Category Archives: Brain Function

I slept poorly last night. I’m sure you’ve been there too. And like me, you’ve probably made your coffee a little stronger when you struggle with slumber. Of course, you might notice it can only do so much. Sure, coffee can boost your alertness and keep you awake the next day, but research suggests it’s ...click here to read more

Early results from a study published in the online edition of Sleep suggests that people with a traumatic brain injury (TBI) and a sleep disorder have an increased risk of developing dementia. The study of more than 700,000 people was conducted by the Kite Research Institute, the research arm of the Toronto Rehabilitation Institute, and ...click here to read more

A new study from the Max Planch Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences and the University of Münster finds that depression caused by cardiovascular diseases plays a smaller role in seniors compared to younger people. It was previously unknown whether age influenced the likelihood of suffering from depressive mood or depression. Smoking has previously ...click here to read more

Are you staying up burning the midnight oil to solve your problems? If you are, you might want to reconsider and heed some age-old advice: sleep on it. Your brain is designed to help you solve problems during sleep. One of its functions is to find and link information so you’ve got a better handle ...click here to read more

According to a study published in Neurology, older adults with type 1 diabetes and both low and high blood sugar levels may have a greater dementia risk. Researchers suggest that it only takes one visit to the hospital with blood sugar extremes to be six times more likely to develop dementia compared to people without ...click here to read more

For those long days when you’re experiencing sleep deprivation, relying on caffeine may not be the answer. According to a new study from Michigan State University, caffeine can only get you so far after a rough night’s sleep. The study published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory & Cognition analyzed the impact of ...click here to read more

According to a new study published in the journal JAMA Psychiatry, waking up an hour earlier than normal could reduce the risk of major depression by 23%. This new genetic study is among the first to quantify just how much or little change is needed to influence mental health. As people started to get their ...click here to read more

You may have heeded the warnings of your parents as a youngster that too much TV may rot your brain. They might have been right. Three new studies have linked TV viewing in middle-age to a higher risk of cognitive decline. The research suggests that watching even moderate amounts of TV may impair memory and ...click here to read more

You just brought it in, put it down, and now the darn thing is lost. You can’t even find the right words to describe it. Is that normal aging or the early sign that you could be slipping into more serious cognitive decline? The answer isn’t necessarily cut and dry. To get a better idea ...click here to read more

Depression and heart disease are common conditions that often go hand in hand. This is the subject matter discussed in the study published in the European Heart Journal, which suggests that feelings of depression following any type of cardiac event are common. Unfortunately, when depression hits after a cardiac event, it can substantially raise the ...click here to read more

Sleep is complex. Not only is duration important, but good sleep needs to be of a certain quality. Getting a good night’s sleep isn’t easy. People have a lot on their minds. Better sleep, however, may help relieve stress in addition to reducing the risk for dementia and death. Two recent studies looked at how ...click here to read more

Following healthy lifestyle behaviors can lower dementia risk in people who are at a higher risk due to family history. This is the information from a study that will be presented at the American Heart Association’s Epidemiology, Prevention, Lifestyle & Cardiometabolic Health Conference 2021. Family history is a strong risk factor for dementia. Having a ...click here to read more

A recent study highlights the mind’s powerful effect on health. It shows that when older people feel younger and less stressed, they have better functional health. The work was published by the American Psychological Association and indicates that outlook may help act as a buffer for the damaging effects of stress. It’s easy to associate ...click here to read more

Some people worry they won’t know the difference between aging and early signs of dementia. Is it normal to forget someone’s name, or forget why you walked into a room? As we age, it can be frustrating when our memory starts to fail us. But when should we be worried that it may be more ...click here to read more