“Chemobrain” or “chemofog” is a condition that affects cancer survivors who have undergone chemotherapy. Dozens of studies have shown that post-chemotherapy, patients may experience a decline in cognitive performance and memory, and many doctors have long believed chemobrain to be a significant problem for cancer patients. (To learn more about chemobrain, I recommend this in-depth article.) Despite this [...]

1. After Chemotherapy, Brain Can Be Impaired For 5+ Years
2. Chemobrain and cognitive training
3. HIV-Related Cognitive Decline – Webinar with Dr. Sean Rourke

Ed. note: Today we are pleased to present a guest post from Natalie Hunter of Online Schools. Click on her name above for a full biography. For many people, the boon of the information age means we have an unprecedented amount of knowledge at the click of a mouse, and can access news, facts, and trivia [...]

1. Superior Autobiographical Memory and Memory Bumps
2. Multiple Sclerosis and Memory
3. Memory, IQ and EQ

I recently read an article in the New York Times that made me think about some issues around how medical testing works. The article talked about a randomized, controlled study that aimed to prevent strokes by implanting a stent into the brain. One group received the stent surgery, while the control group received no surgical [...]

1. New Study Shows: Posit Science Brain Training Reduces Crash Risk in Older Adults by 50%
2. Early Results: European Study Combines Exercise and Brain Training for Memory
3. Evidence Matters

Ed. Note: To coincide with Independence Day celebrations, we’re offering an educational 4-part series “Saluting our Soldiers.” We’re taking a closer look at the mental health issues facing today’s soldiers and veterans—and sharing the latest research news affecting military personnel. Overview: Official military figures report that about 115,000 troops have experienced a traumatic brain injury [...]

1. Saluting our Soldiers Series: Part 4 – Cognition and Combat
2. Saluting our Soldiers Series: Part 1 – Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
3. Saluting our Soldiers Series: Part 3 – Mental Health & Older Veterans

I recently read an interesting article on CNN about all of the ways that spending too much time online can affect the brain. As a webmaster by trade, I certainly spend a lot of my days and nights on the internet. Is it all turning my brain to mush? Some interesting findings reported in the [...]

1. Going Googly (Thoughts on “Is Google Making Us Stupid?”)
2. Kids, TV, Video Games, and Attention
3. The Second Language Brain Debate

I’ve just gotten back from a very exciting scientific meeting in Greece (yes, the life of a brain scientist occasionally has its perks!) I had the opportunity to visit our collaborators in the Long-Lasting Memories consortium. This research group, with members in Greece, Spain, Austria, France, and Cyprus, is working to develop a combined brain [...]

1. BBC Study on Brain Training in Nature Magazine: BBC Brain Training Program Does Not Work
2. Our Brain Awareness Q&A Session on Movement, Exercise, and the Brain with Dr. G
3. Our Brain Awareness Session on Brain Plasticity & Brain Fitness with Dr. Michael Merzenich

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a chronic, debilitating disease that attacks the neurological system, affecting both body and brain function. A recent study of Canadian MS  patients revealed that fewer than half of them consistently use MS medications for 2+ years.  The drugs, known as DMDs (disease-modifying drugs) have been proven to slow the progress of [...]

1. Live Blogging the SharpBrains Summit – Day 2
2. Chemobrain and cognitive training
3. HIV-Related Cognitive Decline – Webinar with Dr. Sean Rourke

Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle just released results of a recent study. The researchers were looking at “chemobrain,” a type of cognitive impairment that occurs following chemotherapy treatment. The study showed that tpost-chemo cognitive impairment may be longer lasting and more severe than generally believed. This finding is important because even today, some doctors [...]

1. Brain Scan Study Provides Further Evidence of Chemotherapy-Related Cognitive Decline
2. Chemobrain and cognitive training
3. HIV-Related Cognitive Decline – Webinar with Dr. Sean Rourke

A few days ago, we hosted a Q&A session on Facebook about brain plasticity and brain fitness with Posit Science founder Dr. Michael Merzenich. For those who missed the discussion and prefer to read it in transcript form, I’ve re-posted it here. Question: I would love to know what Dr. Merzenich thinks about brain plasticity [...]

1. Evaluating Brain Fitness Programs – Which Should I Choose?
2. Our Brain Awareness Session on Brain Foods with Karen Merzenich
3. Our Brain Awareness Q&A Session on Movement, Exercise, and the Brain with Dr. G

Ed. Note: this article is cross-posted on Dr. Merzenich’s blog On The Brain. I had the great pleasure of visiting a wonderful research team studying the neurological origins and treatment of tinnitus at Washington University Medical School in St. Louis last week.  About 30 million U.S. citizens have tinnitus (chronic, persistent ringing in the ears).  For [...]

1. Tinnitus, Music, and Brain Plasticity
2. Tinnitus: A Special Example of a Failure Mode for your Plastic Brain
3. Chemobrain and cognitive training