BrainWave

September 2018 is World Alzheimer’s Dementia Month. Dementia is impaired cognition sufficient to affect a person’s ability to perform activities of daily living. Cognition is simply thinking but can also be seen as the mental process of acquiring knowledge and understanding through thought, experience and the senses.  People with dementia have variable combinations of memory and other cognitive difficulties, behavioural abnormalities and/or motor dysfunction. It is estimated that every 3 seconds, a person comes down with dementia worldwide. In countries with ageing population such as in the US, Japan and in Europe, dementia has assumed a public health concern due to the increasing incidence and prevalence as people live longer. By 2050, more than 70% of people with dementia are expected to be in the developing countries. Studies from Nigeria have found prevalence rates between 2 – 10.1% depending on the instruments used.  Every 3 seconds, someone develops dementi...

Again about the brain. This time  let's look at memory. How is your memory? The brain can create, exaggerate or re-invent memory. We can remember things that didn't even happen. Recalling something that never even happened is called false memory. In one experiment, the researcher was able to convince 70% of the participants that they had committed a crime when in reality they had not. This exemplifies the power of suggestion. The capacity of the brain to store memory is limitless! The amount of data that the brain can store is about 2.5 petabytes - the size of the entire internet. Aging does not have a direct  effect on memory. Memory loss is because you use it less as you age. Stress hormones released during jet lag can damage memory. Do you know that you are incapable of forming memory while drunk? Memories do not decay but if not rehearsed, they become harder to access. Our memories start forming in the womb - fetal memory. Remember I told you last week that research ...

Dreams. What are they really?  Mysterious, bewildering, eye-opening and sometimes a nightmarish living hell: dreams are all that and much more. Everyone dreams. It's a normal brain function. It's even been found to be restorative. If you think you don't dream, it's because you don't remember your dream. As a Neurologist, lots of people have shared their concerns about dream states with me. Many have been misled with ignorant interpretations, leading to more troubles. I will share with you 20 facts concerning dreams. Today, 6 will be presented. To be continued tomorrow. I would appreciate your feedback, experiences and comments please. Thank you. Fact #1: You can’t read while dreaming, or tell the time. If you are unsure whether you are dreaming or not, try reading something. The vast majority of people are incapable of reading in their dreams. The same goes for clocks: each time you look at a clock it will tell a different time and the hands on the cloc...

The results fall into two categories. As shown in the picture, there are two ladies in a room who are sitting opposite each other while a toddler boy plays on the floor. The question is this: who do you think is the real mother of the child? Although there is only one answer, whoever you choose will also give you enough clues about your personality. 1. IF YOU CHOSE THE WOMAN ON THE LEFT This is the answer that 70% of the people chose. And it is wrong. It might be possible that you weren’t really in a mental state to discern the details of the image. However, it also might be that some of the traits in you might be unique to you and you only. You are the creative one. Ever since you were little, you were the one who made the best science model or had the most beautiful dollhouse. You also had imagination on your side: It was easy for you to visualise things in your mind before they even were penned down. A young Nikola Tesla! And thanks to this, you were also highly soug...

Please be invited to our 2018 Stroke Conference, the 2nd in our series of Collaborative Conferences in conjunction with our International Partners.  The Faculty is specially selected and powerful.  There will be skills transfer sessions and opportunities for networking. Stroke remains a major cause of death and disability. It is not witchcraft. Let's improve our capacity to manage it in our people. See you at Owerri June 22- 23, 2018. See poster for online registration details.

You are cordially invited to this well packaged course on Epilepsy and EEG to be held in Enugu in January 2018 in collaboration with key international experts from the US. There will be didactic and practical training sessions. See you there.