BRAIN TALK DEPT
Once exercise, there is more evidence that exercise benefits the brain:
"To learn more about how exercise affects the brain, scientists in Ireland recently asked a group of sedentary male college students to take part in a memory test followed by strenuous exercise.
First, the young men watched a rapid-fire lineup of photos with the faces and names of strangers. After a break, they tried to recall the names they had just seen as the photos again zipped across a computer screen.
Afterward, half of the students rode a stationary bicycle, at an increasingly strenuous pace, until they were exhausted. The others sat quietly for 30 minutes. Then both groups took the brain-teaser test again.
Notably, the exercised volunteers performed significantly better on the memory test than they had on their first try, while the volunteers who had rested did not improve.
Meanwhile, blood samples taken throughout the experiment offered a biological explanation for the boost in memory among the exercisers. Immediately after the strenuous activity, the cyclists had significantly higher levels of a protein known as brain-derived neurotrophic factor, or BDNF, which is known to promote the health of nerve cells. The men who had sat quietly showed no comparable change in BDNF levels.
For some time, scientists have believed that BDNF helps explain why mental functioning appears to improve with exercise. However, they haven’t fully understood which parts of the brain are affected or how those effects influence thinking. The Irish study suggests that the increases in BDNF prompted by exercise may play a particular role in improving memory and recall."

There's more--read the whole thing.

MOEBIUS SYNDROME IN THE NEWS
Meanwhile, some of you may have seen this story already; but I wanted to note it here as well.  It seems that a young hero with Moebius Syndrome in the UK, Riley Mills, got to meet Father Chrismas recently.  He deserved it:
"CHUGGING along the Avon Valley Railway is always a lovely journey, but the trip was even more magical when a very important guest with a long white beard, rosy cheeks and sack of presents boarded the train.
Santa had made an early trip down from his home in Lapland to give presents to some very special Evening Post readers who have gone through a difficult year and deserved a treat.
There were wide eyes and even wider smiles when Father Christmas welcomed them on the platform at Bitton, and as the train made its way to Oldland Common there were cries of, “where’s Santa, where’s Santa?”...
When Father Christmas stopped by Riley Mills, four, and his brother Lenny, two, he gave them a special key to rub so that he would be sure to stop at their house for Christmas.
The family, with mum Melanie, 27, and dad Ryan, 28, from St George, were invited on the train because Riley suffers from moebius syndrome, which causes problems with his eyes. The little lad, who has just started school, has had three operations this year alone, and has to travel up to Manchester every three months for physiotherapy. Dad Ryan said: “It is a big year for him so we thought it would be a nice treat for him. Lenny has hearing problems as well, so it is nice for us to come out as a family.”
Father Christmas gave Riley a wooden building block set and Lenny a cow teddy. Riley said: “It was fun to meet Father Christmas. I touched his magic key so that he can come to our house on Christmas Eve.”
As Santa handed out the presents there were whoops of delight as youngsters unwrapped juggling balls, toy cars, teddies and games."

"We either make ourselves miserable, or we make ourselves
strong. The amount of work is the same." -Carlos Castaneda