
How can we train and harness our brain power and improve our mental performance?
Can we reverse our aging minds or even heal our minds?
Our brains change as we age, our mental function change and even deteriorate as we get older.
What can we do to keep our minds heathy? Is there are ways to improve the performance of our minds, surely if this is possible – then we should take the steps to do so?
During the progress of normal aging, alterations occur in the prefrontal cortex and the medial temporal lobe system, including the hippocampus and the cerebellum1. These changes are linked to Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and dementia, which are linked with impairment in cognitive processes such as short- and long-term memory, speed, and executive functions. Cognitive functions, including attention, memory, and analytical ability, show a functional decrease with our age.2
Neuroenhancement describes the use of neuroscience-based techniques for enhancing cognitive function by acting directly on the human brain and nervous system, altering its properties to increase performance3. This includes transcranial electromagnetic stimulation methods, such as transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) and transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), along with deep brain stimulation, neurofeedback, behavioural training techniques, in conjunction with neuroimaging.4
These methods can be used to improve attention, perception, memory and other forms of cognition in healthy individuals, leading to better performance in many aspects of everyday life. Neuroenhancement methods are likely out of our reach; as it is very costly, still being developed, and may have consequential side effects that scientists are still discovering. There may be simpler ways are there ways to improve cognitive performance.
So what can er do to tarin our brains & reverse aging?
A few simple strategies like getting enough sleep, learning a second language, eating right and meditation are simple changes you can make in your life to ‘fuel the power or your brain’ , read the next extract to learn about the scientific researched methods discovered.

A great deal of research states that we can reverse our aging minds even heal our bodies through increasing and encouraging brain plasticity – Brain plasticity, or neuroplasticity, is the ability for the brain to recover and restructure itself.
This adaptive potential of the nervous system allows the brain to recover after disorders or injuries and to reduce the effects of altered structures due to pathologies such as Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, cognitive deterioration, Alzheimer’s, dyslexia, ADHD, insomnia, etc.6
Summary of a few researched strategies to improve cognitive performance:
Cognitive enhancement turns out to be a multifaceted concept, such interventions can be clustered into biochemical, physical, and behavioural enhancement strategies7. While most Biochemical and Physical strategies required recreational drugs, as well as magnetic and electrical stimulation. While researchers at Boston University School of Medicine discovered more evidence that Physical activity is beneficial for brain health and cognition. The study found that certain hormones, which are increased during exercise, may help improve memory. The researchers were able to correlate blood hormone levels from aerobic fitness and identify positive effects on memory function linked to exercise8
Biochemical interventions can be as simple as consuming sugar or caffeine. However, the use of nootropics or smart drugs like Ritalin, Adderall, and Modafinil are spreading rapidly. Unfortunately, biochemical interventions often have addictive properties or other undesired side effects.9
Sleep aids your brain to work faster and more accurately. Lack of sleep, staying up too late or falling behind on sleep, you are most likely not going to be able to give your full performance to tasks10.
Meditation benefits which we have already discussed are vast, one them being the reduction of memory loss (Horowitz 2010)11
2nd Language learning – Being bilingual ‘boosts brain power’. Learning a second language can boost brain power. The US researchers from Northwestern University say bilingualism is a form of brain training – a mental “work out” that fine-tunes the mind12
Mnemonics (memory tool techniques for re-packaging information) aids your brain to better encode and recall important information – i.e. improved memory13
Computer training – According to Harvard Health publishing, computer-based brain training could help keep your mental tools sharp14
Mental Learning Programs/Software. The conventional way to enhance cognitive abilities is through learning. Learning is a way to upgrade one’s mental software 15. Learning can improve general mental capabilities such as concentration, critical thinking, and memory. This method is well-established, low-risk, and culturally accepted.
Nutrition Epidemiological studies that have focused on fruit and vegetable intake and cognitive function have also largely found that adequate consumption can prevent cognitive decline, while low intake is associated with increased cognitive decline.16
Natural Remedies traditional natural remedies have been discussed as cognitive enhancerssuch as Indian herbal medicines such as Bacopa monnieri17have been ascribed with cognitive enhancing effects
Learn to play a music instrument. Musicis a complex and multisensory form of enrichment that has a positive influence on neuroplasticity in several regions of the brain because it requires integration of audiovisual information as well as appreciation of abstract rules (Paraskevopoulos et al., 2012; Kuchenbuch et al., 2014).18 The neuroplastic response is much greater in musicians with long term training; than was noted in those with short term musical training.
