Nearly 40 percent of cancer patients who experienced memory loss, brain fog and other cognitive difficulties after radiation treatment for brain metastases regained full neurocognitive function within six months, according to a new analysis by radiation oncology researchers at the University of Maryland Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center (UMGCCC).
Tag: Cognition
State-of-the-Art Brain Recordings Reveal How Neurons Resonate
Researchers at UC San Diego have shed new light on how the brain processes and synthesizes information. Findings help solve a longstanding mystery in neuroscience.
Eating More Soy Foods Could Improve Thinking and Attention in Kids
A new study found that school-aged children who consumed more isoflavones from soy foods exhibited better thinking abilities and attention. These findings pave the way for future research aimed at unraveling how soy foods can positively impact children’s cognitive abilities.
Chemotherapy disrupts gut microbiome in patients with breast cancer
“For the first time ever, our Intelligut Study found that the gut microbiome has been implicated in cognitive side effects of chemotherapy in humans,” said senior author Leah Pyter, associate professor of psychiatry and neuroscience with The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center and College of Medicine.
New research identifies biomarkers that link alcohol use disorder and Alzheimer disease
Researchers agree that alcohol use can produce global and regional tissue volume changes in the brain, and that excessive alcohol use is associated with dementia and cognitive decline. A new study has examined the relationship between Alzheimer disease – the most common type of dementia – and alcohol use disorder (AUD), discovering biomarkers that link the two.
NUTRITION 2024 Press Materials Available Now
Press materials are now available for NUTRITION 2024, the annual flagship meeting of the American Society for Nutrition (ASN). Top nutrition scientists and practitioners from around the world will gather to share the latest research findings on food and nutrition during the meeting in Chicago from June 29–July 2.
Ensuring Research Tools Measure Brain Benefits from Nutrition that Consumers Actually Seek
Advances will aid research designs that reflect potential day-to-day benefits of nutrition, including attention, memory, anxiety and other benefits.
NUS linguists make breakthrough discovery on detecting early linguistic signs of dementia by studying the natural speech of seniors
A study led by linguists from the NUS Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences has found that early linguistic signs of dementia can be detected through the study of the natural speech of senior Singaporeans. The novel study revealed that participants with memory-related mild cognitive impairment spoke less and used fewer, but more abstract, nouns that is consistent with the speech pattern of Alzheimer’s patients.
Psilera to Unveil New Data on Lead Clinical Asset at the BIO International Conference on June 5th
Ground-breaking preclinical data on next-generation psychedelic, PSIL-006, reveals therapeutic benefits in depression, anxiety, cognition, and sleep cycle restoration while eliminating hallucinations.
Research offers hope for preventing post-COVID ‘brain fog’ by targeting brain’s blood vessels
In a study of mice, researchers identified a mechanism that causes post-infection neurological problems
Abdominal Fat Can Impact Brain Health and Cognition in High Alzheimer’s Risk Individuals
The impact of abdominal fat on brain health and cognition is generally more pronounced in middle-aged men at high risk of Alzheimer’s disease as opposed to women, according to researchers at Rutgers Health.
New research finds that language shapes communication
The new study suggests there may be benefits of more carefully considering language as a core influence of human performance and communication.
Could Epigenetic Age Acceleration, Not Actual Age, Better Predict How Well You Remember?
A study led by researchers at Stony Brook University shows that age acceleration, when one’s so-called biological clock runs quicker than one’s actual age, is linked to poorer memory and slower rates of processing information. The team measured biological “clocks” derived from the DNA of 142 adults aged 25-65 years old and had the participants complete daily cognitive tests on smartphones. Their findings, which imply that epigenetic age acceleration could be a better indicator of how well a person remembers information and how quickly they work with information, are detailed in the Journal of Gerontology: Biological Sciences.
College of Medicine researchers discover learning and memory deficits after ingestion of aspartame
Ongoing work by Florida State University College of Medicine researchers into how aspartame affects the brain has linked the artificial sweetener with learning and memory deficits in mice.
New Research Reveals Close Connection Between Cognitive Flexibility and Neurogenesis
A team of researchers led by Stony Brook University scientists believe they have a new understanding of cognitive adaptability and the role of adult neurogenesis. Their work and findings are highlighted in two recent papers, one in the Journal of Neuroscience, and one in Frontiers in Neuroscience.
Intermittent Fasting Improves Alzheimer’s Pathology
New results from researchers at UC San Diego School of Medicine suggest that intermittent fasting could be an effective treatment approach for Alzheimer’s disease.
Formerly depressed patients continue to focus on negative
People who have recovered from a major depressive episode, when compared with individuals who have never experienced one, tend to spend more time processing negative information and less time processing positive information, putting them at risk for a relapse, according to research published by the American Psychological Association.
