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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

07/23/2009 - 3:17am

Driving, Cell Phones and Cognitive Abilities

Cell phone use while driving has been in the news lately. The NY Times recently reported about safety research from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The NHTSA concluded that cell phone use and driving don’t mix well, but these conclusions were never released to the public. Many states are discussing whether to pass legislation banning cell phone use while driving. Other states and officials dismiss the dangers inherent in driving and talking on the phone.

Is talking on a cell phone while driving dangerous?

Here are some figures:

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:

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.

07/16/2009 - 2:55am

Brain Test Results: Older Americans Out Perform British Contemporaries

Kenneth Langa, of the University of Michigan conducted a study comparing over-65 year old Americans to over- 65 year old Britons on a memory and awareness test. Subjects took tests of immediate and delayed recall as well as general awareness. Out of 24 points, the Americans averaged 12.8, while the British averaged 11.4. This difference is associated with about 10 years difference in aging; in other words, 75 year old Americans had memories as good as 65 year old Britons.

07/13/2009 - 3:42am

Cognitively Yours- From The Desk of Prof. Breznitz

The Advantages of Imprecision

There are many advantages of imprecision.

A good example of this would be that if our DNA kept replicating exactly, without any mutations or imprecision, we would still be amoebas in the primordial ooze.

But more specifically, there are advantages to the fact that our brains do not look for precision.

07/09/2009 - 3:03am

Early riser? Night Owl? Blame Your Brain

A small study conducted by scientists at the University of Alberta in Canada has found that our brains function differently depending on whether we are late or early risers.

The scientists used MRI scans on two groups of people- one group stayed up until 3 AM and did their best work at night, and the other group who were up and ready to work at 5AM. No coffee was allowed during the study.

07/06/2009 - 2:42am

When Does Old Age Begin? It a Mind Over Matter

The Pew Research Center recently published a study revealing some interesting facts about how Americans view ageing.

First some statistics: About 40 million Americans are 65 and older. That is about one in eight people; by 2050 one in five Americans will be 65 and older- 20% of the population.

What the survey found is that there is a gap between actual age and the age that people say they feel. Further, the survey found that the older people are, the younger they feel.

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