Health, Brain | featured news

If you want your memory to stay strong, you probably already know what to avoid -- excessive alcohol, beating your head on things, getting any older. What you probably didn't know is that there are other, lesser known everyday threats that may be slowly turning you into that guy from 'Memento.'

Brain specialists say that dementia may not be inevitable and that making lifestyle changes earlier in life can lessen the chances of it.

Virginia health officials say a child has died of a brain infection from a microscopic bug, sometimes called a “brain-eating amoeba,” that lives in stagnant water. State epidemiologist Dr. Keri Hall declined to name the child, but the victim’s mother identified him as 9-year-old Christian Alexander Strickland of Henrico County. The boy died Aug. 5 and Hall received the autopsy results Friday confirming the cause of death as inflammation of the brain and its lining.

Scientists are closing in on a long-sought goal: A blood test to screen people for Alzheimer's disease. An experimental test did a good job of indicating how much of the telltale Alzheimer's plaque lurks in people's brains, Australian researchers reported Wednesday. If the test proves accurate in larger studies, it could offer a way to check people having memory problems to see who needs more definitive testing for the disease.

One in seven strokes happens at night, and sufferers may not get medicine that could prevent brain damage, suggests a new study.

Walking about 6 miles a week appears to protect against brain shrinkage in old age, which in turn helps stem the onset of memory problems and ...

Menstrual cramps are often dismissed as a mere nuisance, but new research suggests the monthly misery may be altering women's brains.

If you’re trying to motivate yourself to get moving in the new year, here’s some inspiration: Mounting research shows that exercise isn’t just good for the body, it’s also good for the brain.

Tthe classic puzzle game Tetris can boost your brain power, according to a new study.

Had a particularly stressful day at work? Go home and mow your lawn. Scientists have found that a chemical released by freshly cut grass makes people feel content, London's Daily Mail reported.