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New research supports the idea that the brains of older adults who maintain physical fitness by engaging in regular strenuous exercise more closely resemble those of younger adults. The researchers used functional MRI to measure fluctuations in blood oxygen level-dependent signals as the 52 study participants performed tasks involving several varieties of cognitive control. The fMRI scans indicated that young adults primarily used the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex—a classical working memory, cognitive control center of the brain that is activated more as tasks became more demanding. In general, the brain calls upon its resources like firefighters respond to a multi-alarm fire:...

News reports this morning describe how shocked doctors removed a live worm from a woman's brain in a Canberra hospital last year. The woman had previously been admitted to hospital with stomach symptoms, dry cough and night sweats and months later experienced depression and forgetfulness that led to a brain scan. In the case study published in Emerging InfectiDiseases journal, doctors describe removing the live 8cm-long nematode (roundworm) from the brain of the 64-year-old woman who was immunosuppressed. The worm was identified as O. robertsi which is native to Australia, where it lives on carpet pythons. The woman may have...

RUSH researchers recently discovered that a muscle-building supplement called beta-hydroxy beta-methylbutyrate, also called HMB, may help protect memory, reduce plaques and ultimately help prevent the progression of Alzheimer's disease. HMB is not a prescription drug or a steroid, but an over-the-counter supplement that is available in sports and fitness stores. Bodybuilders regularly use HMB to increase exercise-induced gains in muscle size and strength while improving exercise performance. HMB is considered safe even after long-term use, with no known side effects. "This may be one of the safest and the easiest approaches to halt disease progression and protect memory in Alzheimer's...

Neuroscientists have found that intensive exercise could slow the course of Parkinson's disease. The finding could pave the way for new non-drug approaches. The research has identified a new mechanism responsible for the positive effects of exercise on brain plasticity. Professor Paolo Calabresi, said, "We have discovered a never observed mechanism, through which exercise performed in the early stages of the disease induces beneficial effects on movement control that may last over time even after training is suspended." Previous work has shown that intensive physical activity is associated with increased production of a critical growth factor, the brain-derived neurotrophic factor...

Motor learning skills let us move through the world. But age or sickness can weaken our ability to learn motor tasks. Scientists studying the impact of oxygen supplementation on motor learning have found a promising treatment that could help patients who have experienced neurological trauma recover old skills. "A simple and easy to administer treatment with 100% oxygen can drastically improve human motor learning processes," said Dr. Marc Dalecki. Our brains need a lot of oxygen. In low-oxygen contexts cognitive function decreases, while in high-oxygen contexts it recovers, and the delivery of 100% oxygen is already used to help preserve...

Speaking to reporters Wednesday, the president falsely claimed that Russia is at war with Iraq. Russia is at war with Ukraine. Russian President Vladimir Putin is “clearly losing the war in Iraq,” Biden told the press pool, “losing the war at home. And he has become a bit of a pariah around the world.” On Tuesday, during an unrelated fundraising event in Chevy Chase, Md., Biden had made the exact same slip-up, mistaking Ukraine for Iraq. “If anybody told you … that we’d be able to bring all of Europe together in the onslaught on Iraq and get NATO to...

A decade after scientists identified an over-the-counter antihistamine as a treatment for multiple sclerosis, researchers have developed an approach to measure the drug's effectiveness in repairing the brain. The researchers, led by Ari Green, used MRI scans to study the drug's impact on the brain of 50 participants in a clinical study. In MS, patients lose myelin, the protective insulation around nerve fibers. This myelin loss triggers delays in nerve signals, leading to weakness and spasticity, and other symptoms. In the brain, water trapped between the thin layers of myelin that wrap nerve fibers cannot move as freely as water...

A team of rehabilitation researchers has discovered that prism adaptation therapy (PAT) is as beneficial for treating right-sided spatial neglect as left-sided spatial neglect in a cohort of individuals with stroke and traumatic and non-traumatic brain injuries. Spatial neglect, a disorder of spatial cognition commonly experienced by individuals with acquired- or traumatic-brain injury, increases the risks for prolonged hospitalization, injuries, poor motor recovery, and discharge to long-term care facilities. Left-sided spatial neglect is well recognized and known to respond to prism adaptation treatment (PAT). However, little is known about PAT's effectiveness for individuals with right-sided spatial neglect. Using a clinical...

Data from the phase III INTERACT3 study demonstrate that a new combination of treatments for stroke due to intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) significantly improves the chances of surviving without major disability. The INTERACT3 study is the first-ever randomized controlled trial to show a clearly positive outcome for the treatment of ICH. Timely administration of the new treatment protocol—known as a Care Bundle—centered on the rapid control of high blood pressure, led to improved recovery, lower rates of death, and better overall quality of life. Professor Craig Anderson said, "Despite the high rates of ICH and its severity, there are few proven...

