The Brain Fitness Blog

Dementia and gardening Regular gardening activity has been...

Sun, 10 Mar 2013 17:04:51 -0400

Dementia and gardening

Regular gardening activity has been shown by a recent study, which followed people over a long period of time, to reduce the risk of dementia by 36%.

- Thrive

Memorizing song lyrics can help strengthen your brain and reduce...

Thu, 07 Mar 2013 06:30:32 -0500

Memorizing song lyrics can help strengthen your brain and reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s.

- UberFacts

The chief function of the bodyis to carry the brain around. -...

Mon, 04 Mar 2013 17:35:20 -0500

The chief function of the body
is to carry the brain around.

- Thomas Alva Edison

Boost Your Brainpower 5. Hydrate Your Mind In a 2006 University...

Mon, 25 Feb 2013 13:26:33 -0500

Boost Your Brainpower

5. Hydrate Your Mind

In a 2006 University of South Florida study, people who drank three or more 4-ounce glasses of fruit or vegetable juice each week were 76 percent less likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease than those who drank less. The high levels of polyphenols—antioxidants found in fruits and vegetables—may protect brain cells from the damage that may be caused by the disease, says study author Amy Borenstein, Ph.D.

- Women’s Health

The 11 Best Foods for Your Brain Brain Food #5: Eggs Eating...

Mon, 18 Feb 2013 14:03:30 -0500

The 11 Best Foods for Your Brain

Brain Food #5: Eggs

Eating protein-rich foods like eggs for breakfast can improve overall cognitive performance, according to Swiss researchers.

- Shape

Eat to Lower Your Risk of Dementia 1. Get full o’ beans Beans...

Fri, 15 Feb 2013 12:33:00 -0500

Eat to Lower Your Risk of Dementia

1. Get full o’ beans

Beans and green peas provide a rich dietary source of B-complex vitamins (plus, they provide plenty of protein and fiber)…

A 2010 University of Oxford study, meanwhile, found that people diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment who took a supplement containing folic acid and vitamins B-6 and B-12 for two years lowered their levels of homocysteine, an amino acid that has been linked to Alzheimer’s disease, and showed less brain shrinkage than those receiving dummy pills.

- AARP

Stay Connected If you doubt the power of human connection,...

Sun, 10 Feb 2013 19:12:50 -0500

Stay Connected

If you doubt the power of human connection, consider this: Experts now believe that socializing, like other forms of mental exercise (such as crossword puzzles), may build cognitive reserve—a reservoir of brain function you draw from if and when other areas of your brain begin to decline.

- Prevention

20-Minute Brainpower Boost Another reason to expand your...

Tue, 29 Jan 2013 06:53:36 -0500

20-Minute Brainpower Boost

Another reason to expand your workouts beyond cardio: New research shows that 3 weekly sessions of strength exercises can lower memory-damaging amino acids and boost brain hormones that help keep you focused.

- Prevention

Citrus fruits may lower women’s stroke risk Researchers...

Sat, 26 Jan 2013 07:02:00 -0500

Citrus fruits may lower women’s stroke risk

Researchers have identified a compound found in oranges, grapefruits, and other citrus fruits that may lower a woman’s stroke risk.

Previous studies suggest that eating fruits and vegetables helps protect against strokes, and many believe that antioxidant compounds known as flavonoids may explain why, because they have been shown to improve blood vessel function and they have anti-inflammatory effects.

- CBS News

Study: Walking Is a Brain Exercise Too A study published in...

Sun, 20 Jan 2013 09:21:00 -0500

Study: Walking Is a Brain Exercise Too

A study published in Neurology has found that the simple act of walking may improve memory in old age.

… researchers from the University of Pittsburgh tracked the physical activity of 299 healthy men and women with an average age of 78. The participants’ activity ranged anywhere from walking 0 blocks to 300 blocks (up to 30 miles) per week.

Nine years later, the walkers underwent brain scans, which revealed that those who had walked more had greater brain volume than those who walked less.

