In the News

Chimps are Champs on Memory Tests
Chimpanzees don't monkey around on memory tests. In fact, they can actually score better than humans. Researchers in Japan found that a five-year-old chimp named Ayumu was able to correctly put numbers in order after they quickly flashed on a screen 80 percent of the time. College students in the study only got 40 percent right!

Which Comes First: Migraines or Thickness?
Scientists have discovered that the pain processing center in the brains of people who suffer frequent migraines is thicker than people who don't get the debilitating headaches by an average of 21 percent. But they aren’t sure what comes first: does the thickness cause the migraines, or do the migraines thicken that area of the brain?

Caregiving Changes Cells
As it turns out, Alzheimer’s doesn’t only shorten the life of the person diagnosed with the disease. It can also shorten the life of the person’s caregiver. Researchers have demonstrated cellular changes in caregivers that translate into four-to-eight years off the lifespan.

Hybrid Embryos for Alzheimer’s Research
Earlier this month, British regulators gave the green light to creating hybrid human-animal embryos for use in research. According to the chairman of the British Medical Association’s ethics committee, these hybrid embryos could facilitate “major breakthroughs in treatments for Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and other serious diseases.” The U.S. has a ban on hybrid embryos.

Subconscious Power
Scientists at Yale and other universities are discovering that our subconscious brains might be more active and independent than once thought. This may help to explain “some of the more mystifying realities of behavior, like how we can be generous one moment and petty the next.”

Drink Your Coffee, Ladies
A French study published in Neurology suggests that drinking a lot of coffee (more than three cups per day) may help women—but not men—keep their brains growing strong.

It’s No Joke
A new study suggests an unwelcome change that may accompany cognitive aging: a weaker ability to understand humor. In the study, adults 65+ had a harder time choosing the correct punch line to a joke than college students, probably because of subtle changes in the areas of the brain responsible for humor. Yet another reason good reason to keep your brain in the best shape possible!

A Road to Somewhere
Over the last few years, brain health has begun to move out of the margins and towards the main stage of preventative medicine. One example of its new status is the just-released National Public Health Road Map to Maintaining Cognitive Health. Created by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Alzheimer’s Association, the road map gives 44 recommendations for raising public awareness about the importance of brain health and working towards the prevention of cognitive loss.

What the Nose Knows
What would you guess is the first symptom of mild cognitive impairment (MCI)? You might think it’s forgetfulness or confusion, but according to a new study it may actually be a weakening sense of smell. In the study, normal older adults who performed poorly on a simple smell test were 50% more likely to be diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment within five years than their better-performing peers.

Protective Prions?
Most of us know about prions because of the mad cow scare. When corrupted, prions—proteins normally found in the brain—can take on a new shape, and ultimately lead to death. But what purpose do normal prions have in the brain? As it turns out, they may help prevent the plaques associated with Alzheimer’s disease.

You Must Remember This…A Pain is Still a Pain
Almost 20% of Americans report having chronic pain, but it can be a somewhat mysterious condition. Often, it persists after an injury has healed, when there is no (obvious) physical cause. Now researchers at Northwestern suggest that chronic pain is the result of a malfunctioning memory. The “pain” is caused by a memory trace stuck in the emotion and learning center of the brain, which remembers an injury and the pain associated with it as if it were fresh. This insight may lead to more effective treatments for the millions of chronic pain sufferers.

Tricking the Brain for Weight Loss
Many diets promise to help you lose weight while never feeling hungry, but Yaniv Linde at the Hebrew University may have actually figured out how to make good on it. When we eat, we excrete a hormone that binds to a receptor in our brains, eventually causing it to send out a message that the body is full. Linde has figured out how to synthesize a peptide that mimics this hormone. In his experiments with mice, this false “full” signal led to significant weight loss.

Less Oxygen, More Alzheimer’s
Certain events and conditions, such as stroke and sleep apnea, prevent oxygen from reaching the brain. Scientists have discovered that however well someone recovers on the outside, this oxygen deprivation can have long-lasting effects on the brain—even contributing to Alzheimer’s.

