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Brain health depends on steady energy production, especially during stress, fatigue, or heavy cognitive demand. Researchers are now turning their attention to a nutrient that quietly supports all three, and it’s one most people underestimate: Creatine.
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“The super-agers’ brains look indistinguishable from a group of healthy 50- to 60-year-olds. They really seem to be on a different trajectory,” Rogalski says. Her latest work is evaluating super-agers’ life stories to get a better idea of how they’ve handled stress, whether it has involved surviving a Nazi death camp, coping with the death of a child, or dealing with cancer.
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A few months ago, I got my routine lab work back, and one number stopped me in my tracks. My neuroinflammation marker was off the charts. Which made no sense. I felt great. I was training regularly, sleeping well, and eating clean. But my doctor, Frank Lipman, M.D., told me it could be a lingering sign of Long COVID, even though I hadn’t had symptoms in months.
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In terms of appearance, almonds are light brown and oval-shaped, with a smooth outer shell. They have a rich, nutty flavor that lends itself well to a wide range of recipes, adding an extra crunch to salads or bringing a tender texture to baked goods. They also make a healthy snack as is and can be enjoyed roasted, raw, or salted.
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Scientists have previously hypothesized that attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) may be a risk factor for cognitive decline and Alzheimer’s disease (AD). However, the lack of studies investigating age-related cognitive decline in individuals with ADHD later in life has prevented a distinct association between ADHD and cognitive decline—until now.
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If you’ve ever blamed your hormones for brain fog or slower thinking, you’re far from alone. Many women report feeling less focused or sharp during certain phases of their menstrual cycle. But new research published in Sports Medicine challenges that long-held assumption.
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Key points:
Far too many students enter math class expecting to fail. For them, math isn’t just a subject–it’s a source of anxiety that chips away at their confidence and makes them question their abilities. A growing conversation around math phobia is bringing this crisis into focus. A recent article, for example, unpacked the damage caused by the belief that “I’m just not a math person” and argued that traditional math instruction often leaves even bright, capable students feeling defeated.
When a single subject holds such sway over not just academic outcomes but a student’s sense of self and future potential, we can’t afford to treat this as business as usual. It’s not enough to explore why this is happening. We need to focus on how to fix it. And I believe the answer lies in rethinking how we teach math, aligning instruction with the way the brain actually learns.
A key shortcoming of traditional math curriculum–and a major contributor to students’ fear of math–is the lack of meaningful context. Our brains rely on context to make sense of new information, yet math is often taught in isolation from how we naturally learn. The fix isn’t simply throwing in more “real-world” examples. What students truly need is context, and visual examples are one of the best ways to get there. When math concepts are presented visually, students can better grasp the structure of a problem and follow the logic behind each step, building deeper understanding and confidence along the way.
In traditional math instruction, students are often taught a new concept by being shown a procedure and then practicing it repeatedly in hopes that understanding will eventually follow. But this approach is backward. Our brains don’t learn that way, especially when it comes to math. Students need context first. Without existing schemas to draw from, they struggle to make sense of new ideas. Providing context helps them build the mental frameworks necessary for real understanding.
Why visual-first context matters
Visual-first context gives students the tools they need to truly understand math. A curriculum built around visual-first exploration allows students to have an interactive experience–poking and prodding at a problem, testing ideas, observing patterns, and discovering solutions. From there, students develop procedures organically, leading to a deeper, more complete understanding. Using visual-first curriculum activates multiple parts of the brain, creating a deeper, lasting understanding. Shifting to a math curriculum that prioritizes introducing new concepts through a visual context makes math more approachable and accessible by aligning with how the brain naturally learns.
To overcome “math phobia,” we also need to rethink the heavy emphasis on memorization in today’s math instruction. Too often, students can solve problems not because they understand the underlying concepts, but because they’ve memorized a set of steps. This approach limits growth and deeper learning. Memorization of the right answers does not lead to understanding, but understanding can lead to the right answers.
Take, for example, a third grader learning their times tables. The third grader can memorize the answers to each square on the times table along with its coordinating multipliers, but that doesn’t mean they understand multiplication. If, instead, they grasp how multiplication works–what it means–they can figure out the times tables on their own. The reverse isn’t true. Without conceptual understanding, students are limited to recall, which puts them at a disadvantage when trying to build off previous knowledge.
To design a math curriculum that aligns with how the brain naturally learns new information, we can take cues from how other subjects are taught. In English, for example, students don’t start by memorizing grammar rules in isolation–they’re first exposed to those rules within the context of stories. Imagine asking a student to take a grammar quiz before they’ve ever read a sentence–that would seem absurd. Yet in math, we often expect students to master procedures before they’ve had any meaningful exposure to the concepts behind them.
