Wristband 'Zapper' Might Help Calm Tourette Syndrome

• Steven Reinberg
• June 4, 2020
• Full Page

A wristband that zaps a key nerve may help quell the uncontrollable tics of Tourette syndrome, according to British researchers.

"We think we've come up with a safe and effective piece of technology that we believe is relatively cheap that will give control over tic...

Maria Shriver and AARP Take on Alzheimer's in Women

• Serena Gordon
• June 2, 2020
• Full Page

An Alzheimer's diagnosis is devastating, no matter your sex. But the disease strikes far more women than men.

Journalist and author Maria Shriver is determined to help researchers figure out why women make up two-thirds of those with Alzheimer's disease. And why cer...

Mindfulness May Ease the Emotional Burden of MS

• Rich Holmes
• May 27, 2020
• Full Page

Mindfulness training may help counter the thinking and emotional difficulties caused by multiple sclerosis.

In a small test study, people with multiple sclerosis (MS) who had four weeks of mindfulness training emerged with better emotional control and faster thinking...

Healthier Heart, Better Brain in Old Age

• Robert Preidt
• May 18, 2020
• Full Page

Preventing heart disease may protect you from dementia, researchers say.

The new study looked at nearly 1,600 people, at an average age of 79.5, who were followed for 21 years. Their heart disease risk was assessed at the outset, and participants had annual memory an...

Even One High-Fat Meal May Dull Your Mind

• Rich Holmes
• May 18, 2020
• Full Page

Ordering a cheeseburger and fries might literally be a dumb move, new research suggests.

A recent, small study from Ohio State University indicates eating a single meal high in saturated fats may hamper your ability to mentally focus.

Saturated fats are fo...

Get Moving, Seniors: It's Good For Your Brain

• Robert Preidt
• May 15, 2020
• Full Page

Want to give your brain a boost? Go for a swim, take a walk, or spin your partner on the living room floor.

A new study finds that aerobic exercise can improve older adults' thinking and memory, even if they're longtime couch potatoes.

This type of exercise...

Type 2 Diabetes Linked to Worse Mental Outcomes After Stroke

• Serena Gordon
• May 14, 2020
• Full Page

Memory and thinking skills are generally worse after a stroke for people with type 2 diabetes compared to people with normal blood sugar levels or prediabetes, new research suggests.

"We found that diabetes, but not prediabetes, is associated with poorer cognitive p...

Sudden Obsessions, Tantrums: What Is PANS in Kids?

• Amy Norton
• May 12, 2020
• Full Page

Researchers may have gained new insights into a mystifying condition that causes children's behavior to change so severely and abruptly, it can be like they woke up as a different person.

The condition is known as pediatric acute-onset neuropsychiatric syndrome, or P...

Zika Virus Tied to Profound Developmental Delays

• Steven Reinberg
• May 11, 2020
• Full Page

Toddlers with congenital Zika syndrome have severe developmental delays, researchers report.

In a study that covered a five-year period, researchers found that children in Brazil with congenital Zika syndrome who had microcephaly at birth suffered severe mental dela...

Baby's Sleep Issues Could Sometimes Signal Autism: Study

• Steven Reinberg
• May 11, 2020
• Full Page

Babies who have disrupted sleep, as many with autism do, may experience delayed brain development, a new study suggests.

Sleep problems in baby's first year may affect growth of the hippocampus and may also precede an autism diagnosis, researchers say.

In...

First Good Evidence That Brain Hits 'Replay' While You Sleep

• Amy Norton
• May 5, 2020
• Full Page

If you've ever wondered what your brain is doing while you sleep, a new study gives the first direct evidence that it's busy "replaying" our waking experiences.

The finding comes from a research project called BrainGate, which is testing new technology for people who...

Key Areas of the Brain Triggered in Recent Heart Attack Survivors

• Robert Preidt
• May 5, 2020
• Full Page

People who've recently had a heart attack show increased activity in the area of the brain involved in stress and emotions. And this is associated with elevated inflammation in arteries, a small, preliminary study finds.

"The results of this study advance our underst...

Cuddling Brings Two Minds Together, MRI Study Reveals

• Dennis Thompson
• May 4, 2020
• Full Page

Love to cuddle up? It might bring a 'mind meld,' too, new research shows.

