Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain 1st Edition, Kindle Edition

I realized I was having trouble with my memory, forgetting names & words on occasion, but put it down to "just something that happens". I was a bit sad, too, since I "knew" it would continue to decline. After reading this book, I realized I can change that outcome and improve my memory significantly. A ton of research has been done in neuroscience over the last 15 years, but this was the first I'd heard of it! I immediately put into practice the recommendations and over the last month & a half have noticed definite signs of improvement. If you are willing to change your diet and to start exercising regularly in order to retain and improve your memory, this is the book for you. It was not an easy read due to some usage of medical terminology, but it works. I recommend that you just say "this thing" when you run across a tech term, because by the end of the book what is needed is explained in language anyone can understand.

This is superb!!
As a retired doc ,I was unaware of the new developments in the complex organ which houses our intelligence and our souls.
Dr.Ratey has the ability to explain function so even a doctor can understand.
I graduated med school in '59 and retired a few years ago.
The amount and intracracy of information is mind boggling and I don't know how the busy clinician finds the time to keep up
particularly while being overwhelmed -- created by a bureaucracy which is drowning and hence diminishing what was once the most gratifying
occupation that one can be priviledged to engage in

Pardon spelling and punctuation am old,senile man who is just learning how to type and forgotten how to spell

Best book on the importance of exercise I've ever read. It not only makes sense, but it is realistic and motivational. It clearly explains all the ways exercise benefits our physical, mental and emotional health and makes it attainable as a lifestyle. Lots of accompanying research is cited, but it is not written at the level of a medical professional which makes it perfect for the average reader.

I found Spark by John J Ratey, MD to be a very interesting book. I am not a doctor/scientist/researcher, however I found the study between the brain and exercise to be very interesting and informative. The book does contain technical descriptions, so at times it was over my head. For the layperson, the book said to exercise and continue to exercise to keep your brain sharp and to reduce disease.

I would recommend this book to readers who like: to learn about the effects of exercise on the brain.

Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain is a wonderful book written by Dr. John J. Ratey, a prominent professor at Harvard Medical School, and writer Eric Hagerman who has published many articles in magazines such as Popular Science. Ratey and Hagerman provide a book that finally explains why exercise is an important activity that can make humans feel good and increase their overall well being. I thought the book was very well put together and it kept me hooked from the start.
The book begins with Ratey and Hagerman presenting a case study of a school system in Illinois that has implemented a unique type of Physical Education curriculum that focuses on improving the overall health of enrolled students. By performing team-building physical exercises such as rock climbing, relay running, and swimming, students condition their bodies and minds. The school also helps students feel less self-conscious about their physical abilities by having them compete against themselves. For instance, instead of having the students run and race against each other they challenge students to beat their previous running times. After implementing this system, administrators noticed an increase in standardized test scores throughout the school district. Compared to before the institution of the Physical Education program. The authors then move on to explain how exercising can enhance learning from a unique scientific perspective: exercise can make neuron’s dendrites branch out according to research being conducted. In addition, Ratey provides the reason why and how exercise can mitigate stress and improve the mood of patients with depression by increasing endorphins. Ratey and Hagerman then complete their study with how exercise can help drug addicts regain self-control and learn self-discipline by abiding to a strict exercise regiment. The authors conclude the book with how exercise can help aging people maintain neural plasticity and amplify their memory and learning through their old age.

I thought that the book was well written and it was easy to understand. It had me hooked from the start. I thought that beginning the book with the Illinois School System case study was an excellent idea and provided the framework and evidence for the rest of the cases to build on. The case study also helped put into perspective how important exercise can be not only to adults but also to children. I also liked how the book used very simple terms and explained in depth what a scientific term meant if it were used so the reader could understand. By explaining scientific concepts in depth it let people with even no scientific background enjoy the book and understand the overall message. For instance when describing the function of neurotransmitters, the authors use the analogy of neurotransmitters being like radio waves from one neuron to another. When the authors described the function of an inhibitory neurotransmitter such as GABA, they suggested it was like signaling a stop signal from neuron to neuron or to an effector cell/organ. From a neuroscience perspective, I enjoyed the exciting new research that is being conducted and how the authors presented the new concepts. For example, the authors stated that the presence of brain-derived neutropic factors (BDNF) acts like neuron fertilizer, and causes dendrites to grow and branch from neurons. They also talked about how BDNF can encourage long-term potentiation by making more ion channels open, thus causing a stronger voltage change and therefore signal. Reading the book really “sparked” my interest in the topic and I would enjoy learning more and maybe conducting laboratory researching in the future about the subject as it is a newly discovered concept.

All in all, I believe that Spark was an expertly written book that helped me to gain better understanding of the connection of exercise and enhanced brain health. It also helped to trigger my interest in new and developing neuroscience concepts and fields which I hope to learn more about in the near future. I recommend this book to anyone with an interest in neuroscience or even exercise. Anyone person with an interest in neuroscience will be captivated from the start.

Good book! Author writes about connection between exercise and healthy brain (and also on its influence on health in general). There are some very interesting examples which he uses to make his conclusions. I reccomend this book to anyone who wants to know more about exercise and health.

This book is very interesting. I haven't finished it yet but what I have read is intriguing. I like how the author has scientific research to support his findings. The Napperville High School chapter really pulled me in. I also love the stories on people with anxiety /ADHD and how exercise cured and helped them in place of medicine. I look forward to finishing and will pass it on for others to read.

Exercise is good for our physical health - no surprise there. But to understand what a major role it plays in maintaining our mental health is another thing entirely. Spark lays out the case in compelling terms, backed by solid research, in an easy-to-read format. The case studies are fascinating, and the author does a great job summarizing what we need to do to ward off depression, anxiety, dementia and Alzheimer's. Understanding how and why the time immediately following vigorous aerobic exercise is best for our toughest mental work is another huge takeaway. Fabulous book.