We’ve long heard about the brain-boosting powers of things like blueberries, nuts, wine, and chocolate – but is milk the newest brain food? A new study of nearly 1,000 people suggests that it may be. The study, a collaboration between researchers from the University of Maine and the University of South Australia, found that “participants who [...]

1. Weight Gain Can Lead to Fewer Food-Related Brain Rewards
2. Vitamin B12 Deficiency Linked to Cognitive Impairment – So How Can You Get More B12 in Your Diet?
3. Your Brain in Love: Part 5 – No Room for Romance? Try Music Instead… but not Junk Food

I recently saw a research finding from 2009 that was pretty interesting. Canadian scientists studied people who self-identified as “morning people” or “night people” and found striking differences in brain activity patterns between the two groups. They noticed that neuronal excitability started high and decreased throughout the day for morning people, and started low and [...]

1. Your Brain in Love: Part 3 – The Neuroscience of Date Night
2. Umbilical Cord Clamping, Stem Cells, and Autism – Is There a Link?
3. Learning, Thinking, Feeling: People vs. Animals

A new study has found that dogs learn to read the body language of humans in much the same way that human infants do. The study, conducted in Hungary, showed that dogs behaved in a way that is “functionally similar to a 6-month-old, to a 1-year-old,” according to the lead researcher. First, dogs watched a [...]

1. Stress Is Very Bad For Your Health- Whether You’re a Human or a Baboon
2. The Second Language Brain Debate
3. Dog Owners Excel in Physical and Cognitive Fitness

A new study published in Neurology has found that older people with higher concentrations of vitamins B, C, D, and E may have better mental functioning. The study was conducted in people who had an average age of 87, and noted that the more vitamins found in the subjects’ bloodstream, the better they performed on [...]

1. Less Meat in Middle Age, Better Memory When You’re Older?
2. Nuts For Brain Health!
3. Brain Plasticity Inc. to Receive $3.65 Million Funding for Schizophrenia & Stroke Research

“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

Do long, dark winter nights get you down? For those affected with the form of depression known as Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), the winter can be a difficult time. The National Health Service of the UK estimates that 7% of Britons are affected by SAD, and U.S. estimates hover between 4% and 6%. According to Mayo [...]

1. Why Would An Older Driver Run A Red Light?

Previous studies have shown that being bilingual may delay dementia, but for the first time, a Canadian study has used brain scans to offer additional proof of bilingualism’s protective effects on the brain. Research conducted up to this point has compared older people that speak either one or two languages to gauge the age at [...]

1. The Second Language Brain Debate
2. How the Brain Develops a Second Language
3. When Words Teeter on the Tip of Your Tongue (or Finger)

I’ve recently noticed several studies related the effects of long-term exposure to traffic-related air pollution on brain function and longevity. The research shows that air pollution may harm the brain and affect cognitive processes negatively. One study looked at people over the age of 51 and found that those who lived in areas with a [...]

1. Chemobrain and cognitive training
2. Saluting our Soldiers Series: Part 3 – Mental Health & Older Veterans
3. Garlic, Onions, Rosemary, and Sage – Interesting Health Findings for Brain and Body

In the past week, you may have seen a few news headlines that talked about the idea that Alzheimer’s disease may be contagious. I’ve seen headlines like  ”Alzheimer’s Disease Contagious Like Mad Cow,” “Some Cases of Alzheimer’s May Be Transmitted,” and “Can You ‘Catch’ Alzheimer’s Disease?” Those all sound pretty scary, like something out of a [...]

1. New Early Detection Method for Alzheimer’s Disease
2. Loss of Smell May Predict Alzheimer’s
3. A Brain that Keeps on Teaching: H.M.’s Story

In the excellent blog The Frontal Cortex, Jonah Lehrer offers his take on a couple of recent studies about how a person’s reaction to mistakes, and subsequent feedback about the mistakes, affect the learning process. The findings might interest you, especially if you are a parent with school-aged children. One recent study focused on why [...]

1. Learning, Thinking, Feeling: People vs. Animals
2. A Faster Brain = A Smarter Brain?
3. NUMMI Closes… The Employees’ Ability to Learn Will Help Them Move Forward