Hold that speed. Our brains have to do all kinds of important and complicated jobs. They make our hearts beat, they remind us to breathe and they help us to deal with stressful situations. (HELICOPTER WHIRRS, BEEPS) But one of the most important jobs our brains do is to help us decide what to do to stay alive. Double engine fail. (BEEPING) At 4000m, my Seasprite helicopter has just had a double engine failure. This is not good. Going down to 900, 800` I use my senses to figure out what's happening, and then I apply that information to my stored information ` my memory. What do I know about flying a helicopter? As I search through my brain, I don't find much. (SNIFFS, BARKS) ...300, 200... If I was a trained pilot, I'd be finding lots of useful memories that would give me choices, and that would keep me alive. (SMASH!) (BOTH LAUGH) So that's us dead, then? Oh, yes. (OMINOUS MUSIC) Our brain is always making decisions. Can we help it to make better ones? Is it possible to change the brain we're born with, to upgrade it? Can we become smarter? (DRAMATIC MUSIC) In this episode, we look at one of the most amazing things our brains do ` the ability to learn and to remember. We'll look at how we can improve our memory and how our attitude to learning actually affects how much we can learn. We're also going to look at what happens to your brain when it gets damaged and how you can keep your brain healthy for the rest of your life. (DRAMATIC MUSIC BUILDS, FADES) Captions by Elizabeth Welsh. Edited by Antony Vlug. www.able.co.nz Captions were made with the support of NZ On Air. Copyright Able 2018 (TENSE MUSIC) Our brain gets all of its information from our senses. And on the whole, our senses do a great job. When they screw up, can our brains step in to help? I'm going to turn the whole world upside down and see how long it takes my brain to adjust. And the easiest way to do that is with these glasses. (TENSE MUSIC CONTINUES) WHISPERS: Oh, that's very strange. OK. (CHUCKLES SOFTLY) My eyes are feeding false information into my brain, which is instantly deeply confusing. (WATER TRICKLES) (TENSE MUSIC CONTINUES) It makes even simple tasks, like pouring a glass of water, suddenly very difficult. (CHUCKLES) This is very hard. (WATER SPLASHES) (WATER TINKLES) (KNOCK AT DOOR) But here's the magic of the brain; slowly, I'm beginning to adjust to this upside-down world. (DOOR CREAKS OPEN) Hey, here's your pizza. OK, thank you. Over the course of the day, my brain begins to adapt. (MACHINE BEEPS) Hang on. (MACHINE CONTINUES TO BEEP) And after three days, my brain will be completely at ease with an upside-down world. Now that's because of something that neuroscientists call 'brain plasticity' ` the ability that our brains have to adapt and learn over time. Now, sometimes, that can take a long time, like when you flip the world upside down. And other times, it can happen almost instantaneously. Having brains that can actually change, that are plastic, is really important, because that's how we learn new things, like how to escape from stuff. I'm going to duct-tape these two people. (TENSE MUSIC) Now, this is an unlikely event, but it shows how I can permanently change the brain of our participants. And even your brain will be changed by just watching the experiment. (CLEARS THROAT) All right. And now, let's see if you can escape. (TENSE MUSIC) Our participants have to use their brain and senses to figure out how to escape. Perhaps their memory is thinking about handcuffs and how you could slide out of this tape. Or perhaps their senses are perceiving what looks like weak tape. Maybe brute strength will help them escape. (TENSE MUSIC BUILDS) But nothing seems to be working. Now, of course, they can't escape, because this isn't a skill that most of us have ever had to learn. And by the time that we do, it's usually a bit too late. So I'm going to show you how to escape from duct tape. So it's like this. (DUCT TAPE RIPS) Just like 'da-doof', and rip it off. (DUCT TAPE RIPS) Oh. Yep. (LAUGHS) I know, super painless (!) (CHUCKLES QUIETLY) Of course, they couldn't escape initially, but now that I've helped their brains to make some new connections between duct tape, being kidnapped and escaping, they can. And the wonderful thing about your plastic brain is that your neurons have made the same connections,... (DUCT TAPE RIPS) ...so you can too. (TENSE MUSIC BUILDS, STOPS) So how exactly do we learn? BabyX can help. She's the closest thing we have to a simulation of a human brain. Created by Dr Mark Sagar and his team, she isn't just an animation; she sees, hears and responds in the moment, which means she can show us, in a way we've never been able to see before, the complex miracle of how our brains learn. What does a plastic brain look like? How does our plastic brain learn new things? Well, one of the key ways is using something that scientists call 'associative learning'. Firstly, I'm going to