Young at Brain
Researchers at Johns Hopkins have discovered that neurons “born” in the adult brain have a one-month childhood. During that time, they are as active as neurons in the brain of a developing child. This neuron childhood may be important for adult learning.

Even by a Whisker
A recent study at Carnegie Mellon has shown that the brain’s plasticity—its ability to adapt—enables it to make a profound recovery from sensory deprivation. The study examined the brains of mice with just one whisker, and showed that the brain activity associated with that single whisker grew to activate nearby areas of the brain.

Becoming a Better Eyewitness
British scientists have created a self-administered interview (SAI) designed to help eyewitnesses “freeze” memories in their minds so that they can recall crime scene details more accurately. In tests, witnesses who used the SAI recalled information 42% more accurately than those asked to “report as much as you can remember.” What makes the test so successful?

The Effect of Migraines
A recent study shows that migraines can damage the brain, much like tiny transient strokes. This finding means that prevention, rather than pain relief, should be the focus of migraine treatments.

Another Reason to Stay Sharp
People are working later in life than in earlier decades—both because they enjoy it and because they need the money. For example, in California one in four adults now works past age 65, compared to one in five ten years ago. The desire—or need—to work in our 50s, 60s, 70s, and beyond is just another reason to keep our brains in shape!

"Smart" Pills?
Certain drugs officially intended for other purposes may help make people “smarter,” a new study shoes. And many people—including students—are already using them to get a mental boost. But the concept of a pill that can improve cognitive abilities raises certain ethical questions.

When Forgetting Is a Good Thing
A study at Columbia University may help to explain why people who remember much of what they've learned in the past can have a harder time remembering what has happened recently. In essence, the "old" information interferes with the creation of new memories. Forgetting some information can actually help to keep a healthy balance.

“Remembering” Past Lives
You may have your own belief about whether people can remember past lives, but a new Dutch study suggests that there may be a scientific explanation. The researchers showed that people who recall past lives often have a broad problem remembering the source of information they receive.

More Benefits to Omega-3
We’ve reported before on research suggesting that the omega-3 fatty acid in fish oils may prevent Alzheimer’s. It turns out it might also improve your mood. Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh found people with higher intakes of omega-3 also had more gray matter in areas of the brain associated with mood.

Subliminal Messaging
We’ve all heard of subliminal messages, but many of us are skeptical about their effect. Maybe we shouldn’t be. By viewing brain scans of people exposed to subliminal messages, scientists at University College London have proven that our brains log subliminal messages even if we don’t know we’ve seen them.

A Billion Brains
According to a new study titled “Neurological Disorders: Public Health Challenges” by the World Health Organization (WHO), over a billion of the world’s citizens suffer from a neurological disorder—from epilepsy to Alzheimer’s to migraines. That’s about 1 in every 6.5 people worldwide.

Building for Brain Health
A new Japanese housing project is purposefully awkward. The floors slope erratically; the door to the patio is so small you must bend to get through. There’s a method to the madness, though: the apartments aim to keep people sharp. The architect believes the apartment “makes you alert and awakens instincts.”

Up in Smoke
It’s hard to quit smoking. But in some stroke patients, the urge to smoke disappears—even if they have smoked for decades. They simply “forget” to smoke. What these patients have in common is damage to the insula, an area of the brain near the ear. This finding suggests a new direction in the study of addiction and treatment.

The Mind’s Eyes
Doctors used to believe that people who were born blind could never learn to see after age 5 or 6, even if their vision was restored. Their brains would have missed the window of opportunity for making sense of sight. But a case study by MIT researchers suggests otherwise. Their findings show that the brain remains plastic—or malleable—enough to develop sight well past age 6.

Vasectomy Link to Brain Disorder
A Northwestern study finds that getting a vasectomy may increase men’s chance of developing a neurological disorder that destroys language abilities.

Not-So-Super Bowl Ads
It cost $85,000 per second to air commercials during Super Bowl XLII. But this year’s ads probably weren’t worth the cost, say scientists at UCLA. They looked at brain scans of people as they watched the commercials, and found many of the ads provoked anxiety and fear responses in the brain.

