Slowed speech may indicate cognitive decline more accurately than forgetting words: tomertu/Shutterstock Can you pass me the whatchamacallit? It’s right over there next to the thingamajig. Many of us will experience “lethologica”, or difficulty finding words, in everyday life. And it usually becomes more prominent with age. Frequent difficulty finding the right word can signal …
Human intelligence: how cognitive circuitry, rather than brain size, drove its evolution: wikipedia/Foley, CC BY-SA It’s one of the great paradoxes of evolution. Humans have demonstrated that having large brains are key to our evolutionary success, and yet such brains are extremely rare in other animals. Most get by on tiny brains, and don’t seem …
Size of brain area linked with cognitive decline – even in people with no other warning signs of Alzheimer’s disease: Previous research has shown loss of volume in the hippocampus precedes signs of cognitive decline in people with Alzheimer's. Atthapon Raksthaput/ Shutterstock A small, seahorse-sized area of the brain is responsible for most of our …
Fluoride: very high levels in water associated with cognitive impairment in children: Riccardo Mayer/Shutterstock Fluoride is one of the more abundant elements naturally found in drinking water, and levels around 0.7mg per litre have been proven to reduce tooth decay. This is why some countries add fluoride to drinking water. However, fluoride in drinking water …
COVID fatigue: cognitive behavioural therapy could help people manage persistent symptoms – new research: YURII MASLAK/Shutterstock While COVID is no longer regarded as a global health emergency, it remains a serious disease. Notably, even mild cases can result in persistent symptoms known as long COVID, which can have wide-reaching effects on physical health, mental health …
Cognitive flexibility: the science of how to be successful in business and at work: shutterstock Monkey Business Images/Shutterstock The word “permacrisis” was selected as the word of the year for 2022, referring to a feeling of being permanently in crisis. The business world has certainly faced continuous and increasingly frequent disruptions over the last few …
Education might not save you from cognitive decline – new study: Gorodenkoff/Shutterstock Take a look at any list of risk factors for cognitive decline and you’re bound to find “education” among them. The received wisdom is that the more years you spend in education, the lower your risk of cognitive decline in old age. Our …
Procrastination: the cognitive biases that enable it – and why it’s sometimes useful: Ground Picture/Shutterstock Are you procrastinating? I am. I have been delaying writing this article for the last few days even though I knew I had a deadline. I have scrolled through social media, and I have gone down a rabbit hole looking …
Long COVID: how lost connections between nerve cells in the brain may explain cognitive symptoms: COVID can cause long-lasting cognitive symptoms. But why? Alexander Limbach/Shutterstock For a portion of people who get COVID, symptoms continue for months or even years after the initial infection. This is commonly referred to as “long COVID”. Some people with …
New Alzheimer’s drug slows cognitive decline – and may be available as early as next year: Lecanemab is the first drug to help improve the symptoms of Alzheimer’s by slowing the disease. These are very promising results, although the only data we have at the moment is from the drugmaker’s press release. Lecanemab is an …
‘Cognitive immobility’ – when you’re mentally trapped in a place from your past: Sometimes the body moves, but not the mind. fizkes/Shutterstock If you have moved from one country to another, you may have left something behind – be it a relationship, a home, a feeling of safety or a sense of belonging. Because of …
Long-term antibiotic use by middle-aged women may affect cognitive function – new study: People may need to take long-term antibiotics for a range of conditions. fizkes/ Shutterstock Antibiotics are one of the most commonly prescribed drugs in the world. They’re used to treat many different bacterial infections. While most people may only be on a …
From ‘super-recognisers’ to the ‘face blind’ – how tests reveal the underlying cognitive processes: 'Have we met?' Actor Brad Pitt thinks he is faceblind. Matteo Chinellato/Shutterstock The ability to recognise faces is important in many different real life contexts and fundamental to our social relationships and interactions. It allows us to identify people we care …
The cognitive bias that tripped us up during the pandemic: The human brain is a marvellous machine, capable of handling complex information. To help us make sense of information quickly and make rapid decisions, it has learned to use shortcuts, called “heuristics”. Most of the time, these shortcuts help us to make good decisions. But …
Seagulls, songbirds and parrots: what new research tells us about their cognitive ability: Rooks have shown collaboration skills Author provided As you can imagine, a human intelligence test doesn’t really cut it for birds. It isn’t that easy to assess how an animal perceives information from the environment, processes it and decides to act. But …
Risk factors that determine whether you’re more or less likely to develop cognitive decline: Mild cognitive decline may only be a precursor to dementia for some. FGC/ Shutterstock About two in ten people over the age of 65 have mild cognitive impairment – a noticeable change in their memory, problem-solving abilities or attention. This is …
Sleeping longer than 6.5 hours a night associated with cognitive decline according to research – what’s really going on here?: Does too much sleep really increase your risk of cognitive decline? Dragan Grkic/Shutterstock A good night’s sleep is important for many reasons. It helps our body repair itself and function as it should, and is …
Heading the ball is linked to cognitive impairment in retired professional footballers: new research: Oleksandr Osipov/Shutterstock The potential long-term neurological effects of concussions and other knocks to the head in professional sport have attracted significant attention and research interest over recent years. Confirmation in 2014 that former England footballer Jeff Astle died as a result …