Kids, TV, Video Games, and Attention

Viewing television and playing video games each are associated with increased subsequent attention problems in childhood.

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Posted July 9, 2010 by Steven Aldrich under Neuroscience, Research studies

Unlocking Alzheimer’s in the Mountains of Colombia

There was a deeply jarring article in the New York Times earlier this week that told the story of an extended Colombian family with unprecedented rates of early-onset Alzheimer’s. How their incredible suffering might hold the key for discovering a cure for Alzheimer’s is the subject of the article. Young people in this family grow [...]

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Posted June 4, 2010 by Marghi Merzenich under Alzheimer's disease, Research studies

Easy-to-Follow Presentation on Alzheimer’s

I’d like to share a great educational tool from the Alzheimer’s Association website. It’s a 16-slide Brain Tour that shows the differences between a healthy brain and one with Alzheimer’s. The tour has fantastic roll-over visuals that make it easy to understand what changes in the brain of an Alzheimer’s patient and how it affects [...]

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Posted April 12, 2010 by Marghi Merzenich under Alzheimer's disease, Neuroscience

A New Age of Centenarians

I just found out that more than half of babies born in developed countries today will live to be more than 100 years old. That’s a lot of centenarians. Apparently, with each passing year humankind (in rich countries, at least) gains an average of 3 months of extra life expectancy, thanks to medical advances. As [...]

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Posted April 7, 2010 by Marghi Merzenich under Neuroscience, Research studies

Chemobrain and cognitive training

Multiple studies have shown that Posit Science training programs produce many benefits for healthy adults by improving cognitive performance. There is also great interest in the science community for using our products to address cognitive decline in clinical populations. The goal of brain plasticity based training programs is to re-normalizing brain function through rigorous and [...]

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Posted March 24, 2010 by Peter Delahunt under Benefits of Brain Fitness, Brain Fitness Program, Brain plasticity, Neuroscience, Research studies

Making a More Memorable Vacation

I’ve never really been a “beach person” when it comes to vacations.  For me, a great vacation is about going to new places and immersing myself in different cultures.   Experiencing a new language, finding new ways of seeing, and pushing culinary boundaries are my idea of good fun.  Yes, I’ve gotten lost, had to rely [...]

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Posted March 15, 2010 by Sharon Delman under Odds and Ends, Research studies

New Web Resource: “About the Brain”

About the Brain is a new section on the Posit Science website that’s chock-full of great information about the brain and brain fitness. You can choose from these areas of interest: Brain Facts helps you understand how your brain and brain plasticity work. It answers all kinds of questions, like “Are crosswords really good for [...]

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Posted March 2, 2010 by Marghi Merzenich under Benefits of Brain Fitness, Brain exercise, Exercise, Memory, Neuroscience

Move Aside, Drugs: Non-invasive Brain Therapies

Recently, scientists at MIT tested a specially-designed nutritional drink to see whether it could improve cognitive function in patients with mild Alzheimer’s disease. (Here’s an article in CNN on the subject.) The drink includes three key nutrients: uridine, choline (part of the vitamin B family) and DHA (an omega-3 fatty acid). These are nutrients that [...]

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Posted January 26, 2010 by Sharon Delman under Exercise, Neuroscience, Research studies

Does Ginkgo Biloba Improve Memory?

Although there have been numerous small studies investigating the effects of Ginkgo Biloba on memory, they have generally have been small and followed participants for short periods of time. The results have been inconsistent and overall inconclusive. The GEM (Ginkgo Evaluation of Memory) study was set up to address these  inconsistent results. GEM is a [...]

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Posted January 12, 2010 by Peter Delahunt under Brain Fitness Program, Research studies

A Brain that Keeps on Teaching: H.M.’s Story

If you’ve ever dabbled in neuroscience (or work at a neuroscience-based company, like I do) you may have come across the story of “H.M.” H.M. was a man who had brain surgery in the 1950s to stop severe seizures. The surgeon ended up removing large pieces of H.M.’s brain. The result: far fewer seizures, and [...]

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Posted December 7, 2009 by Marghi Merzenich under Odds and Ends, Research studies