say the word 'duck' to her. Duck. Duck. If she knew what the word meant, we should see a duck appear in the top-left square. But there's nothing. Now, BabyX doesn't know what a duck is, so when I say the word 'duck' to her, it doesn't mean anything. But if I teach her that this is a duck using associative learning, then something amazing happens that we do as well; we just take it completely for granted. Duck. We can see on the right-hand side that BabyX is looking at the duck. And on the left square, we can see that BabyX is perceiving my face. In the square next to it is what she's thinking about. At the moment, it's static. But we can see she's beginning to associate the word 'duck' with the yellow beaky thing I'm holding. Duck. Now watch what happens in BabyX's brain when I say the word this time. Her brain, just like ours, is plastic. It changes in response to new information and builds a link between the word 'duck' and an actual duck. Duck. As we look inside her brain, we can see parts of the brain light up. This shows localised regions lighting up that are involved in sensory input and object association. This process is enormously complex, yet you do it every time you learn something new, like the technique you just saw, which you'll now associate with duct tape and escaping. But how long will you remember this information? Will you remember it in five years? Or will it be gone by tomorrow? How can you make your memory better? seg 2 Ever wondered why time seems to pass quicker as you get older? Well, it turns out that has a lot to do with how our brains remember things. (CURIOUS MUSIC) Basically, they look for two things ` consistencies, which they ignore, or irregularities, which stand out. Brushing your teeth is pretty routine. We don't have a different memory for each time we've done it, mainly because there's nothing important to remember, just the same old, same old. We could do it on autopilot, and if we try to recall teeth brushing, we have this sort of generic impression of teeth brushing, maybe picturing our current bathroom. (CURIOUS MUSIC BUILDS, STOPS) But if something irregular happens, then my brain certainly notices. It's something I'll remember for the day, maybe for a month or maybe I'll never forget it. Novel experiences, we remember, and the everyday stuff, we forget. And of course, as we get older, we have fewer and fewer novel experiences. (TENSE MUSIC) When you're young, you get to try triple-scoop ice cream with whipped cream for the first time. It means that time feels like it's passing slowly, because so many things are new. You're creating brand new neural pathways all the time. (TATTOO NEEDLE BUZZES) These new things, like getting a first tattoo, burn themselves into our memories. Scientists have found that the teenage years are particularly impactful. That's why we still love that Foo Fighters album, have fond memories of our first love and relive that moment when we won the game for our team. Whereas when we get older, we've been there, done that, and so we don't remember large parts of our year. (GENTLE MUSIC) But does it have to be that way? Most of us don't think that our memories are very good, but I'm going to prove that you can remember 30 pictures in 15 seconds. (BUTTON BEEPS, PROJECTOR WHIRRS) (TENSE MUSIC) Right, now, have you remembered all of those? Most of you probably think you can't remember very many, but I'm going to prove that you can remember all 30 ` that's how good your memory is. So... teddy bear or clown? It's the teddy bear. Bridge or jetty? It's the bridge. Elephant or lamb? It's the lamb. Ice cream or salad? It's the ice cream. Butterfly or flower? It's the butterfly. Tea or water? It's the tea. You have all the images memorised, because your brain is always capturing everything all the time. All that detail is in your short-term memory for a minute or so. And unimportant information is quickly discarded, like brushing your teeth this morning. One study showed that we could remember 2500 objects shown to us over a five-hour period. So if our memories are that good, why is it so hard to remember where we put the car keys? And how can we get better at that stuff? 3.1411592653589793` Ralph is a memory champion. He knows pi to 3560 decimal places, and he learned that after he turned 70. He's got a way to help us remember things for longer. Do you have a special memory? Do you have special memory powers? No, I don't, actually. I just have a normal memory. I've just developed a few techniques to help me remember things. And these tricks can be used in everyday life. (WHIMSICAL MUSIC) So, the first item on our shopping list, Nigel, is corn. So if you imagine a whole lot of corn plants growing; corn's hitting the roof; there's corn cobs all over the place. That's the first item. Mm-hm. And second item on our shopping list is baked beans. Mm-hm. So if you imagine someone pouring it over all the DVDs. The secret is to