Cognition Archives

1 year well baby check up approach – catching signs of autism early

5-minute screen identifies subtle signs of autism in 1-year olds — NIH-funded study demonstrates feasibility and effectiveness of conducting systematic screening during well-baby check-ups – A novel strategy developed by autism researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, called “The One-Year Well-Baby Check Up Approach,” shows promise as a simple way for physicians to detect cases of Autism Syndrome Disorder (ASD), language or developmental delays in babies at an early age.

Mindfulness meditation effective to prevent depression relapse

Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy appears to be similar to maintenance antidepressant medication for preventing relapse or recurrence among patients successfully treated for depression. – A new study from the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) has found that mindfulness-based cognitive therapy–using meditation-provides equivalent protection against depressive relapse as traditional antidepressant medication.

Beet juice can increase blood flow to the brain in older

Daily dose of beet juice promotes brain health in older adults – Drinking beet juice can increase blood flow to the brain in older adults ? a finding that could hold great potential for combating the progression of dementia.

Apple juice improves behavior but not cognition in Alzheimer’s disease patients

Apple juice improves behavior but not cognition in Alzheimer’s patients – Apple juice can be a useful supplement for calming the declining moods that are part of the normal progression of moderate-to-severe Alzheimer’s Disease (AD), revealed by researchers.

Physicians should help depression patients

Physicians should help patients with depression name their problem – Because people with depression often do not recognize they have a problem or are unable to describe their distress, many do not seek treatment. About a quarter of those with major depression are undiagnosed, according to several studies, and fewer than half receive treatment.

Eating disorder cutoffs miss some of sickest patients

Eating disorder cutoffs miss some of sickest patients, Stanford/Packard study finds – Diagnostic cutoffs for anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa may be too strict, a study from the Stanford University School of Medicine and Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital has found.

Tuberculosis cases hit record low despite recent outbreak, US

State Public Health Director Announces Tuberculosis Cases Hit Record Low Despite Recent Outbreak — Illinois still ranks 5th in the nation for highest number of TB cases – In recognition of World Tuberculosis Day, Dr. Damon T. Arnold, director of the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH), announced an all time low for the number of new tuberculosis (TB) cases in Illinois.

Review policies for childhood obesity, US

In the battle against childhood obesity, review effectiveness before implementing policies – Before developing specific anti-obesity strategies, lawmakers and advocates should review the evidence on program effectiveness and costs in order to avoid policies that either won’t work or will waste money.

Boost brain power with oats

Oats study to boost brain power for older adults — Ingredients found in oats could boost your brain power into old age. – Researchers at UniSA’s Nutritional Physiology Research Centre are investigating whether an oat extract can improve cognitive performance in older adults.

Symptoms have little value to diagnose ovarian cancer earlier

Symptoms have little value for early detection of ovarian cancer – Use of symptoms to trigger a medical evaluation for ovarian cancer does not appear to detect early-stage ovarian cancer earlier and would likely result in diagnosis in only 1 out of 100 women in the general population with such symptoms, revealed in an article.

Gene variation linked to lower risk of dementia, Alzheimer’s disease

Gene variation associated with lower risk of dementia, Alzheimer disease – Preliminary research suggests that variation of a gene for a plasma protein is associated with slower age-related memory decline and a lower risk of dementia and Alzheimer disease (AD).

Exercise may prevent, improve cognitive impairment

Aerobic exercise has a better effect on cognition and other biomarkers associated with Alzheimer disease pathology for older adults with mild cognitive impairment. – Moderate physical activity performed in midlife or later appears to be associated with a reduced risk of mild cognitive impairment, whereas a six-month high-intensity aerobic exercise program may improve cognitive function in individuals who already have the condition.