The National Alzheimer’s Project Act makes progress

By Laura Fay, posted on December 9, 2010 at 1:47 pm

Yesterday the US Senate passed the National Alzheimer’s Project Act (NAPA) (S. 3036), taking an important step toward addressing Alzheimer’s disease, the public health crisis of the 21st century.

Pushed through under bi-partisan leadership, the country is one step closer to laying the groundwork for a national strategic plan to address the Alzheimer’s epidemic. NAPA calls for a coordinated effort across the federal government to combat the crisis across the broad spectrum of the disease from research, to care, to institutional services and to home and community based programs.  The bill now moves to the U.S. House of Representatives.

In January 2011, the baby boomer generation will begin to turn 65, entering the years of greatly increased risk for Alzheimer’s. One in eight baby boomers, or 10 million Americans, will develop Alzheimer’s disease. The personal and health care costs is expected to run in the multi-billions as a result of multiple years of care often required for sufferers.

Who what are the elements of this initiative? The National Alzheimer’s Project Act  will establish an initiative within the Office of the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) the Office of the National Alzheimer’s Project to:
(1) accelerate the development of treatments that would prevent, halt, or reverse the course of Alzheimer’s;
(2) create and maintain an integrated national plan to overcome Alzheimer’s;
(3) help to coordinate the health care and treatment of citizens with Alzheimer’s;
(4) ensure the inclusion of ethnic and racial populations that are at higher risk for Alzheimer’s or that are least likely to receive care in clinical, research, and service efforts with the purpose of decreasing health disparities;
(5) coordinate with international bodies to integrate and inform the fight against Alzheimer’s globally; and
(6) provide information and coordination of Alzheimer’s research and services across all federal agencies. Sets forth the duties of the Director of the Office, including the use discretionary authority to evaluate all federal programs concerning Alzheimer’s. Establishes in the Office an Advisory Council on Alzheimer’s Research and Treatment.

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Coffee And Sugar to Improve Your Brain Efficiency

By Laura Fay, posted on December 1, 2010 at 12:22 pm

The Holidays… For most people, this period rhymes with chocolate, tea, coffee, and lots of sweet treats. As we all know, all these are to be consumed in moderate quantities. But what if a mix of coffee and sugar suddenly became legitimate to boost your brain efficiency?

A study by a team of Spanish researchers showed that a combination of caffeine and glucose could enhance the efficiency of brain activity. The researchers used functional magnetic resonance imaging to analyze brain activity during the n-back task, a performance task that evaluates sustained attention and working memory. Participants were divided into groups drinking either caffeine, glucose or the two combined, and another drinking a placebo consisting only of water. They were tested before and after.

The caffeine and glucose group showed reduced brain activation associated with the task in the bilateral parietal cortex and the left prefrontal cortex which both participate in attention and working memory processes. The results thus showed that the two substances combined improve cognitive performance in terms of sustained attention and working memory by increasing the efficiency of the areas of the brain responsible for these two functions. In other words, the brain becomes more efficient with a combination of sugar and caffeine as fewer resources are required to produce the same level of performance.

Read the full article here…

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Sleep To Boost Your Memory and Creativity

By Laura Fay, posted on November 24, 2010 at 4:32 am

The Holidays are getting closer and you have no gift ideas? Maybe a little nap will help you recall the gift preferences of your loved ones!  You might have known that sleep helps you boost your memory, but would you ever have thought that a sharp memory could also help you boost your creativity too?

According to to researcher Sara C. Mednick, PhD from the University of California in San Diego, the REM (rapid eye movement) sleep stage could play a role in people’s memory capacity. REM sleep is also called paradoxical sleep and represents 20 to 25% of an adult’s total sleep, which equates to 90 to 120 minutes in a night. During REM sleep the brain’s neurons are as active as during our waking hours and our dreams are most vivid during this phase of sleep.

The researchers gave study participants a creativity task during which they were shown several groups of three words and then had to find a fourth word which could be associated with the first three. Participants were tested in the morning and in the afternoon. They were divided into two groups: One that took a nap with REM sleep after the first test, and the other without REM sleep or with a quiet rest.

While the latter group showed no improvement on the test, the REM sleep group had improved by almost 40 percent, compared to their morning performances.

It seems that the REM sleep stage serves to combine all the information we process on a daily basis to then turn it into future useful memories.

According to Daniel L. Schacter, PhD, a psychology professor at Harvard University, our memories could even help us imagine our future: Following a recent brain imaging study, Schacter and his colleagues found that our capacity to remember the past could play a major role in our ability to imagine future events. The results of the study showed that certain brain regions commonly associated with memory, such as the medial temporal lobe, were similarly activated when people imagined future experiences.

