brain health - corticalmetrics insights (Page 2)

How to use the Brain Gauge to maintain brain health

September 20, 2023

Preventing age-related dementia is a growing concern as the population ages. The Brain Gauge, with its dual function as a cognitive assessment tool and brain training platform, offers a promising approach to maintaining brain fitness and reducing the risk of dementia. Being able to assess an individual's cognitive status - even if it is your own - plays an essential role in tracking decreased (or increased) performance levels. Using the Brain Gauge for brain training can improve cognitive reserve and improve overall brain function. The iterative process between the two

Benefits of brain training to athletes?

September 08, 2023

Brain training can offer several benefits to athletes by enhancing various cognitive and mental skills that are crucial for sports performance. Here are some of the key advantages of brain training for athletes:

Improved Focus and Concentration: Brain training exercises can enhance an athlete's ability to concentrate on the task at hand, helping them stay in the zone during competitions and training sessions. Improved focus can lead to better decision-making and execution of skills.

Enhanced Reaction Time: Quick and accurate decision-making is vital in sports. Brain training can help athletes

Lysine and aging dementias

September 07, 2023

It's not uncommon to come across new studies revealing potential links between the onset of Alzheimer's Disease (AD) and a wide array of factors. These factors range from alcohol consumption, both excessive and abstinent, to various medical conditions like stroke, pre-eclampsia, high blood pressure, and even dietary choices such as soy intake and carbohydrate-heavy diets. Simultaneously, there is an extensive list of recommendations for preventing Alzheimer's Disease, including increasing physical activity, maintaining social connections, moderate alcohol consumption, adopting a Mediterranean-style diet (which includes soy), and minimizing prescription drug usage while

What is cognitive reserve and how do you preserve it?

September 01, 2023

When I started to look for images for "cognitive reserve", the majority of photos that popped up were related to preservation - such as preserving different aspects of the environment. Not what I was looking for, but when you think about it, preserving your individual environment has a lot to do with preserving cognitive reserve. I have always been fully supportive of any efforts we make to preserve the environment that we have and in many ways, the same principles apply to preserving our cognitive abilities through the

Can improving reaction time slow down the onset of dementia?

August 31, 2023

One of the advantages of the Brain Gauge training platform is that the Speed drills help improve your reaction time. Improving reaction time might be associated with certain cognitive benefits and potentially delaying the onset of cognitive decline, including dementia. While dementia is a complex condition with multiple contributing factors, it does make us pause to wonder how much improving brain fitness can do to offset or delay the degradations caused by aging or aging related dementias. By the numbers, there are virtually very few, if any, instances reported of

How to biohack with the Brain Gauge

August 30, 2023

The Brain Gauge is a device that aims to provide insights into various aspects of brain health and function. It's designed to measure brain function metrics and track changes over time. Biohacking with the Brain Gauge involves using the device to gather data about your brain's performance and using that information to optimize your cognitive function. Here's how you can use the Brain Gauge for biohacking:

Baseline Measurement: Start by taking baseline measurements of your cognitive performance using the Brain Gauge. This will give you a starting point to compare

How to use the Brain Gauge training platform

August 30, 2023

The Brain Gauge has a unique training platform and perhaps the best way to introduce it is to simply start using it. If you have been using a Brain Gauge, you are familiar with the screenshot shown below Picture1-6
Note that under "Testing options" the user can select "Start testing" or "Start training". The "Start Training" option is circled - this is the one you select.

Once you have selected the training option, another screen will appear, as depicted with the screenshot below.

Parallels between brain fitness and physical fitness

August 28, 2023

Brain Fitness is not that different from physical fitness and shares many similarities, despite targeting different aspects of health. Here are some ways in which brain training for brain fitness is similar to physical training for physical fitness are similar:

Goal of Improvement: Both brain training and physical training aim to enhance specific aspects of health and performance. Brain training targets cognitive functions like speed, accuracy, attention, and problem-solving, while physical training focuses on improving strength, endurance, and flexibility.

Adaptation: Both types of training rely on the principle of adaptation.

GABA and lateral inhibition

August 25, 2023

The brain maintains a balance between two neurotransmitters: GABA, the brain’s main inhibitory neurotransmitter and glutamate, the main excitatory neurotransmitter. GABA, countering the stimulating effects of glutamate, functions to slow the firing of brain cells, inducing a calmed and relaxed state.

There are two types of GABA receptors: GABAa and GABAb. When GABA binds to a GABAa receptor, excited neurons are blocked, which leads to relaxation, sedation, sleep, and reduced anxiety. When GABA binds to a GABAb receptor, a more complex process is triggered, which reduces stress, boosts cognition,

The importance of detecting the barely detectible...

August 25, 2023

Following a mild concussion, individuals typically begin to perceive a sense of normalcy within 1-2 weeks. Symptoms gradually subside, and if undergoing professional assessment, patients often exhibit a return to their initial scores on standard evaluations like SCAT and ImPACT during this post-concussion period. However, the question arises: is their brain genuinely fully recovered?
Unlike a fracture that can be directly observed through an X-ray, head injuries are evaluated indirectly by gauging brain function. This comparison is akin to assessing a broken arm's condition by assessing the arm's mobility – a