We’ve all heard grandma chiding us to eat our fresh veggies and fruits; “an apple a day keeps the doctor away!” Now scientific research offers an interesting twist on that perspective: “an apple a day keeps dementia away!” Indeed, healthy lifestyle choices not only increase our lifespan but also help increase our aging brain power.… read more
Ever been accused of being self-absorbed? Well new research confirms that you are…but don’t feel too bad about it. Your brain is automatically and instinctively self-centered; in fact, all healthy human brains are! The Association for Psychological Science published a fascinating research study on the apparent automaticity of the human brain’s self-absorption. Participants were tested… read more
It’s back-to-school time and many parents are eager for ideas and interventions to help middle and high-schoolers achieve better grades this fall. Instead of relying on teachers, curriculum, and homework, new research points to grade improvements resulting from a growth mindset. The growth mindset, pioneered by psychologist Carol Dweck, is the simple yet profound concept… read more
Dyslexia can be a devastating disability for children and adults alike, who are otherwise functionally and developmentally typical in every way. Patients, parents, and scientists have long searched for deeper understanding of this cognitive phenomenon, and recent research brings insight! An article published in the Journal of Neuroscience describes new findings in regard to the… read more
As a woman I often envy the speedy metabolism of my husband and sons. It seems they can devour half a cheesecake with little consequence, while my overindulgence appears to go right to my hips. But what about brain metabolism? New research offers exciting evidence that my female brain metabolism is even more to be… read more
The retirement home kitchen is bustling with activity. Staff members put the finishing touches on a delicious dinner prepared for the residents and their family members. Fresh vegetables and wild rice are served alongside grilled chicken…a typically healthy meal for these aging seniors. But the unusual addition of sauteed mushrooms prompts my question: why mushrooms?… read more
Memory athletes are some of the best in the world at retaining information. They compete to see who can remember the most numbers, images, faces/names, words, and card sequences. PubMed recently published a fascinating article from Neuron, where researchers examined techniques used to amplify the memories of average people. Using mnemonics is one of the… read more
A person’s mindset refers to how flexible they believe their personality and personal attributes are. A fixed mindset is if person doesn’t believe that they are able to change much, while a growth mindset means they believe they can improve or change their attributes. Researchers wanted to evaluate how a person’s mindset can also reflect… read more
It has been estimated that half of all adults in the United States will develop a serious chronic disease in their lifetime, but what can be done to lower these prevalence rates? Recent research published in the Journal of Behavioral Medicine suggests that the amount of time spent sitting or lying down may negatively impact… read more
With technology advancing so fast its not hard to believe that a research team evaluated the performance of babies on a touch screen. The researchers used an educational cognitive assessment application called Babyscreen and evaluated how many items were completed, how fast the items were completed, and how accurate their results were. The toddlers were… read more
She rushed into the kitchen and reached for the steaming coffee pot. Smooth, dark hair hung loose about her shoulders, framing a strikingly beautiful face. Her long legs were lean and fit, accentuated by the patterned running tights and tank top she wore. She was the picture-perfect example of a successful high-school senior; straight-A student,… read more
Eat Your Way Out of Cognitive Decline When I was a child I was told, “you are what you eat.” But somehow despite my constant consumption of baby dill pickles I didn’t grow up green, sour and bumpy. However, new scientific research is telling me that all those salty pickles probably impacted my brain development…and… read more