create bizarre images in a space you know well, like your home. And the last item on our shopping list's bananas, for which you'd just imagine bunches of bananas hanging from the plant. Right. If you only want to do it short-term for shopping, no problem. You should be able to remember it all. Do you think anyone can improve their memory? Yes, yes, there's no doubt about it. All the people that compete in the world championships, I think, would say they have no special abilities; they've developed a technique, and they've practised it. If you're going to be the best, you've got to practice. It's as simple as that. It's almost unbelievable, but it's just use of the mind. That's all. But there are some things you don't have to work at memorising; they stick with you for life. (TENSE MUSIC) We're here, Sarah. Here we are seeing the horizon. But get that. That's what's cool. Wow. Beautiful sunrise. 25 years ago, Sarah Wilson literally found herself falling off the side of a mountain. (AVALANCHE ROARS) So my head is flying around a helmet, but inside my brain, it's a bit like time just slowed right down. It was like I was watching a movie of my life. (OMINOUS MUSIC) How did they affect you, the memories that were coming to your mind? There was a lot of emotion associated with images; there were people I love. (FILM REEL WHIRRS) And so there was a sense that those things are important to me, and I don't want to lose them, but also it was a very calming impact. So I could enjoy the fact that I had those great people around me in my life. It was emotional, but also quite positive. It was almost preparing me for an end. Looking back now, you kind of have these two components. There's the memories of the fall, and the memories of the memories. Are they both equally as strong? This is where it gets interesting, is that the memory of the fall is particularly strong. And what I notice, even talking about it now, some years on, is that it still has a very strong emotional quality, so I can feel myself shaking a bit. And as I tell the story, you know, I can separate myself a little from it, but it still has a huge emotional impact for me. (AVALANCHE ROARS) Memories of traumatic events are very intense and can make the person feel like they're actually re-experiencing the incident. This is what happens with post-traumatic stress disorder. It's supposed to be helpful, because it creates a strong memory around things to avoid, but instead it can end up hurting us, because we relive the traumatic event over and over and over again. (OMINOUS MUSIC) But why are there some events we don't even seem to be aware of as they're happening? The most common example ` driving home and not really remembering large parts of the journey. Well, it turns out we have two memory systems. There are explicit memories, like what we have to buy at the shops ` baked beans, wasn't it? We have to work at recalling that information, and it's where we store things like your mum's birthday and the capital of France. But our other memory system is called the implicit system. Some think of it as our subconscious, and it's awesome. It's like an autopilot for a lot of our functions. It knows how to walk, how to type and even how to drive. This allows us to devote more brainpower to other tasks, like thinking about social things happening around us or processing our emotions. And our implicit memory is so powerful, it can do things we find hard to do if we actually consciously try to do them. (KEYS CLACK) Denise is a proficient touch-typist. Without looking at the keys, she can bang out 120 words a minute, which you think would mean that she knows exactly where each key is. Well, that's kind of true, but it's also kind of not true. Here is a diagram of a keyboard, and I would just like you just to fill in the letters. Sure. Watch what happens when I ask her to draw a map of the keyboard using her explicit memory. But just off the top of your head, without using your fingers. Oh OK. (LAUGHS) No finger` No` Just remembering what's there. Ooh. Little bit harder. She can't do it. Ooh. Can't use your fingers. Just have to use your brain. (CURIOUS MUSIC) And stop. What was that like? It was quite hard. The first thing I did was put my fingers on` Yeah. Soon as I put my fingers on, I could tell you exactly where it was. Yeah. Cos that was your first response, was to do the logical thing, which is I'm going to use the system that works, and you started to use your fingers. But when I said you couldn't, what happens to the memories then? Oh, it went blank. (CHUCKLES) It was totally blank. I couldn't remember without having my fingers in place. This means we don't get bogged down in thinking 'left foot, right foot, breathe in, breathe out'. We can focus on bigger things, like planning for the future. But your future might be determined by your attitude; how can you change that? Seg 3 When we're born, everything is unexpected and