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mind strengthening and brain thinking improvement techniques after injuries
what makes a person intelligent and sharp all the time ? will working on math online for non-credit everyday for a long while help strengthen my mind ? what other exercises can i do to become sharper, a better problem solver, think better, come to better conclusions, etc what does a person do ?? anything engaging with the mind ?
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Hi
Welcome to the MedHelp forum!
Well, in a way you are in the right direction. The brain's ability to process information varies from person to person. Also after a brain injury, it varies with the type and area of injury.
Hence first a neuro-psychological assessment is done to find out what exactly the patient is lacking. Is it understanding the concept, is it processing the concept after understanding, or is it memorizing the concept. The recall capacity of the concept is also tested. There are several specialized tests for intellect that are conducted and then a specialized program built as per the patient's need started.
Just doing arithmetic or mental ability exercises may not give full benefit.
Hope this helps. Take care!
Welcome to the MedHelp forum!
Well, in a way you are in the right direction. The brain's ability to process information varies from person to person. Also after a brain injury, it varies with the type and area of injury.
Hence first a neuro-psychological assessment is done to find out what exactly the patient is lacking. Is it understanding the concept, is it processing the concept after understanding, or is it memorizing the concept. The recall capacity of the concept is also tested. There are several specialized tests for intellect that are conducted and then a specialized program built as per the patient's need started.
Just doing arithmetic or mental ability exercises may not give full benefit.
Hope this helps. Take care!
Another consideration is when a part of the brain is damaged through structural injurt or infarct. There is redundancy and other parts of the brain can be taught to take over the role of the damaged parts.
In the case of an elderly stroke damaged woman, she could not feed herself because of damage to one part of the brain. After I worked with her, we trained another part of the brain to take over the role of coordinating her hands. In such a manner we developed language skills again.
In the case of an elderly stroke damaged woman, she could not feed herself because of damage to one part of the brain. After I worked with her, we trained another part of the brain to take over the role of coordinating her hands. In such a manner we developed language skills again.
For a long time it was believes that brain cells to not replicate in an adult human. Recent research, discussed in the Scientific American issues of "Brain" contradict this assumption. New brain cells can grow and intellectual stimulation will help, so reading and intellectual curiosity are valuable in maintaining intelligence.
On the other hand, one must view intellectual exercises in terms of alternatives sacrified. An hour spent on math, for example, is an hour not spent on learning chemistry, or medicine. Or even in good, vigorous exercise or sports. Then there is the importance of human interaction. There are only so many "good" hours available in a day or a week.
Nor is there any evidence that working mathematical problems is superior than writing literature or doing histoircal research or learning a musical instrument. There are many facets to human intelligence.
As to developing "better conclusions" that is a very interesting aspect of human behavior. The military has attempted to assist men in decision making through leadership drills and practice and through "scenarios".
Good judgement is something that relates to the relative importance attached to various factors in a given situation.
One way to evaluate this is to present people with a make-believe situation where they are told they have six hours to accomplish a mission. They are then provided with a list of perhaps one hundred things to do, each with a specific time alloted. Thus, one can spend thirty minutes ordering ammunition, and perhaps fifteen minutes to obtain soft drinks. The student is presented with tasks, which if performed, would added up to 24 hours. This many will have to be ignored. Curiously, the results of such tests vary greatly and one would be surprised at the failure of many otherwise normal people to "prioritize".
After a mission in the military an "after-action" meetying is held, where all the problems that came up are discussed and analyzed. In this respect whenever in life bad decisions are made, it pays to review the decision in retrospect. Hospitals have surgical review boards for this purpose.
Operations research and systems analysis, statistics, as well as the science of engineering economy, are techniques that use mathematics to help a person to analyze problems and reach conclusions that are based upon values given to various aspects of the situation. It helps them to "connect the dots" and "get the gist" of a complicated problem. That is a bit difference from "learning calculus to strengthen the mind", for which there is no evidence that such training, by itself, helps decision making".
On the other hand, one must view intellectual exercises in terms of alternatives sacrified. An hour spent on math, for example, is an hour not spent on learning chemistry, or medicine. Or even in good, vigorous exercise or sports. Then there is the importance of human interaction. There are only so many "good" hours available in a day or a week.
Nor is there any evidence that working mathematical problems is superior than writing literature or doing histoircal research or learning a musical instrument. There are many facets to human intelligence.
As to developing "better conclusions" that is a very interesting aspect of human behavior. The military has attempted to assist men in decision making through leadership drills and practice and through "scenarios".
Good judgement is something that relates to the relative importance attached to various factors in a given situation.
One way to evaluate this is to present people with a make-believe situation where they are told they have six hours to accomplish a mission. They are then provided with a list of perhaps one hundred things to do, each with a specific time alloted. Thus, one can spend thirty minutes ordering ammunition, and perhaps fifteen minutes to obtain soft drinks. The student is presented with tasks, which if performed, would added up to 24 hours. This many will have to be ignored. Curiously, the results of such tests vary greatly and one would be surprised at the failure of many otherwise normal people to "prioritize".
After a mission in the military an "after-action" meetying is held, where all the problems that came up are discussed and analyzed. In this respect whenever in life bad decisions are made, it pays to review the decision in retrospect. Hospitals have surgical review boards for this purpose.
Operations research and systems analysis, statistics, as well as the science of engineering economy, are techniques that use mathematics to help a person to analyze problems and reach conclusions that are based upon values given to various aspects of the situation. It helps them to "connect the dots" and "get the gist" of a complicated problem. That is a bit difference from "learning calculus to strengthen the mind", for which there is no evidence that such training, by itself, helps decision making".
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