My mother began experiencing mini-strokes about 15 years ago. She’s now 87 and has had full-blown dementia for at least five years. Before mom became incapable, she named me as her attorney for personal care (or substitute decision maker). This means I have a decision-making veto in the event that she is unable to make her own health care decisions. This is clearly the case now.
By Paddy Kamen, Publisher, BetterBrainBetterLife.com
My mother began experiencing mini-strokes about 15 years ago. She’s now 87 and has had full-blown dementia for at least five years. Before mom became incapable, she named me as her attorney for personal care (or substitute decision maker). This means I have a decision-making veto in the event that she is unable to make her own health care decisions. This is clearly the case now.
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By Paddy Kamen, Publisher, BetterBrainBetterLife.com
‘Shoot-em-up’ video games are appealing to some people and appalling to others. But are they good for the brain? Well, yes, and no. Research on the effects of action-oriented video game playing finds a mixture of seemingly positive and potentially negative effects on the brains of players. Seeing More How much do you see and how fast can your brain make use of that visual information? It turns out that the video-game-trained brain apparently makes more sense of visual stimuli and is able to act upon visual information faster. By Paddy Kamen, Publisher, BetterBrainBetterLife.com
If you think your brain might be shrinking (due to aging, poor memory, or signs of dementia) you’ll want to know about the relationship between homocysteine and B vitamins. Researchers at the University of Oxford recently published study results that show significantly reduced brain atrophy in pre-dementia patients (those with Mild Cognitive Impairment) as a result of B vitamin supplementation. By Paddy Kamen, Publisher, BetterBrainBetterLife.com
Science has now ‘proven’ what women have known all along: the ability to remember is affected by menopause. Maybe I’m uber-sensitive (after all, I am post-menopausal), but the tone of the news release about this research strikes me as a tad sexist. The headline reads, “It’s not your imagination: Memory gets muddled at menopause.” How many women of a certain age have been told that their very real symptoms or experiences are, in fact, figments of their imaginations? This type of language (and attitude) about women’s health-related experience has been with us for some time. Was the news release written by a man? Who approved it? By Paddy Kamen, Publisher, BetterBrainBetterLife.com Computer Model of Laser Behaving Like a Neuron The beautiful image to the left is the work of Princeton University graduate student, Mitchell A. Nahmias and faculty member Paul R. Prucnal. The image is an entry in the Art of Science exhibition hosted by the university. The images entered into the competition were produced in the process of scientific research. Of this image, the Princeton website says:
Fiber optic networks have transformed global communications by moving digital bits of information around the planet at the speed of light. By combining lasers with artificial neural networks, it may one day be possible to create high-speed processors that react to incoming data far faster than current computers could ever handle. Our brains are composed of billions of individual cells called neurons, which communicate along millions of billions of channels with electrochemical signals. This computer model visualizes a laser that behaves like a neuron by plotting a so-called “phase space.” Notice that the lines swirl inwards like a whirlpool to converge at stable equilibrium points, indicating that the laser will stabilize over time. Studying these trajectories helps us understand how our devices emit and receive pulses of light that mimic the way in which neurons communicate. Check out all the images entered in the competition at: http://www.princeton.edu/artofscience/gallery2013/ By Paddy Kamen, Publisher, BetterBrainBetterLife.com The cost associated with obesity in our world is enormous. Being somewhat zaftig myself, I know. Recently, two women friends told me that they wear too-tight clothes in order to remind themselves not to eat too much. My way is to wear loose clothing so that I’m comfortable and happy. My weight has been quite stable for several years…well, actually it has declined, very slowly, by about 15 pounds. Would I like to be slim and willowy? You bet! And if I could wire up my brain for that I would do it in a heartbeat. By Guest Writer Samantha Zhang, Ph.D.
Parkinson’s is a terrible disease that eats away at the control of one’s body movements. As the dopamine-generating cells in the midbrain die, sufferers may continue to lose more of themselves with cognitive and behavioral issues such as dementia setting in. No one knows what causes the death of these cells. Public figures such as Michael J. Fox and Muhammad Ali have increased awareness of the disease, which was first described in 1817. But while it’s been almost 200 years since English scientist Dr. James Parkinson published An Essay in the Shaking Palsy, there is still no cure. By Guest Writer Rosemary Frei
There is now more tantalizing evidence that taking fish oil supplements can keep your brain supple for a longer time. In a study presented at the 2011 International Conference on Alzheimer’s disease in Paris, investigators showed that people who used fish oil supplements enjoyed better cognitive functioning over the course of the three-year study than those who didn’t. They also had less reduction in brain volume over time. However, these associations only occurred among people with normal baseline cognitive function who did not carry the gene ApoE4, a known risk factor for Alzheimer’s. Music, the Mind and Sensory Deprivation: Musician’s Device Wins Coveted Spot at TED Conference2/26/2011 By Paddy Kamen, Publisher, BetterBrainBetterLife.com What if the brain gains associated with meditation practice could be married to the soothing elements of music in an incredibly comfortable cocoon of darkness? What if technology can be used to foster positive mood and mind states? Jay Vidyarthi says he’s a dreamer, because he “wants to help people achieve a state of peace and then apply their happiness forward to generate more positivity.” But he’s also one heck of a practical guy who has woven his interest and expertise in brain function, music and technology into a new device — the Sonic Cradle — that is premiering this week at the exclusive TEDActive conference in Palm Springs, California. By Guest Writer Rosemary Frei Sleeping in a hammock is good for the brain. Scientists have confirmed what many mothers have known for eons: you can get the best rest by dozing in a hammock or on another gently swinging surface. A study by Swiss researchers showed that napping on a slowly swinging surface activates the parts of the brain involved in sleep. The swinging motion propelled healthy male subjects in the study more rapidly into sleep and gave them longer-lasting deep sleep than sleeping on a non-rocking surface. Read more about this exciting research in my book: Better Brain Better Life: Tips and Tales from the Tantalizing World of Brain Science.
About the writer: Rosemary Frei has a diverse background in life-sciences research, journalism, media relations and continuing medical education. With a M.Sc. in molecular biology/biotechnology from the University of Calgary, Rosemary has been a freelance broadcast and print journalist for Canadian radio (CBC) and business magazines, including Equinox and Canadian Business. |
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