research - corticalmetrics insights

Lion's Mane - another way to improve cognition?

February 15, 2025

Lion's Mane Mushroom: A Natural Ally for Cognitive Enhancement
In recent years, the use of natural supplements for cognitive enhancement has gained significant traction. One of the most notable and widely researched options is Lion's Mane mushroom (Hericium erinaceus). This unique, shaggy-looking fungus has been traditionally used in Eastern medicine for centuries and is now gaining recognition for its potential to support brain health and cognitive function. Of course, as always, it helps some individuals more than others and the only way to know whether or not it is working

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

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

Treating chronic pain with brain training?

August 29, 2023

Can the Brain Gauge be used to decrease pain or improve brain function?
For many years, people have found modest success with treating different forms of chronic pain with different types of tactile stimulation (vibration, electrical stimuli, etc.). Results from those studies (and there were quite a few) are both divergent in terms of results obtained from tactile stimulation and inconclusive. In our own work, we demonstrated a reduced effect of high frequency tactile stimulation (this means we delivered 150 Hz vibration to the skin at the same time as

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,

Weeding Through the Latest in Cannabinoid Research

March 26, 2019

"Marijuana", "pot", and "weed" are among a few of the street names used to refer to cannabis, a popular pyschoactive drug that is starting to become legalized for recreational use around the nation. While your parents might have warned you back in the day that "Sitting around smoking pot will turn your brain into mush!", there has never been any scientific data to prove any harmful or lasting neurological impact from cannabis use.

In fact, today, you might encounter someone who argues

The best types of exercise for your mental health

October 29, 2018

Exercise is an incredible medicine. It can lower blood pressure, prevent diabetes, and alleviate the debilitating symptoms of chronic depression and anxiety. It’s even been shown to promote better skin health, improve eyesight, and ward off the aging process of cells.

On the other hand, not exercising can lead to mood disorders, arthritis - and not surprisingly - obesity and cardiovascular disease. The CDC estimates that inadequate exercise accounts for 11% of total annual healthcare costs in the United States - that’s just over $130 billion each year.

Your child might need more time than you think to recover from a concussion

October 24, 2018

Children are resilient. They can often laugh off traumatic injuries that would send most otherwise healthy adults to the ER. For most of elementary school, there was more of my skin in tatters on the playground than on my knees or elbows, the result of daily high-speed bike crashes and padless tackle football games on the blacktop. (You might be wondering where my parents were during all this. Thank you, I appreciate your concern. They were usually at the doctor’s office with one of my brothers tending to an

Autism: What kind of results could you expect from the Brain Gauge?

October 10, 2018

In another article, we discussed the nature of autism and how it guided the design of the Brain Gauge testing methods. One question that we often get is what Brain Gauge scores look like before and after treatment. We are often inquired whether Brain Gauge scores indicate if someone is improving or not.

Let’s take a look at one of the subjects in one of our autism studies. At the time, the patient was 22 years old, IQ in the 120 range and had an AQ of 38. He