Let’s LEARN a little GIVING and LOVING…

Linda Pang, founder of the ‘Feel Good Feb’ and ‘Kindness is Catching’ movements in Sydney, inspires us to have the intention and take the time to make others feel good. Linda’s website and facebook page offers ideas and resources to use for your own Random Acts of Kindness (RAK) to gift to strangers not just in February, but all year round. Kind acts like secretly paying for the coffee of the person in line behind you at a Café, or leaving a small positive handmade present for a stranger at a bus stop.

There is something deeply satisfying about ticking off the last item on the school booklist, and walking through the doors of Officeworks with a trolley full of potential. The moment can be even better if you happen to find yourself an inspiring new diary and slip it in with all the kid’s stuff. There must be something ageless about the power of being prepared and turning a fresh new page.

November marks Perinatal Anxiety & Depression Australia (PANDA) Week. PANDA, now in it’s 18th year, is all about supporting the mental and emotional wellbeing of expecting and new parents.

November marks Perinatal Anxiety & Depression Australia (PANDA) Week. PANDA, now in it’s 18th year, is all about supporting the mental and emotional wellbeing of expecting and new parents.

Screens can really upset our sleep, and disrupt other hormones including oestrogen, and there is absolutely no place for them in the bedroom. The next time your teens are pleading with you, desperately searching for the reason why you are turning off devices and locking them away in cupboards, get them to watch this 4 minute clip from SciShow

Dementia Awareness Month is Dementia Australia’s national awareness-raising campaign held every year throughout September. 

Its aim is to encourage all Australians to become more aware of dementia, to get a better understanding of what it is like to live with dementia and how we can support people living with dementia.

This year’s theme is Small actions Big difference.

There are many small actions people can take to create a big difference for people impacted by dementia, their families and carers. 

There are many ways to get involved in Dementia Awareness Month.

I have just returned from The 2018 International Neurorehabilitation Conference in Boston run by Harvard Medical School. I was one of hundreds of delegates from all over the world attending to get the latest updates on cutting-edge treatments to help people with brain problems. We had experts presenting on a large range of topics ranging from neuroplasticity to proven and state-of-the-art brain therapies.

Neuroscientist Michael Merzenich looks at one of the secrets of the brain's incredible power: its ability to actively re-wire itself. He's researching ways to harness the brain's plasticity to enhance our skills and recover lost function.

This talk was presented at an official TED conference, and was featured by our editors on the home page.

We all know people who seem to blossom after 50, or stay sharp into old age. What can we learn from them? Find out what steps you can take to improve your brain fitness, regardless of your age.

The wheels in your brain are constantly turning, even when you're asleep or not paying attention. In fact, most of your brain’s activities are ones you’d never be aware of … unless they suddenly stopped. Nathan S. Jacobs takes us inside the always active, surprisingly spontaneous brain.

Most people will take a pill, receive an injection, or otherwise take some kind of medicine during their lives. But most of us don’t know anything about how these substances actually work. How can various compounds impact the way we physically feel, think, and even behave? Sara Garofalo explains how some drugs can alter the communication between cells in the brain.

When it comes to what you bite, chew and swallow, your choices have a direct and long-lasting effect on the most powerful organ in your body: your brain. So which foods cause you to feel so tired after lunch? Or so restless at night? Mia Nacamulli takes you into the brain to find out. 

When you eat something loaded with sugar, your taste buds, your gut and your brain all take notice. This activation of your reward system is not unlike how bodies process addictive substances such as alcohol or nicotine -- an overload of sugar spikes the number of signals being transmitted in the brain and leaves you craving more. Nicole Avena explains why sweets and treats should be enjoyed in moderation.

Wouldn't it is amazing to be able to “look inside” your brain and see how it’s working ? Well, thanks to brain research is now possible to do just this with special brain imaging known as QEEG. Scientists have been able to measure the activity from our brain since the 1930s, and this is known as EEG (or brainwaves), which is still used today to help diagnose conditions such as epilepsy.

Two thirds of the population believes a myth that has been propagated for over a century: that we use only 10% of our brains. Hardly! Our neuron-dense brains have evolved to use the least amount of energy while carrying the most information possible -- a feat that requires the entire brain. Richard E. Cytowic debunks this neurological myth (and explains why we aren’t so good at multitasking).

This amazing video from The Allen Institute for Brain Research (<link to https://www.alleninstitute.org/what-we-do/brain-science/ > takes us a visually stunning view of the brain, all the way from the outside to the the tiniest cells (and smaller still) on the inside: https://youtu.be/Zj3RxtJ_Ljc

The Global Council on Brain Health (GCBH) is an independent collaborative of scientists, health professionals, scholars and policy experts from around the world working in areas of brain health related to human cognition. The GCBH focuses on brain health relating to peoples’ ability to think and reason as they age, including aspects of memory, perception and judgment. The GCBH is convened by AARP with support from Age UK to offer the best possible advice about what older adults can do to maintain and improve their brain health. GCBH members come together to discuss specific lifestyle issue areas that may impact peoples’ brain health as they age with the goal of providing evidence-based recommendations for people to consider incorporating into their lives.

This week is the start of International Brain Awareness Ween 2018 ! Brain Awareness Week (BAW) is the global campaign to increase public awareness of the progress and benefits of brain research, and the “brain-child” of The DANA Foundation (www.dana.org). The Perth Brain Centre is proud to be an official partner of International Brain Awareness Week 2018, and every day we will be sharing some of the amazing benefits of brain research.

International Brain Awareness Week (BAW) is the global campaign to increase public awareness about the progress and benefits of brain research. The Perth Brain Centre is an official partner of International Brain Awareness Week, which starts on the 12 March this year.

Anxiety and insomnia go hand in hand. When you're feeling anxious, it can be difficult to get to sleep. But when you're short on sleep, you may feel more anxious. This can result in a never ending cycle of anxiety, fatigue, and insomnia.

Breaking the cycle of anxiety and insomnia is best treated by addressing both issues concurrently. Ideally, you can alleviate anxiety before bed so you'll have less trouble getting to sleep. If you get a good night's sleep, you can face the next day better prepared to deal with anxiety.