Intervention- induced improvement in cognitive flexibility positively correlated with clinical improvement (p = 0.002). To address these needs, a variety of TBI-specific interventions have … The content of this field is kept private and will not be shown publicly. Before exploring what we can do about it, let me first explain what cognitive flexibility is, describe how other species demonstrate this behavior, and discuss why exhibiting this behavior is advantageous. If you are serious about increasing the speed by which you’re able to consciously alter your thinking and process multifaceted aspects of stimuli simultaneously, the techniques listed below should help. This suggests that getting proper sleep (especially REM) could result in superior flexibility of cognitive processing. Cognitive flexibility refers to the ability to flexibly adjust to changed demands or priorities, to look at the same thing in different ways or from different perspectives (as required for set shifting or task switching; Allport and Wylie, 2000, Kiesel et al., 2010, Monsell, 2003, Vandierendonck et al., 2010). Amantadine: Individuals with Parkinson’s disease (PD) tend to have reductions in impulse control, which can contribute to behaviors of excess gambling, sexuality, and shopping. While the gut may not contain as many neurons as the brain, it still contains over 100 million neurons and is rightfully considered the “second brain.”. There was a close relationship between cognitive flexibility and inner speech among both children and adults. Results suggested that stress impaired performance on cognitive flexibility tasks. Practice thinking creatively. In posttest, they were assessed in WCST and ADI-R. All measures of cognitive flexibility improved in posttest except for failure to maintain set. They compared the effect of omega-3 supplementation on neural activation in these individuals. For driving, that may mean drive home a different way. The individuals received either propranolol (a beta blocker) or a placebo. L-Tyrosine supplementation Activity within the gut often influences activity within the brain such as neurotransmission – and vice-versa; the two have a symbiotic relationship. Therefore, behaviors and substances that decrease REM sleep should be avoided. (2019) taught rats to drive little cars and the rats, in turn, taught the scientists quite a lot. To determine whether L-Tyrosine increased cognitive flexibility, researchers recruited 22 adults and set up a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study. Eventually we humans caught on, right? Next post: L-Theanine Benefits (Scientific Research). Regular physical exercise is associated with increased BDNF levels and the growth of new brain cells in a process called neurogenesis. Those with poor cognitive flexibility often have brain damage, substance abuse problems, or neurological conditions. (2019) study, all participants were taught a sequence of steps that led to a reward. Introduction. Students need explicit instruction and opportunities to practice the flexible thinking that will make the most of their brains' fertile adolescent development stage. If rats can learn how to drive, surely we humans can learn how to do something new. In one study, researchers analyzed the effect of a Western diet characterized by high fat and sucrose on gut microbes, which can alter cognitive flexibility. The more you expose yourself to different people and their views, cultures, and ideas, not only does your cognitive flexibility improve, but also your moral compass on right and wrong. Not everyone conducts inner speech, or “silent expression of conscious thoughts to oneself in coherent linguistic form.” That said, if you want to increase your cognitive flexibility, it may be time to start incorporating inner speech in your cognitive arsenal. The ideas, procedures, and suggestions contained within this work are not intended as a substitute for consulting with a medical doctor. ScienceDaily. There are many scientifically proven methods that can be utilized to increase cognitive flexibility. If you were to estimate your own level of cognitive flexibility, how would you rate yourself? In the Watzek et al. Actively engaging in working memory training with protocols like “Dual N-Back” should theoretically enhance cognitive flexibility due to rapid transitions in recall processing. Researchers attempted to determine whether the video game training would increase cognitive flexibility, and if so, the mechanisms behind the increase. To avoid this, you must shake things up. Flexible Thinking and Reading. After learning this sequence, they were presented with an alternative and significantly more efficient strategy. Julia Watzek, Sarah M. Pope, Sarah F. Brosnan. In addition to the ATD method, they used an fMRI and determined Blood Oxygen Level Dependent (BOLD) response during cognitive flexibility tasks. It was noted that frontostriatal circuitry was increasingly active and connectivity in this region was altered. In