Memory

Multivitamins Alone Won’t Preserve Your Cognition

Jun 26, 2024 · Kate Brophy · Memory

With varying results, scientists have continued to look for effective treatments that might halt or reverse the disease processes that underpin dementia. Preventing it in the first place would be preferable, so what if there was a readily available way to do that? You may have seen recent news reports … Read More

Minimizing Dementia Caregiver Burnout

Jun 25, 2024 · UHN Staff · Memory

In the 1960s, the Peace Corps created a public service campaign with the slogan: “It’s the toughest job you’ll ever love”. The idea of an exotic community service adventure attracted many young people to sign up with the Peace Corps. Doing so changed many people’s lives. Being a dementia caregiver … Read More

Learn to Manage the Many Risk Factors That Lead to Accelerated Brain Aging

Jun 25, 2024 · UHN Staff · Memory

Two old cars can be the same age, make, and model, but look and act like very different vehicles. One runs as smoothly as it did when it rolled out of the factory, while the other shows every bit of its age as it lurches and chugs down the street. … Read More

Keep Talking: An MGH Study Suggests Conversations Are Key to Healthy Cognition

Jun 25, 2024 · UHN Staff · Memory

Conversations with friends, family members, neighbors, and others can often be taken for granted. It wasn’t until the lockdown stages of the COVID-19 pandemic suddenly shut off some of those regular interactions that many people started to realize just how much they missed even casual conversations with the people in … Read More

Forgetting Things Fast

Jun 25, 2024 · UHN Staff · Memory

Q: Why do I often forget what I did (or didn’t do) a few minutes ago or even a few seconds ago? A: Do you mean did you lock the front door, put the garage door down, turn out thelight in the closet, etc.? On any given day, we do … Read More

What Is Meant by “Normal” Brain Aging?

Jun 25, 2024 · UHN Staff · Memory

Wrinkles, gray hair, and achy joints are among the expected and obvious signs of getting older. But with some financial investment and attention, age-related changes in those areas can be managed or reduced—at least a little bit. But when it comes to the brain, the aging process can’t be viewed … Read More

MIND Diet May Help Slow Aging and Reduce Dementia Risk

May 23, 2024 · UHN Staff · Memory

A healthy diet has long been associated with a lower risk of dementia, but a recently published study helps shed some new light on the dementia-diet association. Many previous studies examining the relationship between diet and brain health focused on how certain nutrients support brain function, while deficiencies in those … Read More

Curved Walking May Reveal Early Signs of Cognitive Impairment

May 23, 2024 · UHN Staff · Memory

Your gait can sometimes reveal much about your physical and cognitive health. Slower or more erratic walking can often signal that cognitive impairment or even dementia is ahead, years before memory lapses or other thinking problems become obvious. Most gait observations that medical professionals use involve walking in a straight … Read More

Age When Memory Troubles Start

May 23, 2024 · UHN Staff · Memory

Q: Is there a typical age when memory problems usually begin? A: Memory difficulties or other changes in thinking skills can develop at any age, but it’s important to understand that for most people, these changes occur gradually over many years. Age 60 has often been identified as the age … Read More

The Brain-Healthy Habits That Are Easy to Skip, but Should Be Part of Your Normal Routine

May 23, 2024 · UHN Staff · Memory

When it comes to the behaviors that affect healthy memory and cognition, it’s easy to fall into the “too much of a good thing” trap (see story on page 1). But it’s often just as easy to avoid or overlook important brainhealthy habits—choices you might classify as “not enough of … Read More