Trauma Patients Control Memory With Minds

New study suggests disease-related memory loss may be reversible

(NEWSER) - Alzheimer's patients may be able to recover some memory by using a combo of drugs and mental stimulation, a new study in the journal Nature concludes. Mice with an Alzheimer's-like condition were more likely to remember an electric shock if they had taken a drug stimulating brain-cell growth or lived in playground-like cages. More»

(NEWSER) - Does thinking make us fat? Researchers say that intellectual activity just might cause us to pig out, LiveScience reports. Volunteers who performed a series of problem-solving tasks in a study consumed almost 30% more calories afterward than those who just sat around and took it easy. One theory: The body demands food to restore glucose depleted by the stress of thinking. More»

From memories to sleep to consciousness itself, scientists still can't agree

(NEWSER) - Debated for centuries, the human mind still holds a mystery or two in modern times. Here are LiveScience's top 10:

1. Consciousness. Still the biggest human puzzle since Socrates.
2. Cryonics. Can gray matter be revived from a 320-degree deep freeze?
3. Aging. An unappreciated benefit, or simply cell decay with no purpose?
4. Nature/nurture. DNA, peer pressure, upbringing—scientists disagree on why we do the things we do.
5. Laughter. Three brain zones like it, but scientists wonder why people giggle at different things.

Mediterranean fare apparently good for the brain, too: Study

(NEWSER) - Add this to the potential benefits of the Mediterranean diet: It might just help your brain along with your heart, a new study suggests. Using MRI scans of the brain, researchers found that those who ate a diet based on fruits, veggies, fish, whole grains, olive oil, and a moderate amount of alcohol had healthier blood vessels up there, reports the Wall Street Journal . One researcher involved with the study in the Archives of Neurology cautions that the results aren't definitive, but they suggest the diet provides some measure of protection for the blood vessels. More»

About 25% of seniors have had them

(NEWSER) - "Silent strokes" may be taking a toll on seniors' memory. A new study shows that seniors who have suffered such strokes—they don't have obvious symptoms but leave behind dead brain cells—do worse on memory tests, reports USA Today . It's no small thing: An estimated 1 in 4 seniors have had the strokes. More»