Medical experts have raised concerns about whether President Joe Biden is fit to serve another term after the 80-year-old officially launched his reelection campaign. They fear Biden, who would be 86 at the end of a second stint in the White House, is already showing signs of 'cognitive impairment' and that the stress of another presidency could deteriorate his condition further and raise the risk of an on-screen accident. The President's first term has been marked by a series of high-profile gaffes, falls and visible signs of disorientation - including stumbling up the steps of Air Force One and falling...

A team of researchers at the University of Texas has developed a noninvasive means by which human thoughts can be converted into text. Though currently somewhat clunky, the "semantic decoder" could one day be miniaturized and mobilized such that one's most private thoughts could be made apparent anywhere and endlessly.The scientists' paper, recently published in the journal Nature Neuroscience (look for the centerfold!), indicated that a "brain-computer interface that decodes continuous language from non-invasive recordings would have many scientific and practical applications."I'm sure that is the case. You can bet that tyrannical governments from China to Canada, and from Iran...

Supplementing GlyNAC—a combination of glycine and N-acetylcysteine as precursors of the natural antioxidant glutathione—improved or reversed age-associated cognitive decline in old mice and improved multiple associated defects in the aging brain. Sekhar and his team worked with three groups of mice. Two groups were aged naturally side-by-side until they were 90 weeks old, which is similar to a 70-year-old person. At 90 weeks of age, both groups of old mice were evaluated for their cognitive abilities, such as remembering the correct route in a maze that leads to a food reward. These results were compared to those of young mice,...

Intensive blood pressure treatment significantly reduces the risk of adverse cerebrovascular events such as stroke. New research shows evidence of how the brain benefits from consistently lower blood pressure. The study is a follow-up analysis of the Systolic Blood Pressure Intervention Trial (SPRINT), a multicenter clinical trial that compared intensive systolic blood pressure control (target less than 120 mm Hg) versus standard control (target less than 140 mm Hg). SPRINT enrolled participants aged 50 or older with hypertension and without diabetes or a history of stroke. "Our study demonstrates that lowering systolic blood pressure to below 120 mm Hg is...

A new paper from Germany posted on April 5, 2023 proves that the spike protein accumulates in the brain and causes death of brain cells (which would certainly explain a great deal of what we see around us). (click here) Key findings: “Our results revealed the accumulation of the spike protein in the skull marrow, brain meninges, and brain parenchyma.” “The injection of the spike protein alone caused cell death in the brain, highlighting a direct effect on brain tissue.” “we observed the presence of spike protein in the skull of deceased long after their COVID-19 infection, suggesting that the...

Researchers found that after traumatic brain injury, the brain's immune system cells' internal recycling function slowed dramatically, allowing waste products to build up and interfere with recovery from injury. The researchers also found that treating mice that had traumatic brain injury with a drug to promote cellular recycling improved the mice's ability to recover from injury. The body's cells regularly recycle their own worn-out or damaged parts that accrue through normal wear and tear, infection, or injury in a process known as autophagy. In a previous study, Dr. Lipinski's group showed that traumatic brain injury reduced the ability of neurons—the...

The first time I reached past the sheer horror of the concept of death and wondered what the experience of dying may be like, I was about 15. I had just discovered gruesome aspects of the French revolution and how heads were neatly cut off the body by a Guillotine. Words I remember to this day were the last of Georges Danton on April 5, 1794, who allegedly said to his executioner: “Show my head to the people, it is worth seeing.” Years later, having become a cognitive neuroscientist, I started wondering to what extent a brain suddenly separated from...

The process by which memories are formed in the hippocampus region of the brain is complex. It relies on a precise choreography of interactions among neurons, neurotransmitters, receptors and enzymes. A new mouse study led by researchers has identified an intricate molecular process involving gene expression in the neurons that appears to play a critical role in memory consolidation. The new study focuses on the central adrenergic system. The ability to pay attention, which is essential in learning and memory, is controlled by the central adrenergic system in the brain. To understand the components critical for memory, the researchers looked...

Extra virgin olive oil may have positive effects on individuals with mild cognitive impairment, according to a recently completed study by Amal Kaddoumi. Her findings suggest compounds found in olive oil impact brain health and improve the blood-brain barrier. Kaddoumi utilized 25 participants experiencing mild cognitive impairment in her study that included consuming 30 milliliters, or about three tablespoons, of olive oil per day for six months. Thirteen participants consumed extra virgin olive oil, or EVOO, and 12 consumed refined olive oil, or ROO. EVOO is rich in phenols, a class of organic compounds containing a hydroxyl group and a...

Researchers have provided important molecular understanding of how injury may contribute to the development of a relatively rare but often aggressive form of brain tumor called a glioma. The UCL team have now identified a possible mechanism to explain this link, implicating genetic mutations acting in concert with brain tissue inflammation to change the behavior of cells. Professor Parrinello said, "Normally astrocytes are highly branched, but we found that without p53 and only after an injury the astrocytes had retracted their branches and become more rounded. They weren't quite stem cell-like, but something had changed. So we let the mice...

Sad news Monday evening—actor Tom Sizemore’s representative reported that his doctors have “informed his family that there is no further hope and have recommended end-of-life decision” after he suffered a brain aneurysm last week in Los Angeles.