animal studies, 5-HT abnormalities tends to cause rigidity of thinking and behavior. Tweak your Gut Microbes One example, again from rats, is that rats tend to see all other rats as more similar to themselves, while we humans hold tightly to our in-out group tendencies. Posted by 6 years ago. Various disorders such as ADHD, OCD, and substance dependence are often accompanied by rigid thinking and individuals with these disorders seriously lack cognitive flexibility. The results from the study determined that both cognitive flexibility and attention were enhanced by the practice of mindfulness meditation. A cognitive intervention is a form of psychological intervention, a technique and therapy practised in counselling.It describes a myriad of approaches to therapy that focus on addressing psychological distress at a cognitive level. In addition, you may want to include fermented foods in your diet and consider taking a high quality probiotic for maximum cognitive flexibility. Two subcategories of cognitive flexibility are task switching and cognitive shifting, depending on whether the change happens unconsciously or consciously, … Scientific Reports, 2019; 9 (1) DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-49658-0. Therefore, you may want to take time to consciously assess your omega-3 intake. planning, cognitive flexibility, behavioral inhibition, organization, self-monitoring and memory. Talk to new people, exchange ideas and information, or simply help other people through volunteering. You can watch videos of this and other “traditions” on the Capuchin Traditions website. Meet new people. If you want to improve your ability to rapidly shift your thinking between multiple concepts, consistent aerobic exercise is an effective method. To watch rats driving their special rat cars, you can see a small clip here. What Do Animals Know and Feel About Death and Dying. It was believed that increases in frontal lobe function as a result of the group receiving the “mHealth” intervention were more significant and ultimately contributed to enhanced cognitive flexibility. Decline of cognitive control, memory, and decision-making, among other functions, leads to greater dependence on family membe… Perhaps the high testosterone is a direct contributing factor to reduced cognitive flexibility in certain (violence-prone) individuals. By comparison, cognitive flexibility would be like a pile of dough that is capable of quickly morphing into new shapes to adapt to the environment and novel stimuli. Having greater cognitive flexibility confers a significant set of advantages, including being able to acquire and integrate new information rapidly, solve problems more creatively, quickly adjust responses to changing conditions, and inhibit automatic behavior. The evidence from their study suggest that training in video games that emphasize rapid modulation of multiple information sources could increase cognitive flexibility. Paradoxical Intervention and Cognitive Flexibility. Previous post: What Is Cognitive Flexibility? American Pain Society. Cognitive Restructuring Techniques. Researchers discovered that cognitive flexibility was associated directly with percentages of Clostridiales and Bacteroidales. The acute tryptophan depletion (ATD) alters processing of negative feedback and reduces cognitive flexibility. How do we know? Do something you know how to do, but do it differently (and often). Results from the study demonstrated that Amantadine reduced risky decision-making, while increasing non-risky decision-making. A study published in 2010 involved reviewing relationships between language, inner speech, and cognitive control in both adults and children – they specifically analyzed cognitive flexibility. All of these interventions, either directly or indirectly, are thought to target the use of such rigid thought patterns to help increase functionality and mental flexibility. DAT1 is a protein that transports dopamine from the synapse to cytosol, allowing for other transporters to seize dopamine and norepinephrine into vesicles for storage and/or release. Researchers speculate that the increased cognitive flexibility was a result of an increase in dopamine concentrations. You, as a reader of this website, are totally and completely responsible for your own health and healthcare. There are certain pharmaceuticals, chemicals, and supplements that have shown promise for increasing cognitive flexibility. An earlier study (not published) showed significant pretest-posttest increase in scores, as well as a significant positive correlation between choosing to complete the module individually or in pairs. Source: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24966842 Source: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17484433 Source: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21994509. That said, just because they increase cognitive flexibility in rodents does not necessarily translate to improvements in humans. Regarding therapeutical