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 →
As lifespan continues to increase, we need to find ways to enable our brain and its cognitive functions to remain healthy as we age in order to be able to continue to live independently. Research shows that age-related cognitive decline is common, even in the absence of dementia. A study published online in Cerebral Cortex… Continue reading →
In an article published by AARP in 2013, Dr. Armon B. Neel, Jr., author of Are Your Prescriptions Killing You, (https://www.amazon.com/Are-Your-Prescriptions-Killing-You-ebook/dp/B004T4KXA0\) wrote about ten types of medications that may result in memory loss in older adults. He stated that, though memory loss in older years usually results from Alzheimer’s or other forms of dementia, memory… Continue reading →
Have you ever noticed how smelling something- whether it is a flower, perfume, or something cooking or baking, perhaps- often results in your sudden recall of a prior experience? Odors are processed by the olfactory bulb inside the nose, which runs to the brain and is connected to the limbic system. The limbic system is… Continue reading →
Cognitive impairment is one of the most frequent chronic conditions in older adults. In a 2014 study published by James et al. in Neurology, it was reported that Alzheimer’s disease is now the third leading cause of death in the U.S., following only cardiovascular disease and cancer. A 2-year trial, called the Finnish Geriatric Study… Continue reading →
One hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease is the presence of beta amyloid plaques and tau tangles in the brain, which cause neurons (brain cells) to die. However, some people, whose brain autopsies revealed the presence of these plaques and tangles, had had no cognitive decline while they were alive, because they had no inflammation. Recent research… Continue reading →
In the U.S., more than 8 people are killed and 1,161 injured every day in crashes reported to involve a distracted driver.1 Every year, almost a half million people are injured or killed in traffic accidents attributed to the combination of texting and driving. What is sad is that most or possibly all of these… Continue reading →
In a study using mice, funded by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), researchers demonstrated that the space between brain cells may increase during sleep, allowing the brain to flush out toxins that build up during waking hours. Almost every neurodegenerative disease- including Alzheimer’s- is associated with the buildup of toxic proteins… Continue reading →
This blog post will discuss the benefits of sleep and the costs to health and productivity of insufficient sleep. The second part, coming later this month, will offer suggestions for getting more and better sleep. How many hours of sleep do you get per night? Most adults require seven or eight hours. Thirty percent of… Continue reading →
A concern of both older and younger people is when to stop driving; older adults fear the loss of independence that comes with relinquishing a driver’s license, but their children and others fear the increased risk of accidents from slowdowns in mental processing and reaction time that accompany aging. Researcher Jerri Edwards, an associate professor… Continue reading →