HIV Creates Cognitive Crisis in Africa
A new study shows that 31% of HIV-positive patients in Uganda have HIV-associated dementia, a rarely discussed side-effect of the disease. Do the math and it means more than 8 million sub-Saharan Africans likely have HIV dementia, at a huge social and economic cost to the region.

Smell Great
Researchers at Northwestern have discovered that when a person is exposed to a single scent for 3 ½ minutes, their brains become highly attuned to any scent in the category (such as “minty smells”). That might come in handy if you want to impress your friends with your nose for different wines, flowers, or cheeses.

Two Languages for One Sharp Brain
A preliminary study at Toronto’s York University suggests that full bilingualism—speaking two languages every day—exercises the brain in ways that delay the onset of Alzheimer’s by up to four years.

The body and the brain
Several studies on older adults have connected physical exercise with better brain function. Now, a study out of the University of Illinois shows a correlation between physical exercise and brain fitness for young- and middle-aged adults, too.

Learning about Alzheimer’s…from Sea Slugs?
The sea slug brain is more like ours than you might think—or want to think. The primitive Aplysia shares many of the genes that in humans are implicated in Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and other neurological disorders. That means those genes evolved much earlier than previously believed, with implications both for neurological research and animal evolution.

Less Alcohol, More Brain?
Alcohol abuse can shrink parts of the brain, such as the frontal lobe and the hippocampus. But the good news is it can recover. A new study shows that in the average recovering alcoholic, less than two months of sobriety increases the overall volume of the brain by almost 2%.

The Left-Handed Brain
A new study suggests that the brains of left-handed people are wired a little differently than those of right-handed people. The right and left halves of their brains seem to communicate more fluidly, with larger and faster connections. The result: they might be better at complex tasks requiring the integrated work of both sides of the brain, such as talking on the phone while driving in heavy traffic.

In the News New Insight into Long-Term Memory
Researchers at Brown University have shown that long-held beliefs about how the brain forms and manages long-term memories might be off-target. Their findings could offer up “a fresh look at the causes of diseases such as Alzheimer’s, as well as potential treatments.”

Taste Buds in the Brain
Scientists at the University of Michigan conducted a study of the brain to determine why our “taste” for certain foods changes over time. Why does a pleasing food become less pleasurable? Why does something we once disliked become tasty?

ASA Logo Survey Says: People Believe They Can Improve Brain Health
A survey of 1,000 Americans aged 42+ shows that almost 90% think improving brain health is possible. But most aren’t exercising their brains effectively. Read an article about the study, or check out the full report for more information.

An Alzheimer's Pill?
Scientists are testing a new pill in mice that breaks down amyloid plaques in the brain—a major factor in Alzheimer’s disease. The research is still at a very early stage, but promising nonetheless.

Chemobrain Confirmed
Many chemotherapy patients notice chronic cognitive difficulties after treatment—even years later. But scientists and doctors have been split about whether this “chemobrain” was real. Now, brain scans done at UCLA prove that the brains of breast cancer survivors who were treated with chemotherapy have to work harder to perform tasks than survivors whose treatment was surgical.

The Diabetes/Alzheimer’s Connection
As the Boomers age and people live longer, the problem of Alzheimer’s is expected to mushroom. But there’s another reason why the toll may rise. Evidence is mounting that people with Type 2 (“adult onset”) diabetes are significantly more likely to develop Alzheimer’s than people without diabetes. Since Type 2 diabetes is expanding quickly—largely due to its relationship to obesity—Alzheimer’s numbers are likely to go up, too.

Survey Says: People Believe They Can Improve Brain Health
A survey of 1,000 Americans aged 42+ shows that almost 90% think improving brain health is possible. But most aren’t exercising their brains effectively. Read an article about the study, or check out the full report for more information.

Unexpected Sources of Alzheimer’s Help
Two recent studies show that help for Alzheimer’s disease might come from sources you wouldn’t expect: chemicals found in curry and marijuana. Curcumin, a chemical in curry and turmeric, may help the immune system of an Alzheimer’s patient clear out amyloid beta, which causes plaques in the Alzheimer’s brain. Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the active ingredient in marijuana, helps keep levels of important brain chemicals up, and may help prevent amyloid plaques from forming. Read more about the curcurim study or the THC study.