Boosting Human Learning by Hypnosis Learning in hypnosis boosted dependent sequence learning. Rapid and reversible changes of cognitive processing are encountered in hypnosis, this phenomenon is an excellent tool of research in the cognitive neurosciences.19
The brain is fascinating & sciences are still making remarkable progress in understanding how our brains work!
New service now offered at Ever-Journey, Hypnotherapy!
References:
- Vascular cognitive impairment and dementia. Gorelick PB, Counts SE, Nyenhuis D Biochim Biophys Acta. 2016 May; 1862(5):860-8.
- Kirova AM, Bays RB, Lagalwar S. Working memory and executive function decline across normal aging, mild cognitive impairment, and Alzheimer’s disease. Biomed Res Int. 2015;2015:748212. doi:10.1155/2015/748212
- Clark VP, Parasuraman R. Neuroenhancement: enhancing brain and mind in health and in disease. Neuroimage. 2014 Jan 15;85 Pt 3:889-94. doi: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2013.08.071. Epub 2013 Sep 12. PMID: 24036352.
- Clark VP, Parasuraman R. Neuroenhancement: enhancing brain and mind in health and in disease. Neuroimage. 2014 Jan 15;85 Pt 3:889-94. doi: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2013.08.071. Epub 2013 Sep 12. PMID: 24036352.
- Dresler M, Sandberg A, Bublitz C, et al. Hacking the Brain: Dimensions of Cognitive Enhancement. ACS Chem Neurosci. 2019;10(3):1137-1148. doi:10.1021/acschemneuro.8b00571
- Park DC, Bischof GN. The aging mind: neuroplasticity in response to cognitive training. Dialogues Clin Neurosci. 2013;15(1):109-119.
- Hayes, Scott & Forman, Daniel & Verfaellie, Mieke. (2016). Cardiorespiratory Fitness Is Associated With Cognitive Performance in Older But Not Younger Adults. The Journals of Gerontology Series B Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences. 71. 474-482. 10.1093/geronb/gbu167.
- Aerobic fitness, hormones predict recognition memory in young adults link : https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/12/131202162204.htm
- Learning is a powerful form of cognitive enhancement https://trickle.app/drip/20560-learning-is-a-powerful-form-of-cognitive-enhancement/
- Engle-Friedman M, Riela S, Golan R, et al. The effect of sleep loss on next day effort. J Sleep Res. 2003;12(2):113-124. doi:10.1046/j.1365-2869.2003.00351.x
- Horowitz S. Health benefits of meditation. Altern Complement Ther. 2010;16:223–8.
- Subcortical indices of bilingual experience Jennifer Krizman, Viorica Marian, Anthony Shook, Erika Skoe, Nina Kraus Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Apr 2012, 201201575; DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1201575109
- Dresler M, Shirer WR, Konrad BN, et al. Mnemonic Training Reshapes Brain Networks to Support Superior Memory. Neuron. 2017;93(5):1227-1235.e6. doi:10.1016/j.neuron.2017.02.003
- Computer-based brain training could help keep your mental tools sharp Link: https://www.health.harvard.edu/mind-and-mood/computer-based-brain-training-could-help-keep-your-mental-tools-sharp
- Computer-based brain training could help keep your mental tools sharp https://www.health.harvard.edu/mind-and-mood/computer-based-brain-training-could-help-keep-your-mental-tools-sharp
- Spencer, S.J., Korosi, A., Layé, S. et al. Food for thought: how nutrition impacts cognition and emotion. npj Sci Food 1, 7 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41538-017-0008-y
- Nemetchek, Michelle & Stierle, Andrea & Stierle, Donald & Lurie, Diana. (2016). The Ayurvedic plant Bacopa Monnieri inhibits inflammatory pathways in the brain. Journal of Ethnopharmacology. 197. 10.1016/j.jep.2016.07.073.
- Kuchenbuch A, Paraskevopoulos E, Herholz SC, Pantev C (2014) Audio-Tactile Integration and the Influence of Musical Training. PLoS ONE 9(1): e85743. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0085743
- Dezso Nemeth, Karolina Janacsek, Bertalan Polner, Zoltan Ambrus Kovacs, Boosting Human Learning by Hypnosis, Cerebral Cortex, Volume 23, Issue 4, April 2013, Pages 801–805, https://doi.org/10.1093/cercor/bhs068