Click here for more information…

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When Your Brain Falls In Love

By Laura Fay, posted on November 19, 2010 at 5:07 am

Ever wondered how “falling in love” actually happens? Or have you ever done something stupid out of love and put it down to “The heart has its reasons”? Well, you were wrong!

Professor Stephanie Ortigue, a researcher at Syracuse University, has recently revealed that falling in love happens in your brain, and not in your heart. Not only that, the meta-analysis study also proved that “love at first sight” takes only about five seconds!

The study showed that falling in love triggers a mechanism in 12 specific regions of the brain. These regions secrete a combination of dopamine, ocytocin, and adrenaline which makes us feel completely euphoric.

Love affects some of our mental functions, including our mental representation function as well as the way we see the other person. This discovery may well explain how some of us tend to lose all objectivity at the beginning of a relationship – or where the expression “seeing the world through rose-colored glasses” comes from!

Click here for more information…

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Establish Your Baseline Memory Function

By Dr. Wes Ashford, posted on November 15, 2010 at 5:16 pm

National Memory Screening Day , an annual initiative spearheaded by the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America (AFA) in collaboration with community organizations. The organization promotes early detection of memory problems as well as Alzheimer’s disease and related illnesses, and encourages appropriate intervention.  For National Memory Screening Day, qualified healthcare professionals offer free, confidential memory screenings as well as follow up resources and information about dementia and successful aging. These screenings are not a diagnosis, but can suggest whether a medical evaluation would be beneficial.  Extensive studies have indicated that these screenings are of value to individuals who participate in them.

A memory screening test is a significant first step toward finding out if a person may have a memory problem. Memory problems could be caused by Alzheimer’s disease or a variety of other medical conditions. A research study, published in the American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry in Nov 2009, indicates that “GPs miss nearly half of incident dementia cases”. The study authors suggest “enhanced screening activity” and note “GPs’ judgment should be enriched with additional information to improve the GPs’ accuracy. We identified factors to which GPs can pay special attention to improve their case finding process. Such information may consist of cognitive tests”.

If you are, or a loved one is, becoming forgetful, are finding it increasingly difficult to concentrate, or are having trouble recalling words in conversations, you should consider taking a memory screening test. Read more about who should consider screening.
If the memory screening test indicates a potential issue, it is essential to follow-up with your medical professional to determine the appropriate steps in diagnosis and treatment if necessary.

To take a memory screening test, MemTrax is available online at no charge in support of 2010 National Memory Screening Day.  Developed by Dr. Wesson Ashford of Stanford University and the Palo Alto Veterans Administration after a decade of studying memory related issues, dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, MemTrax takes just 3-5 minutes and can be the first important step in screening for memory related issues. You can find the MemTrax’s Memory Screening Test at www.memtrax.com. Take the test and print the baseline report for your records. The MemTrax report can provide an important source of objective information if you need to follow-up with a clinician for further evaluation.

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November is National Family Caregivers Month

By Laura Fay, posted on October 28, 2010 at 1:58 pm

Watching a family meNational Family Caregivers Monthmber struggle pains us all, especially when there is little we can do personally to alleviate their ailment. Unfortunately one of the most common issues facing the aging population is being diagnosed with dementia, cognitive impairment, or Alzheimer’s disease. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia. Alzheimer’s causes a person to gradually loss his/her ability to learn, reason, and communicate. The disease is both progressive and irreversible.

Anyone caring for a family member diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease knows this challenging task requires sacrifice and can quickly become overwhelming. A person with Alzheimer’s disease can act unpredictably and each day brings new demands on the caregiver. Taking care of a dementia patient requires: acceptance, understanding, time, effort, and patience. Below we outline the importance of these five attributes for anyone that has just discovered a family member might have Alzheimer’s.

When a love one shows symptoms of having Alzheimer’s, it is typical that the caregiver might go through stages of denial, anger, depression and exhaustion. It is not easy to see someone you love deteriorate. This is why acceptance is an important step in the process for the caregiver, because regrettably the road doesn’t get any easier.

Understanding is the next step. Learning as much as you can about cognitive impairment becomes very important. Sufferers of Alzheimer’s lose the capacity to understand their condition as they become more disoriented. It becomes the task of the caregiver to become knowledgeable about the disease.

Give yourself time. Time is needed because Alzheimer’s patients become dependent on you. They require help when waking up, going to bed, eating and going to the bathroom. Once the disease progresses care giving can quickly become a full-time job.

