New Research Shows Adopting Healthy Lifestyle Behaviors Can Reduce the Risk of Cognitive Decline and Dementia

Valerie PatmintraBrain Health, Brainworks, Cognitive Aging, News, Research

Headshot of Dr. Lazar in white medical coat

Ronald Lazar, PhD, FAHA, FAAN, Director of the Evelyn F. McKnight Brain Institute at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) explains the rational for using the McCance Brain Care Score (BCS) in the Brain Health Advocacy Mission (BHAM) settings as a metric for risk factors and lifestyles that impact risk for cognitive decline and stroke.

Dr. Ronald Lazar, Director of the McKnight Brain Institute at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, Receives Funding from the McCance Brain Center at Massachusetts General Hospital

Valerie PatmintraBrain Health, Cognitive Aging, News, Research

Headshot of Dr. Lazar in white medical coat

Ronald Lazar, PhD, FAHA, FAAN, Director of the Evelyn F. McKnight Brain Institute at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) and Pamela Bowen, PhD, CRNP, FNP-BC, BBA, Associate Professor, UAB recently received funding for a new pilot project aiming to demonstrate that exercise directly impacts cardiorespiratory fitness and has a broader effect across other risk factors, thus improving overall brain health.

Sex Differences in Cognitive Decline among US Adults – JAMA Network Study

Valerie PatmintraNews, Research

This cohort study recently published by the JAMA Network aimed to find out if the risk of cognitive decline among US adults varies by sex. Using pooled data from 26,088 participants, the study found that women, compared with men, had higher baseline performance in global cognition, executive function, and memory. Women, compared with men, also had significantly faster declines in … Read More

Video Abstract Describing the DREAM Study

Valerie PatmintraNews, Research

November 1, 2019 – The McKnight Brain Research Foundation hosted its eleventh annual Poster Reception in Chicago, Illinois on Sunday, October 20, 2019. From the 68 posters presented by scientists from the four McKnight Brain Institutes, six were selected to receive cash awards and certificates for display.

Neuroscientists Weigh in on Spatial Cognition and the Hippocampus

Valerie PatmintraNews, Research

University of Florida neuroscientist Andrew Maurer, Ph.D., and University of Arizona psychologist Lynn Nadel, Ph.D., highlight the role of the hippocampus in spatial cognition and episodic memory in a new perspective piece published by the journal, Trends in Cognitive Sciences. “Spatial cognition” is the study of how humans take in and use knowledge of their environment to assess location, get … Read More

New University of Florida Study Examines How Brain Structure and Brain Function Impact Aging

Valerie PatmintraNews, Research

A new study led by UF neuroscientists Adam J. Woods, Ph.D. and Nicole Evangelista, examining how brain structure and brain function may together contribute to cognition, found that greater right and left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) activation — a measure of brain function — predicted higher working memory performance in older adults, as did a greater DLPFC surface area structure in … Read More

New Study Led by University of Florida Neuroscientists Identifies a Potential Biomarker for Decreased Brain Processing Speed in Aging

Valerie PatmintraNews, Research

According to a new study published in Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience and led by University of Florida neuroscientists, Adam Woods, Ph.D. and Jessica Kraft, thinning of the cortex in several brain regions in advanced age may be linked with a decrease in the brain’s processing speed. Using a 3T Siemens MRI scanner, researchers from University of Florida and Unviersity of … Read More

UF Neuroscientists Study Impact of COVID-19, Social Isolation on Cognitive, Mental Health of Seniors

Valerie PatmintraNews, Research

University of Florida neuroscientists are embarking on a new study to understand the impact of COVID-19 on the cognitive, mental and brain health of older adults, as well as the impact of social isolation on them. Led by Adam J. Woods, Ph.D., the study will be funded by a $700,000 supplement from the National Institutes of Health that will be linked … Read More