Category: mind

6/30/2014 - Is It Dementia Or Alzheimer's Or Normal Aging? (Does It Matter?)

Millions of us never find out exactly what’s causing Mom to start cursing or a diligent husband to forget to pay bills. Even after memory loss and cognitive glitches become impossible to ignore, families don’t always seek (or receive) an official diagnosis. We just deal with the effects. Read the full article at Huffington Post.

6/30/2014 - Language can help the elderly cope with the challenges of aging

By examining conversations of elderly Japanese women, linguist and Center on Longevity faculty affiliate Yoshiko Matsumoto uncovers language techniques that help people move past traumatic events and regain a sense of normalcy. Read the full article at Stanford Report.

6/23/2014 - Keeping the aging brain active may also keep it sharp

Challenging the mind early with education and stimulating work, and later in life with reading, socializing and computer use, may help keep it thinking clearly into old age, according to new research. Read the full article at Reuters.

6/19/2014 - A Test for the Early Detection of Alzheimer’s Disease

The test was developed over five years by a team led by Dr. Douglas W. Scharre, a neurologist at the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. Known as the Self-Administered Gerocognitive Examination, or SAGE, the four-page test can be completed in about 10 to 15 minutes by patients at home, or while in the waiting… Read more 6/19/2014 - A Test for the Early Detection of Alzheimer’s Disease

6/19/2014 - Hypoglycemia Rising in Older People With Diabetes

Most of the time, the older woman seemed sharp. But increasingly, she became confused and disoriented — a case of “intermittent dementia,” one doctor speculated. Further tests were ordered, and then another diagnosis emerged. It wasn’t dementia at all. It was hypoglycemia, or low blood sugar. The woman had diabetes and was taking too much… Read more 6/19/2014 - Hypoglycemia Rising in Older People With Diabetes

6/18/2014 - Drugmakers link with academia in giant UK dementia project

Drugmakers are linking with eight British universities in a 16 million-pound ($27 million) public-private partnership to speed up research into dementia by studying data from 2 million people in the world’s largest such project. Read the full article at Reuters.

6/9/2014 - Rite Aid Memory Test Triggers Needless Fear of Alzheimer's, Doctors Say

Memory tests given at Rite Aid Corp. (RAD) drug stores as an early warning for Alzheimer’s are drawing fire from doctors who say they don’t work well and may cause unwarranted fear among people who don’t have the disease. Read the full article at Bloomberg.

6/9/2014 - Healthy Seniors Tested in Bid to Block Alzheimer's

In one of the most ambitious attempts yet to thwart Alzheimer’s disease, a major study got underway Monday to see if an experimental drug can protect healthy seniors whose brains harbor silent signs that they’re at risk. Read the full article at Boston Globe.

6/2/2014 - Learning second language 'slows brain ageing'

Learning a second language can have a positive effect on the brain, even if it is taken up in adulthood, a University of Edinburgh study suggests. Researchers found that reading, verbal fluency and intelligence were improved in a study of 262 people tested either aged 11 or in their seventies. Read the full article at… Read more 6/2/2014 - Learning second language 'slows brain ageing'

5/28/2014 - Learning keeps cells alive in young brains

Scientists have known for years that the neurons in adult rats could be saved with learning. What they didn’t know was if this would be the case for young rats, which produce two to four times more neurons than adult animals. When scientists looked at the hippocampus—a portion of the brain associated with the process… Read more 5/28/2014 - Learning keeps cells alive in young brains