In the past Resveratrol has been mostly studied as an anti-aging supplement. However a new study by the University of Northumbria in the UK has shown that resveratrol even in small doses increases blood flow to the frontal cortex of the brain. The study showed that people taking the trans-Resveratrol supplement had an increase in cerebral blood flow during the task performances.

James Betz of Biotivia, one of the world's leading suppliers of Resveratrol supplements said "what is really grabbing attention is how the supplement appears to be able to respond to increased demand from the brain within a relatively short space of time from ingestion, and how rapidly the increase in blood flow seems to happen as a response. Although more study needs to be undertaken, it does seem that a supplement such as Resveratrol could have a direct influence on one of the key areas of brain performance," he adds. The Resveratrol used in the study was Made by Biotivia

Read more: Can Resveratrol Make You Smarter?

St. Jude Medical, Inc. makes the “Brio” system, which is a pacemaker-like device used to treat the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease. Its currenlty the world’s smallest, longest-lasting rechargeable deep brain stimulation (DBS) device for treating Parkinson’s symptoms. Slightly larger than a typical man’s watch, the neurostimulator has a thin 10 mm profile and weighs 29 grams (approximately 1 oz). The device also has the greatest recommended implant depth of any rechargeable DBS device, making the neurostimulator less noticeable and more comfortable for patients.

The system has received CE Mark approval of its Brio™ neurostimulator in 2009. In March 2010 it was approved by the Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration, however it hasn’t yet received FDA approval in the U.S.

Read more: Brio Deep Brain Stimulator for Parkinson’s Disease

"Deep Brain Stimulation" - electrodes are implanted into the brain of a woman suffering from severe long-term depression. The idea of this man-machine merger could be thought of as disturbing but if it makes a persons life better then perhaps its OK. In the future these "brain pacemakers" will be used for other neurological and psychiatric conditions besides depression, e.g. epilepsy, Tourette's Syndrome, and possibly even autism and Alzeihmer's.

The settings on the woman's brain implant are fine-tuned. This is described as a "real roller coaster ride" because "they switch it one way and almost instantaneously you could be crying". But get it right and she's happy. It just goes to show how the human brain really is reliant on chemical balance and electrical stimulation.

Read more: Brain Implants For Combating Depression

A study earlier in the year showed how more memories are created when the brain is thinking quicker. And more memories mean time appears to drag on for longer. Looking at the other extreme if you are hung over and don't do anything all day, then it will be dinner time before you know it.

When I was a kid the days used to seem so long, but now the days just roll on by. As people age, the brain slows down and I've often heard old people say that years are rolling by. As the brain gets slower and slower, it must seem that you just accelerate towards the end.

So quicker thinking that comes with youth, slows the appearance of time and if prolonged your overall life experienced will be longer.

Read more: Slowing Time Down by Thinking Faster

In 2007 there was a breakthrough in which mice with symptoms of Alzheimer's disease regained long-term memories and the ability to learn. A few years on and scientists have been replicating the same results in human trials.

Lead researcher Professor Li-Huei Tsai explained: "It brings about long-lasting changes in how other genes are expressed, which is probably necessary to increase numbers of synapses and restructure neural circuits, thereby enhancing memory.

The drugs target and boost the function of a newly pinpointed gene involved in the brain's memory formation. They reshape the DNA scaffolding that supports and controls the expression of genes in the brain. The Alzheimer's gene that the drugs act upon is called histone deacetylase 2 (HDAC2). It regulates the expression of many genes implicated in plasticity - the brain's ability to change in response to experience - and memory formation. So they now know that inhibiting HDAC2 has the potential to boost synaptic plasticity, synapse formation and memory formation.

In mice, the treatment helped restore long-term memory and improve learning for new tasks.

The same HDAC inhibitors drugs are currently being tested to treat Huntington's disease and are on the market to treat some cancers.

HDAC inhibitor treatment for humans with Alzheimer's disease is still a decade or more away and the scientists are developing new HDAC2-selective inhibitors and test their function for human diseases associated with memory impairment to treat neurodegenerative diseases.

But what are the potential applications for healthy people? Is this is a drug that could increase a healthy persons memory and intelligence. It would make for interesting experimentation.

More information on Professor Li-Huei Tsai and her research can be found on her profile

ROCHESTER, Minn. — Mayo Clinic researchers found that healthy, older adults who participated in a computer-based training program to improve the speed and accuracy of brain processing showed twice the improvement in certain aspects of memory, compared to a control group.

"What's unique in this study is that brain-processing activities seemed to help aspects of memory that were not directly exercised by the program — a new finding in memory research," says Glenn Smith, Ph.D., Mayo Clinic neuropsychologist and lead researcher on the study.

Read more: Improving Brain Processing Speed Helps Memory