Brain and Cognitive Health Archive

Parkinson’s disease symptoms tend to develop gradually and can be mistaken for normal aging. Early movement-related signs include tremor in one hand, slower movements, mild balance and gait changes, and muscle stiffness. Other clues include loss of smell, sleep changes, and constipation.

A 2025 study suggested that living in areas where residents commonly speak multiple languages may promote healthy aging.

The new year is a good time to focus on cognitive fitness. Exercise, healthy eating, mental challenges, good sleep, controlling stress, and social engagement support neuroplasticity and help keep thinking and memory sharp.

Visual art in paintings, medical illustrations, and modern digital tools has influenced how people understand the human heart. The bridging of art and the heart dates back to Leonardo da Vinci, whose drawings laid the groundwork for modern cardiology. Today, the intersection of art and the heart may also contribute to healing through advocacy (such as art in public health campaigns), education (such as interactive animations to help people understand the heart), and innovation (such as three-dimensional models to illustrate procedures).

Simple strategies can help someone fight age-related memory slips. Tips include repeating new information by saying it out loud or writing it down a few times; associating an image with someone’s name, such as thinking of a bouquet of roses after meeting a person named Rosie; grouping information in chunks, similar to grouping digits in a phone number; and writing information out by hand (as opposed to typing), which forces the brain to process and absorb data.

A 2025 study found that in brain MRI scans, people with any evidence of gum disease were more likely to have higher amounts of a marker for disease in the brain’s small blood vessels, compared to people without gum disease.

A 2025 study suggested that following a green-Mediterranean diet — which includes walnuts, green tea, and the aquatic plant Mankai — may be linked with slower brain aging.

A 2025 study of 250 people found that the brain can tell the immune system to prepare for impending infection even before a microbe enters the body. Scientists asked volunteers to don virtual reality headsets that showed various virtual people approaching them. Some of those approaching appeared to be healthy and others appeared to be sick. Brain scans and blood tests showed that participants’ brains activated their immune systems when a virtual sick person simply came near them.

A 2025 study suggests that owning a dog or cat may help slow cognitive decline as people age.