09/06/2009 - 7:17am

New Brain Technology Helps Understanding Brain Function

A new way of using MRI scanners has been developed that will help doctors and scientists to understand how our brains function. The new technique is called Diffusion Tensor Imaging. DTI tracks the motion of water molecules in the brain which allows us to see where nerve fibers led and give scientists the ability to map the fiber bundles that are wiring together in the cortex of the brain, called connectomes. Until now, scientists have been using fMRI which doesn’t measure brain function directly.

09/06/2009 - 5:37am

Moderate Drinking May Actually Be Helpful to the Brain

According to an analysis of several studies that was published in The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, people over 60 who consume moderate amounts of alcohol have  reduced  risk for Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias.
 
15 studies that followed more than 28,000 subjects for at least two years were analyzed for the publication. Male drinkers reduced their risk for dementia by 45 % as compared to non-drinkers and women by 27%.

08/27/2009 - 8:03am

Summer Vacation Takes Its Toll on Young Minds

Now that the summer vacation is just about behind us, it is time to evaluate what that long break does to all the things children learned during the school year.
 
Research has shown that children can lose an average of two months learning over the summer months if they don’t stay mentally active and are mentally stimulated. When they do finally return to classes, it may take more than one month to get back into the swing of things and get back on track with their lessons.
 

08/27/2009 - 2:55am

Obesity and the Brain

It is known that obesity and overweight take their toll on our bodies- increased risk of heart disease, diabetes, hypertension and cancer. Now there is scientific evidence that obesity and even overweight have a detrimental effect on our brains as well. Recent research has shown that obese people have 8% less brain tissue than people who are of normal weight and overweight people 4%. The brains of obese people looked 16 years older than the brains of people who were lean, and overweight people’s brains looked 8 years older.

08/27/2009 - 2:09am

Multitasking and Multitaskers- More Means Less

Today it seems to be the norm to be multi tasking- doing more than one thing at a time. We get more and more information from different sources, which we are expected to process and handle.
 
Multitasking- no matter what form it takes- means that our brains must use their “executive control function” which is associated with the brain’s prefrontal cortex and the parietal cortex.
 

08/10/2009 - 4:20am

Brain Fitness Interview with Dr. Shlomo Breznitz of CogniFit

Alex Colket, a trained neuroscientist is the author of a brain training website, PlayWithYourMind (http://playwithyourmind.com). Prof. Shlomo Breznitz is a renowned psychologist and founder of CogniFit. Alex recently interviewed Shlomo with some very interesting and tough questions about neuroplasticity, cognitive reserve, aging and how, where and why computer brain training fits into these issues.

08/03/2009 - 3:41am

Fish Really Is Brain Food

Did your Mom tell you to eat fish because it’s brain food? My Mom did. Well, there is now scientific evidence showing that Mom was right (wasn’t she always?).

It has been shown that the Omega-3 fatty acids are good for the heart, but now a large scientific study has shown tht eating fish may also help prevent dementia. In addition, the study shows that the more fish you eat, the less likely you are to get dementia. Conversely, the more meat, especially red meat, you eat, the greater your chances of getting dementia.

07/30/2009 - 3:26am

Aging, Social Activity and Motor Skills

Another Reason to Meet With Your Friends

Remaining socially active has been recognized as one of the key elements for remaining intellectually alert. Now research has shown that remaining socially active also keeps motor skills like strength, speed and dexterity sharp as well.

07/27/2009 - 3:05am

Aging and Sports: Stretching the Limits

07/16/2009 - 3:42am

Is Twitter making us “Bird Brains”?

By now you have probably heard all about Twitter, the popular micro-blogging service. The service allows people to quickly update their audience of “followers” using no more than 140 characters. It has proven to be a powerful way to rapidly communicate about all kinds of things – ranging from superficial to significant.