Most other subjects are built around context. Students gain background knowledge before being expected to apply what they’ve learned. By giving students a story or a visual context for the mind to process–breaking it down and making connections–students can approach problems like a puzzle or game, instead of a dreaded exercise. Math can do the same. By adopting the contextual strategies used in other subjects, math instruction can become more intuitive and engaging, moving beyond the traditional textbook filled with equations.
Math doesn’t have to be a source of fear–it can be a source of joy, curiosity, and confidence. But only if we design it the way the brain learns: with visuals first, understanding at the center, and every student in mind. By using approaches that provide visual-first context, students can engage with math in a way that mirrors how the brain naturally learns. This shift in learning makes math more approachable and accessible for all learners.
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Nigel Nisbet, Mind Education
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The terms detox and cleanse can be eye-catching, as their modern definition implies a better, healthier you on the other side of whatever program you’ve signed up for. But are they ever actually more beneficial than simply working on healthier habits one day at a time?
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For those struggling with the winter blues (which actually peaks during autumn!), psychiatrist Norman Rosenthal, M.D., recommends optimizing your light exposure however you can. “What are the things I need in order to make my life good? They’re often ordinary things that we don’t fully appreciate,” he shares on the mindbodygreen podcast. Below, he offers some “ordinary” tips to drink in more precious, natural light:
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Some of the participants were given pretzels and others were given a mix of tree nuts (almonds, Brazil nuts, cashews, hazelnuts, macadamias, pecans, pine nuts, pistachios, and walnuts). At the end of the study period, the researchers analyzed fecal and blood plasma samples to better understand the effects of the different snacks.
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Many of us think of brain health as something we worry about later, when we start forgetting names or misplacing keys. But new research suggests that the earliest signs of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s may show up years before any memory lapses do—and in places you might not expect.
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Researchers at the University of South Florida are conducting clinical trials to explore the potential of psilocybin, a compound found in magic mushrooms, as a treatment for postpartum depression and other mental health disorders.Tracey Tee, founder and CEO of Moms on Mushrooms, said, “We’ve greatly misjudged and mis-prioritized the mental health of mothers in general and we’ve gotten a lot of it wrong.”Her group educates women about magic mushrooms and psilocybin, focusing on how they can help mothers dealing with trauma or depression. Tee emphasized the potential of microdosing and magic mushrooms as an emerging solution, although she acknowledged it may not be suitable for everyone. “Studying it for postpartum in particular is like a no-brainer for me,” she said.Health researchers at the University of South Florida are investigating whether psilocybin can help treat major depressive disorders, postpartum depression, and other conditions.Dr. Ryan Wagoner, who was involved with the research, said, “What we are eventually trying to move towards are these medications that can be Food and Drug Administration-approved just like any medication you might take.” Wagoner said if psilocybin’s medical properties are proven to outweigh its risks, it could be reclassified and approved as a medication. “If you can show that the substance does have a medical property that’s valuable to it and outweighs any sorts of risks, suddenly we can move what schedule it’s on and get it approved to be a medication just like anything else,” Wagoner said.Researchers say psilocybin works by targeting serotonin receptors in the brain, enhancing sensory input and potentially disrupting neural networks involved in depression. They are exploring the use of smaller doses to activate serotonin receptors without causing unwanted side effects. “What if we use a smaller dose. What if we use a dose that activates the serotonin receptor but doesn’t cause as much of those side effects that we’re not looking for,” Wagoner said.Tee believes the stigma around magic mushrooms should be replaced with a view of them as a medical treatment. “The idea is that you’re not high and that it’s mimicking and still working in the brain and body in the same way that a large dose journey does, that’s like transformative effects, but we are doing it in smaller amounts over time incrementally so that you are able to go about your day,” she said. She added that psilocybin should be paired with other treatments. “It really needs to be paired with something because it’s not a passive magic pill in the same way an antidepressant is; you really want to work with the medicine,” Tee said.The National Institutes of Health reports that approximately 30% of patients with major depressive disorder have treatment-resistant depression. A Johns Hopkins study found that two doses of psilocybin produced rapid and large reductions in depressive symptoms. “You actually have to put into practice, and so that is why we do clinical trials to first detect if there are side effects we weren’t expecting,” Wagoner said. They are investigating whether psilocybin offers benefits beyond existing medications.”Is this something real that’s going on in the brain that’s different or better than some of the medications we already have on the market,” Wagoner said.Tee expressed optimism about the role of psychedelics in mental health treatment, saying, “I think there’s a really beautiful place for psychedelics to slide in and support a lot of people without a lot of damage we’re seeing being caused by other modalities.”Magic mushrooms remain illegal in Florida, classified as a Schedule 1 controlled substance at both the state and federal levels. Possession of psilocybin mushrooms is a felony, with significant fines, probation, and potential prison time. Florida has also banned mushroom spores, despite them not containing psilocybin. Wagoner said clinical trials will continue, with more data and research being collected to potentially achieve FDA approval in the future.
