05/05/2010 - 3:52am

April showers…require a sharp brain in the driver seat

Wet roads and stormy weather can lead to challenging driving scenarios, and having a sharp brain and strong cognitive functions can make the difference in getting to your destination safely.

The first few hours of a rainfall after a dry spell are the most dangerous, as water mixes with oil and grease build-up from the road and can create a slick surface. In addition, weather can cause decreased visibility, making it hard to judge speed, time and distance.

04/21/2010 - 3:03am

Real Results, Real Training, Real Research

Effective cognitive training is more than fun brain teasers and puzzles. While these can be entertaining, they will not result in the same cognitive improvements as scientifically-developed brain fitness exercises. Real-world results can only be expected from real training, backed by real science.

03/25/2010 - 10:42am

National Nutrition Month fueling a healthy brain

March is a busy month full of health awareness campaigns, but we couldn’t let National Nutrition Month go by without saying a few words about the importance of our diet on our brains. From our head to our feet, we are what we eat, so making healthy choices in our diet means better brains as well as bodies.
Ten Best Foods for a Healthy Brain:

10/29/2009 - 9:49am

Sometimes, Sugar Might Be Good For You

We all know by now that sugar is generally not a good thing for our bodies- empty calories, diabetes, bad for your teeth- there is not much to be said for sugar...until now.

Prof. Roy Baumeister, in his psychology lab at Florida State University in Tallahassee, asked subjects to perform a mentally taxing task (watching video while being careful to ignore random words scrolling across the bottom of the screen).

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.

07/20/2009 - 3:11am

Coffee as Brain Food

My mother always told me that coffee would stunt my growth (my grandmother let me drink it anyway). My daughter warns me that drinking coffee will cause osteoporosis (I drink it anyway). Do not dare to speak to me or ask me to function before my first cup of coffee in the morning, so I was very happy to read a report in the AARP Bulletin about the myriad health benefits of coffee!!

Many, many scientific studies have been done and are being done on the effects of coffee on human health. Only cigarettes have been studied more than coffee.

Among the benefits of coffee: