28.1.09

COMMUNICATION STYLE AND QUALITY OF LIFE

The quality of life of individuals with AD is affected by the communication style. Its impact is significant. An study from the University of California at Los Angeles, presented at the International Conference on Alzheimer’s Disease (2008), found that healthy family members’ responses to unanticipated comments from individuals with AD followed predictable patterns. When a response disrupted the flow of conversation, healthy family members often continued to speak as if the person with AD had not spoken or tended to pause, indicating they had heard the comment, but did not respond verbally. Such responses frame the individual with AD as a nonparticipant in the conversation.
“Elderspeak,” defined as overly caring, controlling and infantilizing communication, by caregivers increases resistance to care by nursing home residents with dementia. As AD progresses, individuals have increasing difficulties with communication. These difficulties are related to cognitive changes. This kind of studies should be kept in mind in order to to develop training programs to facilitate conversation.

24.1.09

A JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF YOUR MIND

V.S. Ramachandran is Director of the Center for Brain and Cognition at the University of California, San Diego. In a wide-ranging talk, Vilayanur Ramachandran explores how brain damage can reveal the connection between the internal structures of the brain and the corresponding functions of the mind.
I consider this is an interesting talk, since Ramachandran's suggestions provide us with a wider perspective on how the brain works. It could give us insight on Alzheimer communication.

I recommend you his excellent book: Phantoms in the Brain. New York: William Morror, 1998.

(CLIP)

THE COGNITIVE EFFECTS OF COMMUNICATING INTIMATELY WITH NATURE


New study finds that short-term memory is improved 20% by walking in nature, or even just by looking at an image of a natural scene. Marc G. Berman and colleagues at the University of Michigan wanted to test the effect of a walk's scenery on cognitive function (Berman, Jonides & Kaplan, 2008; PDF). These results replicated a previous study by Berto (2005) who found that just viewing pictures of natural scenes had a restorative effect on cognitive function.

What is it, then, about being immersed in real natural scenes that allows the mind to unwind?

Kaplan (1995) provides a nice explanation based on the idea that attention is split into two types: Involuntary attention and Directed attention. Natural scenes only engage our involuntary attention modestly: it's enough to stop us getting bored, but not so much we need to engage our directed attention to work out where to put our focus. Effectively gazing at the sunset gives our directed attention a rest and we can let our minds wander.

It would be interesting to test how other natural areas provide even greater benefits not only in memory but in perception, communication, executive function...

19.1.09

EFFECTS OF YOGA ON COGNITIVE FUNCTIONS


Yoga has played a role in relaxation and gentle exercise for some people with Alzheimer's, according to the Alzheimer's Association Massachusetts/New Hampshire chapter. A study released last year during the Alzheimer's Association's International Conference on the Prevention of Dementia in Washington, D.C., found that regular meditation can bolster cognitive function for people with memory loss. In this regard, Patrice Flesch (South End Yoga) has been teaching yoga classes at the Boston Alzheimer's center for eight years. She is a pioneer in this area. Patrice alters poses and movements from her traditional yoga to make them more cognitive.
More research is needed to determine how Yoga techniques can reliably be used to improve cognitive performance and possibly aid in treating and even preventing Alzheimer's Disease.


Information available in Spanish
Reference (The Boston Globe)

PASSION FOR SCIENCE

- The ESOF 2010 (the next Euroscience Open Forum) will take place in Torino, Italy, on 2-7 July 2010, under the slogan Passion for Science. http://www.esof2010.org/

MORE INTERESTING ARTICLES AND BOOKS

- Hughes, J.C.; Louw, S.J.; Sabat, S.R. (2006). Dementia: Mind, Meaning, and the Person. Oxford, U.K.: Oxford University Press, 2006.
- Robbins, P. & Aydede, M. (2009). A Shor Primer on Situated Cognition. In P. Robbins & M. Aydede (Eds.), The Cambridge handbook of situated cognition. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.
- Tomasello, M. (2008). Origins of Human Communication. MIT Press.

13.1.09

TALK: DISCOURSE AND ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE

I would like to share this talk that I gave last year at the Advanced Seminar in Discourse Studies led by Professor Teun A. van Dijk.
It focuses on:
1) a panoramic view of Alzheimer's Disease;
2) a literature review over Alzheimer Discourse approaches;
3) a cognitive perspective to study this issue.

Download (.ppt) (Spanish version)