People in close physical contact appear to have synchronized brain patterns, a revolutionary new MRI technique has revealed.

A functional MRI scan of two people cuddling under a blank...

Some NFL Players May Be Misdiagnosed With Brain Disease: Study

• Serena Gordon
• April 27, 2020
• Full Page

The brain damage that may occur in football players has received a lot of attention in recent years. But a new study suggests that former players who get a diagnosis of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) when they're still alive may well be getting the wrong diagnosis.

Greenhouse Gases Bad for Your Brain

• Robert Preidt
• April 23, 2020
• Full Page

Rising levels of greenhouse gases may do more than drive climate change, they may eventually impair your thinking, researchers warn.

Carbon dioxide (CO2) levels tend to be higher indoors than outdoors. As CO2 concentrations increase in the atmosphere, there will be ...

Screen Time for Tiniest Tots Linked to Autism-Like Symptoms

• Serena Gordon
• April 20, 2020
• Full Page

Letting a baby watch a smartphone, tablet or TV at 12 months increases the odds the child will develop autism-like symptoms during the next year, new research suggests.

On the other hand, if parents spent active play time with their child every day, the odds of au...

Blood Pressure Spikes at Night May Spell Trouble for Brain

• Robert Preidt
• April 17, 2020
• Full Page

Nighttime high blood pressure could harm the brain, a new study says.

Most people's blood pressure goes down during the night, which is called dipping. But in some people, it stays the same or even rises -- called reverse dipping.

Folks with high blood pres...

Long Periods in Space Alter Astronauts' Brains

• Robert Preidt
• April 14, 2020
• Full Page

Long periods of time in space may cause brain volume increases in astronauts, new research shows.

Extended periods in space have long been known to cause vision problems. And more than half of International Space Station crew members have reported vision changes.

Brain Plaques Signal Alzheimer's Even Before Other Symptoms Emerge: Study

• Robert Preidt
• April 13, 2020
• Full Page

Even before symptoms develop, the brains of people with early Alzheimer's disease have high levels of amyloid protein plaques, a new study reveals.

Those levels in older adults with no dementia symptoms are associated with a family history of disease, lower scores on...

Brain, Nervous System Affected in 1 in 3 Cases of Severe COVID-19

• E.J. Mundell
• April 10, 2020
• Full Page

A study out of China finds that strokes, altered consciousness and other neurological issues are relatively common in more serious cases of COVID-19.

Looking at 214 cases of severe coronavirus illness treated in Wuhan city during the early phase of the global pandemi...

Magnetic Brain 'Zap' Shows Promise Against Severe Depression

• Amy Norton
• April 7, 2020
• Full Page

Intensifying a standard form of brain stimulation may bring relief to people with hard-to-treat depression, a preliminary study suggests.

The study involved just 21 patients, but the treatment sent 90% into remission within a few days. That's a success rate that ...

How Ritalin Works in the Brain

• Robert Preidt
• April 1, 2020
• Full Page

A new study dispels a common belief about how stimulants such as Ritalin and Adderall work in the brain.

The drugs are usually prescribed to people with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), but are sometimes used by otherwise healthy people to boost their...

Dirty Air Might Raise Your Odds for Dementia

• Alan Mozes
• March 31, 2020
• Full Page

Smog drives up dementia risk, particularly for older men and women with heart disease, according to a new Swedish study.

For more than a decade, researchers tracked exposure to air pollution and dementia cases among nearly 3,000 Stockholm residents aged 60 and up.

Daily Aspirin Won't Stop Dementia, Study Finds

• Steven Reinberg
• March 25, 2020
• Full Page

Millions of Americans pop a low-dose aspirin each day to help ward off heart issues, but a new study finds that protection may not extend to dementia.

Although the anti-inflammatory effects of aspirin have been touted as protection against thinking and memory (or "co...

Could Sleep Apnea Put You at Risk for Alzheimer's?

• Alan Mozes
• March 25, 2020
• Full Page

New research out of France suggests that untreated sleep apnea could raise your odds for developing Alzheimer's disease.

Evidence linking the two is based on a series of neurological assessments, brain scans and sleep analyses conducted between 2016 and 2018.

Study Ties Brain Inflammation to Several Types of Dementia

• Robert Preidt
• March 18, 2020
• Full Page

Brain inflammation may be more of a factor in dementia than previously believed, a new British study suggests.