strange. So one of the most important things to learn is a way to predict what's going to happen next. I'm going to see if BabyX's brain can predict the future. Can she predict what'll happen next after she pushes a button? When BabyX presses the green button, a duck appears. And when she presses the red button, a snake appears. But at first, she's just pushing the buttons randomly. As BabyX continues to press the buttons, her brain begins to form new connections. In the left box, we can see what she's predicting. And in the right box, we can see her goal. She wants to see a duck, so she's working out pressing the green button gets her what she wants. Snake. This ability to learn sequences and to predict what might be about to happen next is crucial to everything we do, from understanding the rules of social etiquette to driving a car. And our skill at constructing abstract and complex sequences to predict what might happen next is an important component of what we call 'intelligence'. Alfred Binet created the first intelligence, or IQ, test in the early 1900s. And today, most people still think it's a measure of how smart you are. But even Binet said, you can't quantify something as complex as intelligence with a single number. And he also said, it could change over time. So is being smart or talented something you are born with or is it something you develop? Amazingly, how you answer that question can have a huge impact on your life. It's all about mindset. There are two main categories. And this experiment will show the difference between a fixed mindset and a growth mindset and the effect that each will have on your life. - Hey. - ALL: Hey. - Hello. I've got a maths problem that I would like you to do. We take two groups of kids and give them a problem to solve. It's not too hard. OK, how did you go with that? What answer did you get? Uh, 70. 70, 70, 70. Awesome. Everybody gets it right, but the way I talk to the two groups afterwards is the important bit. It seems to me the reason you got the right answer is cos you guys work really hard. Like, it seems like you are hard workers when it comes to math problems. I told this first group that they worked hard, which forms a growth mindset. But I'm going to tell the second group that they solved the problem because they're smart, which creates a fixed mindset. So you guys must be really smart. You know how some people are just naturally good at maths? - ALL: Yeah. - Clearly, that's you guys ` very smart. Well done. Next, I give them a really difficult problem they won't be able to solve. What answer did you get? 188. 24. Now I give both groups a choice between a hard problem and an easy one. The growth mindset group ` the one I said had worked hard to solve the problem ` all chose the same option. What are you going to choose? A hard one. Hard. The hard one. The hard one. The hard one. This shows the growth mindset perfectly; they believe if they work hard, they'll be able to get better. Now, what happens when I give the same choice to the fixed mindset group ` the ones I told were smart at maths? What would you choose? Easy. Easy. Hard. Easy. Easy. OK, all right. These kids currently have a fixed mindset. Because of what I said, they now believe practice won't help, because you're either smart at maths or you're not. But changing this mindset is simple ` reward effort. Tell people they're good at something not because they're smart, but because they worked hard. 80-year-old John Leyland is what a growth mindset looks like in real life. He knows that rewards in life come from putting in the effort. John, if you were given the option of an easy crossword that you could do or a harder one that you may not be able to do, what one would you choose? The harder one. Wouldn't that just be frustrating and annoying? Wouldn't it be boring to do the other one? (CHUCKLES) Because of his growth mindset, he's led an interesting life. Well, I've been a preacher, a department store manager, a buyer for Kmart, had my own business, dispensed bull semen ` that's quite interesting ` waiter on the Interisland ferries, an agricultural contractor ` all sorts of things. This is a combination of growing a cactus and pottery. My wife likes blue flowers, so I converted all the flowers that we could find when we were on holiday into blue. One of the many things you've tried is also scriptwriting. Yes, that grew out of cactus growing as well. I saw in America how they put eyes on cactus. And one day, I got the idea that maybe cactus have got a secret life. And a story developed, and I thought, 'Oh, this would make a movie'. So I got hold of Temuera Morrison and went and showed him, and he said, 'Yeah, I could see myself in that.' And so I contacted the government, and I made a case that 'I don't think anybody's sold a screenplay to Hollywood before. 