efforts to improve cognitive flexibility among individuals with autism, the effects of direct EF interventions in ASD have presented mixed results, either positive or null (de Vries, Prins, Schmand, & Geurts, 2015). Therefore, it is logical to conclude that among those with forms of neurodegeneration, memantine could increase cognitive flexibility. Researchers noted that those without the 9R allele of the DAT1 had reductions in striatal dopamine concentration. Specifically, it appears as though there is a direct relationship between cognitive flexibility and omgega-3 biomarkers. Crawford, L.E., Knouse, L.E., Kent, M., Vavra, D., Harding, O., LeServe, D., Fox, N., Hu, X., Li, P., Glory, C. and Lambert, K.G., 2019. A person can attain omega-3 fatty acids from a diet high in fatty fish, but most people aren’t able to consume sufficient fish for these omega-3s. Despite the fact that this was a small scale study, it is worth noting that altitude changes associated with lack of oxygen could trigger anxiety. Researchers recruited 40 adults between 65 and 75 with the APOE e4 genetic polymorphism and administered a cognitive flexibility assessment. However, as I wrote about in a previous post, routines can become ruts, diminishing our cognitive abilities. Results demonstrated that bromocriptine administration improved cognitive flexibility, but only among individuals with polymorphisms associated with low baseline levels of dopamine. Results suggested that awakening during REM resulted in a 32% increase in anagrams solved compared to awakening during NREM sleep. It is thought that sufficient dopamine and proper dopaminergic signaling promote flexibility of cognition. In the second study, the neurocognitive training group showed more improvement in cognitive flexibility post-intervention ( p = 0.019 ), and lower PTSD symptoms 6 months post-trauma ( p = 0.017 ), compared with controls. 7 Ways To Increase Cognitive Flexibility 1. Due in part to dramatic improvements in medical science, our aging population is expanding rapidly. However, when this region is removed, the brain reconnects via different sensory pathways. Results suggested that anxiety prior to the hypoxia actually improved cognitive flexibility, but anxiety post-hypoxia lead to a decrease in cognitive flexibility. This method is completely reversible, but temporarily lowers both plasma tryptophan concentrations and serotonin in the brain. A control group was active 0 to 2 days per week, whereas the “aerobic group” was active either 3 to 4 days per week or 5 to 7 days per week. Psychological flexibility might be the key to better cognitive-behavioral interventions. It was concluded that 10 weeks of aerobic exercise should be associated with heighted cognitive flexibility. Researchers note that cognitive flexibility in normal adults may be impaired under significant stress. Cognitive flexibility improved after stress exposure when the pharmaceutical (propranolol) was administered. Researchers controlled for age, gender, education, and psychomotor speed and noted that the only measure demonstrating significant improvement was cognitive flexibility. You may be wondering, what’s the big deal? However, little is known about this impairment following nature adventure interventions. Alternatively, learn a new language, change jobs, or travel to a new place. Interventions for Cognitive Flexibility. In a study published in 2002, researchers compared the effects of REM sleep to those associated with NREM (non-REM) sleep. Kids use flexible thinking both for learning to read and for reading to … 1. One easy way to possibly increase your cognitive flexibility would be to purchase L-Tyrosine, or eat foods that increase dopamine (most of them will contain Tyrosine). An intervention program of 14 to 21 sessions was established to enhance cognitive flexibility. One of the measures for this study was an attentional “set shifting” task, which allowed researchers to note cognitive flexibility. Enriched environment exposure accelerates rodent driving skills. Amantadine) may activate certain neural mechanisms associated with increased cognitive flexibility. In yet another fascinating study, Crawford et al. Broadly speaking, cognitive flexibility is about moving between different tasks simultaneously, applying concepts from one context toward solving a problem in another unrelated or new situation. High stress: Slight increases in stress can improve cognitive function temporarily, while sustained increases in stress and/or abnormally high stress are thought to decrease cognition and damage the brain. Fortunately, we are not bound by our rigidity and bias, even though the developmental trajectory is somewhat solidified by late childhood or early adolescence. Moreover, meditators were noted as significantly outperforming non-meditators on all attentional measures. Previous studies have found that PTSD is associated with hippocampal-related impairment in cognitive flexibility. Despite the fact that this was a