The old adage ”use it or lose it” seems to apply to the human brain according to findings in neuroscience.  Studies of lifelong learners (most famously, a group of nuns in Mankato, Minnesota) show that engaging in a variety of stimulating activities throughout adult life can result in lower incidence of Alzheimer’s disease and better...Read More

The brain is an incredibly complex organ.  Someone once suggested that if the brain was so simple we could understand it, we’d be so simple that we couldn’t.  However, Dr. Howard Gardner gives us one window into better understanding the brain in his theory of multiple intelligences, which posits the existence of eight (or possibly...Read More

Most people know how important it is to diversify your financial assets in your investment portfolio (if you’re lucky enough to have one).  Too much money invested in the stock market may pack a wallop to your portfolio if the stock market crashes.  The same thing goes with mental assets, and more particularly, the asset...Read More

As we age, the chances of getting Alzheimer’s disease or another dementia increases. The number of people with Alzheimer’s disease doubles about every 5 years beyond age 65. About one-third of all people age 85 and older may have Alzheimer’s disease.  However, many people live into their 90s and beyond without ever developing dementia. (Click...Read More

[Spoiler Alert!  This post reveals critical plot points about the movie Mulholland Drive, so if you don’t want your movie experience ruined, skip this article].  I saw an interesting Medscape article earlier this month suggesting that just seconds before death in some instances, the brain’s electrical activity zooms into high gear.  Contrary to some critical...Read More