'Give me some money. I'll fly over there and sell mine.' Government paid the airfare, and I went over there, and I found an agent, and it got shown around. Didn't sell, but I got a wonderful rejection letter from MGM. It's worth framing. Clearly, having a growth mindset leads you to put in the effort required to achieve things. And it's fun too. Your brain likes challenges. It's what allows humans to overcome massive hurdles. John is getting a dopamine hit every time he tries a new adventure. It's the brain's way of giving two thumbs up. John, do you like trying new things? I love trying new things. It's exciting. You're learning things that you didn't know before. You've got the opportunity of finding out stuff. Um,... it's just un-boring. A lot of people watching this might think, 'Well, John's just one of those people 'who's naturally talented at almost everything.' Is that true? Like, do you just find stuff easy or`? (LAUGHS) No, not at all. A lot of the things are just things that I've learned. I learned very early on that you can have strategies which lead to success. You've got to apply yourself; you've got to have a clear idea of where you want to go; you've got to be prepared to fail. We should be teaching our children that it's OK to give things a go, and that it's OK to expect to fail, and it's OK to succeed ` that those things are all part of the human experience. Just get on with it and give it a go. And in fact, we start out in life with this growth mindset. I've just given BabyX a xylophone, and clearly, she's enjoying learning to play it. And that's one of the things about us as a species ` learning stuff has been fundamental to our survival. But it's more than just functional, because learning something new, mastering a new skill, actually feels good. But why is that? Well, that's because learning is important to the survival of our species. So our brain gives us a little dose of that happiness hormone dopamine when we learn something new. It's just like the teacher saying, 'Good job'. - Go on. - (XYLOPHONE DINGS) - There we go. That's it. But it's about more than just loving learning; that's simply the first step. That thrill of learning can actually take us to a higher place. (PLAYS DRUMS) There are lots of things humans do that are incredibly hard, and playing the drums is definitely one of them. So is drumming just about talent? Are some of us born drummers and the rest of us not? I can practise and probably get a little bit better, but could I ever do anything like this? (PLAYS DRUMS) Tom can do this because his brain has wired in all the skills to play the drums faster than the conscious mind can think. He's moved drumming from his explicit memory, where once he had to think about every hit of the sticks, into his implicit memory. His drumming has become automatic, like breathing. And this opens up another wonder of the human brain. If we do something we love, and we can start doing it without thinking about it, then we shift into something called 'the flow state'. When I'm in the flow state, my drumming is often my better work, because you're not evaluating it or criticising it as it happens, which is what often, sort of, pulls you out of a moment that's potentially gonna be a good musical one. I think you always achieve better musical results in what would resemble a flow state. I will do a lot of conscious practising, but then the actual performance of that will need to be in quite an unthinking place. If I have to be thinking about the parts and the rudimentary kind of things that are involved in doing it, it's definitely never my best performance. Yeah. In the flow state, everything else fades away. There's just now and a sense of feeling totally in control and being lost in the rhythm of the moment. Artists and athletes alike will tell you that the flow state is where the magic happens. The flow state exists so we can think more deeply, create greater ideas. But what happens when things go wrong with the brain? Probably lost a whole decade of memory. seg 4 Inside each and every one of us is the most powerful computer in the known universe. But just like an actual computer, things can go wrong. The brain is a jelly-like substance that sits in fluid within the hard, protective skull that surrounds it. And what happens when there's an external impact to the head, the brain actually moves within the skull, and so it can be forced forwards and backwards against the skull. It can also rotate within the skull and that can cause some bruising; it can cause a shearing of the outside brain tissue; and also the brain can swell, and blood vessels can bleed. That can leave people feeling dazed and confused. They might lose consciousness or they might not remember what has just happened to them. Your memory is associated with the temporal lobe ` the part of your brain just above the ears on both sides ` which is why memory is often affected by concussion. Obviously, all contact sports carry the risk of concussion; most of the brain injuries that happen to