Never too late to start exercising, but the sooner the better. A new study from the University of Illinois says that physically active children tend to be smarter and have better memories than those who do not exercise. Do you want your kids have better grades in school? Well then, send them to gym class.

That exercise improves memory is not new. However, this research has found that the effects of physical activity are already being felt in childhood, as the child’s brain develops well if they exercise.

After analyzing the brains of 49 children aged between 9 and 10 years through magnetic resonance imaging, concluded that the hippocampus, one of the most important structures of the human brain is 12% larger in active children. Consequently, these children had higher scores on memory tests.

Prof. Art Kramer, a leader of this research, says the results are very important for everyone to become aware of how good it is to exercise early. Thus, all parents and schools should take priority and encourage physical activity in children.

As you saw, exercise is as important as studying for school children are held.

The memory is said to be the ability to keep information learned or experience and access it when needed. Our brain stores information of everything that happens and according to some experts overnight order information and save what seems important.

According to experts and memory can be improved with some care to stay young and alert longer. Here are some tips:

Memory Exercise
The brain and the muscles must be exercised so as not to atrophy. To exercise the brain you can:
Solving crosswords
Playing video games of skill, strategy or puzzle.
Learn a new language
Learn something new every day

Factors that affect memory
Food
There are foods that help for the proper functioning of the brain and others who hurt. Among the recommended foods are: nuts, sunflower seeds, garlic, foods with vitamin B, C and E, blackberries, blueberries, pomegranates, almonds, strawberries, fish rich in fat, soy lecithin, and almost all vegetables.

Foods that harm are those that affect health in general as: sugar, white flour, bad fats, excess alcohol, excess protein and others.

Sleep
When you sleep your brain is still working but relaxes and rests at the same time. Sleep deprivation causes lack of concentration.

Hormones
In some cases, hormonal imbalances can contribute to bad memory as is the case in some people during menopause.

Smoking
Smoking can cause inflammation in the arteries that carry blood to the brain.

Low stress
Stress does not say this carefully and do not memorize well, and avoids the concentration affects our memory access.

Exercise
According to studies exercise helps to have better memory because it increases circulation, lowers stress and makes us sleep better.

Pay attention
When we focus is easier to memorize and will be easier to remember.

Practice
Put your memory to work. For example, after seeing a television program tries to remember the colors of clothing or decoration, repeated verses of the Bible, memorize your shopping lists and so on.

Instead, he would rather do as little as possible … just put a little game (in both senses of the word) in our lives, as do so naturally the young children. It is no coincidence that the imaginative faculties of the child are dwindling as his reason grows. The imagination, which is intimately linked to the creative process, not gone well together, with neither logic nor with reason.

Logic and reason eliminate what is new, unknown, and reduced to the known, so it can treat. This requires that creativity is space, time and relaxation, all elements to disconnect reasonable and dare to enter what Bachelard called the domain of “why not” and “surreal”.

Business leaders are not mistaken: to find new ideas, they meet in an informal group of people who express everything that comes to mind on a given theme … And these “brainstorming” can be extremely creative.

Remember, it was Tuesday, December 16, 1997. More than half of Japanese youth awaiting episode 37 of their favorite series: the Pokemon. After 20 minutes, the scene of the cartoon unfolds: Pikachu deck his opponent with a succession of flashes red and blue. And there is drama: 11 000 Japanese teenagers are victims of ailments, 618 must be hospitalized due to seizures of convulsions.

Flashes of light

Immediately after the Pokemon incident, a battery of experts (pediatricians, psychiatrists, neurologists …) gather to understand. Their explanation was soon all these children were suffering from a form of epilepsy called photosensitive. This particular form of epilepsy for a 20. About 0.5 to 0.8% of children aged 4 to 14 years would be involved. The mechanisms triggering seizures are still poorly understood. According to Italian scientists, this problem can be explained by an inability of the brain to control his reactions when the eye is subjected to flashing lights or alternating high-contrast images. These researchers have also highlighted the fact that crises are triggered when the frequency of flashes is between 4 and 14 Hertz.

