The drug modafinil was developed to treat narcolepsy (excessive sleeping), but it is widely used off-license as a “smart drug” to promote cognitive enhancement, where qualities such as alertness and concentration are desired to assist someone with, for example, exam preparation. Past studies on sleep-deprived individuals have shown a strong positive effect of modafinil on… Continue reading “Smart Drug” Modafinil Does Enhance Cognition
Tag: Brain Fitness
Physical Activity Linked to Greater Mental Flexibility in Older Adults
A study done at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champagne and published in August 2015 in PLOS ONE has shown that older adults who regularly engage in moderate to vigorous physical activity have more variable brain activity at rest than those who don’t. This variability is associated with better cognitive performance, the researchers say. Beckman… Continue reading Physical Activity Linked to Greater Mental Flexibility in Older Adults
Nine Brain-Aging “Sins” That Kill Your Competitive Edge
It’s Monday morning, and Michael, a senior executive at a global telecommunications company, faces the week utterly exhausted. Only 38, he’s been a high-level leader with the firm for more than a decade. Once, he was a wunderkind, an “energizer” on the fast track to become the company’s youngest-ever CEO. But those days are over.… Continue reading Nine Brain-Aging “Sins” That Kill Your Competitive Edge
High BP in Your 50’s May Mean Cognitive Decline Later
Having high blood pressure in your 50’s may impact your ability to keep track or plan ahead in your 80’s, according to a study done at Boston University Medical Center and published in July 2015 in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease. A release from the university notes that life expectancy is on the rise and… Continue reading High BP in Your 50’s May Mean Cognitive Decline Later
Dietary Trans Fat Linked to Worse Memory
As we reported here on ThirdAge.com on June 23rd 2015 in an article entitled “Why the FDA Is Banning Trans Fats”, trans fat intake has been linked to an increased risk of coronary heart disease by contributing to the buildup of plaque inside the arteries that may cause a heart attack. A study done by… Continue reading Dietary Trans Fat Linked to Worse Memory
Memory Loss as We Age Is Lower Than What Was Originally Thought
Good news for ThirdAgers! According to research done by the UPV/EHU-University of the Basque Country, the capacity to recall specific facts deteriorates with age, but other types of memory do not. A release from the university reports that Alaitz Aizpurua, a lecturer at the UPV/EHU, maintains that “the highly widespread belief that memory deteriorates as… Continue reading Memory Loss as We Age Is Lower Than What Was Originally Thought
Omega-3 May Enhance Cognitive Flexibility in At-Risk Older Adults
A study done at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign found that older adults at risk of late-onset Alzheimer’s disease who consumed more omega-3 fatty acids did better than their peers on tests of cognitive flexibility — the ability to efficiently switch between tasks — and had a bigger anterior cingulate cortex, a brain region… Continue reading Omega-3 May Enhance Cognitive Flexibility in At-Risk Older Adults
Can Arts, Crafts and Computer Use Preserve Your Memory?
People who participate in arts and craft activities and who socialize in middle and old age may delay the development in very old age of the thinking and memory problems that often lead to dementia, according to a new Mayo Clinic study published in the April 8TH, 2015 online issue of Neurology, the medical journal… Continue reading Can Arts, Crafts and Computer Use Preserve Your Memory?
How to Keep Your Brain Young: 3 Scientifically Proven Brain Health Tips
More than 90% of respondents in a recent survey by the AARP reported that they think maintaining brain health is either very or extremely important, yet few people have a firm grasp on what brain health tips they should use to do that. For instance, physical activity has been shown to help keep your brain… Continue reading How to Keep Your Brain Young: 3 Scientifically Proven Brain Health Tips
Sex as a Proven Anti-Aging Solution to Keep Your Brain Young
If you’re one of the many adults in search of an anti-aging solution for mental health, improved cognitive function, and other brain health tips, the answer might be a lot simpler than you’d think. According to a new Dutch study, if you want to keep your brain young, just have sex. The research, published in… Continue reading Sex as a Proven Anti-Aging Solution to Keep Your Brain Young
Brain Changes as We Age May Be Doing Us Good
As we age, the physical make up of our brains changes. This development includes changes in neural processing in grey matter, but also in the deterioration of structural connections in the brain that allow communication between distinct brain regions so the brain is able to work as a well-wired network system. Researchers at the Lifelong… Continue reading Brain Changes as We Age May Be Doing Us Good
This Is Your Brain in the Supermarket
Say you’re out shopping for basic household goods — perhaps orange juice and soup. Or light bulbs. How do you choose the products you buy? Is it a complicated decision, or a simple one? According to research done at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and published in the journal Marketing Science in March 2015, It… Continue reading This Is Your Brain in the Supermarket
When Attention Is a Deficit
Sometimes being too focused on a task is not a good thing. During tasks that require our attention, we might become so engrossed in what we are doing that we fail to notice there is a better way to get the job done. For example, let’s say you are coming out of a New York… Continue reading When Attention Is a Deficit
Power Naps Produce a Significant Improvement in Memory Performance
Neuropsychologists at Saarland University in Germany have shown that even a brief sleep can significantly improve retention of learned material in memory. A release from the university explains that Sara Studte, a graduate biologist specializing in neuropsychology, working with her PhD supervisor Axel Mecklinger and co-researcher Emma Bridger, is examining how power naps influence memory… Continue reading Power Naps Produce a Significant Improvement in Memory Performance
This is Your Brain on a Mozart Violin Concerto
According to a study done at the University of Helsinki in 2015, listening to classical music enhances the activity of genes involved in dopamine secretion and transport, synaptic neurotransmission, learning and memory, and down-regulates the genes mediating neurodegeneration. Several of the up-regulated genes have previously been shown to be responsible for song learning and singing… Continue reading This is Your Brain on a Mozart Violin Concerto
Older Men Have More Senior Moments Than Women Do
A Mayo Clinic study of brain aging found that being male was associated with worse memory and lower hippocampal volume in people who were cognitively normal at baseline, while the gene APOE ?4, a risk factor for Alzheimer disease, was not, according to an article published online March 16 2015 by JAMA Neurology. A release… Continue reading Older Men Have More Senior Moments Than Women Do
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”
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