tremor in hands

3 Strength Exercises For Individuals With Essential Tremor

Catherine O’Brien Essential tremor (ET) is a neurological disorder characterized by involuntary and rhythmic shaking. Typically, tremors occur in upper extremities such as the hands but tremors can exist in other body parts as well (Mayo Clinic, Aug 2017). Individuals suffering from essential tremor experience disturbances and difficulties in completing everyday tasks such as feeding

mature woman boxing

The Jury Is Out | The Best Exercise for Parkinson’s Disease

Gillian White, MSc, PhD (C) University of Toronto, Graduate Department of Exercise Sciences Parkinson’s disease is a neurodegenerative condition affecting 2% of the population over 70 years of age – roughly 6 million people worldwide (Pringshein et al., 2014). It is characterized by the death of brain cells in the basal ganglia, particularly those that

practicing meditation

Go Forth & Be Mindful

Hank Shell Well, folks, 2017 is drawing to a close, there’s still no natural snow in my neck of the woods, and suffice it to say that spirits are dwindling here in the sere and barren mountains of San Miguel County, Colorado. Well, perhaps there’s a bit of holiday cheer going around, if you’re into

2 women running through the city

4 Areas Of The Brain That Benefit From Exercise

Catherine O’Brien Aerobic exercise has been proven to improve cardiovascular health and diminish the risk of heart disease and stroke. In the last decade, the role of aerobic exercise within cognitive and affective domains has become more prominent. Exercise has been shown to reduce mood disturbance, improve psychological well-being, and improve positive valence associated with

beer

Exercise May Improve Brain Health In Adolescent Binge Drinking

Julia C. Basso, PhD Reporting from the 2017 Annual Society for Neuroscience Meeting Exercise highlight 5: Voluntary exercise restores adolescent binge ethanol-induced loss of basal forebrain cholinergic neurons in adulthood (RP Vetreno, FT Crews) The adolescent brain is in a constant state of change and therefore has a heightened capacity for neural plasticity. Unfortunately, binge

brother and sister walking home

Learning, Memory, & Decision Making

Julia C. Basso, PhD Reporting from the 2017 Annual Society for Neuroscience Meeting Making good decisions requires memory. Take for example, the hangover (maybe that some of us are experiencing today after the reunion with some of our favorite science colleagues). We remember that the previous heavy night of drinking brought on this unpleasant state.

Muscles and Mind, Mind-Body

Yoga: A Mind-Body Practice That Improves the Brain

Contributed by Julia C. Basso, Post-doctoral Research Associate, New York University, Center for Neural Science Yoga: A Mind-Body Practice That Improves the Brain Yoga is an ancient Indian mind-body practice that focuses on both movement (asanas) and breath (pranayama).  It first came to the United States around the early 1900s, but it did not gain popularity

rock climbing

Rock Climbing Helps Control Emotions

Catherine O’Brien According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) is the leading cause of disability in the U.S. for individuals between the ages of 15-44. The Diagnostic Statistical Manual (DSM) IV, MDD is characterize by depressed mood or loss of interest and /or pleasure in daily activities for more

group of dancers

Dancing Can Reverse Aging In The Brain

Julia C. Basso, PhD A healthy and functional brain requires healthy, intact cells that fire effectively. Action Potentials Neurons generate action potentials, which are the brain’s primary source of currency. Action potentials are electrical signals that travel down the neuron. When the action potential reaches the end of the neuron (the axon terminal), the electrical

Smaller Waistline and Bigger Brain

Leading the Way to a Smaller Waistline and a Bigger Brain

Contributed by Julia C. Basso, Post-doctoral Research Associate at the Center for Neural Science and New York University Smaller Waistline and Bigger Brain A constant regimen of aerobic exercise helps to fight obesity, decrease weight gain over time, and when we do enough of it, get a smaller waistline.  As we exercise and lose weight, another part

mature athlete drinking water

What Toxins Are Lurking In Your Brain?

Julia C. Basso, PhD As a scientist who studies the effects of exercise on the brain, I am always thinking about what exercise-induced factors (from muscles, bones, organs, brain tissue, etc.) cause the beneficial effects on brain function, like improvements in mood and cognition. Recently I started thinking about it another way. What if we

man running on track

Lifestyle Recommendations To Prevent Cognitive Decline

Julia C. Basso, PhD Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia, accounting for 60-80% of cases, and is characterized by problems with memory, thinking, and behavior. AD is progressive; symptoms worsen over time, with individuals eventually losing the ability to carry on tasks of daily living. AD results from changes in the