Britain’s first swine-flu trials under way — Research led by University of Leicester and University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust. – UK’s first swine flu vaccine trials, led by the University of Leicester and University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust, are taking place at the Leicester Royal Infirmary.
St. Jude scientists report flu infection leaves brain more vulnerable later in life — Avian influenza strain primes brain for Parkinson’s disease. – At least one strain of the H5N1 avian influenza virus leaves survivors at significantly increased risk for Parkinson’s disease and possibly other neurological problems later in life, according to new research from St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
Short stressful events may improve working memory – Acute stress – a short stressful incident – may enhance learning and memory through the effect of the stress hormone cortisol on the brain’s prefrontal cortex, revealed by researchers at the University at Buffalo.
Biomarkers may help predict risk of Alzheimer’s disease in patients with mild cognitive impairment – Several cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarkers showed good accuracy in identifying patients with mild cognitive impairment who progressed to Alzheimer’s disease, revealed by US researchers in JAMA.
White matter changes may predict dementia risk – Elderly people with no memory or thinking problems are more likely to later develop thinking problems if they have a growing amount of “brain rust,” or small areas of brain damage, revealed by researchers.
Regular moderate alcohol intake has cognitive benefits in older adults – Moderate alcohol intake offers long-term cognitive protection and reduces the risk of dementia in older adults, revealed by researchers at the Wake Forest University School of Medicine.
Language Skills in Your Twenties May Predict Risk of Dementia Decades Later – People who have superior language skills early in life may be less likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease decades later, despite having the hallmark signs of the disease, revealed by researchers.
Caffeine reverses memory impairment in Alzheimer’s mice — New studies show caffeine markedly reduced the hallmark protein for Alzheimer’s disease in the brains and blood of the mice. – Caffeine significantly decreased abnormal levels of the protein linked to Alzheimer’s disease, both in the brains and in the blood of mice exhibiting symptoms of the disease, revealed by researchers.
New findings on Parkinson’s disease and effect on patient behavior — Parkinson’s disease alters patient’s ability to learn from rewards while treatment affects ability to learn from negative outcome — research reveals possible link to depression, impulse control disorders. – Parkinson’s disease alters patient’s ability to learn from rewards while treatment affects ability to learn from negative outcome — research reveals possible link to depression, impulse control disorders.
Study shows US seniors ‘smarter’ than English seniors – The first international comparison of cognitive function shows US seniors perform better than English counterparts. – US seniors performed significantly better that their English counterparts, revealed by researchers. The finding is surprising because older people in the US are known to suffer more from cardiovascular risk factors and diseases generally associated with more cognitive decline and poorer mental function.
