A new type of brain scan, called diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), appears to be better at detecting whether a person with memory loss might have brain changes of Alzheimer’s disease, according to a new study published in the January 6, 2010, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. [continue reading…]

We have all had the embarrassing experience of seeing an acquaintance in an unfamiliar setting. We know we know them but can’t recall who they are. But with the correct cues from conversation or context, something seems to click and we can readily access very rich and vivid memories about the individual. [continue reading…]

The New Scientist explores the ways you can sleep your way to a better brain in Sleep success: How to make ZZZs = memory Ken Paller and his colleagues at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, suggest sounds played as you sleep can reinforce memories.

They asked people to memorise which images and their associated sounds – such as a picture of a cat and a miaow – were associated with a certain area on a computer screen and then to take a nap. They played half the group the sounds in their sleep, and these people were better at remembering the associations than the rest when they woke up.

Paller hopes sounds can be used to improve all kinds of memory and next he’ll be figuring out if we can learn languages while we snooze….. continue reading

Source: New Scientist