by University of California, Los Angeles PET scan of a human brain with Alzheimer’s disease. Credit: public domain An inexpensive anti-seizure medication markedly improves learning and memory and other cognitive functions in Alzheimer’s patients who have epileptic activity in their brains, according to a study published in the Sept. 27th issue of JAMA Neurology. “This is a...
by Marcela Quintanilla-Dieck, Massachusetts General Hospital Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain The novel hormone irisin has the ability to drive the cognitive benefits of exercise, and therefore holds great promise for treating cognitive decline in Alzheimer’s disease, scientists at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) have found. In a study published in Nature Metabolism, the team reported that irisin, secreted...
Batya Swift Yasgur, MA, LSW July 22, 2021 Infection with the common parasite Toxoplasma gondii is associated with mild cognitive impairment in otherwise healthy individuals, new research suggests. Investigators reviewed and conducted a meta-analysis of 13 studies that encompassed more than 13,000 healthy adults and found a modest but significant association between T gondii seropositivity and impaired performance on cognitive tests of processing...
FLORIDA ATLANTIC UNIVERSITY IMAGE: THE ENHANCED PHYSICAL ACTIVITY GROUP UNDERWENT 26 WEEKS OF SUPERVISED TREADMILL TRAINING. BLOOD SAMPLES FOR BOTH GROUPS WERE TAKEN AT BASELINE AND AFTER 26 WEEKS. CREDIT: FLORIDA ATLANTIC UNIVERSITY Increasing evidence shows that physical activity and exercise training may delay or prevent the onset of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). In aging humans,...
Virtual care provided through telephone or videoconference has been broadly implemented in recent months because of the COVID-19 pandemic. A new analysis of published studies has examined the accuracy and reliability of virtual compared with in-person cognitive assessments for diagnosing dementia or mild cognitive impairment. Image credit: Geralt via pixabay.com, free license The analysis, which...
by University of Vermont Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain Youth brain activation data from the largest longitudinal neuroimaging study to date provides valuable new information on the cognitive processes and brain systems that underlie adolescent development and might contribute to mental and physical health challenges in adulthood. The study published today online in Nature Neuroscience. Because of the...
RUSH UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER An experimental treatment produced improvements in cognitive function and language in patients with fragile X syndrome, according to study results published on April 29 in Nature Medicine. Fragile X syndrome (known as FXS for short) is the most common known genetic cause of autism and the most common cause of inherited intellectual...
by New York University The compound ISRIB shrank plaques in the brain in a mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease (right, rectangle). Credit: M.M. Oliveira et al., Science Signaling (2021) A team of neuroscientists has identified a potential means to address the loss of cognitive function due to Alzheimer’s disease by targeting protein synthesis in mice. Their...
by Wiley Higher levels of abdominal fat were linked with reduced cognitive function in a Clinical Obesitystudy of older Asians with type 2 diabetes—even in individuals with normal weight. In the 677-participant study, higher abdominal fat—or visceral adiposity—was associated with lower scores related to memory and language. “Preserved cognitive functioning is important in the execution...
Dehydration can cause headaches and several physiological issues, and older adults are most at risk of experiencing it. Does it also affect cognitive function, however? And might overhydration also affect mental performance? Recent research set out to reveal whether or not hydration levels can affect cognitive performance in older adults. Dehydration can cause headaches, lethargy,...
