A study using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) shows that expert advice may shut down areas of the brain responsible for decision-making processes, particularly when individuals are trying to evaluate a situation where risk is involved. The study was published in the March 2009 issue of the Public Library of Science (PLOS One).
During times of uncertainty such as an economic recession, many people feel unqualified to sort out the implications of their financial decisions. Often they will seek the advice of a consultant on what choices to make. [continue reading…]
Brain
Quality of life for aging boomers a public imperative, says gerontologist
Image credit: iStockphoto
 Gerontologist John Krout has spent his professional life studying the elderly and aging. He is known for his work on quality of life for the elderly (including the impact of engagement and creativity), livable communities and aging, senior centers, retirement facilities, intergenerational partnerships, and rural elderly. Now as boomers come of age, he turns his attention to creativity and aging, and the changing perspectives of aging. [continue reading…]
The ups an downs of forgetting an interview with Dr. Daniel Levitin, McGill University
Link to watch all the videos “Unlocking the Secrets and Powers of the Brain,” where four leading psychologists and neuroscientists (Michael Gazzaniga, Daniel Levitin, Rebecca Saxe, and Sam Wang), discuss the hottest issues in brain research
Source: Discover
Participating in certain mental activities, like reading magazines or crafting in middle age or later in life, may delay or prevent memory loss, according to a study released February 17 that will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology’s 61st Annual Meeting in Seattle, April 25 to May 2, 2009.
The study involved 197 people between the ages of 70 and 89 with mild cognitive impairment, or diagnosed memory loss, and 1,124 people that age with no memory problems. Both groups answered questions about their daily activities within the past year and in middle age, when they were between 50 to 65 years old. [continue reading…]
