Month: August 2016
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Middle-age memory decline a matter of changing focus
Research sheds new light on what constitutes healthy aging of the brain The inability to remember details, such as the location of objects, begins in early midlife (the 40s) and may be the result of a change in what information the brain focuses on during memory formation and retrieval, rather than a decline in brain…
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“Big Data” study discovers earliest sign of Alzheimer’s
Research underlines importance of computational power in future neurological breakthrough. Scientists at the Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital have used a powerful tool to better understand the progression of late-onset Alzheimer’s disease (LOAD), identifying its first physiological signs. Led by Dr. Alan Evans, a professor of neurology, neurosurgery and biomedical engineering at the Neuro, the…
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Hummingbird vision wired to avoid high-speed collisions
Hummingbirds are among nature’s most agile fliers. They can travel faster than 50 kilometres per hour and stop on a dime to navigate through dense vegetation. Now researchers have discovered that the tiny birds process visual information differently from other animals, perhaps to handle the demands of their extreme aerial acrobatics. “Birds fly faster than…
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Sick Kids Researchers May Have Finally Figured Out Why We Can Remember Multiple Memories at Once
Have you ever noticed when you remember something from your past, you may also recall other moments from that time. It seems to be even more pronounced when remembering a moving event, such as the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, the demise of the space shuttle Challenger, and more recently, the tragic events of…
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Understanding how chemical changes in the brain affect Alzheimer’s disease
A new study from Western University is helping to explain why the long-term use of common anticholinergic drugs used to treat conditions like allergies and overactive bladder lead to an increased risk of developing dementia later in life. The findings show that long-term suppression of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine – a target for anticholinergic drugs –…