Nurturing Healthy Brains
Nurturing Healthy Brains
Ask school-age youngsters what they couldn’t live without, and they will most likely refer to some kind of 21st century technology—an iPod, text messaging, or video games. Ironically, enjoyment of modern-day technologies occurs only through the biology of our long-evolving brains, which we are just beginning to understand.
We are bombarded every day with studies from the emerging field of neuroscience. The constant barrage can cause some educators to dismiss brain research as the next pop-culture fad. Even for believers, sifting through the enormous amount of information being generated can be daunting.
However, we must remember that brain change is the essence of the education profession. As Zull (2002, p. 5) reminds us, “Teaching is the art of changing the brain.” We owe it to our students to understand and implement evidence-based neuroscience applications that support healthy brains and optimize learning.
Where can we start? Not unlike coaches who assist athletes in daily drills to improve their performance, educators can support children’s cognitive function by helping them (and their parents) understand daily behaviors that support healthy brains. Fernando Gómez-Pinilla, a UCLA professor of neuroscience and physiological science, has made a career of studying the effects of behaviors on brains. He notes that diet, exercise, and sleep have the potential to alter our brain health and mental functions (Wolpert, 2008).
Garbage In, Garbage Out: Nutrition
Nutrition has serious implications for brains of all ages but especially for those in the early stages of development. Evidence suggests that attention to dietary input helps build not only healthy bodies for students but also healthy brains.
The human brain is undeniably the most complex and amazing organism on earth. However, it has a shortcoming: the brain has no mechanism for storing the fuel that it needs to function. Our brains depend totally on our consistent consumption of appropriate foods to manufacture their energy. Complex carbohydrates offer the brain a steady flow of glucose, its essential fuel. That’s why complex carbohydrates, such as whole grains, fruits, and vegetables, should be the cornerstones of any diet.
But protein, long considered the centerpiece of the all-American meal, is essential as well. It is the basic building block of the brain’s tissue and helps in production of its transport molecules and chemical messengers, neurotransmitters. Low-fat dairy products, legumes, lean meats, and tofu are excellent sources of high-quality protein. But beware of some cuts of meat that can be high in fatty acids that are not so brain-healthy.
Speaking of fats, there are some good ones. Those highly touted omega-3 fatty acids that are so good for your heart are also good for your brain. They help build brain cell membranes and insulation for nerve fibers. The fats are found primarily in fish like mackerel, tuna, and salmon, but you can gain similar benefits by using linseed, canola, or walnut oils in food preparation. Stay away from high-heat cooking, however; it turns such oils into the dreaded trans-fatty acids health experts tell us to avoid.
The phrase “garbage in, garbage out” is borrowed from computer science. However, it appears to be true for brains as well. Brains function only as well as we feed them. The Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act of 2004 mandated that school districts and other federally funded child care programs revisit nutrition policies and practices. However, many local education agencies stopped short of including nutrition education in the school curriculum. This is a problem because children must learn from a young age that healthy food builds healthy brains.
No Pain, No Gain: Aerobic Exercise
“Inactivity is killing our brains.” That is the argument that John Ratey (2008) sets forth in his publication Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain. Ratey maintains that the modern sedentary lifestyle of most American families contributes to not only obesity and related health conditions but also the shrinking of our cognitive hardware. If we truly want a better life for future generations, we need to get them off the couch.
Aerobic exercise actually changes our brain chemistry by elevating and balancing the neurotransmitters dopamine, serotonin, and adrenaline. This chemical mix results in a brain that is more alert, attentive, and ready to learn. Exercise research on children diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is especially encouraging. In some case studies, students previously diagnosed with ADHD have discontinued prescribed medications after participating in daily exercise regimens.
Another group of brain chemicals called neurotrophins also plays a dominant role in brain function as a result of exercise. While neurotransmitters support the communication between brain cells, neurotrophins build cell infrastructure. One in particular, brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), has been identified as a link between brain biology and learning. In human studies, researchers have established a relationship between increased levels of BDNF due to exercise and improved vocabulary recall. The body of evidence connecting exercise, cell growth, and increased cognitive function is robust enough that neuroscientists often refer to BDNF as “the brain’s Miracle-Gro.”
