How to boost your brain + memory
What you’ll learn
Week 1
- How memories are created, stored and retrieved
- The role and function of working memory
- The relationship among attention, memory and forgetting
- How diet and exercise can boost your memory
Week 2
- How muscle memory works
- How context can improve your memory
- How semantic memory works
- The importance of managing stress to improve your brain health
Week 3
- How episodic memory works
- What prospective memory is, and why these memories are harder to retrieve
- Memory-boosting techniques like the “memory palace”
- How sleep keeps your brain healthy
Week 4
- The difference between normal forgetting and forgetting due to dementia
- Why staying cognitively engaged is important for your brain health and memory
- How repetition improves your working, semantic, muscle and episodic memory
- How to develop a healthier and more realistic understanding of memory
What you’ll get
- 2-5 video teaching segments/week (50-60 minutes total)
- 3-4 individual activities/week (12-16 total)
- 1 virtual live event/week (attendance is optional)
- Community discussions, polls and chat
- Support from a TED Courses facilitator
- Carefully curated related resources from TED
- PDF course workbook
- After the course, access to an archive of course videos, activities and curated resources
To get the most out of the course,
plan to spend at least one hour each week–longer, if you plan to explore the optional curated resources or join the virtual live event.
Here’s what learners are saying about this course:
"I enjoyed receiving "tools and tips" that I could use in the future."
"This course was smart, succinct, and focused. Our facilitator was exceptional. Easy to make a recommendation!"
"There has been a huge decrease in the anxiety produced by my forgetfulness. I’d like to share that with friends."
Lisa Genova is the New York Times bestselling author of the novels Still Alice, Left Neglected, Love Anthony, Inside the O’Briens and Every Note Played and the nonfiction book Remember: The Science of Memory and the Art of Forgetting. Still Alice was adapted into an Oscar-winning film starring Julianne Moore.
Through her fiction, Lisa is dedicated to describing with passion and accuracy the journeys of those affected by brain diseases and conditions, inspiring empathy and support for care and scientific research. She’s written novels about Alzheimer's disease, traumatic brain injury, autism, Huntington's disease and ALS. Her next novel is about bipolar disorder.
Lisa graduated valedictorian from Bates College with a degree in biopsychology and holds a PhD in neuroscience from Harvard University. Her TED Talk on preventing Alzheimer’s has been viewed more than 7 million times.
She lives on Cape Cod with her children and dog Peanut.
To learn more about Lisa and her work, visit lisagenova.com.
