There's Never A Dull Moment In Quest For A Sharper Brain

Sydney Morning Herald

Saturday August 13, 2005

Susan Wyndham

In a technology-driven world, "eureka moments" will keep us creative and fulfilled, says a leading British neuroscientist.

Baroness Greenfield worries about a looming future when the internet, smart drugs, gene therapy and interactive appliances will make our lives more comfortable but destroy our individuality.

But, in her own eureka moment, she realised the antidote was to give everyone from school pupils to plumbers and academics the freedom and confidence to have more original thoughts.

"You don't have to paint the Mona Lisa or write symphonies but suddenly you have an idea, you can see a new solution or way of doing something," she said.

"It's the most exciting thing. We need to create a world where people can have as many eureka moments as possible."

Greenfield, with a mind as nimble as a 10-year-old gymnast's body, has spent several months as "thinker in residence" for the South Australian Government, showing how people can be masters of science and technology.

As Professor of Pharmacology at Oxford University, she heads research teams in treating Alzheimer's disease and analysing the way young people learn.

She is interested in the effect that computers, drugs, belief systems and family structures have on creativity, attention span and ability to process information.

"The technologies that are coming of age in the 21st century will not go away," she said. "Three fates await us at the moment. We can continue in our consumerism, but then you're on a treadmill of dissatisfaction that keeps the capitalist economy going.

"There's fundamentalism, not just suicide bombers, but extreme ideologies or cults that attract people because they shun materialism and want more fulfilment.

"Then there's 'yuck and wow' passive hedonism, where you're just responding to what's coming in with high technology and you're becoming subhuman."

The trouble with these futures, predicted in her 2003 book Tomorrow's People, is that each means sacrificing individuality, fulfilment or both.

"But I've come up with a fourth possibility," she says. "When do I feel most fulfilled and individual? That is what I call a eureka moment - creativity, basically."

There's also practical advice for keeping the brain agile from her company, BrainBoost, which is studying ways to improve cognition in people with Alzheimer's.

"The 'use it or lose it' theory can apply to everyone. The brain ages depending on how it is used," said Baroness Greenfield's business partner, Richard Barratt (see graphic for tips).

> Spectrum: A mind of her own.

USE IT OR LOSE IT

SIX STEPS TO A BETTER BRAIN

* Stretch your mind: intellectual stimulation promotes brain growth. So do puzzles, crosswords, playing chess and card games and reading.

* Keep fit: physical exercise boosts your brain by improving blood circulation.

* Eat well: high cholesterol can block the brain's arteries, slowing the thinking process.

* Be social: interaction with other people keeps the brain active.

* Relax: stress can reduce cognitive function.

* Sleep well: a decrease in REM sleep slows thinking ability.

© 2005 Sydney Morning Herald

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