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Dear Students,
Welcome to the third week of the new semester! As registration is still open, we would like to welcome those who have recently joined us and let you know that our first class was held on Thursday, January 22. During that session, we reviewed key aspects of the course, including information available on our class website, your BrainHQ exercises, and the structure of the weekly lessons.
Please be sure to visit bfclass.com for important course information. Each week, you will receive an email with updates about the Brain Fitness program, upcoming lessons, and a brief summary of the previous week. If you do not receive these emails, please check your Junk or Spam folders or the Email tab on bfclass.com.
We encourage you to log in to your Canvas course, which serves as our interactive learning hub. Even if you’re unable to attend a Zoom session, you can still share your experiences and thoughts with classmates and learn from one another in a respectful, safe, and engaging environment. We will show you during class how easy it is to log in. Below are the directions for signing in to Canvas.
Steps to sign into Canvas: Canvas
1. Sign in with your student email
2. Use your PORTAL password
3. Complete the two-step authentication
If you are unable to connect to Canvas, please contact Student Support:
Email: support@student.sdccd.edu
Phone: 619-388-1140
Last Week: Color, Light, and the Brain
Last week, we explored how light and color work together to shape brain function, emotion, and cognition. Light primarily regulates alertness and circadian rhythms, while color influences emotional tone, attention, and memory. Exposure to natural colors like green, blue, and earth tones supports calmness, focus, and stress regulation.
By thoughtfully designing environments—including space color, lighting type, and timing—we can enhance learning, productivity, emotional balance, and overall brain fitness. Moderate arousal from appropriate combinations of light and color maximizes cognitive performance, whereas poorly aligned environments can increase stress and reduce focus.
In short, understanding and applying the science of light and color allows us to create spaces that support attention, memory, emotional regulation, and brain health.
This Week: Perception vs. Reality
This week focuses on how the brain determines what counts as reality. Rather than passively recording the world, the brain actively constructs perception by combining sensory input with internal processes such as memory, expectation, emotion, and imagination. Research in cognitive neuroscience shows that perception and imagination share overlapping neural circuits, especially in the sensory cortex. While this overlap helps humans simulate future events, rehearse actions, and learn without direct experience, it also creates ambiguity, raising the question of how the brain distinguishes between what is real, imagined, or uncertain.
Below you will find the Zoom links and Quick Links (all blue, underlined text indicates live links).
Brain Fitness Topics: Zoom Links & Sessions
Monday, 9:30 - 11:30 AM (Erika Peralta, Instructor)
Tuesday, 10-12 PM (Minoo Pakgohar, Instructor)
Tuesday, 1:00 – 3:00 PM (Minoo Pakgohar, Instructor)
Wednesday 9:30 - 11:30 AM (Minoo Pakgohar, Instructor)
Wednesday 6:30 – 8:30 PM (Charisse Winston, Instructor)
Thursday 10 - 12:00 PM (Charisse Winston, Instructor)
Thursday 1:00 - 3:00 PM (Sharon Gregory, Instructor)
Friday 9:30 - 11:30 AM (Erika Peralta, Instructor)
Remember: as a Brain Fitness Topics student, you are welcome to attend any of the Brain Fitness Topics classes listed above, even more than one per week.
Special topics (separate registration)
Brain Fitness Lab: Cognitive Wellness Through Hands-On Exercises and Living Stories, Monday 10:00 – 12:00 PM (Yael Lorberfeld & Desiree Harguess)
Diverse Approaches to Brain Health, (Mindy Sloan, Instructor)
Monday 3:00 – 5: 00 PM
Tuesday 6:00 - 8:00 PM
Brain HQ: Cognitive Training and Navigation, Thursday 6:00 – 8:00 PM (Sharon Gregory, Instructor)
Quick Links
Course website: bfclass.com
BrainHQ site: https://v4.brainhq.com/
Student site with schedule and more: sdcestudent55.com
Site to enroll in classes: myportal.sdccd.edu
Official SDCCE site: sdcce.edu
Enjoy a brain-healthy week! We’re looking forward to another great week of learning together.
Mindy, Yael, Sharon, Erica, Charisse, Desiree & Minoo
Mindy Jo Sloan, Ph.D.
msloan@sdccd.edu
Yael Lorberfeld. MA
Yloberfeld@sdccd.edu
Sharon Gregory
sgregory001@sdccd.edu
Erica Peralta, MS
eperalta@sdccd.edu
Charisse Winston, Ph.D.
cwinston@sdccd.edu
Desirree Harguess, DPT
dharguess@sdccd.edu
Minoo Pakgohar, Ph.D.
mpakgohar@sdccd.edu
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