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Tickling the brain improves memory
Tickling the brain with low-intensity electrical stimulation in a specific area can improve verbal short-term memory. Mayo Clinic researchers report their findings in Brain: A Journal of Neurology.
The researchers found word recall was enhanced with stimulation of the brain's lateral temporal cortex, the regions on the sides of the head by the temples and ears. Patients recalled more words from a previously viewed list when low-amplitude electrical stimulation was delivered to the brain. One patient reported that it was easier to picture the words in his mind for remembering.
"The most exciting finding of this research is that our memory for language information can be improved by directly stimulating this underexplored brain area," says Michal Kucewicz, Ph.D., a Mayo Clinic researcher in the Department of Neurology and co-first author. Dr. Kucewicz compares the stimulation to "tickling" the brain.
More details from the Mayo Clinic here
Neurodiverse Oxford Graduate describes her learning experiences
Kaiya Stone is a comedian and artist who graduated from Oxford University with a degree in classics, and she has three SpLD conditions, which she uses the term ‘neurodiversity’ to describe. If you’ve never heard of it, don’t panic – ‘It’s a sort of relatively new term,’ Kaiya tells Metro.co.uk.
Neurodiversity is an umbrella term that encapsulates learning difficulties like dyslexia, ADHD, autism, Aspergers and dyspraxia, and it’s been coined as a term in a bid to make the way we talk about these conditions more positive. ‘The language already in place can be quite negative and medicalising,’ Kaiya explains. ‘Neurodiversity is quite an empowering way to discuss the way our brains work, by concentrating on the diversity and breadth of the skills, advantages and disabilities.’
Kaiya was diagnosed with all three conditions quite late – when she was reading Classics at university.
‘I was sitting my first set of exams at Oxford and failed one of them,’ she says. ‘It was a translation exam and I remember translating in the wrong language. No one was expecting me to fail so after that, I think my tutors had their eyes on me. At the end of the term, one said that my working in another language showed clear signs of dyslexia – getting letters wrong; I was making the sort of mistakes that a young child might make when learning English. ‘My coping mechanisms weren’t as strong as they usually were because I was studying a new language from scratch. So, I was recommended to visit the learning disabilities services.’
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Neurodiverse individuals have critical skills needed for cybersecurity 
Neurologically exceptional people, such as those with autism or Asperger syndrome, tend to be disadvantaged by the traditional interview process.
But, if given the opportunity to train and work as cybersecurity professionals, they could prove integral to protecting the data that underpins the digital age. Recognizing the potential of neurological diversity to contribute to strengthening cybersecurity, British Telecom have reframed how they interact with candidates during interviews by encouraging them to talk about their interests, rather than expecting them simply to answer typical questions about their employment goals or to list their strengths and weaknesses. This approach has already been applied with great success by the likes of Microsoft, Amazon, and SAP in the areas of coding and software development, and by the UK’s GCHQ intelligence and security organization, one of the country’s biggest employers of autistic people. Read more here
Australia is facing an illiteracy 'crisis'
Sam Page from Early Childhood Australia said educators were reporting students literacy levels were slipping.
'We have a nationwide crisis in literacy but also the major concern is this growing equity gap that we have and there is not a lot of faith in the targeted programs to address that,' Ms Page said.
Australian Literacy and Numeracy Foundation co-founder Mary-Ruth Mendel, said parents needed to start taking more responsibility.
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