people are the result of accidents. (WATER LAPS, SEAGULLS CAW) It happened in 2008. I was sailing off the coast of New Zealand. It was a very stormy night, and we found ourselves in a little bit of bother, and the boat jibbed, and I got hit on the side of the head. (OMINOUS MUSIC) I didn't actually know what happened, but according to the crew, I was only knocked out for a few seconds. But, of course, it felt like a long time. And then, you know, I knew that I was in serious trouble. I didn't realise at the time, but a few days after the actual initial blow to the side of the head, memory loss became quite noticeable. And as the days and weeks followed, I just got worse and worse. And it got to the stage within two to three months, I probably lost a whole decade of memory. (OMINOUS MUSIC) It really depends where the injury is to the brain and which neural circuits have been disrupted as to the type of difficulties people experience. And that's why it can be very different for different people. The brain is involved in so many activities that we do. And learning and memory is a really complex task for the brain. And so many different areas are actually involved in learning and memory. And so when there is an injury to the brain, those connections are quite vulnerable to damage. How bad did things get? Things got quite bad. Prior to the accident, I was a professional yachtsman. I had sailed over 60,000 blue-water miles. And with the brain injury` the head injury, I lost my balance; I lost my memory; I lost a little bit of eyesight. And the biggest thing of all, I lost my self-confidence. And if you lose your self-confidence, well, it's a hard road back. It really is. The effects of a brain injury can vary considerably. So even if several people have had an injury to the same area of the brain, the effects can be quite different. The way our brains wire is very much based on how we learn and what we're exposed to throughout our lifetimes, and so everyone's networks are quite unique. So the difficulties people experience and how that plays out can be very different between different people. So some people can have an injury, recover well within a few days. Other people can go on to have much longer-term problems. (SOMBRE MUSIC) Unable to sail boats, Neil started up a coffee bar. And the strangest thing happened five years after losing his memories. One night, they returned. I woke up at 2 o'clock in the morning one night, and it just all flooded back. It was like someone had plugged in a memory stick. (COMPUTER BEEPS) And it was just like a lightning strike. It was like watching a movie. I sat up in bed, and before my eyes, 10 years of memory came flooding back ` people I knew, people I sailed with, work colleagues, everything. It was just incredible. And, yeah, I can't explain it. The brain is incredible in its ability to restore and repair itself. And the more we're learning about the brain, the more we're learning about this ability to regenerate itself. It's just incredible how you can be involved in an accident, and you can have major concussion, but yet in time, it does heal; and in time, you do get back all the things that you've lost. You've got to protect what's in here, because a head knock can change your life completely. It changed mine big time. Another thing that has an affect on memory is ageing. And one of the most common signs of it is that feeling 'it's on the tip of your tongue'. The other day, I was trying to buy spirulina, and I couldn't remember the name of it. (TENSE MUSIC) Spatula. No. Semolina. I don't even know what semolina is. Scientists don't yet have a clear understanding of why it's harder to connect the meaning of a word with the actual word as you get older, but just like the rest of your body, your brain begins to deteriorate; it's actually shrinking. And the connections between those trillions of neurons are beginning to wear out, maybe as much as 25%. Now, words like... Spirulina. Words like Alzheimer's and dementia are actually quite scary, but is there anything you can actually do about it? (TENSE MUSIC) (RACQUET THWACKS) There was one event that made Graeme think that age was doing something to his brain. I took my dirty laundry out, supposedly to put into the washing machine, but I hadn't. And a couple of days later, my wife said, 'What happened to the laundry?' Somehow or other, I put it into one of the yellow rubbish bags, neatly folded. I still don't even remember doing that to this day. And so I thought at that stage, 'There's something a bit strange'. He was diagnosed with MCI ` mild cognitive impairment. And he's taking part in a research trial, which is looking at ways of preventing further deterioration. I make sure that everything is noted down. I have lots of lists. Everything has to be written on to the calendar as to what I'm supposed to be doing. You need to be active physically, socially, eat healthily and do things that