Researchers at the University of South Florida are conducting clinical trials to explore the potential of psilocybin, a compound found in magic mushrooms, as a treatment for postpartum depression and other mental health disorders.
Tracey Tee, founder and CEO of Moms on Mushrooms, said, “We’ve greatly misjudged and mis-prioritized the mental health of mothers in general and we’ve gotten a lot of it wrong.”
Her group educates women about magic mushrooms and psilocybin, focusing on how they can help mothers dealing with trauma or depression. Tee emphasized the potential of microdosing and magic mushrooms as an emerging solution, although she acknowledged it may not be suitable for everyone.
“Studying it for postpartum in particular is like a no-brainer for me,” she said.
Health researchers at the University of South Florida are investigating whether psilocybin can help treat major depressive disorders, postpartum depression, and other conditions.
Dr. Ryan Wagoner, who was involved with the research, said, “What we are eventually trying to move towards are these medications that can be Food and Drug Administration-approved just like any medication you might take.”
Wagoner said if psilocybin’s medical properties are proven to outweigh its risks, it could be reclassified and approved as a medication.
“If you can show that the substance does have a medical property that’s valuable to it and outweighs any sorts of risks, suddenly we can move what schedule it’s on and get it approved to be a medication just like anything else,” Wagoner said.
Researchers say psilocybin works by targeting serotonin receptors in the brain, enhancing sensory input and potentially disrupting neural networks involved in depression.
They are exploring the use of smaller doses to activate serotonin receptors without causing unwanted side effects.
“What if we use a smaller dose. What if we use a dose that activates the serotonin receptor but doesn’t cause as much of those side effects that we’re not looking for,” Wagoner said.
Tee believes the stigma around magic mushrooms should be replaced with a view of them as a medical treatment.
“The idea is that you’re not high and that it’s mimicking and still working in the brain and body in the same way that a large dose journey does, that’s like transformative effects, but we are doing it in smaller amounts over time incrementally so that you are able to go about your day,” she said.
She added that psilocybin should be paired with other treatments.
“It really needs to be paired with something because it’s not a passive magic pill in the same way an antidepressant is; you really want to work with the medicine,” Tee said.
The National Institutes of Health reports that approximately 30% of patients with major depressive disorder have treatment-resistant depression.
A Johns Hopkins study found that two doses of psilocybin produced rapid and large reductions in depressive symptoms.
“You actually have to put into practice, and so that is why we do clinical trials to first detect if there are side effects we weren’t expecting,” Wagoner said.
They are investigating whether psilocybin offers benefits beyond existing medications.
“Is this something real that’s going on in the brain that’s different or better than some of the medications we already have on the market,” Wagoner said.
Tee expressed optimism about the role of psychedelics in mental health treatment, saying, “I think there’s a really beautiful place for psychedelics to slide in and support a lot of people without a lot of damage we’re seeing being caused by other modalities.”
Magic mushrooms remain illegal in Florida, classified as a Schedule 1 controlled substance at both the state and federal levels.
Possession of psilocybin mushrooms is a felony, with significant fines, probation, and potential prison time.
Florida has also banned mushroom spores, despite them not containing psilocybin.
Wagoner said clinical trials will continue, with more data and research being collected to potentially achieve FDA approval in the future.
