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Comments made on 11/9/23

A team of cognitive health and aging research specialists affiliated with a large number of institutions in Japan has found that ingesting wasabi can help improve both long- and short-term memory retention in older adults. For their study, the group gave one group of older adult volunteers daily wasabi tablets and another group a daily placebo for three months. Wasabi is a kind of plant that grows in Japan and the Russian Far East—some liken to horseradish. The rhizome is commonly used as both an ingredient in food and as a condiment. Prior research has shown that its anti-inflammatory benefits...

Ongoing work by researchers into how aspartame affects the brain has linked the artificial sweetener with learning and memory deficits in mice. The offspring of male mice that consumed aspartame at levels equivalent to much lower doses than those deemed safe by the U.S. FDA demonstrated spatial learning and memory deficits over the course of a controlled 16-week exposure. The most recent research is an extension of a study which linked aspartame consumption to anxiety in mice, with effects extending up to two generations. "The thing we noticed here, unlike the anxiety (research), this went only one generation. It was...

In a randomized trial, researchers uncover evidence supporting a shorter treatment time for breast cancer patients. The study compared two separate dosing schedules of pencil-beam scanning proton therapy, the most advanced type of proton therapy known for its precision in targeting cancer cells while preserving healthy tissue to reduce the risk of side effects. Survival rates for breast cancer continue to improve due to advances, leading to increasing emphasis on reducing the long-term toxicity of cancer treatment, including radiotherapy. Prior to this study, all patients treated with proton postmastectomy radiotherapy (PMRT) had received a conventional 25- to 30-day course delivered...

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:...

There is a clear need for a new approach to the treatment of cognitive loss in older adults that takes little effort but is highly effective and affordable (Swedish Council on Health Technology Assessments, 2008). Environmental enrichment has long been studied in rats and mice, which can be enriched by placing them in a large cage with conspecifics, a running wheel, and regularly changing physical elements, rather than their restrictive box cage (Kempermann, 2019). The enrichment stimulates neuroplasticity that improves their human-like neurological symptoms in more than two dozen animal models of human neurological disorders (Nithianantharajah and Hannan, 2009; Hannan,...

Older adults who play digital puzzle games have the same memory abilities as people in their 20s, a study has shown. The study also found that adults aged 60 and over who play digital puzzle games had a greater ability to ignore irrelevant distractions, but older adults who played strategy games did not show the same improvements in memory or concentration. It is known that as humans age, their mental abilities tend to decrease, particularly the ability to remember a number of things at a single time—known as working memory. "It instead seems to be the strategy elements of the...

Findings from a new study suggest that taking a probiotic could help prevent the decline in memory and thinking that can accompany aging. This research may pave the way for new, non-invasive treatments that leverage the gut microbiome to mitigate cognitive decline in the aging population. The researchers found that when study participants with mild cognitive impairment received the probiotic Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG (LGG) for three months, their cognitive scores increased. This cognitive improvement was also associated with changes in their gut microbiome. The study involved 169 participants between 52 and 75 years old who were divided into two groups...

Be gracious to me, O God, according to Your lovingkindness; According to the greatness of Your compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity And cleanse me from my sin. For I know my transgressions, And my sin is ever before me. Against You, You only, I have sinned And done what is evil in Your sight, So that You are justified when You speak And blameless when You judge. Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, And in sin my mother conceived me. Behold, You desire truth in the innermost being, And in the hidden part...

Researchers have developed a new design for computer memory that could both greatly improve performance and reduce the energy demands of internet and communications technologies, which are predicted to consume nearly a third of global electricity within the next ten years.The researchers, led by the University of Cambridge, developed a device that processes data in a similar way as the synapses in the human brain. The devices are based on hafnium oxide, a material already used in the semiconductor industry, and tiny self-assembled barriers, which can be raised or lowered to allow electrons to pass.This method of changing the electrical...

A large-scale study is the first to establish that a diet low in flavanols—nutrients found in certain fruits and vegetables—drives age-related memory loss. The study found that replenishing these bioactive dietary components in mildly flavanol-deficient adults over age 60 improves performance on these tests. The current study builds on over 15 years of research linking age-related memory loss to changes in the dentate gyrus, showing that flavanols improved function in this brain region. Additional research found that flavanols—particularly a bioactive substance in flavanols called epicatechin—improved memory by enhancing the growth of neurons and blood vessels and in the hippocampus. Next,...