- Time

Learn how to improve your brain fitness at Acuity Games

Fri, 18 Jan 2013 15:58:00 -0500

Learn how to improve your brain fitness at Acuity Games

Sleep, Learning, and Memory Getting adequate sleep the first...

Thu, 17 Jan 2013 17:22:00 -0500

Sleep, Learning, and Memory

Getting adequate sleep the first night after learning a new skill is important for improving memory and performance.

- Healthy Sleep, Harvard Medical School

8 Foods to Keep Your Brain Young and Healthy 3. Nuts and Seeds...

Wed, 16 Jan 2013 13:28:00 -0500

8 Foods to Keep Your Brain Young and Healthy

3. Nuts and Seeds
Nuts and seeds are wonder foods for your brain. Packed with protein and essential fatty acids, nuts and seeds are also chock full of the amino arginine, which stimulates the pituitary gland at the base of the brain to release growth hormone, a substance that declines quickly after age 35; this is a real anti-aging boon to your brain!

- Yahoo! Health

Play Up Your Brainpower Adults who frequently engage in...

Sun, 13 Jan 2013 14:57:00 -0500

Play Up Your Brainpower

Adults who frequently engage in mentally stimulating activities are 63% less likely to develop dementia than those who rarely do such activities, a New England Journal of Medicine study discovered.

- Prevention

10 easy ways to keep your mind fit forever 3) Seek out new...

Fri, 11 Jan 2013 16:45:00 -0500

10 easy ways to keep your mind fit forever

3) Seek out new skills
Learning spurs the growth of new brain cells. “When you challenge the brain, you increase the number of brain cells and the number of connections between those cells,” says Keith L. Black, M.D., chair of neurosurgery at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. “But it’s not enough to do the things you routinely do — like the daily crossword. You have to learn new things, like sudoku or a new form of bridge.”

- AARP

Green Tea May Do Wonders for the Brain The study included...

Wed, 09 Jan 2013 05:52:00 -0500

Green Tea May Do Wonders for the Brain

The study included about 1,000 Japanese people aged 70 and older. Participants took tests of mental status including memory, orientation, ability to follow commands, and attention. They also told the researchers how often they drank beverages including green tea.

Those who reported drinking the most green tea were least likely to show cognitive impairment, based on their test scores, write Shinichi Kuriyama, MD, PhD, and colleagues.

…

“To our knowledge, this is the first study to examine the association between consumption of green tea and cognitive function in humans,” Kuriyama’s team writes.

They note that natural compounds in green tea — especially a chemical called EGCG (epigallocatechin-3-gallate) — have shown promise in experiments on brain diseases in animals.

- WebMD

Acuity Games updates available on the App Store Version 6.0 of...

Tue, 08 Jan 2013 07:13:00 -0500

Acuity Games updates available on the App Store

Version 6.0 of Acuity Games: Sudoku, Concentration, Edge Match and Flash have passed the iTunes App Store review process.

Want to improve your brain fitness? Measure it with Acuity Games.

Why Managing Stress is Crucial for Brain Fitness Major...

Mon, 07 Jan 2013 18:15:00 -0500

Why Managing Stress is Crucial for Brain Fitness

Major depression or chronic stress can cause the loss of brain volume, a condition that contributes to both emotional and cognitive impairment.

- SharpBrains

The Effects of Learning to Play the Piano on the Brain Neural...

Sun, 06 Jan 2013 06:42:00 -0500

The Effects of Learning to Play the Piano on the Brain

Neural Pathways and Neuroplasticity
A review of research conducted by Nina Kraus of Northwestern University found “the effects of musical training on the nervous system can build meaningful patterns important to all types of learning,” according to UPI.

- eHow

5 Daily Routines That Dull Your Brain You go with fries...

Sat, 05 Jan 2013 19:16:00 -0500

5 Daily Routines That Dull Your Brain

You go with fries instead of a salad.

The brains of obese people work harder than those of normal weight people to achieve the same results, according to researchers at Carnegie Mellon University. See, high blood pressure and inflammation, both of which strike obese people hard, irritate your brain’s communication networks, which makes it more difficult for your brain to receive messages.