Web Use Gives Brain a Boost

(NEWSER) - Gyms offering to exercise the brain instead of the body are attracting thousands of aging Americans seeking to tone their gray matter, the Wall Street Journal reports. The gyms are generally based around brain-fitness software, but some offer courses in brain nutrition as well as mental-fitness assessments with personal trainers and "neurobics." More»

Study finds neural complexity generates more cranial static

(NEWSER) - Just because you can't hear it doesn't mean your brain isn't making noise. It is, and scientists using high-tech gear to record it have now discovered that it increases as you mature, reports LiveScience. A comparison of noise generated by groups of children and young adults indicates that brain noise, once dismissed by neuroscientists as inconsequential static, increases along with cranial complexity. More»

Electromagnetic waves might boost memory

(NEWSER) - Researchers finally have some good news about the health effects of cell phones. The electromagnetic waves the phones emit may improve memory and prevent Alzheimer's disease, according to a recent study of mice exposed to radiation similar to electromagnetic waves from cell phones. The mice showed improved cognitive function and reduction of the protein deposits in the brain believed to cause dementia, the Independent reports. More»

iPod therapy stimulates cognitive functions lost to disease

(NEWSER) - Therapists and doctors who treat Alzheimer's are now using music not only to soothe and entertain their patients but to restore some cognitive function. For decades it's been recognized that Alzheimer's patients can still remember and sing songs long after they've stopped recognizing names and faces. Now it's thought that those tunes can provide a pathway back to memories otherwise lost. One claims intensive music therapy can lead to an increase of 50% on cognitive-function tests. More»

Brain scans show Google is more stimulating than books

(NEWSER) - It’s time to teach Grandma to Google. Surfing the Internet can slow or even reverse the mental decay that leads to dementia, according to a new study. UCLA researchers scanned the brains of 24 men and women aged 55 to 78 and discovered that surfing the web was more stimulating than reading, with the effects lasting long after they’d logged off. More»