Researchers at Dartmouth-Hitchcock and the University of Massachusetts Boston have received a 4-year, $1.2 million grant from the National Institute on Aging (NIA) to study if voice and language patterns captured by voice assistants, like Alexa, can be used to identify people in an early stage of dementia or cognitive impairment. They are experimenting to… Continue reading →
Dr. Peter Snyder, a professor of Biomedical Sciences at the University of Rhode Island, has been conducting research into retinal scanning technology that could detect signs of Alzheimer’s as early as 20 years before symptoms appear. Scientists are interested in the retina because it is an extension of the brain. As part of our nervous system it… Continue reading →
Scientists at the University of Colorado in Boulder, where I earned my M.A. and Ph.D., are doing some cutting-edge research to test a new nutritional compound that mimics caloric restriction (CR). It has been known for some time that CR, or eating less, prompts the body to age more slowly. Professor Doug Seals, director of… Continue reading →
Mah Jongg, for those who are not familiar with it, is a game involving tiles of various “suits” and a card showing possible arrangements of tiles. In order to win, you must complete one of these arrangements before your opponents do. You need to strategize to choose one arrangement as your goal and then decide… Continue reading →
Recent research looking at the impact of lifestyle practices on dementia shows that even in people with high genetic risk, good nutrition, regular exercise, minimal alcohol intake, and not smoking lowered their likelihood of developing dementia later in life. The article, published in JAMA, described a study of almost 200,000 people which found a statistically… Continue reading →
Did you know that bacteria in our gastrointestinal tract can influence our cognitive function? In other words, what we eat and how it is digested can affect how well we think and remember! Research shows that our intestinal microbiome, which is comprised of over 100 trillion microbes (plus their genes), affects the brain. Studies of… Continue reading →
I am thrilled to announce that my book, Brain SENSE: A Guide and Workbook to Keep Your Mind and Memory Sharp, is published and available on Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/dp/0578468735?ref_=pe_3052080_397514860 Have you ever asked… Why can I remember the lyrics to that song I haven’t heard in years, but not the name of the new neighbor I… Continue reading →
Ageism is defined as a systematic stereotyping of and discrimination against people because they are old, and it happens when people are defined not by their personality, individuality or beliefs but by their age. Ageist ideas also spring from cultural influences such as media, religion, family and society in general. Television… Continue reading →
What do researchers Aladdin Shadyab, Prabha Siddarth, and James Levine have in common? They all have found evidence for the benefits of walking and moving and the harm to our brains of being too sedentary. In Shadyab’s study, nearly 1500 women ages 64 to 95 who were part of the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) were… Continue reading →
My mother-in-law just turned 89. She still lives alone in a ranch-style home in a gated community and was able to renew her drivers’ license, albeit without the privilege of driving at night. Other people her age are struggling with dementia. As people age, the variability in cognitive functions, especially memory, widens. A group of… Continue reading →