Although it might sound like science fiction, researchers can now tell in an autopsy what a brain learned before it died. Scientists from Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory described how they “read” slices of a rat’s brain after it died. The experiment showed how the rat was trained to behave in response to specific sounds. “Neuroscientists… Continue reading Rat Brains Hold Clue to Learning
Category: Brain Health
The brain is our most complex + vital organ, which is why brain health is so important to overall well-being. Learn more about maintaining optimal brain health.
A New Way to Treat Brain Damage
Medicine should treat neurological disorders by focusing on the ability of the brain and nervous system to heal themselves, rather than just prescribing clot-busting drugs and similar remedies, according to two top experts. Michael Chopp, Ph,D., internationally renowned stroke researcher and scientific director of the Neuroscience Institute at Henry Ford Hospital, and Zhenggang Zhang,M.D., Ph.D.,… Continue reading A New Way to Treat Brain Damage
Skin Biopsy May Help Detect Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s
Scientists have discovered a skin test that may shed new light on Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases, according to a study released on February 24th 2015 that will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology’s 67th Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C., April 18th to 25th 2015. The study showed that skin biopsies can be used… Continue reading Skin Biopsy May Help Detect Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s
Music Can Hurt Your Memory
Music, widely known as a good destresser, may actually make memory worse in older people, researchers have found. The study, from the Georgia Institute of Technology, asked younger and older people to listen to music while trying to remember names. The older adults remembered 10 percent fewer names than younger people when they listened to… Continue reading Music Can Hurt Your Memory
Longevity Protein Protects Against Alzheimer’s
Scientists from the Gladstone Institutes and the University of California, San Francisco report in February 2015 in the Journal of Neuroscience that raising levels of the life-extending protein klotho can protect against learning and memory deficits in Alzheimer’s disease. Remarkably, this boost in cognition occurred despite the accumulation of Alzheimer-related toxins in the brain, such… Continue reading Longevity Protein Protects Against Alzheimer’s
How the Brain Performs “Mental Time Travel”
In Proust’s novel Recollection of Things Past, the distinctive smell of a lemon madeleine launches the narrator on a long, involved reminiscence of his past that fills seven chapters. This literary example is an extreme instance of what neuroscientists term “mental time travel” – the recollection of memories so rich in detail regarding the time… Continue reading How the Brain Performs “Mental Time Travel”
Solving the Problem of “Sundowning”: Tips for Caregivers
Editor’s note: Sundowning, the time of day when Alzheimer’s symptoms worsen, is often frustrating and debilitating for a caregiver as well as a patient. Here, from the National Institute on Aging, is a guide that offers strategies on how to cope: Late afternoon and early evening can be difficult for some people with Alzheimer’s disease.… Continue reading Solving the Problem of “Sundowning”: Tips for Caregivers
Meditation May Help Fight Brain Aging
Researchers from UCLA have founded that meditation seems to help preserve the brain’s “gray matter” – i.e. tissue that contains neurons. The scientists looked specifically at the association between age and gray matter, according to a news release from the university, comparing 50 people who had meditated for an average of 20 years and 50… Continue reading Meditation May Help Fight Brain Aging
The Secrets of “SuperAger” Brains
“SuperAgers” 80 and above have distinctly different looking brains than those of normal older people, according to research done at Northwestern Medicine in Chicago and published January 28th 2015 in the Journal of Neuroscience. The study begins to reveal why the memories of these cognitively elite elders don’t suffer the usual ravages of time. A… Continue reading The Secrets of “SuperAger” Brains
“Old People” Stereotypes Can Affect Cognitive Skills
Negative stereotypes about age can actually affect older adults’ memory and cognitive performance, according to new research. A research team from the University of Kent, in the UK, analyzed 37 international research studies for the effect of what is called Age Based Stereotype Threat (ABST). They said the phenomenon affects both men and women. Even… Continue reading “Old People” Stereotypes Can Affect Cognitive Skills
The “Mini-Brain” That Helps Us Function
Researchers from the Salk Institute have discovered that we unconsciously maintain our balance via a cluster of neurons that acts as a “mini-brain.” In their study, published in the journal Cell, the scientists “map the neural circuitry of the spinal cord,” according to a news release from the institute. The investigators said that the “circuitry”… Continue reading The “Mini-Brain” That Helps Us Function
Gene Variant Linked to Cognitive Skills
People with a gene variant linked to longevity also have also have a larger volume in a part of the brain involved in planning and decision-making, according to researchers. The finding, by researchers from the University of California San Francisco, builds on the team’s earlier discovery that middle-aged and older people who carry the variant,… Continue reading Gene Variant Linked to Cognitive Skills
Insulin, Nasal Spray and Alzheimer’s
A form of insulin delivered via nasal spray could help improve memory and other cognitive functions in adults with mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s disease, according to a study by researchers at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center. The researchers looked at 60 adults diagnosed with amnesic mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or mild to moderate Alzheimer’s… Continue reading Insulin, Nasal Spray and Alzheimer’s
How to Handle Hallucinations and Delusions in Alzheimer’s Patients
Editor’s note: Alzheimer’s is one of the most frightening diseases in existence, and caring for a person with AD can be frustrating, heartbreaking and complicated. Here, experts from the National Institute on Aging offer coping strategies for caregivers who are dealing with a patient’s delusions, hallucinations and paranoia: As Alzheimer’s progresses, the person with AD… Continue reading How to Handle Hallucinations and Delusions in Alzheimer’s Patients
Salt May Have A Bad Effect on The Brain
Researchers have found that consuming large amounts of salt can cause changes in key brain circuits. The scientists, from McGill University in Montreal, discovered that high salt intake disables a natural safety mechanism and allows blood pressure to rise because of a high, long-term consumption of salt. A team led by Prof. Charles Bourque of… Continue reading Salt May Have A Bad Effect on The Brain
Electric Stimulation Tested on Parkinson’s Patients
A release from the University of Gothenburg in Sweden reports that researchers at the university’s Sahlgrenska Academy have tested the use of noisy electric stimulation to change the activity of the brain in order to improve motor skills and balance for Parkinson’s patients. The study was published in January 2015 in the scientific journal Brain… Continue reading Electric Stimulation Tested on Parkinson’s Patients
How A Protein Crucial To Learning and Memory Works
Researchers at Johns Hopkins have found out how a protein crucial to learning works: by removing a biochemical “clamp” that prevents connections between nerve cells in the brain from growing stronger. The finding moves neuroscientists a step closer to figuring out how learning and memory work, and may one day lead to drugs or other… Continue reading How A Protein Crucial To Learning and Memory Works
Update on Mild Cognitive Impairment
A new comprehensive review of studies about mild cognitive impairment (MCI) says that physical and mental activity can help reduce the risk of the frightening condition. The doctors, from the University of Michigan Medical School, published their review in the Journal of the American Medical Association. “MCI is hard for both clinicians and for patients… Continue reading Update on Mild Cognitive Impairment