"We predicted the link between inflammation in the brain and the buildup of damaging proteins, but even we were surprised by how tightly these two problems ...

Special Helmets, Safety Training Prevent Head Injuries in Youth Football: Study

• Kayla McKiski
• March 13, 2020
• Full Page

Padded helmets and safe tackling and blocking techniques can reduce the chance of head injuries for middle school football players, a new study finds.

Young athletes make up 70% of America's amateur and pro football players. As head injuries in older athletes hav...

Will a Jolt of Java Get Your Creative Juices Flowing?

• Robert Preidt
• March 9, 2020
• Full Page

Your morning cup of coffee may help your focus and problem-solving skills, but it won't kick-start your creativity, a new study says.

"In Western cultures, caffeine is stereotypically associated with creative occupations and lifestyles, from writers and their coffee ...

ACL Surgery Can Do Real Damage to Your Brain: Study

• Kayla McKiski
• March 6, 2020
• Full Page

Your knee might never be the same after undergoing surgery for a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), and the reason is in your head, a small, new study suggests.

It turns out ACL reconstruction causes changes in the structure of your brain, a University of Michiga...

Brain Cancer Research Could Help Dogs -- and the Humans Who Love Them

• Dennis Thompson
• March 6, 2020
• Full Page

Few heartbreaks are as devastating as when a beloved family dog falls ill with cancer.

But a new research paper could spur development of more and better treatments for a canine companion who has a brain tumor -- because it's possible that those same therapies will h...

Even a Little Activity Keeps Aging Brains From Shrinking, Study Shows

• Steven Reinberg
• March 5, 2020
• Full Page

Take a walk, weed your garden, go for a swim or dance -- it could keep your brain from shrinking as you age, a new study suggests.

Being physically active may keep your brain four years younger than the rest of you, which might help prevent or slow the progression o...

Healthy Heart in Your 20s, Healthier Brain Decades Later

• Robert Preidt
• February 27, 2020
• Full Page

A healthier heart in early adulthood could mean fewer thinking and memory problems later in life, a new study suggests.

"These results indicate that people need to pay close attention to their health even in their early 20s," said study author Dr. Farzaneh Sorond, of...

Wearable 'Brain Stimulator' May Boost Stroke Recovery

• Serena Gordon
• February 20, 2020
• Full Page

A noninvasive magnetic brain stimulation device worn less than an hour a day can increase activity near stroke-injured areas of the brain, a small, preliminary study suggests.

Those improvements in brain activity might then lead to increased motor function in people...

Brain Stent Could Cut Odds for a Second Stroke

• Robert Preidt
• February 20, 2020
• Full Page

For decades, artery-opening stents have helped prevent heart attacks, and new research suggests they might also help prevent strokes in the brain.

In a new study, the self-expanding, intracranial Wingspan brain stent seems effective over the long term in reducing str...

AHA News: Diabetes, Alzheimer's Together Might Increase Stroke Severity

• February 17, 2020
• Full Page

Bleeding strokes are the deadliest type of stroke and the hardest to treat. What might make matters worse is having both diabetes and Alzheimer's disease versus either condition alone, new research shows.

The study looked at 2,071 adults in the Kentucky Appalachian ...

More Aggressive Surgery Can Extend Survival From Brain Cancer: Study

• Robert Preidt
• February 7, 2020
• Full Page

Adults with glioblastoma -- the most common and deadly type of brain tumor -- could survive more than twice as long if surgeons removed surrounding tissue as well as the tumor, a new study finds.

That involves cutting out "non-contrast-enhancing tumor" -- which doesn...

Gene Variation May Protect Against Alzheimer's: Study

• Robert Preidt
• February 6, 2020
• Full Page

A breakthrough study has identified a class of natural gene variants that may protect against Alzheimer's disease.

For the study, researchers at University College London analyzed DNA from more than 10,000 people -- half with Alzheimer's and half without. The investi...

Young-Onset Parkinson's May Start in the Womb, New Research Suggests

• Robert Preidt
• February 5, 2020
• Full Page

People who develop Parkinson's disease at a younger age (before age 50) may have malfunctioning brain cells at birth, according to a study that also identified a drug that may help these patients.

At least 500,000 people in the United States are diagnosed with Parkin...

