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
Tag: Brain Fitness
5 Brain-Health Tips
As a fitness expert and neurosurgeon, Dr. Brett Osborn says he appreciates the growing public interest in general health and fitness. Now, he says, that attention needs to extend to arguably our most essential organ – the brain. “There are several, multi-billion dollar industries out there dedicated to burning fat and building muscle; cognitive health,… Continue reading 5 Brain-Health Tips
New Treatment for Frontotemporal Dementia
Belgian researchers have identified a new strategy for treating an inherited form of dementia after attempting to turn stem cells derived from patients into the neurons most affected by the disease. In patient-derived stem cells carrying a mutation predisposing them to frontotemporal dementia, which accounts for about half of dementia cases before the age of… Continue reading New Treatment for Frontotemporal Dementia
Surprise! With Age, We Sometimes Learn More Than Younger People.
Older people can actually take in and learn from visual information more readily than younger people do, according to research done at Brown University and reported in the Cell Press journal “Current Biology” on November 26th 2014. This surprising discovery is explained by an apparent decline with age in the ability to filter out irrelevant… Continue reading Surprise! With Age, We Sometimes Learn More Than Younger People.
Cocoa Flavanols Combat “Senior Moments”
Taking the chill out of winter weather by indulging in cup of hot cocoa may also be helping to dial back cognitive decline – but only if the naturally occurring dietary flavonols haven’t been removed by processing. Dietary cocoa flavanols—naturally occurring bioactives found in cocoa—reversed age-related memory decline in healthy older adults, according to a… Continue reading Cocoa Flavanols Combat “Senior Moments”
Turmeric Boosts Brain Stem Cell Regeneration
A bioactive compound found in turmeric promotes stem cell proliferation and differentiation in the brain, according to research published in September 2014 in the open access journal Stem Cell Research & Therapy The findings suggest aromatic turmerone could be a future drug candidate for treating neurological disorders, such as stroke and Alzheimer’s disease. A release… Continue reading Turmeric Boosts Brain Stem Cell Regeneration
Elasticity of Brain Arteries & Aging Well
In an effort to identify how the elasticity of the arteries in the brain correlates with aging well, researchers at the Beckman Institute at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign used optical methods developed in their lab to map out the pulse pressure of the entire brain’s cortex.
Digital Literacy Reduces Cognitive Decline
Congratulations, ThirdAge fan! The fact that you are at your computer reading this means that you are among the digital literati – and that accomplishment promises to lower your risk of cognitive decline as you age.
Researchers led by Andre Junqueira Xavier at the Universidade do Sul de Santa Catarina in Brazil have found that the ability to engage, plan, and execute digital actions such as web browsing and exchanging emails can improve memory. The results were published in July 8th 2014 in The Journals of Gerontology, Series A: Medical Sciences.
Right Brain Stays Youthful as We Age
At least one part of the human brain appears to be able to process information the same way in older age as it does in the prime of life, according to research conducted at the University of Adelaide in Australia and presented at the 12th International Cognitive Neuroscience Conference in Brisbane in July 2014.
Fish Really Is Brain Food!
Eating baked or broiled fish once a week is good for the brain, regardless of how much omega-3 fatty acid it contains, according to researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. The findings, published online in 2014 the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, add to growing evidence that lifestyle factors contribute to brain health later in life.
Seeing the Inner Workings of the Brain
A team of scientists at Stanford University has improved a technique called CLARITY that they developed in 2013 to look into brains from deceased donors, according to a paper published June 19th 2014 in Nature Protocols. A release from the university explains that without this tool, the fatty outer covering of the brain’s nerve cells blocks microscopes from taking images of the intricate connections between deep brain cells. CLARITY eliminates the fatty covering while keeping the brain intact with all its intricate inner wiring.
Stress Linked to Memory Loss as We Age
Research done at the University of Iowa reports a potential link between stress hormones and short-term memory loss in older adults. The study, published in June 2014 in the Journal of Neuroscience, found that prolonged high levels of cortisol can lead to memory lapses as we age.
Learning a 2nd Language Aids Your Aging Brain
If you grew up bilingual or learned a second language in high school, you’ve done your aging brain a favor. However, even if you start mastering a second language as an older adult, you can benefit from the positive effect your new non-native tongue will have on cognition as you age. That’s the finding of research done at the Centre for Cognitive Aging and Cognitive Epidemiology at the University of Edinburgh and published in June 2014 in Annals of Neurology.
Longevity Gene May Be a Brain Booster
If you’re lucky, you inherited a longevity gene that will up your chances of living to a ripe old age. Better yet, scientists at the University of California San Francisco have shown that people who have a variant of a longevity gene called KLOTHO are blessed with superior brain skills such as thinking, learning, and memory regardless of their age, sex, or even whether they have a genetic risk factor for Alzheimer's disease.
A Possible Cause of Age-Related Memory Decline
Research done at the Lieber Institute for Brain Development in Baltimore, MD and the National Institute of Mental Health suggests that one cause of age-related memory decline is a protein called KIBRA and the gene responsible for its production is WWC1. KIBRA is known to play a role in human memory. The study was published in the May 2014 issue of Biological Psychiatry.
Longhand Trumps Typing for Remembering Your Notes
The next time you need to take notes, maybe during a meeting at work or when you’re on the phone with a customer service representative, you’ll be more likely to retain the information if you write by hand rather than typing on a digital device. That’s the finding of a study done at Princeton University and published in April 2014 in the journal Psychological Science.
Vitamin D Deficiency & Cognitive Decline
Vitamin D deficiency and cognitive impairment are common in older adults, but there hasn’t been a lot of conclusive research into whether there's a relationship between the two. Now a study from Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center in North Carolina, published online ahead of print in April 2014 in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, enhances the existing literature on the subject.
Does Memory Decline Lower Cancer Risk?
Having some senior moments? The upside is that you may be at a lower risk for dying of cancer. A study done at the University Hospital in Madrid and in the April 9th 2014 online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology, found that older people who are starting to have memory and thinking problems but do not yet have dementia may have a lower risk of dying from cancer than people who have no memory and thinking problems.