In 1995 Pascual-Leone had a group of volunteers practice a simple five-finger piano piece for 2 hours a day for five consecutive days.
The volunteers underwent daily transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) on the days they practiced in order to observe brain function. After their 5 days of practice, scientists observed new circuits being created; the 2 hours a day piano playing was re-wiring their brain.
This experiment was followed up with a new, but comparable group of volunteers, but this time, the volunteers were only thinking and visualising themselves playing the same piece of piano music whilst keeping their hands still.
The second set of volunteers also underwent TMS daily and the results were quite surprising. The second group were observed as still having the same amount of new circuits being created even though they had not physically touched a piano.
Quantum Warrior: The Future of the Mind – John Kehoe (Chapter 2 – Consciousness: Page 21)
This was an amazing discovery and the implications of the results are not to be taken lightly. If a mere 2 hours of new activity can cause a re-wiring of our brain circuits, that means that as we grow older, if we continue to practice what we already know, but also include 2 hours of new activities daily, then we should be able to get the most out of our brain.
How many people spend most of the day flicking through channels, or websites, or apps etc to pass the day? How many hours are spent on social media each day? If we were to spend 2 hours of that time learning something new, such as a new language or a musical instrument, or even if we spent 2 hours a day completing Crosswords or Word Search or Sudoku, aiming for a slightly higher level than what we are comfortable with, what a difference this could make to our long-term brain health.
If we want to get the most out of our brain, especially in later years, we must consider whether we need to change some of our current behaviours and how we spend our time in order to keep a healthy mind and possibly help combat later illnesses in life such as Dementia! We may not be able to guarantee a decline in personal risk for Dementia, but we have nothing to lose; and I am sure we can all find something that we can enjoy and can afford, in order to incorporate Brain Health into our daily routine.
Quantum Warrior – BraveHeart
A quantum warrior, as conceptualized by John Kehoe, is a metaphor for a conscious, empowered individual who integrates mind, body, and soul to live authentically and master their reality. It represents a new, awakened human archetype—an “athlete of the mind”—that uses quantum principles to navigate life purposefully, blending spiritual insight with practical daily action.
