Brain Research

Neuroplasticity: An Extraordinary Discovery of the Twentieth Century
It was long believed that once we grow up, our brains have a set number of neurons performing functions in a fixed way. According to the theory of neuroplasticity, thinking, learning, and acting actually change both the brain's functional anatomy from top to bottom, and its physical anatomy. Canadian psychiatrist Norman Doidge has called neuroplasticity one of the most extraordinary discoveries of the twentieth century. Read more…

What Is Neurogenesis?
For more than a century, medical science firmly believed that we were born with all the brain cells we would ever have. Once they are lost, they cannot be regenerated. That belief has changed. About 20 years ago, research on the ability of adult songbirds to learn new songs showed that their brains created new cells and that these neurons helped them form memories of the new songs. This opened up debate on whether the same process occurred in humans. Read more…

Six Ways to Boost Your Brainpower
A study, led by Arthur F. Kramer of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, involved well-educated men and women aged 55 to 79. Their fitness ranged from sedentary to very fit, competitive-ready athletes. While older adults show a real decline in brain density in white and gray areas, the researchers discovered that fitness actually slows that decline. Read more…

Brain Exercises Can Enhance Memory and Prevent Dementia
Dementia is the loss of mental abilities and most commonly occurs late in life. Of all persons over age 65, 5-8% are demented. This percentage increases considerably with age. What is clear from numerous observational studies is that keeping mentally active throughout life reduces the risk of developing dementia. Read more…

Brain's 'Visual Dictionary' Enables Skilled Readers to Identify Words Faster
Skilled readers can recognize words at lightning fast speed when they read because the word has been placed in a sort of visual dictionary, say Georgetown University Medical Center (GUMC) neuroscientists. The visual dictionary idea rebuts the theory that our brain “sounds out” words each time we see them. Read more…

Two Hemispheres Better Than One For Aging Brains
Older adults actually use different regions of the brain compared to younger adults to perform the same memory and information processing tasks. Cognitive neuroscientist Patricia Reuter-Lorenz and colleagues provide intriguing clues about how older adults compensate for some of the age-related declines in short-term memory and mental speed that plague so many older Americans. Read more…

Eating Fish Reduces Risk of Alzheimer's Disease
People who eat baked or broiled fish on a weekly basis may be improving their brain health and reducing their risk of developing mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer's disease, according to a study presented November 30 at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA). Read more…

Violent Video Games Alter Brain Function
Researchers at the Indiana University School of Medicine have been studying the effects of media violence for more than a decade. Now, for the first time, they are showing that violent video games directly alter brain activity — not after years of play, but after one week. Read more...

Brain Size Matters for Intellectual Ability
Brain size matters for intellectual ability and bigger is better, McMaster University researchers have found. The study, led by neuroscientist Sandra Witelson, a professor in the Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine, and published in the journal Brain, has provided some of the clearest evidence on the underlying basis of differences in intelligence. Read more…