for free except if you were to look on http://youtube.com. Go there and type in the doctor’s name in the search box. You will have access to a number of his videos.
dean
How does one buy the The Brain Fitness Program/Gym exercises?
Phil,
Please go to the Doctor’s site at http://merzenich.positscience.com/
If you decide to buy would you please mention to him that you found him through deansguide? I would appreciate that gesture Phil.
dean
Relative to a blogger above, I too am a senior citizen plus I have already contributed to PBS. Consequently, I don’t have the resources to contribute again just to access the The Brain Fitness Program/Gym exercises. I would appreciate information about obtaining this program/exercises without going through PBS. If Dr. Merzenich or anyone would be so kind as to let me know how to access this training, I would be very appreciative. I hope it is available for MacOS 10.4.11.
As I wrote above you need to address the good doctor. Try his website or youtube videos or do a search on the doctor’s name with the tagline “free training.” Good luck!
dean
Dr. Merzenich,
I have a daughter that was in a car accident, and suffered a closed head injury several years ago. Her short term memory is very poor and she is aphasic. Is there any brain software that you would recommend and a therapist that specilizes on these problems. We live in Vacaville, which is about 53 miles from San Francisco.
I would be very greatful if you could see her.
Thank you very much, and I hope that you can help her.
DéDé Timmons
DeDe,
This blog is not written by or is the property of Dr. Merzenich. I can only guess as to whether he monitors or reads my blog. The best thing to do is to Google his name and go to his website or blog. Try to contact the Dr. via that route. Sorry but I don’t know the Doctor or I would inquiry for you.
Dean
Hi Dr. Michael Merzenich,
I met Denise Manuel at a sales convention for my company Lifetouch. I was inspired to write to in hopes of helping my 8 yr old daughter Grace. She is undiagnosed 4 yrs later. We have been to 14 hospitals including John’s Hopkins. She has left side issues with Dystonia effecting her left side Leg and arm and dysphagia so her speech is greatly affected. I am contacting you in hopes that we can help recover as Ms Manuel’s daughter did. Please contact me so we can talk further. He case is extremely complicated she is in John’s Hopkins terminology the “unicorn” of medicene.
Walter Willems
631-987-3551 cell
Walter,
This blog is not owned, written, or most likely even read by Dr. Michael Merzenich. I wrote this article 20 months ago. Please contact the doctor on his blog. If you Google Merzenich’s name you will find his blog. Best of luck as I hope he can help you.
dean
hi, you got some exact pleasant posts here
terribly practical and useful information
I write to him from the Dr Joe Dispenza and their amiable assistant Paula Meyer to consult the case to him of my daughter, they think that You can help me. Thanks.
Hello my name is Pablo and I want to know like and where to go to study the brain of my daughter and to help it to include and to reason things that 5p cannot by a genetic alteration in the chromosome, Julieta is a beautiful baby normal physically Rep with a maturity and even mental delay that does not allow to include/understand, to maintain the concentration him, to think, and to speak normally, is known how to communicate but very it is limited, it has 5 years and desire to even do all the necessary one looking for new medicines that allow him to grow and to mature their brain beyond the genetic alteration so that a life between pairs can live normally or but normal the possible thing, I wait for their aid, Thanks. I am reading the book of the Dr. Joe Dispenza ” It develops his cerebro” and there are many intesantes things on the Neurociencia and Plasticidad, is why I contact to me with You, because I need to know and to study thorough on like being able to help daughter and to offer one better quality him of life, since here in Argentina encounter many Therapies new, or rather old woman but that are not used here even and complica to advance much, I do not say that the already well-known therapies like Psychomobility, Psychopedagogy, Psicofonoaudiologia do not give results, we perhaps are not with the suitable equipment but I want that somebody guides to me to know that alternative they can help daughter to include/understand and to understand, that we create is what it needs to live a life with pairs and happy, Thank you very much.
I love your blog. Thank you for sharing Dr. Michael Merzenich’s work with everyone.
Cindi Silva, Communication Coach
mindfulnesswalks@yahoo.com
Cindi,
Thank you that is a very kind comment! I appreciate it very much. All the best to you and your writing endeavors!
dean
I just completed reading the book “The Brain That Changed Itself”. Ihe Proven theory of the plasticity of the brain causes me to ask the following question. With my diagnoses of having Central Sleep Apena, what can I do to cause a re-mapping of my brain to cause a improvement in my in my ability to have my brain tell me to breath at night during sleep?
Roger,
I can’t answer your question but Dr. Merzenich may be able to help. I wish I had the answers but I just wrote about the Doctor’s program. Best of luck and I hope and pray you find a solution.
Where can I go to learn exercises to “rewire” my brain to alleviate my 3+year old chronic back pain? I live in CA 94597. Thank you.
Toffee,
I would start with Dr Merzenich. I would also perform a number of Google searches using your keywords as your guide.
dean
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From what I’m reading on line, the software sold by Posit Science is unproven; this appears to be a classic example of selling a product without evidence that it works. I wonder about the morality of making extraordinary claims, selling a product to desperate people, when there is no evidence that it will help them. Anecdotes aren’t evidence and Dr. Merzenich should have done the science before selling the product. I’m sorry to read from the above comments that people can’t afford the product and are desperate to get it. How does the software compare to doing Sudoku or crossword puzzles? Where is the evidence that it can help people with Alzheimers or dementia? Studies on people who are not cognitively impaired are interesting, but not particularly helpful. And I note the Posit Science claims potentially huge savings in health care spending, when the study itself showed no benefit after five years. It’s dishonest to trumpet the positive one-year result and ignore the lack of results after five years.
Carol,
Forgive me for saying but I can’t answer your questions. What I can do is ask one: are you a scientist, Phd, doctor, or affiliated with the healthcare industry in any way? Merzenich is a doctor and working at one of the leading institutions in America. If you can give us your credentials that would make your claims and argument that much more noteworthy.
dean