Memory & Aging Research Center News
Dr. Gary Small, professor of psychiatry at the Semel Institute and director of the UCLA Center on Aging, commented in a Nov. 3 CNN website article about the effect digital technologies that allow individuals to increasingly document their daily lives may have on human memory.
3 Nov 09
A UCLA study reporting that older adults with little Internet experience were able to trigger key centers in the brain that control decision-making and complex reasoning after just one week of surfing the Web continued to receive television coverage with over 200 outlets nationwide reporting the findings. ABC News web feature, “TechBytes” on Oct. 22 also featured the study. The research was presented at the 2009 Society of Neuroscience meeting.
21 Oct 09
A UCLA study finding that older adults with little Internet experience were able to trigger key brain centers that control decision-making and complex reasoning after just one week of surfing the Web was covered Oct. 19 by HealthDay News, Live Science, Asian News International, U.K Press Association, Daily Mail, Times of India, Psychology Today, the Irish Independent, the Singapore Straits Times, KNX Radio 1070AM and more than 100 CBS, FOX and NBC affiliates nationwide. Oct. 20 coverage included the Los Angeles Times “Booster Shots” blog, New York Daily News, KTLA-Channel 5, WebMD, Scientific...
19 Oct 09
Caregiving.com ran a brief about the UCLA Center on Aging’s second annual “UCLA Technology & Aging Conference,” on Oct. 30 that will explore cutting-edge innovations affecting every aspect of senior life.
19 Oct 09
You can teach an old dog new tricks, say UCLA scientists who found that middle-aged and older adults with little Internet experience were able to trigger key centers in the brain that control decision-making and complex reasoning after just one week of surfing the Web. The findings, presented Oct. 19 at the 2009 meeting of the Society for Neuroscience, suggest that Internet training can stimulate neural activation patterns and could potentially enhance brain function and cognition in older adults.
As the brain ages, a number of structural and functional changes occur,...
19 Oct 09
While aging affects everyday living in many ways, the latest technological advances in the medical, consumer and lifestyle fields have the potential to help older adults live better for longer. The UCLA Center on Aging's second annual "UCLA Technology and Aging Conference: Living Better Longer Through Technology" will feature national academic and industry leaders who will explore cutting-edge innovations affecting every aspect of senior life, from driving and home design to health monitoring and medical advances.
The one-day symposium takes place Friday,...
8 Sep 09
Approach combines PET scans with information on patients' Alzheimer's risk
UCLA scientists have used innovative brain-scan technology developed at UCLA, along with patient-specific information on Alzheimer's disease risk, to help diagnose brain aging, often before symptoms appear. Published in the January issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, their study may offer a more accurate method for tracking brain aging.
Researchers used positron emission tomography (PET), which allows a window into the brain of living people and specifically reveals plaques and tangles, the hallmarks of neurodegene...
5 Jan 09
UCLA scientists have found that for computer-savvy middle-aged and older adults, searching the Internet triggers key centers in the brain that control decision-making and complex reasoning. The findings demonstrate that Web search activity may help stimulate and possibly improve brain function. The study, the first of its kind to assess the impact of Internet searching on brain performance, is currently in press at the American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry and will appear in an upcoming issue.
The study results are encouraging, that emerging computerized technologies may have physiological...
14 Oct 08
