A new Harvard study, COSMOS 2, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, has shown that taking a multivitamin for one year was associated with improved memory and cognition equivalent to reversing age-related memory loss by three years. The randomized clinical trial, which included 3,500 participants aged 60 and over, was the second COSMOS… Continue reading Brain Health and Multivitamins
Tag: brain health
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
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
Poor oral health may contribute to declines in brain health
Taking care of your teeth and gums may offer benefits beyond oral health such as improving brain health, according to preliminary research to be presented at the American Stroke Association’s International Stroke Conference 2023. The meeting, to be held in person in Dallas and virtually, Feb. 8-10, 2023, is a world premier meeting for researchers and… Continue reading Poor oral health may contribute to declines in brain health
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
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
4 Reasons Being Creative Will Make You Happier as You Grow Older
We don’t all age like fine wine, but there’s plenty of proof that the creative juices can keep flowing well into the twilight years. Oscar-nominated screenwriter Millard Kaufman wrote his first novel, Bowl of Cherries, at the age of 90. Benjamin Franklin was 78 when he invented the bifocal lens. Frank Lloyd Wright completed… Continue reading 4 Reasons Being Creative Will Make You Happier as You Grow Older
Learning Music or Speaking Another Language Leads to More Efficient Brains
Whether you learn to play a musical instrument or speak another language, you’re training your brain to be more efficient, suggests a 2018 study done at Baycrest Health Sciences in North York, Ontario, Canada. A release from Baycrest Centre for Geriatric Care explains that researchers found that musicians and people who are bilingual utilized fewer… Continue reading Learning Music or Speaking Another Language Leads to More Efficient Brains
When It Comes to Our Brains, There’s No Such Thing as Normal
Because we think of psychological disorders on a continuum, we may worry when our own ways of thinking and behaving don’t match up with our idealized notion of health. But some variability can be healthy and even adaptive, say researchers in a review published February 20th 2018 in Trends in Cognitive Sciences, even though it… Continue reading When It Comes to Our Brains, There’s No Such Thing as Normal
Here’s to a Valentine’s Day Toast to Your Brain Health with Wine in Moderation
Research done at the University of Rochester Medical Center and published in February 2018 in the journal Scientific Reports shows that low levels of alcohol consumption tamp down inflammation and help the brain clear away toxins, including those associated with Alzheimer’s disease. A release from the university quotes Maiken Nedergaard, M.D., D.M.Sc., co-director of the… Continue reading Here’s to a Valentine’s Day Toast to Your Brain Health with Wine in Moderation
Brain halves increase communication to compensate for aging, study finds
Increased communication between distant brain regions helps older adults compensate for the negative aspects of aging, according to new research. The study, by experts from Duke University and the National Institute of Mental Health, was published in Human Brain Mapping. The aged brain tends to show more bilateral communication than the young brain. While this… Continue reading Brain halves increase communication to compensate for aging, study finds
Daily Crosswords Linked to Sharper Brain in Later Life
The more regularly people report doing word puzzles such as crosswords, the better their brain function in later life. That’s the finding of a a large-scale and robust online trial done by experts at the University of Exeter Medical School and Kings College London. The researchers analyzed data from more than 17,000 healthy people aged… Continue reading Daily Crosswords Linked to Sharper Brain in Later Life
Elderly Yoga Practitioners May Be Protected against Cognitive Decline
Yoga may have another benefit besides fitness and stress reduction: New research says that it could be a way to protect against cognitive decline in old age. That conclusion comes from Brazilian scientists who have imaged the brains of elderly, long-term female yoga practitioners. Their conclusion: The practitioners have greater cortical thickness in brain areas… Continue reading Elderly Yoga Practitioners May Be Protected against Cognitive Decline
How Neurons in the Brain Fuel Learning and Memory
Researchers from King’s College London have discovered a molecular mechanism that enables neuronal connections to change through experience, thus fuelling learning and memory formation. The findings were published in July 2017 in the journal Neuron and have the potential to reveal new therapeutic strategies for neurological and psychiatric disorders. A release from King’s College explains… Continue reading How Neurons in the Brain Fuel Learning and Memory
Human Brain Processes Critical to Short-Term Memory
Neuroscientists at Cedars-Sinai in Los Angeles have uncovered processes involved in how the human brain creates and maintains short-term memories. A release from the medical center quotes Ueli Rutishauser, PhD, associate professor of Neurosurgeryand the study’s senior author, as saying, “This study is the first clear demonstration of precisely how human brain cells work to… Continue reading Human Brain Processes Critical to Short-Term Memory
Mediterranean Diet May Have Lasting Effects on Brain Health
A January 2017 study shows that older people who followed a Mediterranean diet retained more brain volume over a three-year period than those who did not follow the diet as closely. The study was published in the January 4th, 2017, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. But contrary… Continue reading Mediterranean Diet May Have Lasting Effects on Brain Health
Exercise May Help Ward off Memory Decline
If you needed on more reason to get up off the couch, here it is: Exercise may be associated with a benefit for elderly people who already have memory and thinking problems. That’s the finding of research published in the October 19th, 2016 online issue of Neurology, a medical journal of the American Academy of… Continue reading Exercise May Help Ward off Memory Decline
Sound Therapy May Balance Brain Signals to Reduce Blood Pressure & Migraines
A noninvasive neurotechnology that uses sound to balance right- and left-side brain frequencies was associated with lowered blood pressure, improved heart rate variability, and reduced symptoms of migraine headaches, according to two small studies presented in September 2016 at the American Heart Association’s Council on Hypertension Scientific Sessions in Orlando. A release from the association… Continue reading Sound Therapy May Balance Brain Signals to Reduce Blood Pressure & Migraines