Kickass and the frontal cortex
Kickass, the doorstop dog, is joining the keeper on this 4th of July in a personal improvement program to increase the gray matter in his frontal cortex by sitting very still and staring at the wall for extended periods of time. Sometimes called meditation by neuroscientists, such inactivity and the resulting frontal cortex growth is “linked to decision making and the working memory,” according to a recent study. Well, damn, sports fans, if there is one thing everyone needs, especially the keeper, it is help in the areas of decision making and memory. Just yesterday, he—the keeper, decided to retrieve something from the basement but then forgot what the item was once he got down there. So, the 2019 4th of July plan is this: sit very still in a comfortable chair and stare at things—even inane fireworks displays, perhaps occasionally moving only your right arm with its wine-glass or beer-can burden. You may end up with a frontal cortex the size of a pumpkin, which is a good thing.
