Richard Malotky: Don't let the brain get dusty

As streams go, there is something to be said for streams of consciousness. Ideas instead of water, babbling over the rocks and streambed of our mind.

If we look at the anatomy and physiology of the brain, the closer we look the more complex the wiring diagram becomes. There is so much exciting research going on in this area that lots of folks like me are waiting with bated breath.

Some of the coolest things are related to artificial intelligence research. Trying to deconstruct and reconstruct the human brain is more than just a little intimidating.

Still, no matter how much research we do or how carefully we map the circuits of the brain, no one I know of has ever explained with clarity just what consciousness is.

What is it that makes us self-aware? What is it that allows us to listen to music or draw or read John Stuart Mill and make some sense out of it?

What is that thing? A critical mass of neurons firing in harmony that somehow allows us to smile back when we look at the Mona Lisa. How does it work?

Imagine. Something that all of us possess and most just take for granted, yet no one knows how it really works (or what it really means).

We can follow the development of consciousness every time we watch a baby grow and develop. All you can really tell with a newborn is whether they are awake or asleep.

The two-month-old recognizes its parents, and the four-month-old can be both happy or sad appropriately. And, like magic, that six-month-old is already trying to manipulate its parents' behavior.

Pretty amazing progression, really. And, ideally, the progression often continues throughout life. Consciousness growing, changing, always getting just a little more capable.

My dad likes to quote one of his professors: "The day you stop learning is the day I mourn your death." You can be conscious without learning, but why would you want to? Use that gift that none of us really understands.

In my line of work, it is pretty common for mature adults to worry about getting dementia. There is more than one version of dementia, but for my money they all share one thing in common. Progressive loss of consciousness.

One of the benefits of consciousness research in general and artificial intelligence research in particular is that if we want to understand how it goes wrong it would be nice to know how it works in the first place.

Patients ask all the time if there is anything that they can do to decrease their chance for dementia. We are still learning a lot about this stuff, but the answer is yes.

It looks like folks who continue to challenge their brains throughout life have less dementia. From simple things like the daily crossword puzzle or reading to a little more commitment like the 82-year-old I knew who decided to take up the cello, learning something new every day seems to really make a difference.

On the other hand, passive forms of entertainment like television challenge nothing, and promote the development of a dusty brain. And the more your brain just sits there, the more it just sits there.

Doctors used to think that we were born with all the nerves we will ever have, and that life was a long slow process of nerve loss.

Now we know that thousands of new nerves are made every day. They need to be given a job. If we don't use them, they wither and die.

The other common denominator of less dementia is exercise. The brain gets all its nutrients and gets rid of all of its waste through the bloodstream. When you exercise, you get more blood flow.

You don't vacuum your carpet once a year. It would be filthy. Why have a filthy brain? When you exercise you are vacuuming your brain.

Ignore that existential angst about not knowing how it really works. Have fun and think healthy stream of consciousness!

Record Searchlight contributing columns Richard Malotky can be reached at

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