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 [...]

Ed. Note: we are live blogging selected sessions of this year’s SharpBrains Virtual Summit: Retooling Brain Health for the 21st Century. 2:05 PM: The session has wrapped up. We’ll be back tomorrow for one more session, “From Lab to Marketplace: How Science Reaches Users” at 8:30 AM. 2:02 PM: Dr. Wilson introduces Sophia Vinogradov, who [...]

A study showing that people who retire earlier have lower performance on cognitive tests. This is another piece of evidence that leading a brain-healthy lifestyle improves cognitive abilities later in life.

We’ve all been there: you’re having a casual, run-of-the-mill conversation, and all of a sudden you just… can’t… quite… think of… the… umm… hoo boy. At this point, you may try to make a joke to play off the situation, and if you’re of a certain age, that joke probably involves the phrase “senior moment” [...]

11:05 am: This session has now concluded. That is the end of my blogging from the Sharp Brains summit. All the best, Peter. 11:04 am: Dr. Stern believes that improving executive functioning performance with training can increase cognitive reserve. Improving cognitive reserve may delay or reverse the effects of aging. 10:56 am: Now speaking is [...]

1:38 PM: That’s it for our live blog today- Peter Delahunt will start the live blogging tomorrow morning at 8 AM for Day 2 coverage.  We hope you enjoyed the live blog and that you’ll be back tomorrow! 1:35 PM: Elkhonon Goldberg is the Chief Scientific Advisor to SharpBrains. He begins by discussing the role [...]

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 [...]

{Editor’s note: this is excerpted from a real conversation JP had with his sister, speaking about their mother.} Sis: “You never said anything about her having more energy.” Me: “What are you talking about?” Sis: “You said it was brain fitness software, that it was going to improve her ability to focus and remember more.”