All Brain fitness Articles

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- While exercise is constantly touted as the best way to have a fit and healthy body, it may also be the single most important tool to combat everything from obesity to depression to ADD and Alzheimer's, according to research by one Harvard professor. Moderate exercise, even just five or 10 minutes at a time, can help supercharge the brain's mental circuits and help beat Read more...

U.S. researchers and Chinese researchers say rat studies show losing estrogen can lead to diminished brain function. The study, published in the Journal of Neuroscience, found areas of the brain -- such as CA3 -- that tend to be stroke resistant and important in learning and memory, became vulnerable to stroke in rats that went without estrogen for long periods. It appears estrogen helps Read more...

Losing sleep could lead to losing brain cells, a new study suggests. Levels of a protein that forms the hallmark plaques of Alzheimer's disease rise in the brains of mice and in the spinal fluid of people during wakefulness and fall during sleep, researchers report online September 24 in Science. Mice that didn't get enough sleep for three weeks also had more plaques in their brains than Read more...

Diets rich in strawberries, other berries, nuts, and certain spices may lower age-related cognitive declines and the risk of neurodegenerative disease, according to James Joseph, Ph.D., of the USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University in Boston. Dr. Joseph describes his breakthrough work on the everyday foods that promote brain health during a presentation at Read more...

U.S., Canadian and British researchers found a high-protein diet may shrink the brain, a phenomenon linked to Alzheimer's disease. Lead author Sam Gandy, a professor at The Mount Sinai School of Medicine and a neurologist at the James J. Peters Veterans Affairs Medical Center in New York, and colleagues tested four differing menus on mice bred to develop Alzheimer's disease. The mice were fed Read more...

Long-term cell phone users face a higher risk of developing brain tumors later in life, researchers in Britain warn. The risks were identified in a landmark decade-long study by the World Health Organization, The Daily Telegraph reported Saturday. The study, which surveyed the cell phone habits of 12,800 people in 13 countries, found a "significantly increased risk" of brain Read more...

U.S. researchers linked poor kidney function to a more rapid rate of decline in cognition in the elderly. Dr. Aron Buchman of the Rush University Medical Center in Chicago said the cognitive decline -- not in visuospatial ability or perceptual speed, but in episodic, semantic and working memory -- occurred at a rate of decline equivalent to that of a person seven years older at baseline. Read more...

Instead of overdosing on coffee or jittery energy drinks, here are some fresh foods to help keep your brain in top shape. Spinach and other leafy greens: Green leafy veggies -- spinach, kale, arugula, romaine lettuce and Swiss chard -- are packed with vitamins A, C, calcium, iron and many disease-battling phytochemicals. According to a recent study, men and women who chow down on three Read more...

The bad news is that every 70 seconds, someone in the U.S. develops Alzheimer's disease. The good news is you can lower your odds of being one of them. "There are no guarantees in this game, but by addressing lifestyle factors such as diet and exercise, you can decrease your risk of getting Alzheimer's," said Dr. Richard Restak, Clinical Professor of Neurology at George Washington Read more...

An Israeli study finds the simple act of closing one's eyes might lead to new neurological treatments for diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. Tel Aviv University Professor Talma Hendler, a neuroscientist and psychiatrist, says it's no surprise scary music is scarier with your eyes closed. And it's that phenomenon, Hendler says, that might open the door to a new way of treating people Read more...

WASHINGTON -- More than 35 million people around the world are living with Alzheimer's disease or other types of dementia, says the most in-depth attempt yet to assess the brain-destroying illness -- and it's an ominous forecast as the population grays. The new count is about 10 percent higher than what scientists had predicted just a few years ago, because earlier research underestimated Read more...

A single episode of low blood sugar severe enough to require prompt medical attention increases a person's risk of developing dementia in old age, a study in people with diabetes suggests. More than one bout of hypoglycemia seems to heighten the risk even further, researchers report in the April 15 Journal of the American Medical Association. Chronically high blood sugar is known to increase the Read more...

Rocksprings, Texas, resident Henry Greistmann, 67, recently went to his doctor for a check on his ears. When he told the doctor he got dizzy when he looked up at the ceiling, he was sent to a balance and dizziness clinic hosted by four local physicians. The clinic, held every other Wednesday, pulls the expertise of a local audiologist, Jeff Sirianni; internal medicine specialist, Michael Read more...

Video war games could enhance a key element of intelligence vital to success in life, an expert has claimed. Spending time on Facebook and solving Sudoku puzzles may have the same effect, according to psychologist Dr. Tracy Alloway. But text messaging, tweeting on Twitter and watching YouTube were likely to weaken "working memory" -- the ability to remember information and how Read more...

Hey, concentrate for a second here. We know you think you can simultaneously text your boss, e-mail your girlfriend, post a school photo to your Facebook page and shop for shoes online better than doing it the old-fashioned way -- one task at a time. Sorry. A team of Stanford University researchers says you can't. More specifically, the team found that people who are HMM (heavy media Read more...

Along with a risk of hypertension, heart disease and diabetes, scientists have come up with another reason to avoid obesity: Brain shrinkage. A UCLA study released last week shows the brains of obese older adults are on average 8 percent smaller than their more fit counterparts. "If you can do anything about obesity, know that you are not only saving your waistline, but saving the life Read more...

U.S. researchers suggest seniors who survive a spouse or never marry seem to suffer more cognitive decline. However, socioeconomic status did not seem to be linked to brain's continued ability to function. Lead investigator Dr. Arun Karlamangla of the University of California, Los Angeles Geffen School of Medicine, said the study is based on data from 6,476 adults born prior to 1924, who Read more...

A lack of sunlight can lead to reduced mental performance, not just mood disorders, among depressed people, a U.S. university study said. "This new finding that weather may not only affect mood but also cognition has significant implications for the treatment of depression, particularly seasonal affective disorder," University of Alabama at Birmingham researcher Shia Kent said. Read more...

Think memory loss won't affect you? Slowed information processing begins by age 30. Finding ways to keep your memory active and challenging your brain now may well help you out in the long run. Let's try a little game of mental stimulation. See how many words you can find (words should be at least three letters long) in the following scramble: RAESTP. A list of answers can be found at the end Read more...

Everywhere we turn, we hear information about the benefits of exercise in building stronger bones and muscles and reducing the incidence of illnesses from diabetes to heart disease. A growing body of research however, is demonstrating that exercise is not just good for your body -- it's good for your brain. Physical activity can be beneficial to stroke victims, people suffering from Read more...