Boost Your Brain (2 page)

This isn’t just a matter of willpower either. The amazing truth—one that the field of neuroscience has begun to clearly understand only in recent years—is that parts of the human brain, especially those parts important for memory, attention, and problem solving, have innate plasticity: the ability to change. Just as they can shrink, they can also
grow,
getting thicker, denser, and larger. The result is what I call “enhanced brain performance,” a brain that functions at its highest level.

The process of growing these parts of the brain is akin to upgrading a battered six-cylinder engine to a gleaming eight-cylinder. And here’s the kicker: parts of the additional cylinders we need are delivered to all of us every day but are ignored. Not just by some people but by most. They know that eating certain foods or exercising can help their six-cylinder engines run more smoothly, but they have no idea that with a concerted effort they could actually grow their brains. And they don’t know that those two extra cylinders hold the key to reclaiming clarity and creativity and boosting memory—for life.

If that’s news to you too, don’t feel bad. This is cutting-edge science, new to many even in the field of neurology. My own understanding of this incredible reality has come after thirty years of studying and publishing scientific research, teaching at Johns Hopkins University and Harvard Medical School, and putting into practice the latest discoveries in neuroscience.

It was, in fact, my scholarly research into the topic that inspired me to write this book. As I pored over hundreds of scientific studies, I was struck by an undeniable truth: not only can the brain grow, at any age, it can do so within mere weeks or months, rather than years or decades.
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Excited about what I’d learned, and eager to share it, I began to put together the outline of this book.

But How?

As it happens, the brain’s incredible plasticity is most dramatic in the hippocampus, a thumb-size structure important for short-term memory, where we now know that new neurons are born every day, even in adulthood, through a process called neurogenesis. But plasticity is also evident across the brain, where growth takes place in the form of newly born synapses, larger and more intricate communication networks, and a vibrant system of newly formed blood vessels (born in a process called angiogenesis).

You’ll learn soon enough why and how this happens, but the short story is that such growth in the number of new brain cells, synapses, connections, and blood vessels depends on three critical elements: increased oxygen flow to the brain, increased levels of a critical protein called “brain-derived neurotrophic factor” (BDNF), and the harmonious regulation of brain wave activity. Alone, and especially in concert, these three elements fuel growth in the brain.

The results can be dramatic—just like shrinkage, brain growth can be so significant that it can be seen on MRI with the human eye. By adding synapses, bolstering the brain’s highways, breathing new life into blood vessels, and even growing new neurons, we literally reshape the brain and build a bigger “brain reserve,” which enhances brain performance—at any age.

If ever there were a fountain of youth, this is it. In fact, I believe that most people can stave off brain aging, making their brains younger—by as much as five or ten years—and boosting their cognitive performance. It’s the difference between polishing those four cylinders until they purr (as past approaches to brain health have relied on) and powering up, day in and day out, on all eight.

Bigger
Is
Better

Everything you do is a reflection of the brain you have. Whether you’re troubleshooting a technical problem at work, weighing a new job offer, or merely wording a message on a friend’s Facebook wall, how—and how well—you function cognitively is a direct reflection of your brain’s size and health.

So, whether your brain is shrinking or growing—be the changes microscopic or macroscopic—
size matters
. And when it comes to peak brain performance, bigger is undeniably better.

In the hippocampus, growth brings with it improvements in short-term memory. Similarly, larger frontal lobes are tied to improved decision making and processing speed. A larger network of connectivity in your brain’s intricate communication system, meanwhile, improves creativity and the ability to solve abstract puzzles. In short, a bigger brain enhances brain performance in three key areas:

Memory

Research has shown that your ability to learn and remember is tied to a bigger hippocampus. By taking simple steps to create synapses, promote neurogenesis and angiogenesis, and expand your brain’s highways, you can increase the size of your hippocampus and sharpen your memory in as little as three months. One example is practicing memory exercises, an endeavor I think of as flexing the “memory muscle” in your hippocampus. Such exercises will improve your memory in the short term and make you a master of memorization as your hippocampus grows.

Clarity

We all have moments of mental fuzziness. Faced with a problem at work, you might fail to connect the dots that lead to a rapid solution. In a social situation, you might miss a cue or make a gaffe. Later, when the best answer strikes you (too late!), you berate yourself:
Why didn’t I think of that then?
Even at its best, your brain can’t banish these moments entirely. But a toned-up, bigger brain will operate more efficiently and quickly, giving you clarity of thought and a better ability to connect those dots on the fly.

Creativity

I’m not promising that you’ll suddenly morph into Matisse or write a bestseller tomorrow. (Although, who knows?) But I can guarantee that growing your brain will translate into a greater ability to solve problems and, therefore, enhance your creativity. If you’re an artist, that might mean solving the problem of precisely how to blend hues to achieve a masterful effect. For a doctor, creativity might mean puzzling through a complicated medical case to come up with the correct diagnosis. For a parent, it may come down to ably juggling the schedules of a family of five—and still finding time to make it to a book club or a date night with the spouse. We all problem-solve hundreds of times a day in every area of our lives, and our ability to think creatively goes a long way toward making us more successful at home, at work, and at play.

Your bigger brain can deliver improvements in these three areas—in just twelve weeks. But you should know, too, that the benefits of a bigger brain last a lifetime. In fact, growth in the hippocampus, in particular, has been linked to a reduced risk of developing the symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease late in life. In one study, people with larger hippocampi were less likely to show signs of dementia, even when their brains harbored a significant load of Alzheimer’s pathology.
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The Brain Center in a Book

When patients come to see me at the NeurExpand Brain Center, they often report being forgetful, foggy, and slow. “I’m not as sharp as I used to be,” they tell me. Some are young. Some are old. They know they’re not performing at their peak, but they have no idea why, or how to get their mental mojo back. Most—if not all—worry that they’re experiencing the earliest signs of Alzheimer’s disease.