study conducted in mice, there is reason to believe that your diet is influencing your cognitive flexibility. This suggests that increases in cognitive flexibility could reduce alcohol withdrawal symptoms and improve outcomes among those with alcohol dependence, and perhaps be effective for those with other forms of drug dependence. Prior to the 2015 publication, L-Tyrosine supplementation was associated with increased cognitive control in response to scenarios with high cognitive demands. “I Don’t Allow Men I Sleep with to Kiss Me", One of the Most Contagious and Dangerous Attitude Biases, Psychology Today © 2021 Sussex Publishers, LLC, Surprising Benefits of Physical Exercise on Sex and Orgasms, Two Ways Religion and Spirituality Help to Boost Resilience, How Social Restrictions Impact Human Trafficking, Why Some Bipolar Disorder Patients Are Lithium Non-Responders, Rats Cut Deals and Trade Different Favors With One Another. Adapt, pivot, innovate. While high testosterone may not have been the direct cause for their poor cognitive flexibility, it could have been a contributing factor. The more advanced a person was with their meditation practice, the greater their cognitive flexibility on the Stroop test. While the researchers didn’t specifically measure cognitive flexibility, it could be suspected that cognitive flexibility may have increased as a result of the training. Individuals without the 9R allele also had increases in sensory change and task-set reconfigurations. Specifically, increases in Clostridiales and reductions in Bacteroidales are associated with poorer cognitive flexibility. Discussion: Cognitive flexibility, shortly after trauma exposure, emerged as a significant predictor of PTSD symptom severity. MDMA: In rodent studies, it appears as though consistent administration of MDMA (ecstasy) triggers dopaminergic neurotoxicity. Genetics / Epigenetics: Certain genetic polymorphisms may be associated with reductions in cognitive flexibility. We can turn to a recent study by Watzek et al. What’s worse, we are highly resistant to change, refusing to adopt innovations that run counter to our existing knowledge. A total of 16 participants were assigned to engage in a cognitive flexibility performance test with anagram word puzzles following awakenings during REM or NREM. As hypothesized, the two smartphone interventions, unlike the control, improved cognitive flexibility; as assessed on the Intradimensional–Extradimensional Set Shifting task (a sensitive marker of cognitive flexibility). Working memory training: A study published in 2013 suggested that working memory training programs may increase cognitive flexibility. REM sleep, also known as “rapid-eye movement” is associated with information processing across various neural networks. There are many benefits of omega-3 fatty acid intake, specifically DHA and EPA. A study published in 2007 analyzed the effect of high stress on cognitive flexibility. If we think about the rats driving their cars, we can easily see how we can apply this to our own driving habits. Close. Among those with normative mental health and/or undergoing long-term treatment – it is unknown whether cognitive flexibility would increase. Results demonstrated that increased intake of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids may prevent dysfunction of the aging brain. If your goal is to increase cognitive flexibility and you like video games, train yourself in a game that requires manipulation of multiple streams of information nearly simultaneously. No. Greater levels of cognitive flexibility will increase efficiency of brain functioning, help you solve complex problems, and understand new perspectives. In addition to the aforementioned 7 techniques, there are several other methods that may increase cognitive flexibility in certain individuals. Celexa (Citalopram) vs. Lexapro (Escitalopram): Which Is Better? Note: The author of this site is not engaged in rendering professional advice or services to the individual reader. In a 2011 study, researchers analyzed changes in cognitive flexibility as a result of antipsychotic treatment. It is... 3. A study examining the impact of cognitive intervention for at-risk children in preschool classrooms found that children who received such intervention for one to two years significantly outperformed their peers. Researchers noted that administration of 5 mg/kg and 10 mg/kg to mice increased cognitive flexibility. However, should a person experience anxiety following the hypoxia, their cognitive flexibility will likely decrease. Other cognitive distortions are more deeply ingrained, and require extra work. It was speculated that the high MDMA decreased dopamine transporter (DAT) functionality. Video games: A study published in 2013 investigated the effect of training in action video games on cognitive flexibility. It was noted that as the brain matures, the extracellular matrix decreases brain plasticity. 8 8. 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