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Memory Problems

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  • Focusing on concrete details when experiencing a traumatic event may, oddly enough, protect you more from the power of those memories, than if you tried to distance yourself from what you are experiencing.

Can you help protect yourself from the memory of traumatic events? A new study suggests that, by concentrating on concrete details as you live through the event, you can reduce the number of intrusive memories later experienced.

  • The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has updated its concussion recommendations.

The American Academy of Pediatric now supports children and teens engaging in light physical activity and returning to school as they recover. It also now advises against complete removal of electronic devices, such as television, computers and smartphones, following a concussion.

  • Some athletes who experience sports-related concussions have reduced blood flow in parts of their brains even after clinical recovery.

Adding to evidence that the standard assessments are inadequate to determine whether concussed athletes are fit to return to action, an advanced MRI technique that detects blood flow in the brain shows that hat brain abnormalities persist beyond the point of clinical recovery after injury.

  • A preliminary study suggests adults with persistent difficulties after TBI may benefit from a metacognitive training program in conjunction with use of Ritalin.

A small study involving 71 adults who struggled with persistent cognitive difficulties after suffering a traumatic brain injury at least four months before has compared two cognitive training programs with and without drug therapy.

The two six-week programs were

  • Type 2 diabetes is known to increase the risk of Alzheimer's disease.
  • In a reasonably large study, diabetes was found to be linked with higher levels of tau protein, regardless of the presence of dementia.
  • Diabetes was also linked with greater brain shrinkage.
  • The finding adds to evidence that diabetes increases the risk of cognitive impairment in old age.

A study involving older adults has found that diabetes was associated with higher levels of tau protein and greater brain atrophy.

  • A large randomized study has found that cognitive processing therapy works better when administered on an individual basis, but that regardless, it is only successful about half the time.

A randomized clinical trial of 268 active-duty personnel seeking treatment for PTSD has found that individual sessions of cognitive processing therapy were twice as effective as group sessions.

In 2013 I reported how a 3-second interruption while doing a task doubled the rate of sequence errors, while a 4s one tripled it. A new study has attempted to measure just how much ongoing interruptions can negatively affect the quality of a complex creative task.

  • The largest study to date of chemo-brain shows that 45% of women with breast cancer report it's a substantial problem for months after chemotherapy.
  • A rat study suggests an effect of chemotherapy on dopamine and serotonin may be partly responsible.
  • Better cognitive function, and improved mood, are linked to frequent moderate-to-vigorous physical exercise among breast cancer survivors.
  • A new cognitive-behavioral treatment program has been trialed with positive results.

Chemo-brain common among women with breast cancer

  • More evidence comes from several studies of more subtle brain damage that isn't captured in conventional tests of concussions.
  • A new brainwave monitor finds brain impairments in ice hockey players that had been cleared to return to play after concussions, as well as signs of impairment from players experiencing sub-concussive impacts
  • A new way of analyzing brain images has found clear brain changes six months after female rugby players suffered concussions
  • Young adults suffering multiple concussions showed brainwave changes accompanied by poorer cognitive control more than a month after the last concussion
  • Detailed scans found hockey players cleared to return to play showed loosened myelin (the insulating substance around brain wiring)
  • However one study of young football players showed no association between sub-concussive impacts and neurocognitive performance (but were their tests sensitive enough?)

New method finds undetected brain impairments in ice hockey players with and without diagnosed concussions

  • Mouse study shows tau tangles may be behind increased Alzheimer's risk for those who have suffered a traumatic brain injury.

We know that traumatic brain injury increases the risk of later developing neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's disease, but we haven't known why. New mouse studies suggest a reason.