Tag: Neuroscience

Weekly physical activity may help prevent mild cognitive impairment conversion to dementia

Exercising more than once per week is associated with a lower risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease in patients with mild cognitive impairment, research published in the open access journal Alzheimer’s Research and Therapy suggests. Mild cognitive impairment is a condition that causes people to have more problems with memory and thinking than is normal for someone their age. People with mild cognitive impairment have a ten-fold higher risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease than the general population. Continue reading “Weekly physical activity may help prevent mild cognitive impairment conversion to dementia” →

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Sleep loss hijacks brain’s activity during learning

Sleep is crucial for consolidating our memories, and sleep deprivation has long been known to interfere with learning and memory. Now a new study shows that getting only half a night’s sleep — as many medical workers and military personnel often do — hijacks the brain’s ability to unlearn fear-related memories. That might put people at greater risk of conditions such as anxiety or posttraumatic stress disorder. Continue reading “Sleep loss hijacks brain’s activity during learning” →

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When pregnant moms are stressed out, babies’ brains suffer

While additional research is needed, the Children’s National Hospital study authors say their unprecedented findings underscore the need for universal screening for psychological distress as a routine part of prenatal care and taking other steps to support stressed-out pregnant women and safeguard their newborns’ developing brains. Continue reading “When pregnant moms are stressed out, babies’ brains suffer” →

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Early life experiences biologically and functionally mature the brain

Experiences early in life have an impact on the brain’s biological and functional development, shows a new study by a team of neuroscientists. Its findings, which centered on changes in mice and rats, reveal how learning and memory abilities may vary, depending on the nature of individual experiences in early life. Continue reading “Early life experiences biologically and functionally mature the brain” →

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Aerobic exercise training linked to enhanced brain function

Individuals at risk for Alzheimer’s disease (AD) because of family history or genetic predisposition who engaged in six months of aerobic exercise training improved their brain glucose metabolism and higher-order thinking abilities (e.g., planning and mental flexibility) called executive function; these improvements occurred in conjunction with increased cardiorespiratory fitness. The results of this study are published in a special issue of Brain Plasticity devoted to Exercise and Cognition. Continue reading “Aerobic exercise training linked to enhanced brain function” →

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