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Children learn iconic signs more easily and quickly

A study of deaf toddlers suggests that we can support children’s acquisition of language by providing physical links to words, through the use of gestures, facial expressions, and tone.

The relative ease with which children acquire language has produced much debate and theory, mirroring the similar quantity of debate and theory over how we evolved language. One theory of language evolution is that it began with gesture.
Sensory therapy contraindicated for autism

A review has concluded that there is no evidence that sensory integration therapy helps autistic children.

A review of 25 major studies investigating the value of sensory integration therapy (SIT) for autistic children has concluded that this most popular of therapies has no scientific support.
Dopamine decline underlies episodic memory decline in old age

Findings supporting dopamine’s role in long-term episodic memory point to a decline in dopamine levels as part of the reason for cognitive decline in old age, and perhaps in Alzheimer’s.

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Effects of diagram orientation on comprehension

The most popular format of the most common type of diagram in biology textbooks is more difficult to understand than formats that use different orientations.

A study into how well students understand specific diagrams reminds us that, while pictures may be worth 1000 words, even small details can make a significant difference to how informative they are.
Timing of hormone therapy critical for Alzheimer's risk

A large long-running study adds to evidence that the timing of hormone therapy is critical in deciding whether it reduces or increases the risk of developing Alzheimer’s.

It’s been unclear whether hormone therapy helps older women reduce their risk of Alzheimer’s or in fact increases the risk.
Diet affects your chance of cognitive impairment in old age

A large study reveals that a diet with high levels of carbohydrate and sugar greatly increases the chance of developing MCI or dementia, while high levels of fat and protein reduce the risk.

In a large Mayo Clinic study, self-reported diet was found to be significantly associated with the risk of seniors developing mild cognitive impairment or dementia over a four-year period.
Exercise may be best way to protect against brain shrinkage
  • A large study of older adults shows that physical exercise is associated with less brain atrophy and fewer white matter lesions. A small study shows that frail seniors benefit equally from exercise.

A study using data from the Lothian Birth Cohort (people born in Scotland in 1936) has analyzed brain scans of 638 participants when they were 73 years old.
Caffeine may block inflammation linked to cognitive impairment

A mouse study indicates that caffeine can help prevent inflammation occurring in the brain, by blocking an early response to cell damage.

Caffeine has been associated with a lower of developing Alzheimer's disease in some recent studies.
Brain training helps cognitive decline in many cancer survivors

A pilot study found that both training in memory strategies and processing speed training had significant benefits for breast cancer survivors with concerns about their memory and cognition.

Cancer survivors who underwent chemotherapy often suffer long-term cognitive problems. Until now, most research has been occupied with establishing that this is in fact the case, and studies investigating how to help have been rare.
Improving memory for specific events can help depression

A small study suggests that training in recalling personal memories can significantly help those with depression.

We know that people with depression tend to focus on, and remember, negative memories rather than positive. Interestingly, it’s not simply an emotion effect.
Autism therapy can normalize face processing

A small study shows that an intensive program to help young children with autism not only improves cognition and behavior, but can also normalize brain activity for face processing.

The importance of early diagnosis for autism spectrum disorder has been highlighted by a recent study demonstrating the value of an educational program for toddlers with ASD.
How green tea helps fight cognitive decline & dementia

A mouse study adds to evidence that green tea may help protect against age-related cognitive impairment, by showing how one of its components improves neurogenesis.

Green tea is thought to have wide-ranging health benefits, especially in the prevention of cardiovascular disease, inflammatory diseases, and diabetes.
Importance of Vitamin C during pregnancy

A guinea pig study demonstrates that low levels of vitamin C during pregnancy have long-lasting effects on the child's hippocampus.

Like us, guinea pigs can’t make vitamin C, but must obtain it from their diet. This makes them a good model for examining the effects of vitamin C deficiency.
Learning another language boosts white matter

Foreign language learning increases the white matter in the language network and the bridge joining the hemispheres, perhaps helping explain why bilinguals have better executive control.

In my last report, I discussed a finding that intensive foreign language learning ‘grew’ the size of certain brain regions. This growth reflects gray matter increase.
Growing the brain with a new language

A new study adds to the growing evidence for the cognitive benefits of learning a new language, and hints at why some people might be better at this than others.

A small Swedish brain imaging study adds to the evidence for the cognitive benefits of learning a new language by investigating the brain changes in students undergoing a highly intensive language course.
Why acute stress makes it hard to think properly

A rat study indicates that acute stress disrupts feedback loops in the prefrontal cortex that may be keeping information alive in working memory.

Stress is a major cause of workplace accidents, and most of us are only too familiar with the effects of acute stress on our thinking. However, although the cognitive effects are only too clear, research has had little understanding of how stress has this effect.
Are sleep problems a key factor in Alzheimer’s?

A mouse study shows that sleep deprivation and aggregation of amyloid beta go hand in hand, and may be key players on the road to Alzheimer’s.

I reported a few months ago on some evidence of a link between disturbed sleep and the development of Alzheimer’s. Now a mouse study adds to this evidence.
Why metabolic syndrome is linked to cognitive decline?

Preliminary results for a small study indicate metabolic syndrome is linked to significantly reduced blood flow in the brain, perhaps explaining its link to cognitive impairment.

I’ve reported before on the growing evidence that metabolic syndrome in middle and old age is linked to greater risk of cognitive impairment in old age and faster decline.
How stress affects your learning

A small study shows that stress makes it more likely for learning to use more complicated and subconscious processes that involve brain regions involved in habit and procedural learning.

We know that stress has a complicated relationship with learning, but in general its effect is negative, and part of that is due to stress producing anxious thoughts that clog up

Cut ‘visual clutter’ to help MCI & Alzheimer’s

A small study shows that those with MCI perform poorly on a visual discrimination task under high interference conditions, suggesting that reducing interference may improve cognitive performance.

Memory problems in those with mild cognitive impairment may begin with problems in visual discrimination and vulnerability to interference — a hopeful discovery in that interventions to improve discriminability and reduce interference may have a flow-on effect to cognition.

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