Reading in the brain

"In Reading in the Brain: The Science and Evolution of a Human Invention, French neuroscientist Stanislas Dehaene points out that humans did not have time to evolve reading-specific brain circuitry; instead, our brain “recycles” existing networks for the task. "  


This concept helps explain why it is that clapping your hands and stomping your feet improves reading scores.

The Brain’s Internal Clock Keeps Time and Shifts Attention

Meck and Benson from Duke University write, "The review of the literature presented here suggests that the frontal cortex and related basal ganglionic areas are involved both in the generation of attentional set shifting and in interval timing behavior."  In  layperson's terms:  Brain regions involved in attention and shifting of focus are the same brain regions activated when one is keeping track of time, such as in IM training. IM improves attention at a foundational level.  Read the whole article here.

IM as a possible diagnostic tool for ADHD?

Another must read post from Dr. McGrew. Some quotes, "This study found that adults with ADHD lose their ability to keep rhythm (maintaining a tapping beat) when the tempo is varied. This pilot study suggests that the "effective span of rhythmic feel" is apparently contracted (narrower) in ADHD adults when compared to normal’s.

Might this not suggest that a sensitive metronome-based measurement technology (e.g., the measurement component of Interactive Metronome - conflict of interest disclosure---I'm on the scientific advisory board for IM), that can carefully calibrate the ability to maintain the "feel" for varying tempo's/rhythms might serve as a diagnostic marker for possible ADHD?"

Automatizing movement makes the brain more efficient

In the book, The Brain Advantage, Dr. Van Hecke describes how automatizing behavior makes the brain more efficient.  In IM, after working a task down to under 20 milliseconds, one seems to 'automatize' the movement, requiring much less mental effort. Sharp Brains authors discuss this book. Here's an excerpt.  "Neurologist Richard Restak summarized a UCLA study that compared individuals with high IQs to those with average IQs. Restak wrote, “The researchers started off with the seemingly reasonable idea that ‘smarter’ brains work harder, generate more energy, and consume more glucose. Like light bulbs, the brains of ‘bright’ people were expected to illuminate more intensely than those of ‘dimwits’ with a reduced wattage.” What they discovered instead was exactly the opposite. Higher IQ people had cooler, more subdued brain scans “while their less intellectually gifted counterparts lit up like miniature Christmas trees.” ….

Why would “smarter” brains work less hard? One strong bet is that when we are inexperienced—when we still have a lot to learn—we have to make a conscious effort to think about what we’re doing. But later, after we’ve become more adept, much of what initially took effort becomes automatic.

The good news is that functioning on autopilot allows us to expend less brain energy on the routine aspects of the work. Our expertise allows us to direct our energy elsewhere."

Dyslexia associated with auditory processing.

"The vast majority of school-aged children can focus on the voice of a teacher amid the cacophony of the typical classroom thanks to a brain that automatically focuses on relevant auditory information, according to new research from Northwestern University. But for children with developmental dyslexia, the teacher's voice may get lost in the background noise of banging lockers, whispering children, playground screams and scraping chairs, the researchers say." Read more here.  IM helps train the brain to process auditory information more accurately and efficiently.  Group mode IM often exercises the skill used to tune out irrelevant auditory information and focus on the relevant auditory information. You can measurably and visually see the difference as children/adults develop this skill in IM.