Category: mind

9/4/2013 - A Multitasking Video Game Makes Old Brains Act Younger

Brain scientists have discovered that swerving around cars while simultaneously picking out road signs in a video game can improve the short-term memory and long-term focus of older adults. Some people as old as 80, the researchers say, begin to show neurological patterns of people in their 20s. Read the full article at The New… Read more 9/4/2013 - A Multitasking Video Game Makes Old Brains Act Younger

8/29/2013 - G8: Leading a Global Response to Alzheimer's

The British government has just announced that it will host a G8 Summit in December dedicated to Alzheimer’s and Dementia. The announcement of the London event delivers on Prime Minister David Cameron’s pledge to use the UK’s Presidency of the G8 to launch a global initiative to address Alzheimer’s disease. Read the full article at… Read more 8/29/2013 - G8: Leading a Global Response to Alzheimer's

8/24/2013 - Memory weakens but steadies with age, study finds

Forgetting things seems to be a part of getting older which everyone accepts. But could the confidence of the young be covering up their own memory slips? Read the full article at BBC News.

8/21/2013 - The Dementia Rate May Be Falling -- And What It Means

Two major new studies have turned the popular perception of dementia on its head. For years, we’ve heard that Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia are on the rise—a prediction that strikes fear in the hearts of both the public and policymakers. But these new reports conclude that dementia rates may be falling, and… Read more 8/21/2013 - The Dementia Rate May Be Falling -- And What It Means

8/21/2013 - Sniffing Out New Strategies in the Fight against Alzheimer’s Disease

Despite barriers of blood, brain and bureaucracy, intranasal insulin may emerge as a promising treatment for pathological memory loss. Read the full article at Scientific American.

8/20/2013 - Copper in foods linked to Alzheimer's disease risk

Consuming foods that contain traces of the metal copper may contribute to the plaque buildup indicative of Alzheimer’s disease, researchers are reporting in the Aug. 19 issue of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Read the full article at CBS News.

8/18/2013 - Can we predict Alzheimer's a decade before symptoms?

Studying cadavers, researchers at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles made an interesting observation: The amount of beta amyloid protein in the brain corresponded closely to the amount of that same protein in the retina, in the very back of the eye. A reliable eye test “would be a very important contribution,” says Maria Carrillo,… Read more 8/18/2013 - Can we predict Alzheimer's a decade before symptoms?

8/16/2013 - Study identifies new culprit that may make aging brains susceptible to neurodegenerative diseases

The steady accumulation of a protein in healthy, aging brains may explain seniors’ vulnerability to neurodegenerative disorders, a new study by researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine reports. Read the full article at Stanford School of Medicine.

8/15/2013 - 10 Ways We Get Smarter As We Age

As we age, the brain‘s processing speed begins to slow, and memory may sometimes slip. But there are other ways that our mental powers grow as we get older. In the current issue of the journal Psychological Science, researchers report that older people (over 65) showed less variability in their cognitive performance across 100 days of testing than did… Read more 8/15/2013 - 10 Ways We Get Smarter As We Age

8/12/2013 - Test of famous faces 'helps to spot early dementia'

Asking patients to identify pictures of famous people, such as Elvis Presley and Diana, Princess of Wales, may help spot early dementia, say researchers. Read the full article at BBC News.