Alzheimer’s sufferers become confused, disoriented, cognitive functions begin to slow down and behavior becomes erratic. For instance, it isn’t unusual for dementia patients to mix odd substances with other foods and think it is alright to eat the mixture. Dealing with all the issues that will arise takes effort on part of the caregiver.

Patience probably goes without saying, but it is worth mentioning because it is the most important. Having a family member or loved one suffer for Alzheimer’s is hard work. There will be times when they will ask strange questions or do things that might get irritating. When the caregiver gets annoyed it usually only make things worse.

November is National Family Caregivers Month, a time to honor the efforts of family caregivers and the loving sacrifices they make for the ones they cherish. If you are interested in more information on taking care of someone suffering from Alzheimer’s please visit the National Institute on Aging Caregiver Guide.

Posted in Aging Well, Alzheimers, Baby Boomers, Brain Decline, Brain health, Cognitive Impairment, dementia, Health & Wellness, memory loss, Mental Health, mild cognitive impairment, Seniors | Tagged , , , , | Comments (0)

Intelligence and Creativity

By Dr. Bernard Croisile, posted on October 22, 2010 at 3:29 pm

Most of us have a general concept of what intelligence is but, similar to the intangible concepts of happiness and love, our personal definition of intelligence is influenced by our own understanding of the concept.

We tend to define intelligence in many ways:

  • The capacity to learn
  • The faculty of understanding
  • An aptitude in grasping tasks
  • General knowledge and wisdom
  • The ability to reason
  • Mental agility and quick cognitive response

Creativity is another term influenced by our own viewpoint of the world and is open to personal interpretation. However, the term itself is usually described as one’s ability to think of original ideas and concepts.

Man has devised a number of instruments to try and test for intelligence, most notable is the IQ test. Creativity has proven to be a little harder to test so there are fewer scientific testing instruments, but they still exist.

Around the 1950s scientists began trying to find a link between creativity and intelligence, but all the published correlations between the two concepts were low enough to justify treating intelligence and creativity as distinct cognitive attributes.

Over the next decade other researches explored the link between intelligence and creativity. Ellis Paul Torrance’s “the threshold hypothesis” is important to note. Torrance concluded that although various cognitive factors are involved in creative performance, instrument scores on intelligence tests were poor predictors of creative performance. Therefore Dr. Torrance summarized that the source of creative performance is not correlated with our cognitive abilities but rather our own motivation. Another study published, Intelligence and Creativity, by Prieto and Sanchez upheld the “the threshold hypothesis” done by Torrance and also concluded that there is a low correlation between intelligence and creativity.

However, other studies have related creativity to academic performance, which is arguably an indicator of intelligence. A pioneering study, Family Environment and Cognitive Style: A Study of the Sources of Highly Intelligent and of Highly Creative Adolescents, was performed by J.W. Getzels and P. W. Jackson in which they observed adolescent pupils who had scored well on intelligence tests with pupils who scored well on creativity tests. The study concluded that highly creative children were superior in scholastic achievement to pupils with high IQs, although the high creative pupils had 20 IQ points lower than the high IQ students – indicating a positive relationship between creativity and academic ability. In an attempt to validate these results, researcher Kaoru Yamamoto from Kent State University conducted the same experimental method on ninth to twelfth grade students. The study, Threshold of Intelligence in Academic Achievement of Highly Creative Students, published in The Journal of Experimental Education found no difference in academic ability between the highly intelligent group and the highly creative group, even though there was an average of 20 IQ point difference between these two groups. These findings support the theory that creativity and intellect might both be equally important attributes when learning new information.

The link between creativity and intelligence continues to get debated today divided between those that believe that creativity and intelligence or are distinct mental processes (the disjoint hypothesis) or are part of the same process (the conjoint hypothesis). However, creativity as an important cognitive process is undisputed. In a recent study by Dr. Andreas Fink titled Enhancing creativity by means of cognitive stimulation: evidence from an fMRI study, cognitive stimulation showed increase activity in neural networks and an increase in one’s ability to generate new ideas.

When faced with a problem we usually brainstorm creative solutions, which is a precursor of our executive function. We then use our intelligence to evaluate these new ideas, judge their feasible, compare them to our old ideas, and make an educated decision given the situation. In essence, both creativity and intelligence have to exist in order for us to fully utilize our cognitive potential.