Risk Warning

Thus, these crises can occur only among people with existing predispositions. In children with epilepsy, the photosensitive character can be assessed by electroencephalogram (EEG). But sometimes this form escapes detection. However, many people are unaware they are suffering from photosensitive epilepsy and may discover it during a game or a television. Regarding video games, in fact, manufacturers are now obliged to include a warning about the risk of occurrence of seizures. But what precautions are taken to television programs, including those for youth?

Nintendo exonerated?

Asked about this, Nintendo, inventor of Pokemon, denies any responsibility in cases of epilepsy that hit Japan. In this case, the company said it has not participated in the design of the cartoon. If there is fault, it relates to both the producer, who would have control of the cartoon made, and the chain (Tokyo Channel), which would verify the program before broadcast. At Nintendo, we are assured that we take all precautions necessary. The company said it was the first to include warnings to prevent epilepsy in his videogames.

All episodes verified by TF1

It is thus the broadcaster to control himself its programs. It seems indeed, since the accident in Japan, all channels verify their content. This is confirmed Poussier, Program Director of Youth TF1 channel which broadcasts the Pokemon cartoon: “As soon as we receive a new series, we undergoes a series of tests designed to protect spectators. First Several people from the Youth team will view every episode. Then, three psychologists also watch the series. These two checks to detect any problem with editorial content. Finally, our technical services also check the episodes they are capable of detecting sequences likely to trigger photosensitive seizures. We are particularly vigilant with regard to the Japanese series. For the Pokemon cartoon, I personally asked the distributor to send us all the tapes to verify, before taking the decision to buy. Anyway, the series had already been vetted by the Japanese and American scientists. Moreover, the episode had been a problem had been removed.”

Stop watching TV?

For a child who suffers from photosensitive epilepsy, so there is no a priori risk facing a cartoon. Of course the risk to zero would not turn on the television, which advises Jacqueline Beaussart, president Aispace (Acting, inform and educate the public to improve understanding of epilepsy): “You can not prevent a child watching television. This would put in a situation of exclusion vis-à-vis its peers that they have access. It should just be vigilant and follow a few rules of precautions such as minimum distance to the position and adequate lighting.”

Clearly it is easier to set up some rules rather than proscribe television, especially if they forbid him to watch Pokemon: parents are no match for Pikachu …

Children main victims

When discussing epilepsy, we should rather talk about epilepsy, both the diseases are different, both the prognosis and treatment modalities are different. If children are affected first, most are fortunately benign epilepsy in children. The maximum rate of the disease is between 0 and 1 year and remains very important to 10 years. It then gradually decreases to remain at low levels between 30 and 50 years and back dramatically after age 75.

It is estimated that the average lifespan of epilepsy is 12 to 15 years. Some minor forms always recover while others never experience spontaneous remission.

It is actually four different types of epilepsy:

• The spontaneous benign epilepsy (20 to 30% of cases). Patients respond well to medical treatment that can stop after a few years;
• Epilepsy pharmacosensible (30 to 40% of cases). The remission under treatment is permanent and it is possible to consider stopping the medication;
• Epilepsy addicted (10 to 20% of cases). Stopping treatment leads to relapse systematic;
• Epilepsy drug (20% of cases). This severe form of epilepsy resistant to all drug treatments. At the individual level, this form of epilepsy is a major handicap to the socio-professional often major.

While neurological examination does not stress any peculiarity in the first three forms of the disease, it is mostly unusual for drug-resistant patients. It was then that surgery can sometimes be considered.

Advances in surgery

The severe epilepsy resistant to medication is a real handicap for patients. Over 80 000 people in France are concerned. For many, surgery may be synonymous with healing. Lack of equipment, lack of resources, the operation is to perform an ablation zone of the brain known as the “seizure” is still practiced by a limited number of teams. However, it should be able to act quickly. From childhood, even when brain plasticity is still important. “But now 200 to 300 patients are operated every year”, said Dr. Dominique Broglin, while about 50 000 people are potential candidates for intervention.