How urban living affects attention
02/2013A comparison of traditional African villagers and those who have moved to town indicates that urban living improves working memory capacity even as it makes us more vulnerable to...
View ArticleHearing loss accelerates cognitive decline in older adults
02/2013A large study finds that hearing loss significantly increases the rate of cognitive decline in old age.I’ve written before about the gathering evidence that sensory impairment, visual impairment...
View ArticleCorrecting misinformation isn’t just a matter of providing the correct...
02/2013A study emphasizes the importance of establishing source credibility when trying to correct false information.I’ve discussed before how hard it is to correct false knowledge. This is not only a...
View ArticleWhy learning gets harder as we get older
02/2013A mouse study shows that weakening unwanted or out-of-date connections is as important as making new connections, and that neurological changes as we age reduces our ability to weaken old...
View ArticleEarly surgical menopause linked to faster cognitive decline
02/2013Women who undergo surgical menopause at an earlier age may have an increased risk of cognitive decline.The issue of the effect of menopause on women’s cognition, and whether hormone therapy...
View ArticleMemory for Facebook posts better than that of faces and books
02/2013Gossipy content and informal language may lie behind people's better recall of Facebook posts compared to memory for human faces or sentences from books.Online social networking, such as...
View ArticleConcussions in high school athletes may need longer recovery & better testing
02/2013Two small studies suggest that standard testing of concussed high school athletes might be insufficiently sensitive.I’ve talked before about how even mild head injuries can have serious...
View ArticleReviewing alcohol's effects on normal sleep
02/2013A review on the immediate effects of alcohol on sleep has found that alcohol shortens the time it takes to fall asleep, increases deep sleep, and reduces REM sleep.Because sleep is so important...
View ArticleCognitive decline in old age related to poorer sleep
02/2013A new study confirms the role slow-wave sleep plays in consolidating memories, and reveals that one reason for older adults’ memory problems may be the quality of their sleep.Recent research has...
View ArticleFrequent multitaskers are the worst at it
03/2013A survey of college students found that those who scored highest in multitasking ability were also least likely to multitask, while those who scored lowest were most likely to engage in it.I’ve...
View ArticleForgetfulness in old age may be related to changes in retrieval strategy
04/2013A study of younger and older adults indicates that memory search tends to decline with age because, with reduced cognitive control, seniors’ minds tend to ‘flit’ too quickly from one information...
View ArticleHow hard your brain works depends on the season
A small study shows that it's not only daily biological rhythms that affect brain activity, but longer seasonal ones also.A sleep study involving 28 participants had them follow a controlled sleep/wake...
View ArticleSome chronic viral infections could contribute to age-related cognitive decline
A longitudinal study confirms findings from cross-sectional studies that certain common viral infections are factors in age-related cognitive decline.Growing research has implicated infections as a...
View ArticleMemory capacity of brain 10 times more than thought
New measurements have exploded the previous estimates of the human brain's memory capacity, and also help explain how neurons have such computational power when their energy use is so low.The question...
View ArticleSleep helps you remember new names
A small study has found that a night's sleep helps you better remember new names.Sleep, as I have said on many occasions, helps your brain consolidate new memories. I have reported before on a number...
View ArticleIndividuals vary in how they remember events
Individuals vary in how vividly they remember the past. A new study links this to differences in brain activity which may reflect a stable trait.The finding also has implications for assessments of...
View ArticleOmega 3 levels affect whether B vitamins can slow brain's decline
B vitamins can help many older adults with mild cognitive impairment, but only if they have good levels of omega-3 fatty acids.A study involving 266 people with mild cognitive impairment (aged 70+) has...
View ArticleSome cognitive training helps less-educated older adults more
A large study in which older adults underwent various types of cognitive training has found that less-educated adults benefited more from training designed to speed processing.Data from 2,800...
View ArticleMentally challenging activities key to a healthy aging mind
A small study shows significant changes in brain activity among older adults engaged in learning a cognitively demanding skill.A study involving 39 older adults has found that those randomly assigned...
View ArticleRates of new dementia cases may be falling
Data from the very long-running Framingham Heart Study adds to evidence that, for those with at least a high school education, the rate of dementia is declining. Improved cardiovascular health and...
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