PTSS

Brainpower Newsletter

About a year ago Doctor Sanjay Gupta did a series on Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome (PTSS) on CNN. I took notes, and meant to write something about it in the newsletter, because he gave some interesting insight into how our brain work. Well, better late than never, right?

Those with PTSS suffer from anxiety, sleeplessness, nightmares and concentration problems, which result from intense emotions generated during an event. These events include anything from a car crash to battlefield experiences.

PTSS cause physical changes in the brain (as most mental problems do). Severe absentmindedness is a common result. Interestingly, those with PTSS actually have (on average) a smaller hyppocampus, a part of the brain that is important for learning and memory. It isn't clear whether this is an effect of or possibly a partial cause for PTSS.

What I found most interesting, though, is that PTSS usually gets worse if it isn't treated. You might think that the emotions from traumatic experiences would diminish in time, but in reality the neural pathways are usually getting stronger with use. In other words, if a man flashes back to a war experience every time he hears a large bang, he is exercising and strengthening that response.

Administration of certain drugs shortly after the initial trauma seems to help. Some NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming) techniques may also be of use. The idea with the latter is to build new responses that by-pass the usual one. Then with disuse, the old response weakens.

I hope this was as interesting to you as it was to me. I am sure that understanding a condition like Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome will lead to better understanding of neural pathways in general. This then, may lead to new ways to change damaging thought-patterns, break bad habits or establish good habits. As a side note, I want to let you know that I hope to include more on NLP techniques in future newsletters.

(This is an excerpt from a recent addition to my web site 999 Ideas .com. Dreaming up ideas like these is how I get my mental workout. You can still get the "ideas" course at the site, but most of the content has been on Increase Brainpower .com already.)

It is possible that some of these new gadgets already exist in an inventor's basement or garage somewhere. One or two may even be patented, but then again, maybe not. Probably most things are dreamt up ten or ten thousand times before someone actually does something with the idea. The dreaming is more fun for some of us, so feel free to do something with the following.

Magnets For Windows

These signs would be a new advertising gadget. Already, thousands of businesses use large flexible magnetic signs for their vehicles, with the company name and logo on them. However, these can only be used on metallic surfaces. To to stick to car or building windows, they need to have a similar magnet or steel mesh material that is placed on the other side of the glass, to hold them in place magnetically. This may not be a patentable product, but the first to trademark a catchy name and market them widely might do well.

Invisible Walls

This new gadget would just be fun. Make a wall covered with properly placed cameras, and use the other side of the wall as the projection screen for these cameras. The effect would be that of looking right through, into the other room. It would be like an invisible wall. Although I'm not sure what the practical applications might be, an "invisible ceiling" would provide a nice view at night.

Barking Dog Alarm

There are already all sorts of new home security gadgets out there, but there is room for many more. One not-so-new idea is the motion-sensors that set off an alarm. The problem with these is that a criminal may still enter the home, either intending to be in and out quickly, or to turn off the alarm. On the other hand, if the sensor triggers a realistic recording of several large dogs barking, he may hesitate to go further.

Helium Balloon Cell Phone Antenna...

Continued at:
http://www.999ideas.com/new-gadgets.html

A few days ago Science Daily reported on a British study that involved scanning peoples brain while they were shown different types of foods. The conclusion was that some people's brain activity made them more prone to crave food. In fact, other studies show that the same areas of the brain become active as in drug addicts.

Hmm... Addicted to certain foods? No big surprise there. Now if we can just find a way to make our brains get "addicted" to things that are healthy.

Jack is 52 years old, and his father is 78. How many years ago was his father three times the age of Jack?

(You may have noticed that I believe in the beneficial effects of humor on brainpower. This latest page will not be the last that has humor as it's primary content.)

Funny sayings exercise your brain and your sense of humor. Here is a small collection that will eventually grow to cover several pages (check back).

A Small Collection Of Funny Sayings

- Everybody lies. But it doesn't matter since nobody listens. - Anonymous

- "Before you criticize someone, you should walk a mile in their shoes. That way, when you criticize them, you are a mile away from them, and you have their shoes." - Frieda Norris

- "Nobody goes where the crowds are anymore. It’s too crowded." - Yogi Berra

- "You have to be careful if you don’t know where you’re going because you might not get there." - Yogi Berra

- I'm astounded by people who want to 'know' the universe when it's hard enough to find your way around Chinatown. - Woody Allen

- "Why is it when we talk to God we’re praying, but when God talks to us...

Continued at:
http://www.IncreaseBrainPower.com/funny-sayings.html

I again thank Vivek (who I mistakenly called 'Vivian" in the last newsletter), for pointing out that the original "ous" question was about words ending in "dous."

A couple of you pointed out that there actually are a few more "dous" words than the four I included. These are obscure words found only in some dictionaries, however. I'll just modify the statement to say that there are only four words ending in "dous" in most English language dictionaries.

Until next time,

Steve

www.IncreaseBrainPower.com

Riddle Answer: 39 years ago, when Jack was 13 and his father was 39.

Want the latest issues? Subscribe for free on the home page or here: Brainpower Newsletter.