Brain & Native Language

I was an orphan in China and was adopted by a French family early in my life. Do you think my brain remembers anything about the Chinese language? Could I learn to speak Chinese more easily if I started studying it now?

The results of a study led by Lara Pierce and published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, has provided some interesting conclusions. Three groups were studied: a group born and raised speaking only French; girls who were adopted from Chinese families and stopped speaking any Chinese and learned to speak French; and bilingual girls who spoke both Chinese and French. Study participants listened to fragments of Chinese as their brains were scanned using fMRI. The brain activation pattern of the adopted Chinese who totally discontinued the language, matched the same brain activation pattern as those who had continued speaking Chinese since birth. The brain pattern in the group of French-speaking girls only, was very different. More tomorrow.

Age-Proofing Your Brain – Mental Exercise, 3

There are many ways to exercise your brain. Becoming computer literate is one of them. Studies show that doing a complex internet search is as challenging to an older brain as reading an entire book. So can doing math. Studies have shown that you get more bang for your buck when you exercise your brain with simple rather than complex arithmetic problems—but continually try to better you own time for arriving at the answers. Pick up a simple math workbook that contains pages of addition,, subtraction, division, and multiplication exercises. Time yourself as you do one page. The next day redo the same page and see if your brain can go faster. Word puzzles and jig-saw puzzles are helpful, as well. Variety can be helpful, as well. In addition to reading aloud for 10 minutes each day, add a different mental exercise each day. Tell yourself:  “____ (your name), your brain likes these exercises. You are having fun.” Find something you like to do and just do it—on a regular basis! You are the only one who can do it for you. 

Brain & Air Quality, 3

What can be done? In addition to toxic fumes carried in the air, poor air quality due to particles in the Personally, I drive a hybrid vehicle to do my part to reduce emissions. Some people have no easy option in terms of where they live. Others can relocate off a busy highway or more than a quarter of a mile from a freeway. I also carry a N95 particulate respirator (mask) with me in the car and if I am driving through a dust storm or smoke, I put it on. Part of the problem is that particles in the air take up space that oxygen molecules would ordinarily occupy. Therefore, the brain is slightly anoxic—which, of course, diminishes the amount of oxygen the brain can receive with each breath. It’s a global problem and one person cannot solve it. But one person can do something and cumulatively, that can make a positive difference. Do what you can do! 

Brain & Air Quality, 2

In a new study, Beckwith and colleagues naturally took into consideration known factors that could influence brain development (e.g., maternal IQ, neighborhood poverty level). They found that children exposed to the highest pollution levels had thinner cortexes compared to those with little pollution exposure. This corroborates earlier findings that showed exposure to high levels of traffic-related pollution tend to perform poorly on standardized tests. Darby Jack, an associate professor of environmental health sciences at the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health in New York City, reportedly said that Beckwith’s research tended to reinforce earlier study findings. It was noted that although children living in areas with high pollution tend to be poorer than those who get to breathe clean air, brain imaging showed that only specific brain areas appear to be affected, suggesting that this is due to pollution and not simply poverty. More tomorrow.

Brain & Air Quality

I don’t know if you have blogged about this before or not, but I am really concerned about hearing that the quality of air a child breathes can negatively impact brain development. So, what can be done?

The report of a research project led by Travis Beckwith was released this month on this topic and it does give one pause. Beckwith and colleagues did MRI scans on 135 children participating in the Cincinnati Childhood Allergy and Air Pollution Study, or CCAAPS. Exposure to air pollution for each child was estimated using data from an air sampling network that included 27 sites in the Cincinnati area. Participants were evaluated at ages 1, 2, 3, 4, 7, and 12. At age 12, the children were assessed on reading ability, executive function, mental health, intelligence, and other neurodevelopmental outcomes. At age 12, the children were assessed on reading ability, executive function, mental health, intelligence and other neurodevelopmental outcomes. The conclusion was that that “early life exposure to air pollution poses a significant risk to brain development from direct exposure to toxicants or via indirect mechanisms involving the circulatory, pulmonary or gastrointestinal systems. In children, exposure to traffic related air pollution has been associated with adverse effects on cognitive, behavioral and psychomotor development.” More tomorrow.

Giraffe Brain, 3

The giraffe’s height gives them an advantage in the wild. They’re better able to keep a sharp eye out for predators. You always give up something to get something, however. For the giraffe, its height makes it difficult to drink at a water hole or stream. To reach the water they must spread their legs and bend down in a very awkward position, which makes them more vulnerable to predators. Fortunately, giraffes only need to drink once every several days, as they obtain most of their water from the plant leaves they eat. The female gives birth standing up. Naturally this means that a newborn falls more than five feet to the ground at birth, rather a rude way to be dislodged from its biological nursery and meet Planet Earth. Typically they are able to stand within 30 minutes and, if necessary, can run with their mother when they are only 10 days old. Getting up close and person to a couple of these gentle giants at the “Living Desert,” gave me a new perspective. Tell your niece to send me questions any time. I enjoyed looking up these pictures and reminiscing. It’s great she is interested in brains—of any type.

Giraffe Brain, 2

While visiting the ‘‘Living Desert’ in Southern California with my cousin, I was able to get quite close to these giants. It was great fun to get to feed one of them, an 18 foot (6 meters) tall male. His legs were so long I could have walked underneath his belly with a foot to spare. Standing on a platform some 12-13 feet above the ground, he was still a head or more taller. He loved carrot stick, and if I didn’t pony up one promptly enough, it nuzzled my neck (the giraffe, not the carrot stick). Its hair and whiskers are unbelievably soft. It would stick out its long purple, prehensile tongue that can grow up to 21 inches long, trying to reach a carrot stick. Its tongue felt like delicate sandpaper and made me laugh. If your niece like giraffes, she might enjoy this park. I certainly did. More tomorrow.