Brain Health – thirdAGE

A New View of Traumatic Brain Injury

People with Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) may continue to improve or decline years after their injury, making it a more chronic illness, according to a study published in the June 21, 2023, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. “Our results dispute the notion that TBI is a one-time… Continue reading A New View of Traumatic Brain Injury

A New View of Traumatic Brain Injury

Parkinson’s: The Exercise Factor

Getting regular exercise such as cycling, walking, gardening, cleaning and participating in sports may decrease the risk of developing Parkinson’s disease, according to new research published in the May 17, 2023, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. The study found female participants who exercised the most had a… Continue reading Parkinson’s: The Exercise Factor

Cognitive impairment after stroke is common, and early diagnosis and treatment needed

A recent scientific statement by the American Heart Association shows that over half of people who have had a stroke may have trouble thinking within a year after their stroke. Additionally, 1 out of 3 stroke survivors may have a higher risk of developing dementia within 5 years. The American Heart Association has published a… Continue reading Cognitive impairment after stroke is common, and early diagnosis and treatment needed

Does Language Affect Stroke Recovery?

Research has shown that Mexican Americans have worse outcomes after a stroke than non-Hispanic white Americans. Now, a new study looks at whether the language Mexican American people speak is linked to how well they recover after a stroke. The study is published in the April 12, 2023, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal… Continue reading Does Language Affect Stroke Recovery?

New Weapons to Fight Alzheimer’s?

Researchers have discovered how a molecule found in green tea breaks apart tangles of the protein tau, a hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease. Based on this finding, the team identified other molecules that can also untangle tau and may be even better drug candidates than the green tea molecule. Results from the study, funded in part… Continue reading New Weapons to Fight Alzheimer’s?

Medicine to Protect the Post-Stroke Brain

The neuroprotectant ApTOLL, a medication that may shield the brain from tissue damage, was linked to reduced death and disability among people being treated for stroke when used with standard treatments to restore blood flow, according to preliminary late-breaking science presented today at the American Stroke Association’s International Stroke Conference 2023. The meeting, held in… Continue reading Medicine to Protect the Post-Stroke Brain

Many patients receive too little rehab therapy following stroke, study finds

Many patients don’t receive much rehabilitation therapy following a stroke, despite strong evidence that higher amounts can reduce long-term disability, according to a new UCLA-led study that tracked over 500 patients across 28 acute care hospitals in their first year following a stroke. The new research, published in the peer-reviewed journal Stroke, is the first… Continue reading Many patients receive too little rehab therapy following stroke, study finds

UCLA researchers offer roadmap for identifying new neuroprotective treatments by leveraging sex differences

A new study from UCLA researchers provides a strategy for finding treatments optimally tailored for women and men to prevent cognitive decline in aging as well as progression of neurodegenerative diseases by leveraging sex differences in the brain. BACKROUND Aging is associated with cognitive decline and brain atrophy. Aging also confers a major risk for… Continue reading UCLA researchers offer roadmap for identifying new neuroprotective treatments by leveraging sex differences

Omega-3 Fatty Acids and Your Brain

An exploratory study suggests that people who eat more foods with omega-3 fatty acids in midlife may have better thinking skills and even better brain structure than people who eat few foods with the fatty acids. The study is published in the October 5, 2022, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American… Continue reading Omega-3 Fatty Acids and Your Brain

Study: Smartphones Can Detect Stroke Risk

Motion analysis of video recorded on a smartphone accurately detected narrowed arteries in the neck, which are a risk factor for stroke, according to new research published in July 2022 in the Journal of the American Heart Association. Fatty deposits (plaque) can accumulate in arteries causing them to narrow (stenosis). Narrowed arteries in the carotid… Continue reading Study: Smartphones Can Detect Stroke Risk

June is Brain Health Awareness Month

We are a society of shortened attention spans, thanks largely to technology, Smartphones and social media. Want to know the weather in Hong Kong? Ask Siri. Want to watch something, choose from thousands of shows on streaming services. Need amusement, scroll through TikTok videos until you laugh. Don’t want to labor over a hot stove,… Continue reading June is Brain Health Awareness Month

Understanding Parkinson’s

Being diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease is life changing. This brain disorder causes slow and rigid body movements. People can experience tremors, stiffness, or shaking. Eventually, they may have difficulty walking and talking. Parkinson’s is a degenerative disease. That means it gets worse over time. It develops when a certain type of nerve cell stops working… Continue reading Understanding Parkinson’s

The Foods That Could Help Parkinson’s Patients

A new study shows that people with Parkinson’s disease who eat a diet that includes three or more servings per week of foods high in flavonoids, like tea, apples, berries and red wine, may have a lower chance of dying during the study period than people who do not eat as many flavonoids. The research… Continue reading The Foods That Could Help Parkinson’s Patients

How Doctors Can Help Preserve Patients’ Brain Health

Primary care clinics can play an important role in preserving patients’ brain health using the American Heart Association’s Life’s Simple 7 as a guide, as well as addressing six other factors associated with cognitive decline, according to a new American Stroke Association/American Heart Association Scientific Statement, “A Primary Care Agenda for Brain Health. “ The… Continue reading How Doctors Can Help Preserve Patients’ Brain Health

Smoking And Older Stroke Survivors

Stroke survivors were more likely to continue cigarette smoking than cancer survivors, raising the risk that they will have more health problems or die from a subsequent stroke or heart disease, according to new research published in November 2021 in Stroke, a journal of the American Stroke Association, a division of the American Heart Association.… Continue reading Smoking And Older Stroke Survivors

Fish Can Be Brain Food for Some Seniors

A new study suggests that healthy older people who eat two or more servings of fish a week, including salmon, tuna and sardines, may have a lower risk later in life of developing vascular brain disease, a group of conditions that affect blood flow and blood vessels in the brain. The research is published in… Continue reading Fish Can Be Brain Food for Some Seniors

People with Parkinson’s May Benefit from 7 Walking Strategies

Various strategies can help people with Parkinson’s who have difficulty walking, but a new study finds that many people have never heard of or tried these strategies. The research is published in the September 8, 2021, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. The study also found that how… Continue reading People with Parkinson’s May Benefit from 7 Walking Strategies