are good for the heart; if they're good for the heart, then they're good for the brain. I am keen to be one of those people who recover from this condition, so I do everything that is supposed to be good for improving the condition. Without your memory, your quality of life can deteriorate very badly. But we still don't know a lot about how to prevent the decline of memory for people with dementia, with conditions like Alzheimer's and MCI. The science isn't there yet on whether the strategies Graeme is using will help combat dementia. But keeping healthy and social are proven to be good for your brain. Graeme has just had his annual test with the researchers, and they've found that his mental ability hasn't dropped from last year. Keeping the body greased and oil changed is a very good idea, just like it is to stop cars rusting up and becoming derelict on the scrapheap. All those things which help your heart health will help your brain health. By keeping your brain stimulated` The more you keep your brain stimulated, the more you use it, the greater the value you are going to get out of your years as they come up. So how exactly do you keep your brain healthy? 1 (INTRIGUING MUSIC) (SNORES) Ron, what are you wearing? WHISPERS: I didn't know we had to get dressed up. WHISPERS: We're not going to bed, Ron. We're going out. (ROLLER DOOR RATTLES) (INTRIGUING MUSIC) (IGNITION CLICKS, CAR WHIRRS) (MAN SPEAKS FOREIGN LANGUAGE ON VIDEO) Hit it! (CAR POWERS UP) (EXCLAIMS EXCITEDLY) (WHOOPS) # Lazy days... # (MEN LAUGH) Oh my Gawd! Hey! (SCREAMING) Yes, yes, yes. I don't feel well. BOTH: What?! (TYRES SCREECH) (WOMEN LAUGH) There you go. (BOTH LAUGH) (ENGINE REVS) What have you got under the hood, bro? You wouldn't believe me. (TYRES SCREECH, MEN EXCLAIM, CAR WHIRRS) (BOTH LAUGH) (RELAXED MUSIC) You think I could drive back? Nah, mate. (CLICKING) (LOUD CLATTERING) (DOGS BARK) Unlimited broadband now with Vodafone TV Intro ` it's TV like never before. Switch to Vodafone and get Vodafone TV Intro and three months' free unlimited broadband. That's over $640 of value. Seg 5 Can we make our brain healthier? And what would that look like? Just like every other part of our body, our brain needs us to exercise. In fact, it needs a really healthy heart. Things that lead to heart disease and stroke ` things like inactivity and obesity ` can also contribute to dementia. An unhealthy lifestyle can lead to a narrowing of the blood vessels, and that reduces blood to the brain. And when your brain doesn't get the blood flow it needs, it can malfunction. You might have problems which can range from remembering where you parked the car all the way through to massive cognitive deterioration. But there's good news. I like everything about t'ai chi. I was 73 when I joined, so starting to get towards... old age, if you like, if I wasn't already there. It's stopped me from going into old age, as it were. And now I still feel as if I'm 73, and I'm 86. (SERENE MUSIC) I cannot understand why everybody is not doing t'ai chi. I really can't. Exercise is one part of keeping your brain healthy. But another important thing for a healthy brain is novelty. (CURIOUS MUSIC) Iana, how long have you been gaming for? I can't really remember not gaming. What is it that kind of draws you into that gaming world? Definitely the narrative. It's my favourite medium for storytelling. What about the emotional stuff? So are the emotions that you, kind of, have when you are playing games, is that similar to the real world? Does it just feel like a copy of the real world, like...? I think it depends on the kind of person that you are. I've seen some people get so unbelievably angry at games. And you think, 'Well, you don't really lose anything by losing a game.' But I do feel quite emotionally moved by some of the stories that are told. Video games have some very complex features to them. First of all, they're full of novel stimuli ` they're full of bells and whistles and lights and things that you don't expect in your normal environment, so you can't predict that. One of the things really interesting about novelty stimuli is that you can't predict when they're going to occur. And when you can't predict it, they drive these systems to release dopamine into the areas of the brain involving reinforcing. Computer games reward Iana constantly with these dopamine hits. But why does our brain want to reward us for doing and seeing new things? Imagine if everything around us we'd seen all the time and nothing changed, all the stimuli would no longer be important to us. So we need novel stimuli to really motivate us, to drive our motivational system to get round and explore the world and to learn about what we have to do to achieve the good outcomes that we want in life. That dopamine is there to reinforce behaviour. It's saying, 'Keep doing the things that you're doing.' When a new game is announced or you start playing a new game and