Lab Discovery Offers Promise for Treating Multiple Sclerosis

• Robert Preidt
• February 5, 2020
• Full Page

A new discovery could lead to better treatments for multiple sclerosis (MS) and other autoimmune diseases, such as psoriasis and rheumatoid arthritis, researchers report.

MS occurs when immune cells get into the central nervous system (the brain and spinal cord), ca...

High-Tech 'Exoskeleton' Can Give Mobility Back to People With MS

• Dennis Thompson
• February 4, 2020
• Full Page

Most people take the ability to move for granted, but not Kathy Miska.

Miska has had multiple sclerosis for two decades now, and her ability to get around has deteriorated steadily.

Now, a new robotic exoskeleton is giving her an opportunity to regain some of t...

Many Moms-to-Be Are Stressed, and it Might Affect Baby's Brain

• Amy Norton
• January 30, 2020
• Full Page

Many mothers-to-be feel overwhelmed by stress, and it might have implications for their babies' brain development in the womb, a new study suggests.

The researchers found that even in a group of highly educated, healthy pregnant women, stress and anxiety were common....

Diets Rich in Fruits, Veggies Could Lower Your Odds for Alzheimer's

• Amy Norton
• January 29, 2020
• Full Page

Older adults who regularly consume a group of antioxidants called flavonols may have a decreased risk of developing Alzheimer's disease, a new study suggests.

The compounds exist in many fruits and vegetables, with the richest sources including green vegetables like ...

Psychedelic Drug Eases Cancer Patients' Distress Long Term

• Amy Norton
• January 28, 2020
• Full Page

A single dose of the psychedelic ingredient in "magic mushrooms" may bring long-lasting relief to cancer patients who suffer anxiety and depression, a new, small study suggests.

Researchers found that of 15 patients who'd received a one-time treatment with psilocybin...

Gene Test Might Spot Soccer Players at High Risk for Brain Trouble

• Steven Reinberg
• January 27, 2020
• Full Page

A gene mutation implicated in the risk for Alzheimer's disease might also impair memory in soccer players who head the ball a lot, a new study suggests.

The finding could have implications for young athletes in contact sports where the head can take hits during play...

Does Size Matter? Volume of Brain Area Not Always Tied to Memory, Thinking

• Robert Preidt
• January 27, 2020
• Full Page

When it comes to parts of your brain, bigger isn't necessarily better.

Experts long believed that a bigger hippocampus meant better memory. But new research finds that the size of this seahorse-shaped structure deep in the brain doesn't always predict learning and me...

Blacks, Hispanics More Likely to Have Better Outcome After 'Bleeding' Stroke

• Steven Reinberg
• January 23, 2020
• Full Page

After a hemorrhagic stroke, often called a "bleeding" stroke, young black and Hispanic people are less likely than white people to be disabled or die within the following three months, a new study finds.

Hemorrhagic strokes occur when a blood vessel ruptures, causin...

Rare Disease Put This Young Mom in a Coma for 7 Months

• Dennis Thompson
• January 23, 2020
• Full Page

Kertisha Brabson's mom rushed to the hospital after being told her adult daughter was acting out of her mind.

"She was talking out of her head, dancing like she was at a concert," recalls Kertease Williams. "She was trying to get out of the room. They had to have a n...

When Dementia Harms Speech, Native Language Matters

• Robert Preidt
• January 22, 2020
• Full Page

Dementia patients may develop distinct speech and reading problems depending on their native language, a new study finds.

The study included 20 English-speaking and 18 Italian-speaking patients with primary progressive aphasia (PPA), a neurodegenerative disorder that...

Brain Waves Offer Insight Into Autism-Linked Sleep Struggles

• Robert Preidt
• January 21, 2020
• Full Page

Shallower-than-normal brain waves may play a role in serious sleep problems in children with autism, a new study suggests.

Previous research has shown that between 40% and 80% of children with autism have sleep issues, such as trouble falling asleep or waking...

How Mom-to-Be's Worry Over Birth Defects Can Harm Baby

• Robert Preidt
• January 17, 2020
• Full Page

Hearing that your unborn baby has congenital heart disease can be traumatic, but now new research suggests that if you experience stress, anxiety or depression afterward it could affect your baby's brain development.

Congenital heart disease (structural problems with...