Wednesday, January 25, 2017

January Read

Title: The Brain That Changes Itself
Author: Doidge, Norman
Book Description:
A new science called neuroplasticity is overthrowing the old 

notion that the human brain is immutable. Psychoanalyst 

Doidge traveled the country to meet both the brilliant 

scientists championing 

neuroplasticity and the people whose lives they've 

transformed--people 

whose mental limitations or brain damage were seen as 

unalterable. We see a

woman born with half a brain that rewired itself to work as a whole, blind 

people who learn to see, learning disorders cured, IQs raised, aging brains 

rejuvenated, stroke patients learning to speak, children with cerebral palsy 

learning to move with more grace, depression and anxiety disorders 

successfully treated, and lifelong character traits changed. Using these 

stories  to probe mysteries of the body, emotion, love, sex, culture, and 

education, Dr. Doidge has written an inspiring bookthat will permanently 

alter the way  we look at our brains, human nature, and human potential.--

From publisher description.

My Read:

I found the following is the most helpful after I finished the book:

"Thus physical exercise and learning work in complementary ways: the first to 

make new stem cells, the second to prolong their survival."-page 252-253

Notes:

Constraint-induced therapy

Fast ForWord program

Feldenkrais Method

Dr. Michael Merzenich 

Mirror therapy for "phantom limbs."

Dr. Alvaro Pascual-Leone

Tuesday, January 17, 2017

December Read 2016

Title: The Brain's Way of Healing: Remarkable Discoveries and Recoveries from the Frontiers of Neuroplasticity
Author: Doidge, Norman
Call Number: 612.8 D657B 2015
Subject: Neuroplasticity; brain; healing
Summary(Provided by publisher):
" The New York Times bestselling author of The Brain That Changes Itself presents astounding advances in the treatment of brain injury and illness. In The Brain That Changes Itself, Norman Doidge described the most important breakthrough in our understanding of the brain in four hundred years: the discovery that the brain can change its own structure and function in response to mental experience-what we call neuroplasticity. His revolutionary new book shows, for the first time, how the amazing process of neuroplastic healing really works. It describes natural, non-invasive avenues into the brain provided by the forms of energy around us-light, sound, vibration, movement-which pass through our senses and our bodies to awaken the brain's own healing capacities without producing unpleasant side effects. Doidge explores cases where patients alleviated years of chronic pain or recovered from debilitating strokes or accidents; children on the autistic spectrum or with learning disorders normalizing; symptoms of multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, and cerebral palsy radically improved, and other near-miracle recoveries. And we learn how to vastly reduce the risk of dementia with simple approaches anyone can use. For centuries it was believed that the brain's complexity prevented recovery from damage or disease. The Brain's Way of Healing shows that this very sophistication is the source of a unique kind of healing. As he did so lucidly in The Brain That Changes Itself, Doidge uses stories to present cutting-edge science with practical real-world applications, and principles that everyone can apply to improve their brain's performance and health"-- Provided by publisher.
"Norman Doidge's revolutionary new book shows, for the first time, how the amazing process of neuroplastic healing really works. It describes natural, non-invasive avenues into the brain provided by the forms of energy around us--light, sound, vibration, movement--which pass through our senses and our bodies to awaken the brain's own healing capacities without producing unpleasant side effects. Doidge explores cases where patients alleviated years of chronic pain or recovered from debilitating strokes or accidents; children on the autistic spectrum or with learning disorders normalizing; symptoms of multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, and cerebral palsy radically improved, and other near-miracle recoveries. And we learn how to vastly reduce the risk of dementia with simple approaches anyone can use. For centuries it was believed that the brain's complexity prevented recovery from damage or disease. The Brain's Way of Healing shows that this very sophistication is the source of a unique kind of healing"-- Provided by publisher.
My Read:
Amazing real stories with real people. After I finished this book I checked out another book by the same author. It's called "The Brain That Changes Itself."