Lifestyle Effects on Memory & Cognition

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  • A small study suggests that regular ecstasy use produces brain atrophy, especially in the hippocampus.

Imaging the brains of 10 young men who were long term users of ecstasy and seven of their healthy peers with no history of ecstasy use has revealed a significantly smaller

New findings help explain why too much copper and iron are bad for your brain, and why curry is good for it.

A new study finds out why curcumin might help protect against dementia, and links two factors associated with Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases: DNA damage by reactive oxygen species (ROS), and excessive levels of copper and iron in parts of the brain.

Consistent with evidence linking obesity and impaired cognition, a new study has found improved cognition in obese patients after bariatric surgery.

Growing evidence links obesity and poorer cognitive performance. Many factors associated with obesity, such as high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes and sleep apnea, damage the brain.

New findings reveal that mild cognitive impairment is more likely to develop into Alzheimer’s if vascular risk factors are present, especially if untreated.

A study following 837 people with

A large Swedish study confirms earlier indications that excess weight in midlife increases your risk of dementia in old age.

Supporting earlier research, a study involving 8,534 older adults (65+; mean age 74.4) has found those who were obese in middle age had almost four times (300%) more risk of developing dementia. Those who were overweight in middle age had a 1.8 times (80%) higher risk of developing dementia.

Simulated laparoscopic surgery was impaired in both novices and experts on the day following an evening during which excessive alcohol was consumed.

Laparoscopic surgery makes intense demands on cognitive, perceptual and visuospatial abilities, rendering it particularly vulnerable to the effects of alcohol (and also making it a sensitive indicator).

Two recent studies have come out implicating traffic pollutants as factors in age-related cognitive decline and dementia and as prenatal risk factors for attention problems.

A study in which mice were exposed to polluted air for three 5-hour sessions a week for 10 weeks, has revealed that such exposure damaged neurons in the

  • More evidence indicating that a lack of engagement in social activities increases the rate of cognitive decline in older adults.

Adding to the growing evidence that social activity helps prevent age-related cognitive decline, a longitudinal study involving 1,138 older adults (mean age 80) has found that those who had the highest levels of social activity (top 10%) experienced only a quarter of the rate of cognitive declin

Another study confirms that cardiovascular risk factors are also risk factors for cognitive decline.

A study involved 117 older adults (mean age 78) found those at greater risk of coronary artery disease had substantially greater risk for decline in verbal fluency and the ability to ignore irrelevant information. Verbal memory was not affected.

A large long-running study has found that middle-aged adults whose night’s sleep had decreased from 6-8 hours or increased from 7-8 hours performed worse on some cognitive tests.

From the Whitehall II study, data involving 5431 older participants (45-69 at baseline) has revealed a significant effect of midlife sleep changes on later cognitive function. Sleep duration was assessed at one point between 1997 and 1999, and again between 2002 and 2004.

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