Stem Cell Therapy Rescues Symptoms of Alzheimer’s Disease
Promising preclinical results from UC San Diego show hematopoietic stem cell therapy was effective in rescuing memory loss, neuroinflammation and beta amyloid build-up in a mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease.
People’s everyday pleasures may improve cognitive arousal and performance
Developed over the past six years by NYU Tandon’s Biomedical Engineering Associate Professor Rose Faghih, MINDWATCH is an algorithm that analyzes a person’s brain activity from data collected via any wearable device that can monitor electrodermal activity (EDA). This activity reflects changes in electrical conductance triggered by emotional stress, linked to sweat responses.
Older women at risk for Alzheimer’s disease may benefit from yoga
Kundalini yoga, a form of yoga that focuses on breathing, meditation, and mental visualization, appeared beneficial for older women who had risk factors for Alzheimer’s disease and concerns about episodes of memory decline, according to a UCLA Health study.
MIND Diet Linked with Better Focus in School-Aged Children
A diet originally designed to help ward off cognitive decline in adults might also help improve attention in pre-adolescents, according to a new study.
NUTRITION 2023 Press Materials Available Now
Press materials are now available for NUTRITION 2023, the annual flagship meeting of the American Society for Nutrition (ASN).
Running Throughout Middle Age Keeps ‘Old’ Adult-born Neurons ‘Wired’
A new study provides novel insight into the benefits of exercise, which should motivate adults to keep moving throughout their lifetime, especially during middle age. Long-term exercise profoundly benefits the aging brain and may prevent aging-related memory function decline by increasing the survival and modifying the network of the adult-born neurons born during early adulthood, and thereby facilitating their participation in cognitive processes.
Cannabis knocks down pain, improves sleep and lifts brain fog in cancer patients
Cancer patients who use cannabis to address their symptoms have less pain and sleep better, according to new University of Colorado Boulder research. But they also experience another, unexpected, benefit: After a few weeks of sustained use, they seem to think more clearly.
This is your brain on everyday life
A new study from a Washington University researcher offers fresh insights into how the brain goes to great lengths to processes and remember everyday events.
UCSF Neurologist Recognized for Innovative Epilepsy Research
Jon Kleen, MD, PhD, UC San Francisco neurologist, epileptologist and neuroscientist, has been chosen by the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) to receive its 2023 Dreifuss-Penry Epilepsy Award. He is being honored for his outstanding contributions in clinical research and leadership in the treatment of epilepsy.
Can Mediterranean Diet Help People with MS Preserve Thinking Skills?
People with multiple sclerosis (MS) who follow a Mediterranean diet may have a lower risk for problems with memory and thinking skills than those who do not follow the diet, according to a preliminary study released today, March 1, 2023, that will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology’s 75th Annual Meeting being held in person in Boston and live online from April 22-27, 2023.
Identifying the inflammatory cells behind chemo brain
Immune cells that keep the brain free of debris but also contribute to inflammation are the likely culprits behind the concentration and memory problems that sometimes follow one type of chemotherapy, a new study in mice suggests.
NIH Grant Will Fund Next Steps of Research on Dance and Brain Health
Wake Forest University and Wake Forest University School of Medicine will receive $3 million over five years from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to help researchers take the next steps in nearly a decade of research that indicates dance can promote cognitive health. The grant funds a new study called IGROOVE that will help researchers determine what kinds of dance, the frequency of the dance classes and what aspects of the dance class – music, social interaction, cognitive challenge – affect fitness, memory and brain health.
Study links exercise intensity, attentional control in late-adolescent girls
Adolescent girls who engage in more moderate and vigorous physical activity each day have better attentional control, a new study finds. The study focused on girls and boys aged 15-18.
Noise from Urban Environments Affects the Color of Songbirds’ Beaks
A study examined the effects of anthropogenic noise on cognition, beak color, and growth in the zebra finch. Researchers first tested adult zebra finches on a battery of cognition assays while they were exposed to playbacks of urban noise versus birds tested without noise. Urban noises caused the birds to take longer to learn a novel foraging task and to learn an association-learning task. Urban noise exposure also resulted in treated males to develop less bright beak coloration, and females developed beaks with brighter orange coloration, respectively, than untreated birds. Findings suggest that urban noise exposure may affect morphological traits, such as beak color, which influence social interactions and mate choice.
Researchers Find That Brains With More Vitamin D Function Better
Researchers at Tufts University have completed the first study examining levels of vitamin D in brain tissue, specifically in adults who suffered from varying rates of cognitive decline. They found that members of this group with higher levels of vitamin D in their brains had better cognitive function.
