Mind & Mood Archive

The first three years of life are crucial for brain development. Interactions between babies and their caregivers build neural connections in the brain and lacking sufficient interactions may affect brain development. A study found that babies born during the pandemic scored lower in several areas of development than babies born before it started.

Sometimes we find ourselves in a situation where we question our own abilities, minimize our successes, and overemphasize what we perceive to be our failures. When this happens, it's helpful to try to view the situation more clearly and from a more balanced point of view. This takes practice, but the process starts with awareness.

We all know that motivation is key to accomplishing our goals, but even if you have a much-desired goal in mind, it's too easy for motivation to dissipate. Before setting a goal, it's critical to identify why it is important to you, to create a detailed plan that outlines how you will achieve it, and to make a to-do list so you can track your progress.

While hearing loss and dementia seem to be connected, doctors don't know if hearing loss causes cognitive decline. It may be that an unknown common factor causes both problems. But regardless of whether hearing loss may be an early indicator of dementia or a risk factor for the condition, it should be treated. Improving hearing can improve the ability to connect with others and quality of life.

After a certain age, most adults encounter nagging and sometimes embarrassing memory lapses. While recurring or worsening memory issues always should be checked out, everyday lapses—like recalling names, finding everyday items, and remembering appointments, errands, and even online passwords—can be managed with some simple strategies.

A review published Oct. 22, 2021, in JAMDA: The Journal of Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine found that people with more tooth loss had, on average, a 48% greater risk for developing cognitive impairment, compared with people who had less tooth loss.

People who get age-related macular degeneration, cataracts, and diabetes-related eye disease may have a higher risk for dementia. Having more than one eye condition may further increase the risk.

Many common medication treatments for migraine can cause side effects, underlining the need for more tolerable treatments. Mindfulness practice has been associated with improvement in people with chronic pain, including migraine. A study investigated whether mindfulness-based stress reduction techniques provided benefit for people experiencing migraine.