If you’ve never played Sudoku before, it really is fun- and simple. Rules: Put numbers in the squares so that 1-9 appear only once in each row, column, and 3×3 box.

The basic version of Smartkit Sudoku is free and can be played here.

New research adds further support to the idea that the higher your education level, the less likely you are to get Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia.

The study found this to be the case even after adjusting for socioeconomic status and other medical diseases. [

Note: The Mindfit software is currently available for purchase in the Smartkit Store here

Last year I posted about the powerfully negative effects chronic stress has on your memory and brain. Now, a new study

Researchers in Ireland have found that brain exercises in the form of rote memorization of poems, articles, and short stories leads to memory improvement.

From a recent update posted on the Medscape Neurology section:

Researchers at the American Academy of Neurology 59th Annual Meeting presented preliminary results from a study showing that long term exposure to secondhand smoke

It is commonly said that "elephants never forget". From the website Elephant Voices:

Is the brain like the muscles in your body? Can it be trained with cognitive exercises to improve mental agility and sharpness as you get older?

Quite a bit of research has come out lately indicating that the answer to this question is a resounding ‘Yes’.

Back in medical school, I remember a professor teaching us older patients tend to overreport memory problems and don’t really have much insight into the true status of their memory ability.

Now, a recent study published in the journal Neurology indicates that this may not be true.

The headlines from the last few days would make you think so: “Folic Acid may boost brain power”, “Folic acid boosts minds of over-50’s”, “Folic acid improves memory in elderly”, “Folic acid boosts cognition in older adults”.

The truth, however, is that this new study published in The Lancet shows that

A study which appears in the January issue of Neuropsychology indicates that a simple blood test- checking for uric acid levels- may help predict risk of cognitive impairment in older adults.

Patients with high-normal uric acid levels were found to have lower scores on tests of:

• mental processing speed
• verbal memory
• working memory

One of the most common reasons patients get upset with neurologists is when we tell them they should no longer drive. Most older folks are very independent, and when you take their car away from them, they are not happy. In fact, many become belligerent and act as if you’re personally out to get them.

As strange as this may sound, currently, there is no good scientific test for Alzheimer’s disease. In other words, there is no specific blood test, spinal fluid test, or brain imaging study (MRI, CT, PET) that can definitely tell whether you have the disease or not.

People who regularly act out their dreams at night have a disorder called REM sleep behavioral disorder (RBD). Frequently, these patients can injure themselves or their spouses and not even realize it.

Most everyone knows that when you develop Alzheimer’s disease, your memory begins to fail. Specifically, your short term memory

Snoring can be one of the signs of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), a relatively common disease that affects children and adults. There’s been quite a bit of press lately about it- and for good reason: sleep apnea, which tends to be greatly underdiagnosed, can have a tremendous affect on your brain power.

Reading through the latest issue of Neurology Today, came across some interesting tidbits on how beneficial exercise can be for your brain:

• As mentioned in earlier posts, exercise leads to the creation of new brain cells in the hippocampus

I stopped regularly drinking milk years ago for health reasons, and- based on the sheer volume of milk propaganda going around- have always felt the dairy industry has had an unnatural grip on American dietary habits.

From the site

Came across some amazing research

A new study reveals that both green and black tea have the ability to inhibit the enzyme acetylcholinesterase (AChE). This enzyme is important, because it breaks down the acetylcholine, a key neurotransmitter in the brain.

Researchers at the UCLA Neuropsychiatric Institute found Gingko Biloba triggers significant improvement in verbal memory in subjects with age-associated memory impairment compared to placebo.

Many earlier studies with Ginkgo Biloba have produced conflicting results. According to

Compared to those who drank less than one glass of fruit or vegetable juice per week, those who drank three or more were 76% less likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease.

Dr. Qi Dai and colleagues out of Vanderbilt School of Medicine reported these results in the September issue of The American Journal of Medicine.

You can read the full article

Although I’m still wondering how Grandma knew “fish is brain food”, while leafing through my latest issue of Archives of Neurology, I came across another neat study that illustrates how beneficial DHA (Docosahexaenoic acid) is for your brain.

Prednisone is a corticosteroid, and neurologists typically prescribe it quite often, as many of the diseases we see respond dramatically to it.

Could a rut of persistent negative thoughts lead not only to depression but also contribute to the onset of Alzheimer’s disease? I believe there may potentially be a causal link, and new study published in Cognitive Therapy and Research

Out of the many different types of vegetables, green leafy vegetables appear to be most effective in protecting the brain from memory loss as we get older. At least according to a new study out of Rush University Medical center in Chicago and published in the journal Neurology.