Evidence has been building for years that air pollution increases the risk of heart and respiratory diseases and reduces lifespan, but much less is known about how it impacts the brain. That’s changing. Now, two new studies reveal deeply troubling evidence of the effects of [...]

Numerous studies show that so-called “brain games” may help people fight off dementia by improving cognitive function, and maintaining overall brain health. One review published in the journal International Psychogeriatrics in 2016, shows that mentally stimulating leisure activities can help sharpen thinking skills that tend [...]

Here’s some positive news you can raise a toast to during this chilly winter season. According to new research, drinking hot chocolate may help make you become a smarter and faster thinker—whether you’re experiencing cognitive decline or not. The benefits boil down to the flavanols [...]

It's quite normal to feel anxious before "going under the knife." Surgery, especially major surgery, is daunting for anyone at any age. But even if all goes well and you’re expected to make a full physical recovery, there's one problem that can present itself after [...]

The market for energy drinks has exploded in the last decade. Promoted by sports stars, these drinks are said to not merely boost energy, but improve physical function and supply mental focus, too. The leading brand may even "give you wings," their marketing tells us. [...]

One neurologist -- renowned for helping people with dementia and other neurological disorders -- says restoring the gut is the key to restoring memory. David Perlmutter, M.D. is well known to most of our readers, so I sit up and take notice when he says [...]

For many people, tinnitus is a disturbing ringing sound, while for others it’s a buzzing, hissing, chirping or even roaring in the ears.1 Not surprisingly, many tinnitus sufferers also find it hard to focus and experience fatigue and anxiety as well. Psychological interventions may lessen [...]

Some say I’m a broken record when it comes to preaching the health benefits of getting outside for a daily walk. Regular exercise is one of the pillars of optimum health, but, until now, I didn't realize how vital the "outside" part of my walk [...]

Someone just gave you a phone number to remember, and you don’t have a pen with you. What do you do? We all have to remember a thousand different things from passwords to how to navigate our smart phones, but it’s not easy in an [...]

Scientists have focused on amyloid beta plaques as the primary cause of Alzheimer’s disease for more than 25 years. Readers of this publication know I tossed the theory out a long time ago. For one thing, autopsies reveal that quite a few people who died [...]

Scientists are a mostly conservative bunch, shunning anything theatrical. But Professor Giovanna Mallucci made an exception on a cold October morning when she stood in front of an audience of swimmers and shivering BBC reporters at an unheated, open air pool in London. She chose [...]

For years, a few brain researchers have been looking into a non-invasive method to diagnose Alzheimer’s disease before symptoms begin. They’re focused on the only part of the brain that’s visible without using complicated imaging techniques like X-rays or drilling open the skull. They’re looking [...]

If you want to boost your ability to learn new things and remember important information, studies show there’s one quick and easy way to do that. Researchers have found that if we take notes by hand, writing them out the old fashioned way, we can [...]

All of us have experienced foggy thinking from a bad night’s sleep. But for some, chronic poor sleep can be a brain health disaster. What’s more, neuroscientists recently confirmed that millions of poor sleepers suffer from a common and often undiagnosed condition that dramatically increases [...]