A study analyzes in old rats the effects of a calorie-restricted diet on the hippocampus, a brain structure that is critical in learning and memory processes. The results corroborate that there is a cognitive improvement derived from diet, linked to a reduction in the levels of inflammation and neuronal loss in the hippocampus. It has been described that some of the brain alterations observed during aging are related to the cognitive dysfunction that manifests naturally as we age. These processes, which depend on both genetic and environmental factors, are particularly important in the hippocampus. Calorie-restricted diets have been shown to...

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...

More than 50 years passed since the Jewish communities of Bilke and Vicinity Kulbasavo, Ulitkes, Mistichev, Rakovetz, Osy, Yilnitze, Likiveh, were eradicated. Two thousand of our dear ones, our parents, brothers, sisters and other family members died in the Holocaust by the hands of the evil forces in Europe, with great suffering and torture. All the Jewish Institutions, the synagogues, the houses of learning, the “Chadarim” Hebrew schools, the Yeshivah, the mikvah, hundreds of Jewish homes, businesses, the Jewish youth clubs, and many others, have either been destroyed or taken by the non-Jewish population. Bilke and vicinity is no more...

Researchers have discovered the active compound from an edible mushroom that boosts nerve growth and enhances memory. Professor Frederic Meunier said the team had identified new active compounds from the mushroom, Hericium erinaceus. "Extracts from these so-called 'lion's mane' mushrooms have been used in traditional medicine in Asian countries for centuries, but we wanted to scientifically determine their potential effect on brain cells," Professor Meunier said. "Pre-clinical testing found the lion's mane mushroom had a significant impact on the growth of brain cells and improving memory. "Laboratory tests measured the neurotrophic effects of compounds isolated from Hericium erinaceus on cultured...

Everyone knows that different types of edible mushrooms can be a tasty, versatile, and nutritious ingredient in a huge range of dishes, but this isn’t the only thing they’re good for. A new study published in the Journal of Neurochemistry has revealed that one particular mushroom may also be excellent at boosting nerve growth and enhancing memory. The mushroom in question is the Hericium erinaceus, otherwise known as the “lion’s mane” mushroom. Whilst alternative medicine communities have long believed that this particular fungus has a range of health benefits, this claim has now been scientifically verified by researchers from The...

Students sometimes pull an all-nighter to prepare for an exam. However, research has shown that sleep deprivation is bad for your memory. Now, neuroscientist Robbert Havekes discovered that what you learn while being sleep deprived is not necessarily lost, it is just difficult to recall. Together with his team, he has found a way to make this "hidden knowledge" accessible again days after studying while sleep-deprived using optogenetic approaches, and the human-approved asthma drug roflumilast. His team examined whether amnesia as a result of sleep deprivation was a direct result of information loss, or merely caused by difficulties retrieving information....

The former employee posted a video on social media sharing how the tech giant allegedly 'scams' its customers.. CUPERTINO, CALIFORNIA: A former Apple employee claims the company is allowing an iOS bug to fill customers' iPhone memory so they can update their software. The former employee posted a video on TikTok sharing how the tech giant allegedly "scams" its customers. In the video, he says that it's "not your fault" when iPhone storage runs low. ... The person, who goes by @nabeel_co, says there is a "long-standing" bug in iOS that prevents cache files and temporary files from being deleted...

I'm looking for flash drives (USB 3.1 or 3.2 memory sticks) with 3D NAND memory if such are out there? MLC would be next best. I'm looking more for reliability than speed. Most useful would be a 256 GB stick. A dual drive (USB A and USB C connection on either end) would be best.Recommendations?

If I use a 64 GB micro-SD card in a dashcam only rated for a 32 GB card, I know the dashcam will only recognize ~32 GB (slightly less, actually) of this card. But, as sectors go bad, will the cam recognize only the ~32 GB minus the lost sectors, or, will it begin to use previously unused / recognized sectors, maintaining useable memory close to 32 GB?