Brain health Archive

Recent advances in caring for people with strokes include expanded access to medications and clot removal procedures. In certain cases, these therapies may be done up to 24 hours after stroke symptoms first appear.

Dementia poses many challenges, both for people struggling with it and for those close to them. Understanding common behaviors and learning to handle situations that arise can help families and caregivers.

More than 30% of adults over 70 have amyloid or tau (proteins implicated in the development of Alzheimer's disease) in their brains yet have no apparent cognitive problems. This may indicate greater cognitive reserve, the brain's ability to compensate for damage.

A long-running study found that closely following the MIND Diet was linked with significantly slower age-related brain changes, including 20% less shrinkage in grey matter-equivalent to slowing brain aging by 2.5 years. However, it's not known if these changes translate to better brain function.

Neurogenesis is the birth of new nerve cells, called neurons, in the brain. The ability to grow new neurons appears more prominent in super-agers, people 80 and older whose thinking and memory skills are as sharp as adults who are decades younger.

The glymphatic system serves as the brain's cleanup crew. It promotes the circulation of cerebrospinal fluid through the brain during deep sleep, flushing away amyloid and other proteins that can lead to neurological conditions such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's disease, and Lewy body dementia.

Aging and a family history can increase the risk for a stroke, but women can lower it by managing factors that are under their control-such as diet, exercise, blood pressure, smoking, and diabetes.