There are some interesting researched-based psychological techniques to help enhance creativity (and seven more creative activities can be found here) located at PsyBlog. By utilizing our ability to create and discover new things we can in turn exercise our creative powers and assist our natural ability to improve our cognitive reserve. After exploring your creativity, try testing your executive function by clicking here to see if your problem solving and deductive reasoning abilities have improved. Also, please let us know if you think creativity and intelligence are related in the comment section below. It is a hot topic among psychologist so why not share your opinion?

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How Our Attention Works

By Dr. Bernard Croisile, posted on October 15, 2010 at 12:47 pm

AttentionLast week we gave a summarizing overview of what is currently known about memory. This week we take a look at attention. Attention is generally defined as our ability to selectively focus on one thing, idea, or task while filtering out other distractions. Another way to describe attention is selective concentration. Attention is the function of our brain that properly allocates our processing resources. There are many ways to describe different types of attention, today we will look at five of them:

Focused attention: Focused attention is commonly thought of as attentiveness. It is our ability to focus on one thing while excluding other things in our environment, real world examples of this are when we are studying or driving.

Sustained attention: Our ability to maintain a steady response during nonstop and repetitive activity is referred to as sustained attention. It is also defined as the ability to concentrate on one task for a continuous amount of time without being distracted, for instance staying attentive during a long meeting.

Selective attention: When you are able to “select” what you pay attention to, you are using your selective attention. This refers to the conscious act of focusing your attention, in other words, your ability to avoid distractions from both external (e.g. noise) and internal (e.g. thoughts) stimuli. A good example of selective attention is being able to focus on a friend’s voice in a loud and crowded room.

Alternating attention: When you shift your focus of attention and move between different tasks having different levels of required comprehension you are practicing alternating attention. An example of alternating attention is reading a recipe (learning) and then executing the recipe (doing).

Divided attention: Most of us are familiar with divided attention, also known as multitasking, which is our ability to respond simultaneously to multiple tasks. When we are able to process two or more responses or react to two or more different demands simultaneously, we call upon our divided attention skills. There are an abundance of real world examples to highlight divided attention: checking email while listening in on a meeting, talking with house guests while preparing a meal, and the list goes on.

Like any of our cognitive skills, our attention improves with practice. Improving our attention helps us process more information efficiently. If memory controls the bucket where our thoughts get stored, then attention is the hose that fills the bucket. Brain training helps strengthen our ability to concentrate and focus through brain fitness exercises. You can sample brain fitness games that help improve your attention risk free for 7 days by clicking on this link.

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How Our Memory Works

By Dr. Bernard Croisile, posted on October 8, 2010 at 1:15 pm

How Memory Works The way our brain stores, maintains and retrieves memory is a fascinating process. It is only recently that neuroscientists and academic researchers are beginning to really understand how this complicated process works. There are three primary ways we process incoming information: sensory memory, short-term (working) memory, and long-term memory.

  • Sensory Memory – Sensory memory is used to describe our ability to retain impressions of information that come from our five senses. A sensory memory can exist for any of these sensory channels:
    • Visual Memory | sight
    • Auditory/Echoic Memory | hearing
    • Haptic Memory | touch
    • Olfactory Memory | smell
    • Gustatory Memory | taste

Each of these memory types is important and deficiencies in any one of these can cause certain tasks to become more difficult. For instance, deficiencies in visual memory can affect your ability to read and write. Deficiencies in auditory memory can affect your ability to understand words or remember information that has been presented verbally.

One of the main factors that separates sensory memory from other types of memory is that this type of memory is usually stored in your brain for less than two seconds. This brief time window gives us just enough time to process, analyze and interpret the incoming message. If we deem the information important enough we move it on to the next type of storage.

  • Short-term Memory/ Working Memory – When information is deemed important we move it from sensory memory to our short-term memory. When using short-term memory most humans can handle about seven pieces of information for about half a minute. We can extend this period if we “rehearse” the information by repeating the thoughts in our head, which helps it move to long-term memory. Most information is lost (forgotten) within short-term memory. The limits of short-term memory make it impossible for anyone to remember everything they experience. Even people with eidetic memory (photographic memory) cannot remember everything contrary to popular belief.
  • Long-term Memory – If information is lucky enough to survive the first two stages it has a chance of getting processed and finds a home in your long-term memory. A common metaphor is that long-term memory is the brain’s library. Like a traditional library, information in long-term memory is sorted, filed, and indexed in a variety of ways. Because we are spatial creatures, and for the most part organize our lives based on time, our long-term memories are organized by date and time chronologically. Our brain’s long-term cataloging system is complex but is made up of three key components:
    • Semantic memory: The portion of long-term memory which is concerned with formulating our ideas, meanings, and concepts.
    • Procedural memory: The portion of long-term memory which helps us remember how to do things.
    • Episodic memory: The portion of long-term memory which refers to our ability to recall personal experiences from our past.

