Archive for the ‘brain’ Category

The Little Known Disorder That Blocks Learning

Sunday, May 16th, 2010

Rosie O’Donnell’s son Blake was struggling until a telling moment showed her that he was having trouble processing the sounds he was hearing. That’s the challenge for children with auditory processing disorder, a poorly understood syndrome that interferes with the brain’s ability to recognize and interpret sounds. It’s been estimated that 2 to 5 percent of children have the disorder. Rosie recounts Blake’s journey to “learn how to learn.”

Read more on nytimes.com.

The Middle-Aged Brain: Sharper Than Once Thought

Saturday, May 15th, 2010

There’s hope for us yet! In her new book, “The Secret Life of The Grown-Up Brain,” Barbara Strauch details studies that suggest that the middle-aged brain is not on a steady decline, and actually improves in a number of areas as time passes.

Read more on npr.org.

Prodigious Savant

Thursday, May 13th, 2010

This “60 Minutes” story from March 14th is a perfect example of the vast mysteries of the mind. It also teaches us that certain limitations don’t necessarily limit human potential. Born blind and autistic, Derek Paravicini is a deeply gifted musician. His abilities on the piano are so profound they’ve left many masters shaking their head in disbelief. The unique part of this story is that Derek may be as talented as he is because of  his autism and blindness. Since he has been unable to depend on his sense of sight since birth, his auditory abilities may have been forced to compensate and grow.

Watch the video on CBS.com.