Struggling high-school-age readers break out!

We often receive feedback from school administrators, teachers, and therapists like that expressed in the note below. Because they are anecdotal, they usually die in my email Inbox. I thought that I’d post one, just so you get the flavor of what has been a common message: “I have been in the public and private…

A “cognitive reserve” is a good thing to work on!

Dave B and Alvaro have had an interesting (albeit, brief) discussion in their comments about the subject of the hypothetical “cognitive reserve” that stands between each one of us, and the timing of the onset of Alzheimer’s Disease (AD). First, Dave B said that while he saw ample evidence that most cognitively capable (“highly educated”)…

A City on the Move: “The Jacksonville Brain Summit”

I’m in Jacksonville, Florida today, participating in what is a very unusual and special event –– “The Jacksonville Brain Summit”. In an earlier entry, I told you that Jacksonville has adopted a leadership position in their use of the most advanced brain-science-based strategies to improve the academic performance and the mature working skills and performance…

The wider face of PTSD

PTSD in Iraq spreads well beyond the boundaries of our armed services. For example: a) Several times as many Iraqi police and military personnel as Coalition personnel have died in the conflict. Proportionally larger numbers have been wounded. And they are out there, as are our own troops, on the front lines of violence and…

Just about any old bad thing increases the risk of onset of Alzheimer’s Disease

About 2 weeks ago, I read a Wall Street Journal article that documented a growing body of evidence that shows that major depression occurring in late middle age doubles the probability that an individual shall have significant cognitive impairments after the age of 65, and that it very significantly increases the probability that life shall…

Planes, trains and automobiles — and motorcycles

It has been amusing to read the repeated claims, from individuals who have completed Posit Science’s Brain Fitness Program, that with their renewed mental competence and confidence, they have been inspired to very adventurous new hobbies and activities. I related the story of one such individual several weeks ago who, with her brain awakened by…

Peralta School Hits the Jackpot!

As I mentioned in an earlier blog, my grandaughter Leila’s neighborhood public elementary school in Oakland, California is being reconstructed at all deliberate speed — and I emphasize the word ‘deliberate’ — after it was largely destroyed by an arsonist. Because schools and institutions in general have just lost the skill of doing anything FAST,…

Mea culpa

One of my favorite former research fellows, David Blake, has chided me for posting multiple blog entries on some days, followed by several entry-less days.  “Spread ’em out!”, says Dave.  “There should be something new and worthwhile to read EVERY day.” Since David is considerably smarter than me, and because he’s a real engineer who…