This research presents significant implications for education policy and practices. At a time when elementary recess is being eliminated or reduced and secondary physical education is most often an elective, educators need to rethink the benefits of the healthy body–healthy brain connection.
And it’s important to note that exercise means aerobic exercise—the heart-pounding, sweating, out-of-breath activity that many of us try our best to avoid. Very little supportive research is available regarding the effect of nonaerobic forms of exercise on cognitive function. In the meantime, let’s hedge our bets and get up out of our seats with our students. Our brains are depending on it.
Sleep Tight, Wake Bright: Golden Slumber
For the developing brain, nothing tops off a day of learning, healthy eating, and exercise like a good night’s sleep. However, the 2006 National Sleep Foundation poll tells us that 45 percent of teens surveyed reported getting less than eight hours of sleep on school nights. Worse yet, 90 percent of the parents surveyed thought their children were getting enough sleep. Herein lies the problem.
The sleeping brain has often been portrayed as inactive. Nothing could be further from the truth. Recent research suggests that sleep does something for the brain that our waking hours do not. Stickgold and Ellenbogen (2008) tell us that sleeping brains are very busy stabilizing, copying, and filing newly formed memories—what neuroscientists call “consolidation.” Our brain actually strengthens the previous day’s learning while we sleep by refiring newly created neural connections. The consequences of fitful sleep are significant for students.
Sadeh, Gruber, and Raviv (2003) conducted a sleep deprivation study involving elementary students. The researchers discovered that the loss of one hour of sleep on the night prior to testing resulted in a measurable average loss of two years of cognitive maturation and development. Other imaging studies on healthy adults demonstrate that people missing one night’s sleep had brain activity associated with mental illness.
The long-term repercussions of sleepless nights can be devastating. Researchers believe that the brain perceives lack of sleep as a threat to health and safety. It responds by releasing the stress hormone cortisol. Cortisol plays an important role in the flight-or-fight response. However, when released over a longer period of time, it can actually damage the hippocampus, a region of the brain that is active during the acquisition of semantic knowledge, the kind of learning done in school.
So how do educators influence the sleep behaviors of our students? After all, this is one activity that is not generally supported in the school setting. We need to help families understand the influence of sleep on learning and general health. Our 24/7 culture has developed the attitude that sleep is discretionary time. Parents should understand that sleep is as important as, if not more important than, many waking activities. Not coincidentally, sleep researchers know that eating the right foods and engaging in aerobic exercise promote healthy sleep habits.
Nurturing Fragile Brains
This generation of school-age children is very fortunate, and not because of modern-day technology. This is the first generation of students to have access to research about their brains that can help them live longer, higher-quality lives. Educators have taught several generations of students about health-related issues like smoking and alcohol and substance abuse. Now we have an obligation to help the children of the 21st century nurture their fragile brains.
It’s our job as educators to engage students in experiences that result in physiological changes to their brains. This is not a responsibility to be taken lightly. I hope even those who cannot fully embrace neuroscience can agree that sound nutrition, exhilarating exercise, and a good night’s sleep create the conditions that support learning.
Effective instructional practices will always be the principles that define teaching and learning. But student achievement presupposes that the brains we are attempting to educate are healthy and ready to learn.
References
National Sleep Foundation. (2006). 2006 Sleep in America poll: Teens and sleep. Retrieved from http://www.sleepfoundation.org/article/sleep-america-polls/2006-teens-and-sleep
Ratey, J. (2008). Spark: The revolutionary new science of exercise and the brain. New York: Little, Brown and Company.
Sadeh, A., Gruber, R., & Raviv, A. (2003). The effects of sleep restriction and extension on school-age children: What a difference an hour makes. Child Development, 74(2), 444–455.
Stickgold, R., & Ellenbogen, J. (2008, August/September). Quiet! Sleeping brain at work. Scientific American Mind, 23–27.
Wolpert, S. (2008, July 9). Scientists learn how what you eat affects your brain—and those of your kids. UCLA Newsroom. Retrieved from http://newsroom.ucla.edu/portal/ucla/scientists-learn-how-food-affects-52668.aspx
Zull, J. E. (2002). The art of changing the brain: Enriching the practice of teaching by exploring the biology of learning. Sterling, VA: Stylus Publishing.