CNS 2021: Q&A with Wendy Suzuki About 15 years ago, Wendy Suzuki was on a mission. She wanted to lose 25 pounds and began a regular gym and diet regimen. As she worked out more, she saw a big shift in her mood and memory. At the same time, her father suffered a sudden and […]
How Will We Get to Brain Stimulation for Learning?
Guest Post by Tessa Abagis, University of Michigan In the 43 AD text Compositiones, Scribonius Largus, court physician to the Roman emperor Claudius, described a method to treat chronic migraines: placing torpedo fish on the scalps of patients to easing their pain with the electrical shocks the fish emit. This was well before the advent […]
The Digital Medicine of the Future: Watch Adam Gazzaley’s Public Keynote
Last Saturday, more than 1,300 people glimpsed a unique vision of brain fitness – one that more closely resembles cross-fit mixed with gaming than how we currently treat cognitive health. Adam Gazzaley of the University of San Francisco walked the CNS 2017 audience through the work his lab has been doing not only to create custom […]
A Vision of the Future of Brain Health: Q&A with Adam Gazzaley
Even among the healthiest people, aging takes a toll on the brain – changing and often decreasing our cognitive capabilities. Science fiction writers have long imagined ways to maintain and enhance cognition in the face of aging, disease, or otherwise. Increasingly, scientists are investigating ways to make that happen. One of those scientists – Adam […]
Sleep Offers a Window Into Human Intelligence
Not a day goes by, it seems, without some reminder of how important sleep is for our brain health – whether a headline about the dangers of cell phone use before bed or the latest start-up encouraging its workers to nap during the day. While we are all increasingly aware of the necessity of sleep […]
Exercise Adapts the Aging Brain for Cognitive Health
Scientists are still trying to figure out exactly why exercise promotes cognitive health, especially in older adults. Some researchers posit that physical activity helps maintain youthful brain structures, but a new study instead suggests exercise changes the way seniors’ brains process information – making the aging brain more adaptable. Understanding how this adaptation occurs can […]
Drawing Draws on Complex Cognitive Processes
Drawing objects seems like a simple task – most of us, from young to old, can copy simple pictures even if we lack artistic talent. An inability to draw simple pictures is often a symptom of a cognitive disorder or brain damage. New research looking at stroke patients has found that drawing depends on several complex cognitive processes […]
Exercise for the Aging Brain
We all know that exercise is good for us, and a growing body of research shows that it helps our brains age well too. Scientists are now finding that physical activity is effective both at preventing and treating cognitive dysfunction over the course of a person’s life. Researchers are still working to understand how the […]
Detection of Light in Blind People Illuminates Light’s Non-Visual Roles
We can detect light even if we cannot see it. And in a startling new discovery, even some totally blind people can detect light. Brief exposure to blue light triggered brain activity associated with alertness and attention – helping scientists further understand light’s role in cognition for all people. “The eye plays a dual role […]
Boost Your Brain with Aerobic Exergames
Q&A with Cay Anderson-Hanley “While exercise does not appear to be a cure-all, it is one of the strongest tools that we individually can enlist in our fight against cognitive decline and diseases of many types.” Playing video games that double as exercise can reap mental benefits above and beyond traditional exercise. In a recent […]