Admittedly, this is a very cursory review of what makes up our memory and by no means is it exhaustive. Also, there are special definitions within memory that fall out of the realm of this three stage progression. For instance, priming is an aspect of memory that describes our subconscious mind’s increased sensitivity to certain information when we are exposed to it multiple times over a given time period. A real world example is your increased ability to remember a co-worker’s name better when you have heard it for the fifth time versus hearing it for the first.

Studies show that our memory gets better with practice and playing brain games and memory games is a great way to do just that and protect yourself from brain decline. You can try out HAPPYneuron’s brain training program free for seven days by clicking here. You will quickly be on your way to improving your memory in no time.

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8 Unusual Facts About Your Brain

By Michael Rucker, posted on October 1, 2010 at 8:17 pm

This week we explore eight unusual facts you may or may not know about your brain. Do you know other unusual facts not on the list below? Please let us know by including them in the comment section below.

1. No rest for your brain

Believe it or not, although rest is quite important for normal cognitive function, your brain does not slow down when you go to sleep. On the contrary, it actually becomes quite active. The science of sleep is still being explored but one popular theory is that the brain does its most important work during sleep – routing and organizing all of the important information from the day into memory. In fact, our brain is so active at night it secretes hormones that immobilize our bodies during sleep so that we don’t injure ourselves while attempting to act upon any of the ideas going on in our head while we sleep!

2. Your brain is a little powerhouse

Our brains are full of neurons, a common estimate is that each of us has about 100 billion of them. Whenever we conjure up a thought it is because electrical signals are transmitted between these neurons along our neural pathways. As long as we are alive, this process never stops. Each neuron in your body generates a small amount of electricity. Multiply that energy by 100 billion and you will have enough electricity to power a small light bulb. The next time you see a light bulb used as a metaphor for a new idea you will now know why.

3. Your brain is no Prius™

Although the brain makes up only a small part of your body, it can burn up to one-fifth of the calories you use in a day. This calorie expenditure is primarily used for cell-health maintenance and to fuel the electrical impulses that neurons use to communicate with each other. This could be why a long day at the office can sometimes make us feel as though we just ran a marathon.

4. Yawning keeps your brain cool

Normally, we associate yawns to boredom or fatigue. Scientists once thought that yawning was an evolutionary way to oxygenate our blood. When you yawn it expands your pharynx and larynx, allowing large amounts of air to pass into your lungs. Research out of University at Albany now suggests that people yawn to cool off their brains. The theory is that sleep deprivation overheats the brain, and yawning is actually our way to dissipate this heat.

5. Your brain is mostly liquid

Your brain tissue is soft and jellylike. Back in our article Increase Brain Power with Food we let you know that your brain is about 80% water. Along with consisting of mostly water, your brain is constantly being lubricated by your circulatory system. It is estimated that about a gallon of blood moves through the brain every four minutes. The brain is also the fattiest organ we have in our body.

6. Your brain is cross-wired

Your brain is divided into two sides, but for reasons science doesn’t completely understand, the left hemisphere of your brain controls the right side of your body, while the right hemisphere of your brain controls the left side of your body. As discussed in our past post 9 Differences Between the Male and Female Brain, many men are sharply left-brain dominant, while women tend to be more evenly balanced between left and right-brain processing. Women are therefore thought to be slightly more intuitive and better communicators then men, whereas men tend to be more task-oriented.

7. Your brain feels no pain

Although what you sense and feel is processed in your brain, the brain itself cannot feel pain. This is because your brain lacks pain receptors. Headaches come from pain receptors in your head, hence the name headaches and not brainaches. This fact also assists neurosurgeons perform complicated brain surgeries while a patient is still awake.

8. You are constantly changing the structure of your brain

In our post 7 Myths About the Human Brain we stated that our brains change in various areas, but the wrinkles we gain as our brain develop remain the same until the day we die. A few of you wrote in that in some cases wrinkles can change. Less contentious is the fact that as we learn new information through cognitive engagement we form new neural pathways and build our cognitive reserve (one of our best defenses against brain decline). Similar to the way your muscle grows stronger and more adept with use, your brain’s structure strengthens every time it is engaged in a meaningful way.

Want to build some new neural pathways right now? Try out some of the brain games at HAPPYneuron and start enhancing your cognitive reserve right now.

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