you see, you know, the graphics, and they've made this really beautiful game. And no matter how, you know, the game turns out to be, when you see your character there for the first time and you see this fantastic, kind of, landscape, I think it can be the same kind of thing as if you saw a really beautiful piece of artwork. From an evolutionary perspective, humans needed to explore new worlds to survive. And our brain still rewards us for that with dopamine. But more importantly, doing new things, including exploring worlds in a computer game, is a multisensory experience using our hands, eyes and ears. And this helps to keep our brains healthy. Doing poi is really important. Knitting is very important ` your multisensory input and doing it according to a pattern, you're thinking it and all the rest of it. So reading, writing ` it all goes to stimulating your brain. Talking with people, because people are not only giving you information, they're giving you loaded emotional information in a way which makes you feel better. Sleep is also vital. It's one of the great mysteries, I suppose, of the brain. It's not fully understood what all that's doing, but one of the things` it seems to be involved in helping process the information that you've learned and stored away during the day. You can actually learn a task, have a certain level of performance, do no more training, have some sleep and come back the next day, and you will be better than when you finished starting the task in the first place. So there's some additional binding and building of those networks during sleep that is actually making that performance better. (CURIOUS MUSIC) And what happens to our brain if we don't get enough sleep? Bernice, how did the insomnia start? It started when I had my daughter, and she was a very bad sleeper, and that meant that my nights were interrupted every night, and that went on for years. And so even once she started sleeping well, my nights were... very bad still. I had broken sleeps every night. So how little sleep were you getting at that time? It would be four to five hours a night, and it would be broken. And that went on for six to seven years. I was no longer who I used to be. I had no energy. I had no enthusiasm. I was living my life as a zombie. It was really survival mode that I was in. Just getting through the fundamentals of each day, but it was no life. Sleep's important for an organism to survive. Without sleep, our brains will overheat. Studies have shown that if you sleep deprive animals continuously, it can result in even death. Sleep is important in terms of memory ` that we know now for sure. What about things like memory and concentration? (LAUGHS) They were bad. They were really bad. Yeah, I was constantly having to make lists. I would find myself walking into a room and having no idea why I was there. Sleep is important in memory formation. It's been shown in a lot of studies that with sleep deprivation, and depending on the phase of sleep, different types of memories affect it. And when individuals actually have good sleep, then the ability to form memory is actually improved. What were the strategies that made a difference? Well, the first one would have been prioritising sleep. And I mean really prioritising sleep, going, 'I have to change this', and actively taking steps towards it. I gave myself permission to wind down in the evenings, whereas previously I worked right up till the finish line and then threw myself into bed. And I also did sleep restriction, which sounds completely counterproductive, but is a very powerful tool. And staying up later meant that the quality of my sleep was much, much better. What's been the impact on your life of finally getting a decent sleep? My sleep is so good. It is life-changing, completely life-changing, to go from four to five hours a night broken sleep to seven hours of consistent, easy sleep. You know, I love going to bed now. I love my bed. I just get in there, and I fall asleep, and I stay asleep till the morning. Your brain's most important job is to keep you alive, and it does that through learning and adapting. The best current science says there are five simple things that you can do to help keep your brain in top-notch condition. Number one ` the single most important thing you can do for your brain is exercise. It just is. Two ` challenge yourself. Your brain loves to try new things. Three ` your brain needs to hang out with other brains, so make sure you look after those important relationships. Number four ` your brain runs on fuel, so make sure you put in the good stuff. And five ` you need to get a good sleep. We used the memory trick of creating unusual images, so these rules should, hopefully, now be burned into your brain. And if you do these five things, it'll help keep your brain in its best possible condition, and you'll find that you'll make the best possible decisions and be the smartest you.