Category: Neurological Health

Everyday Activities That Can Cut Your Odds for Dementia

Reading, doing yoga and spending time with family and friends might help lower your risk of dementia, a new study suggests. “Previous studies have shown that leisure activities were associated with various health benefits, such as a lower cancer risk, a reduction of atrial fibrillation, and a person’s perception of their own well-being,” said study…


Cognitive Rehab May Help Older Adults Clear Covid-Related Brain Fog

Eight months after falling ill with covid-19, the 73-year-old woman couldn’t remember what her husband had told her a few hours before. She would forget to remove laundry from the dryer at the end of the cycle. She would turn on the tap at a sink and walk away. Before covid, the woman had been…


When Eyes Meet, Brains Get to Work

New research charts the surprisingly widespread response in multiple brain areas when the eyes of two individuals meet and social gaze interaction happens. “There are strong robust signals in the brain that are signatures of an interactive social gaze,” says Steve Chang, associate professor of psychology and neuroscience at Yale University, a member of the…


Could Sleeping in This Position Protect Your Brain From Decline?

Lou Gehrig’s disease—also known as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis—is devastating. It took the life of my classmate, Stephen Heywood, when he was just 37 years old. A young dad, Heywood did not get to watch his son grow up. This disease does not affect the mind but it does affect the motor neurons (the cells in…


Game of Thrones Star Emilia Clarke Is Missing ‘Quite a Bit’ of Her Brain. How Can People Survive and Thrive After Brain Injury?

In a recent interview, “Game of Thrones” star Emilia Clarke spoke about being able to live “completely normally” after two aneurysms—one in 2011 and one in 2013—that caused brain injury. She went on to have two brain surgeries. An aneurysm is a bulge or ballooning in the wall of a blood vessel, often accompanied by…


How Having a Concussion Can Damage Your Digestion

Several years ago, Brooke Gottlieb started having a plethora of gastrointestinal digestive issues that baffled her doctors. In high school at the time, Gottlieb was a competitive lacrosse player. She was used to dealing with sore muscles, bruises, and joint pain. Her tummy troubles began after she had a serious concussion playing lacrosse. But it…


Even Chores, Socializing Might Lower Your Odds for Dementia

Your daily walk, cleaning the house and lunch with friends could together be keys to staving off dementia, according to researchers. A new study looked at lifestyle habits that could help lower risks, instead of factors that may contribute to the disease. Researchers in China combed the data of more than a half-million British people…


Drinking This Popular Beverage Slashes Depression and Suicide Risk by Half, According to Study

In the song “9 to 5,” from the 1980 movie of the same name, singer Dolly Parton refers to coffee as a “cup of ambition.”  Now, emerging research indicates that coffee’s potential benefits extend far beyond increasing motivation; according to one study, coffee may even help prevent suicide. Other recent studies show that coffee can…


What Is the Role of Internet and Violent Video Games in a Generation of Aggressive and Violent Youths

On July 4th, 2022, a man in Illinois took to the rooftop and fired rounds of bullets on the Independence Day parade participants, killing 5 people with 2 more dying later from their wounds and injuring even more. The man, soon identified by the police, is Robert Crimo III, aged 21. Robert Crimo III poses…


People With Underactive Thyroid May Face Higher Dementia Risk

Older people with hypothyroidism, also called underactive thyroid, may be at increased risk of developing dementia, according to a new study. The risk of developing dementia is even higher for people whose condition required thyroid hormone replacement medication, the researchers report. Hypothyroidism occurs when the thyroid gland doesn’t make enough thyroid hormones, which can slow metabolism. Symptoms…