Category Archives: Brain Function

It is estimated that nearly 50 percent of insomnia cases are a result of stress; however, sleep experts have compiled a list of tips you can use to reduce stress and improve your sleep. If you find yourself tossing and turning at night, unable to sleep because of stress, these tips should help you get ...click here to read more

Tiredness… it’s one of the most obvious signs that you haven’t been sleeping well. If you wake up tired or can hardly make it through your day, chances are, you probably didn’t sleep well last night. But did you know there are other pointers that could provide you with some insight into the quality of ...click here to read more

A recent study conducted by the University of California, Los Angeles, has found that regularly consuming grapes may protect against the decline of metabolic activity in those with early memory decline, preventing Alzheimer’s. Low metabolic activity in certain areas of the brain is a characteristic of the early stages of Alzheimer’s, and the study showed ...click here to read more

The key to getting a good night’s sleep may lie in simply spending more time outdoors, according to new research published in Current Biology. Technology-filled environments could be responsible for issues with our circadian rhythm and sleep timing, which causes us to have trouble falling and staying asleep. Previous research has shown that exposure to ...click here to read more

New research from the Australian National University (ANU) has shown that working more than 39 hours per week can put your health at risk. The international limit was set at 48 hours per week approximately 80 years ago, and researchers have asserted that this standard has become outdated. Both paid and unpaid work should be ...click here to read more

Results of a new clinical trial have shown that transplantation of a patient’s own blood-forming stem cells can encourage sustained remission of relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis. The treatment, called high-dose immunosuppressive therapy and autologous hematopoietic cell transplant, or HDIT/HCT, has shown benefits for patients up to five years after they receive it. Sixty-nine percent of people ...click here to read more

If you find yourself experiencing more severe or frequent headaches in the winter months, it may be due to a vitamin D deficiency, according to new research recently published in Scientific Reports. You are considered deficient in vitamin D when your serum vitamin D level drops below 50 nmol/l, and this correlates to chronic headaches ...click here to read more

Suffering a stroke can affect the way your brain processes visual information, and researchers from the University of East Anglia and the University of Glasgow have found that a simple, low-cost therapy may be able to improve the quality of life for stroke patients. The study approached the issue of visual neglect, which occurs when ...click here to read more

Research led by the University of Southern California is showing that air pollution may significantly increase the risk of developing dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, particularly in older women. The team of scientists and engineers discovered that older women who live in areas with air pollution that exceeds the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s standard have an ...click here to read more

New research from the Mayo Clinic has found that participating in mentally stimulating activities can help protect against the onset of mild cognitive impairment. The study, published in JAMA Neurology, showed that adults aged 70 and older who were cognitively normal decreased their risk of developing mild cognitive impairment—the step between normal cognitive aging and ...click here to read more

The effectiveness of existing stroke treatments can be limited by time and may cause dangerous side effects, but researchers from the Joslin Diabetes Center have found a new approach that could improve the standard treatment for strokes. The existing treatment regimen for strokes caused by blood clots involves administering an infusion of a tissue plasminogen ...click here to read more

A new study out of the UW Medicine Sleep Center at Harborview Medical Center has discovered a link between chronic sleep deprivation and the suppression of the immune system. While many people notice that they get sick when they haven’t slept enough, Dr. Nathaniel Watson of the Sleep Center and his team set out to ...click here to read more

How many languages can you speak? If your answer is more than one, you’re likely to fare better against Alzheimer’s disease than those who are monolingual. The latest findings suggest that people with Alzheimer’s disease who are also bilingual perform better in short term and long term memory tests. Furthermore, brain scans reveal less severe ...click here to read more

New research published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease has shown that following either a simple meditation or music listening regimen may help to reverse early memory loss in older adults. The study was conducted by West Virginia University and helmed by Dr. Kim Innes. It aimed to examine the effects of either completing basic ...click here to read more