Books to read and videos to watch

As previously discussed in my last post. I spend the majority o my free time at the hospital reading informative nonfiction books regarding neuroscience and applied neuropsychology as means of not only occupying my time to escape the boredom in my room but also to engage my brain with processing information. I would recommend all patients in the hospital to do the same and be proactive in using the grey matter in their brain. This post will be dedicated to discussing the list of books, videos, and websites for those with brain injuries.

List of neuroscience books to read:

• The brain's way of healing:  Written by Norman Doidge, a Canadian Neuropsychiatrist. This book is a collection of real-life cases of people that have overcome some of their mental and physical disabilities through a rigorous form of self-training and therapies that are both conventional and non-conventional. The chapter starts off with a man by the name of John pepper who regained his lost movements from Parkinson's disease with a form of conscious movement that he developed by always being conscious of where limbs are in space. Other cases include the application of the Feldenkrais method that was developed by an Israeli engineer and physicist, Moshe Feldenkrais which promotes reconnection between the brain and body to improve movement and overall mental wellbeing. 
• The brain that changes itself: Written by Norman Doidge as well, this book is similar to the one mentioned above but focusing more on the biological mechanism of how certain therapies work and how certain neurological illnesses affect the body. This book may be a little it more complicated to understand as a lot of scientific jargons will be used to describe the cases that are mentioned in this book. Best to read this book slowly and take down some notes on scientific terms and concepts that are hard to comprehend, so you can research them later to better understand
• The body keeps the score: A comprehensive guide written by Bessel Van der Kolk on how trauma is stored in both the brain and body and how one can make use of their biology to turn off its negative effects and to maintain and develop a healthy mental state afterward. Some cases that are mentioned in this book also describes the treatments that are applied to resolve the issues. Some treatments that are mentioned include the following: Neurofeedback, EMDR therapy, Yoga and acting.

List TED talks on Neuroscience to watch:

• You can grow new brain cells, here's how: An informative TED talk delivered by neuroscientist Sandrine Thurette on the biological mechanism of Neurogenesis, the brain's natural ability to grow new cells. The talks also discuss the importance of maintaining a healthy lifestyle and diet which all play a contributive role in fostering cell growth. Link: 
• The brain changing benefits of exercise: This talk discusses the healing capabilities and benefits of physical exercise on the brain as well as how exercise plays a role in determining the quality of recovery after a brain injury.
• One more reason to get a good night's sleep: A talk that discusses the important role of sleep in memory consolidation and recovery.
• Power foods for the brain: Discussing the role of diet in shaping our brains ad how they function with a comparative example of how bad diet leads to the development of certain brain diseases such as Alzheimer's.
• The brain may be able to repair itself: A Swiss neurosurgeon delivers a talk on some methods to improve a patient's well being and overall function after surgery or trauma to the brain. The methods mentioned include deep brain stimulation and implantation of cultured stem cell.  

Lst of brain training sites:

• Jetpunk: A quiz website on general knowledge and logical reasoning
• Lumosity: A brain training website that is specially designed to test the brain's neuroplastic capability in terms of memory, planning, and reaction.
• Sudoku: A number games website that tests your reasoning with arranging numbers.