Depression Increases the Risk of Developing Dementia
A new study has untangled the connection between depression and dementia, providing clear evidence that depression is a risk factor for dementia. Prior to this finding, it was unclear to researchers...
View ArticleOn Socializing and Brain Health
“No man is an island,” John Donne famously wrote. In recent years, neuroscientists have caught up with the wisdom of the 17th century poet in recognizing how important–in fact, essential–it is for us...
View ArticleWhen PMS Strikes- Do You Blame Your Hormones or Your Head?
It’s common wisdom that women become emotionally unhinged when it’s their “time of the month,” right? Supposedly, we get weepy, angry, and just generally difficult whenever our periods come along. Is...
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Giving Health Advice for Older People? Don’t Forget the Brain!
Last week I wrote about some very healthy, happy centenarians and talked about a recent study on people aged 100+ that found some commonalities across those living long and well. Today I saw that Dr....
View ArticleWhat Chopin Can Teach Us About Mental Illness Today and in the Past
Sometimes I wonder how anyone living hundreds of years ago survived into adulthood. My daughter wouldn’t have–she has had a couple of terrible illnesses that in an earlier era would have been...
View ArticleOur Brain Awareness Session on Brain Plasticity & Brain Fitness with Dr....
A few days ago, we hosted a Q&A session on Facebook about brain plasticity and brain fitness with Posit Science founder Dr. Michael Merzenich. For those who missed the discussion and prefer to read...
View ArticleMen Who Like Sports and Culture are Happier and Healthier
I recently read about a study that had some good news in it for me–researchers recently found that people, especially men, who actively watch or participate in sports and cultural activities are...
View ArticleBad Weather Got You Down? A Light in the Ear Canal Might Help
Do long, dark winter nights get you down? For those affected with the form of depression known as Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), the winter can be a difficult time. The National Health Service of...
View ArticleVideo: David Anderson on How Your Brain is More Than Just a “Bag of...
David Anderson is a neurobiologist at CalTech who studies psychiatric disorders. He argues that treating the whole brain’s chemistry with current psychiatric drugs is like pouring oil all over a car...
View ArticleStudy: For Better Sleep, Try Mindfulness Meditation
We have written about why sleep on this blog many times before, including articles on how poor sleep affects your memory, shrinks your brain, and ups your Alzheimer’s risk, why you feel tired all the...
View ArticleHaving Correctly Prescribed Glasses Improves Quality of Life
Studies have shown that nursing home residents in the United States and other industrialized countries have rates of vision problems that are 3 to 15 times higher than community-dwelling older adults....
View ArticleWant to Live Longer? Keep Driving!
Recently Dr. Jerri Edwards of the University of South Florida published a paper showing that older adults who cease driving have higher mortality rates.1 You might think this can be easily explained by...
View ArticleBrain-to-Computer Chip to Treat Neurological Disorders
For many years scientists have been able to stimulate certain brain regions to treat various disorders, including depression and Parkinson’s disease. This treatment method is often imprecise and...
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