I’m often able to tell them that their cognitive issues aren’t Alzheimer’s disease but are instead related to changes in the size of their brains. Typically, they are amazed. They’ve known that they should eat better, lose weight, and watch their blood pressure and cholesterol. They know that stroke and heart disease are devastating conditions—and often avoidable—and that stress might be burdening their bodies in ways they don’t even understand. “But no one ever told me that these things could be shrinking my brain,” they say. And nobody, without a doubt, has ever told them how to
grow
their brains.

Suddenly, in place of an abstract notion of improving their health, they have a very real goal. It’s as if a lightbulb snaps on. Those bacon double cheeseburgers they load up on aren’t just making them unhealthy; they’re shrinking their brains. And the once-treadmill-now-clothing-rack in the corner of their basements? That, they realize for the first time, represents a missed opportunity not just to minimize their waistlines, but also to boost their brains’ size by generating new neurons and rejuvenating existing ones. When I describe for them the science behind meditation or brain wave training, they’re able to visualize trading the choppy waves of their stressed-out brains for the smoother, healthier waves of a brain humming along in the optimal frequency range.

They get it. And they’re almost always eager to get started. They want to hit the gym, revamp their diets, sleep better, dial down the stress in their lives, and retrain their brains. But what exactly do they need to do? How often? How much? And for how long? To make it work, they need details.

Most likely no one has ever told them how to care for their brains, so at the Brain Center I start by educating them on the basics of brain health—giving them a condensed version of the book you’re about to read. They learn about all the factors that contribute to brain size and fitness, and about the vital role played by oxygen, BDNF, and healthy brain activity. I explain that the one-size-fits-all approach will not work and that we need to assess each person’s current brain health and make a plan with that in mind.

After considering their current brain health (you’ll calculate your brain fitness level in chapter 3), I develop for them personalized treatment plans, which incorporate the expertise of my seasoned team of health care professionals. In addition to being seen by me, they spend time with a neuropsychologist, a dietitian, an exercise physiologist, a sleep specialist, a brain wave trainer, and a “brain coach.” They may also attend memory boot camp sessions—learning tips to stretch their memorization skills—or drumming sessions aimed at training their brain waves to oscillate in harmony. They might even enroll in a neuro-friendly physical fitness program I’ve developed.

All of it happens within the walls of my Brain Center and all with one goal in mind: enhancing the brain’s performance by expanding its size.

As my patients can tell you, it works. Every day I hear from patients who report significant improvement in memory, clarity, and creativity. I hope to one day bring the services provided by my Brain Center to people of all ages nationally. It’s a concept I believe will revolutionize the way we view brain health and fitness as well as how we prevent and treat the memory and cognitive problems that typically come with aging.

That’s the vision. And while I can’t magically squeeze a full-service Brain Center into the pages of this book, you will find within its pages the tools you need to grow your brain—with benefits that begin now and carry on into the future.

In chapter 3, you’ll begin the process of creating your own twelve-week brain performance enhancement plan. By chapter 8, you’ll know enough about the science behind a bigger brain to start putting your knowledge into action. Over a three-month period, you’ll implement my brain fitness strategies and track your progress, rating yourself each week in critical brain fitness categories. Within weeks, you will have vastly enhanced your brain performance and will feel the effects in your daily life. In fact, you’ll likely feel better than you have in years.

But I want more than that for you. I want this book to change your life.

That’s a tall order. It will take change and resolve on your part—a mind-set you’ll be far more likely to embrace once you truly understand what your actions (or inactions) do for your brain.

By the time you turn the final page of this book and complete your twelve-week brain fitness program, you
will
have a bigger brain. I hope, too, that you’ll have radically altered the way you think about what you eat, how you spend your day (and night), and the choices you make that affect your emotional well-being.

It all goes back to that near-universal worry of yours. Will you always struggle like this? You don’t have to. The power to change is within you. If you embrace the opportunity today and every day, you
will
grow your brain. It’s as simple as that.

CHAPTER ONE

Your Marvelous Mind: A Growing Machine

M
Y FASCINATION WITH
the brain—how it develops in utero and then in childhood, how it matures in early adulthood and then begins to shrink by midlife, how it shrivels in late life—took root during my days as a student at Harvard Medical School. I have cherished memories of those days. Some, though, stand out vividly in my mind—like the day I first delivered a baby.

It could have been just another day in the life of a medical student. Certainly, it started much like any other, with me waking before dawn in my small Coolidge Corner apartment, bundling up against the frigid cold, and then setting out for my two-mile bicycle commute through the snowy streets of Boston. My destination was the maternity ward at Beth Israel Medical Center, where I was midway through a three-month obstetrics rotation as part of my basic clinical training.

As I had every day for the prior six weeks, I would spend the next twelve hours attending to patients in various stages of labor, checking their progress, and answering their questions. A third-year medical student, I had already acquired a reasonable base of knowledge about the human body, thanks to long days of lectures followed by late nights cramming my brain with the details of everything from the biochemical processes of sugar metabolism, to cancer-causing cell mutations, to the bioethics of medicine. In my second year I had completed a general surgery rotation, starting first as an observer and then slowly, slowly carrying out minor surgical tasks of increasing difficulty, learning by doing under close supervision. In my obstetrics rotation, I’d already observed as many as two hundred deliveries and assisted in twenty.