Brain Health / Cognition

If you can satisfy your chocolate craving and improve your cognitive functioning, wouldn’t you like to know that? Well, according to Harvard physician Robert Shmerling, there is some, but not conclusive, evidence that this may be so. Dark chocolate and cocoa contain flavanols, plant-based substances that act as anti-inflammatories and…

For many of us, the day is not complete without a stab at the daily crossword puzzle- and it turns out that this habit of doing a daily puzzle may sharpen your brain for the long term. New research out of England examined the crossword puzzle habits of over 17,000…

Nagging, chronic pain can be debilitating and distracting. You’re always aware that something’s not quite right. And new research suggests the impact of that pain may not only affect you in the moment but could trigger long-term, detrimental changes in your brain. In a newly published study out of the…

We all know that our voices tend to go high and our language becomes “sing-songy” when we talk to babies. But did you know that a similar behavior often happens when we speak to seniors, especially those who are cognitively impaired? Such language is known as “elderspeak,” which includes slow…

While there’s no doubt that mental stimulation is important for keeping your mind sharp as you grow older, to date there have been few scientifically-valid research studies supporting specific games that can protect and maintain your brain capacity as you age- that is, until now. A new National Institutes of…

In older adults, differences between depression and dementia may be hard to discern. Memory loss, cognitive dysfunction and other symptoms can be present with either of these afflictions, and it’s not uncommon for an older person to be stricken by both simultaneously.  But it’s important to remember that even though…