It was two-thirty in the afternoon and Dana’s positive attitude was wearing thin. She needed at least another three hours of mental focus for her workday, so she poured a cup of coffee into her favorite mug and stirred a generous scoop of sugar into the steaming liquid. The caffeine would hopefully kick in soon,… read more
Johnny raced to the classroom window once again, distracted by the lively brown squirrel scampering up the trunk of a nearby pine tree. His teacher sighed and repeated the gentle reminder for him to return to his seat and pay attention. As she turned back to the teaching of essay questions, she could already hear… 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
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
“You can’t teach an old dog new tricks.” Or can you? Science has now upended what Grandpa used to tell us! The debate about whether the aging brain can still grow new neural connections (neurogenesis) has raged for decades. Trends in Neuroscience recently published an article touting strong evidence of neurogenesis that continues as we… read more
I went jogging with my mom the other day, and despite her looming three-quarter-century birthday coming up (75 for those non math-minded folks) she kept me on my toes. She has been a lifelong runner and physical fitness is important to her. But what about her brain health? Unfortunately, most of the aging population is… read more
The subject of cannabis (marijuana) has become highly controversial not only in politics and public media but also in the field of scientific research. There are arguably as many studies confirming the efficacy of cannabis for a variety of health benefits as there are studies touting its harmful effects. Regardless of the controversy, many states… read more
Product analysis table, pencil for editing, someone’s phone rings, shiny reflection from coworker’s watch, those are weird shoes, was that a dog barking?…. Attention struggles manifest at every age, in a plethora of debilitating ways. Many medical doctors are quick to prescribe attention medications, yet patients and family members are often reluctant to take this… read more
It was the evening of January 1st, 2019 when my oldest son garnered the family’s attention at the dinner table. “It’s New Year’s Day,” he announced with a dramatic flair, “and I’ve got something important to tell you all.” While his tone was serious, I detected a twinkle in his eye that alerted me to… read more
Imagine it: Pounding headache, sour stomach, and fatigue like a heavy blanket willing me to close my eyes. Fifteen minutes before I needed to be at the office; enough time to stop for coffee. The decaf latte would be more a distraction than a caffeine rush but hopefully help me snap out of it. No,… read more
Imagine this: college students lined up along rows of small computer screens, with audiovisual stimuli streaming at the precise oscillations to increase theta brain waves and enhance memory of the upcoming lecture. This futuristic image might not be as far-fetched as you think! Researchers from the University of California’s Center for Neuroscience are experimenting with… read more
It’s that time of year again…shorter days, longer nights, and far fewer opportunities to soak up the sunshine. While we might love the coziness of a winter day indoors, many people suffer from such lack of sun exposure and develop symptoms of fatigue, anxiety, and depression. Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) impacts more women than men,… read more