Just like humans, more intelligent jays have greater self-control
A study has found that Eurasian jays can pass a version of the ‘marshmallow test’ – and those with the greatest self-control also score the highest on intelligence tests.
FAU, Israel Scientists ‘Team Up’ to Tackle Alzheimer’s-related Mood Disorders
Researchers from Florida Atlantic University, in collaboration with Tel Aviv University, have received a two-year, $379,177 grant from the National Institute on Aging, National Institutes for Health, on a collaborative project to study mood-disorders changes in Alzheimer’s disease.
JMIR Aging | Using Twitter to Examine Stigma Against People With Dementia During COVID-19
JMIR Publications recently published “Using Twitter to Examine Stigma Against People With Dementia During COVID-19: Infodemiology Study” in JMIR Aging which reported that during the pandemic, there has been significant social media attention focused on the increased COVID-19 risks and impacts for people with dementia and their care partners.
Put down devices, let your mind wander, study suggests
People consistently underestimate how much they would enjoy spending time alone with their own thoughts, without anything to distract them, according to research published by the American Psychological Association.
Working memory depends on reciprocal interactions across the brain
How does the brain keep in mind a phone number before dialling? Working memory is an essential component of cognition, allowing the brain to remember information temporarily and use it to guide future behaviour.
Do Benefits of Physical, Mental Activity on Thinking Differ for Men and Women?
Studies have shown that physical and mental activity help preserve thinking skills and delay dementia. A new study suggests that these benefits may vary for men and women. The study is published in the July 20, 2022, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.
Did Gonorrhea Give Us Grandparents?
UC San Diego researchers tracked the evolution of a gene variant that supports cognitive health in older humans, but may have first emerged to protect against bacteria.
COVID-19 on the Brain: Neurological Symptoms Persist in Majority of Long-Haulers
A UC San Diego study describes the short- and long-term neurological symptoms of SARS-CoV-2 infection, and identifies a new group of COVID-19 long-haulers with advanced motor and cognitive symptoms.
Women’s Brain Project and Altoida Announce Results Highlighting Sex-Based Differences Using Predictive Digital Biomarker in Alzheimer’s Disease
The Women’s Brain Project, an international non-profit organization studying gender and sex determinants to brain and mental health and Altoida, a precision neurology company pioneering non-invasive brain health diagnostics using AI and augmented reality (AR), today announced results from a study showing sex-based differences using digital biomarker data collected from Altoida’s digital cognitive assessment platform.
Links between paranormal beliefs and cognitive function described by 40 years of research
New evaluation of prior studies finds increasing quality and areas for further improvement.
Veterans with Traumatic Brain Injury: M.O.M. to the Rescue
The M.O.M. project, which will have four units in Ohio, Florida, South Carolina and Texas, will engage veterans with traumatic brain injury, their caregivers and other stakeholders to bolster patient-centered outcomes research and comparative effectiveness research in order to identify treatment options for traumatic brain injury that are effective, acceptable, and meaningful to the veteran population.
Physical and Cognitive Training to Enhance Intensive Care Unit Survivors’ Cognition
Abstract Purpose The aim of this study was to examine current literature regarding effects of physical or cognitive training and simultaneous (dual-task) physical and cognitive training on cognition in adults surviving an intensive care unit (ICU) stay. Design Systematic mapping.…
Cat’s Meow: Robotic Pet Boosts Mood, Behavior and Cognition in Adults with Dementia
Researchers tested the effectiveness of affordable, interactive robotic pet cats to improve mood, behavior and cognition in older adults with mild to moderate dementia.
New brain model provides patient-specific Alzheimer’s insights, predictions of cognitive decline
A study led by researchers from Brigham and Women’s Hospital has established a new resource for exploring and understanding Alzheimer’s disease (AD) on an individualized level.
Thinking Without a Brain
If you didn’t have a brain, could you still figure out where you were and navigate your surroundings?
Benefits of acute aerobic exercise on cognitive function: Why do 50% of studies find no connection?
Over the past 20 years, many studies have investigated the effects of acute aerobic exercise on cognitive performance.
Memory Biomarkers Confirm Aerobic Exercise Helps Cognitive Function in Older Adults
Until now, systemic biomarkers to measure exercise effects on brain function and that link to relevant metabolic responses were lacking. A study shows a memory biomarker, myokine Cathepsin B (CTSB), increased in older adults following a 26-week structured aerobic exercise training. The positive association between CTSB and cognition, and the substantial modulation of lipid metabolites implicated in dementia, support the beneficial effects of exercise training on brain function and brain health in asymptomatic individuals at risk for Alzheimer’s.
Adult roles build skills for children of Latinx immigrants
Children of Latinx immigrants who take on adult responsibilities exhibit higher levels of political activity compared with those who do not, according to University of Georgia researcher Roberto Carlos.