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Articles on Brain plasticity

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Lifestyle changes may be our best hope of delaying dementia or not developing dementia at all. (Shutterstock)

Lifestyle changes can reduce dementia risk by maintaining brain plasticity — but the time to act is now

Lifestyle-related dementia risks are complex, with factors like sleep, exercise, diet and social contact interacting with things like cognitive reserve, neuroplasticity and inflammation in the body.
New research hints at how psychedelics can trigger rapid, lasting change. wildpixel/iStock via Getty Images Plus

Psychedelics plus psychotherapy can trigger rapid changes in the brain − new research at the level of neurons is untangling how

Change in the brain usually comes with plenty of effort over time. Neuroscientists are working to understand how psychedelic drugs provide a shortcut that seems to rely on existing brain systems.
Changes in the synapses between neurons is responsible for learning and memory. KTSDESIGN/Science Photo Library via Getty Images

Memories may be stored in the membranes of your neurons

Pinpointing where memories are stored in the brain and how they are transmitted could provide new targets to treat neurological diseases and serve as models for neuromorphic computing.
Fathers’ brains adjust their structure and function to parenthood. María Paternina-Die

Fatherhood changes men’s brains, according to before-and-after MRI scans

Neuroscientists know that pregnant mothers’ brains change in ways that appear to help with caring for a baby. Now researchers have identified changes in new fathers’ brains, too.
The teenage brain has a voracious drive for reward, diminished behavioural control and a susceptibility to be shaped by experience. This often manifests as a reduced ability to resist high-calorie junk foods. (Shutterstock)

How junk food shapes the developing teenage brain

Excessively eating junk foods during adolescence could alter brain development, leading to lasting poor diet habits. But, like a muscle, the brain can be exercised to improve willpower.
People who haven’t experienced drug dependence often don’t know why it’s so difficult to kick the habit. from www.shutterstock.com.au

Health Check: what makes it so hard to quit drugs?

Regardless of how they are consumed, alcohol and other drugs eventually make their way into the brain via the bloodstream. Once there, they affect how messages are sent through the brain.
The human brain leaves computers behind with its endless capacity for problem solving, innovation and invention. Humphrey King/Flickr

Health Check: four key ways to improve your brain health

The human brain is the most extraordinary and complex object in the known universe, a kilogram and a half of soft tissue that, at its peak, leaves computers behind with its endless capacity for problem…
People who stay mentally stimulated and physically active can delay onset of cognitive decline. Daniel Erkstam/Flickr

Older people may be better learners than we think

Older people may be able to learn more from visual information than their younger counterparts, according to a study published today in the journal Current Biology. “The take-home message the study authors…
It’s not all bad news for older brains. Man image via www.shutterstock.com

Aging brains aren’t necessarily declining brains

For years, conventional wisdom held that growing older tends to be bad news for brains. Past behavioral data largely pointed to loss in cognitive – that is, thinking – abilities with age, including poorer…
No one disputes that extensive training on a specific task will improve performance on that task. Paul Boxley

Health Check: does brain training make you smarter?

No one who has kept their head out of the sand over the past several years needs to be told “brain training” is a hot topic. And it’s big business too, with advocates using claims such as “personal training…

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