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Maybe you know you snore like a bear, but you don’t feel much urgency to look into it. Or maybe you have been told to wear a continuous positive airway pressure, or CPAP, machine for sleep apnea, but it is just so cumbersome.A new study shows that it is important to take obstructive sleep apnea seriously now –– it could impact your risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease later.Moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea is associated with a greater risk for new microbleeds in the brain, according to the study.”Cerebral microbleeds are a common finding in the aging brain,” said Dr. Jonathan Graff-Radford, professor of neurology at Mayo Clinic College of Medicine in Rochester, Minnesota. He was not involved in the research.Microbleeds increase with age, and people who have them have a slightly higher risk of future strokes and faster cognitive decline, Graff-Radford said. “Anything that increases microbleeds is relevant to brain aging,” he added.More evidence you need to treat sleep apneaObstructive sleep apnea is a condition in which a blockage of airways by weak, heavy or relaxed soft tissues disrupts breathing during sleep. The condition is different from central sleep apnea, in which the brain occasionally skips telling the body to breathe.There are a few ways to treat obstructive sleep apnea, including relying on oral devices that keep the throat open during sleep, regularly using a CPAP or similar machine, and having surgeries.The study has a strong methodology and should stress the importance of screening for sleep apnea to clinicians and treatment to patients, said Dr. Rudy Tanzi, professor of neurology at Harvard Medical School and director of the Genetics and Aging Research Unit at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. He was not involved in the research.”Don’t ignore it. Do something about it,” he said. “It’s not just the immediate risk for down the road for bleeds, but also later down the road for Alzheimer’s disease as well.”Not addressing obstructive sleep apnea is a double whammy, Tanzi said. Not getting enough good-quality sleep –– which can be hard to do when your breathing is impaired during the night –– has been associated with brain aging, but the microbleeds that could result may increase the risk for dementia down the line.The study, which was published in the journal JAMA Network Open Tuesday, is observational, which means that it can only establish that obstructive sleep apnea and microbleeds are associated, not that one definitively causes the other. Further studies will need to examine if treating sleep apnea can prevent microbleeds.Know the signsWhen is it time to ask your doctor about obstructive sleep apnea?Loud, frequent snoring is a good indicator, Tanzi said. If your partner notices pauses in your breathing while you sleep or gasping and choking, that’s another sign you should look into sleep apnea.Problems during the day can be a good indicator, too. Sleepiness, trouble concentrating, irritability and increased hunger are signs you may not be getting quality sleep and that it may be time to get assessed for sleep apnea.Night sweats might also be a sign of sleep apnea, as research has shown that about 30% of people with obstructive sleep apnea have reported night sweats.Waking up at least two times in the night, teeth grinding, and morning headaches might also indicate a problem.The latest study “urges (people) to take it more seriously, because the damage that can come from obstructive sleep apnea can definitely be more severe than you think,” Tanzi said.
Maybe you know you snore like a bear, but you don’t feel much urgency to look into it. Or maybe you have been told to wear a continuous positive airway pressure, or CPAP, machine for sleep apnea, but it is just so cumbersome.
A new study shows that it is important to take obstructive sleep apnea seriously now –– it could impact your risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease later.
Moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea is associated with a greater risk for new microbleeds in the brain, according to the study.
“Cerebral microbleeds are a common finding in the aging brain,” said Dr. Jonathan Graff-Radford, professor of neurology at Mayo Clinic College of Medicine in Rochester, Minnesota. He was not involved in the research.
Microbleeds increase with age, and people who have them have a slightly higher risk of future strokes and faster cognitive decline, Graff-Radford said. “Anything that increases microbleeds is relevant to brain aging,” he added.
Obstructive sleep apnea is a condition in which a blockage of airways by weak, heavy or relaxed soft tissues disrupts breathing during sleep. The condition is different from central sleep apnea, in which the brain occasionally skips telling the body to breathe.
There are a few ways to treat obstructive sleep apnea, including relying on oral devices that keep the throat open during sleep, regularly using a CPAP or similar machine, and having surgeries.
The study has a strong methodology and should stress the importance of screening for sleep apnea to clinicians and treatment to patients, said Dr. Rudy Tanzi, professor of neurology at Harvard Medical School and director of the Genetics and Aging Research Unit at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. He was not involved in the research.
“Don’t ignore it. Do something about it,” he said. “It’s not just the immediate risk for down the road for bleeds, but also later down the road for Alzheimer’s disease as well.”
Not addressing obstructive sleep apnea is a double whammy, Tanzi said. Not getting enough good-quality sleep –– which can be hard to do when your breathing is impaired during the night –– has been associated with brain aging, but the microbleeds that could result may increase the risk for dementia down the line.
The study, which was published in the journal JAMA Network Open Tuesday, is observational, which means that it can only establish that obstructive sleep apnea and microbleeds are associated, not that one definitively causes the other. Further studies will need to examine if treating sleep apnea can prevent microbleeds.
When is it time to ask your doctor about obstructive sleep apnea?
Loud, frequent snoring is a good indicator, Tanzi said. If your partner notices pauses in your breathing while you sleep or gasping and choking, that’s another sign you should look into sleep apnea.
Problems during the day can be a good indicator, too. Sleepiness, trouble concentrating, irritability and increased hunger are signs you may not be getting quality sleep and that it may be time to get assessed for sleep apnea.
Night sweats might also be a sign of sleep apnea, as research has shown that about 30% of people with obstructive sleep apnea have reported night sweats.
Waking up at least two times in the night, teeth grinding, and morning headaches might also indicate a problem.
The latest study “urges (people) to take it more seriously, because the damage that can come from obstructive sleep apnea can definitely be more severe than you think,” Tanzi said.
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There’s a reason spices and herbs have been prized in herbal medicine for thousands of years: These key players contain powerful anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects that help with myriad health concerns—from immunity to skin health to cognition.
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Total serum vitamin D levels [25(OH)D] and global cognitive function were assessed antemortem, while vitamin D3, 25(OH)D3, and 1,25(OH)D3 (the active form of vitamin D3) were measured in four brain regions (the mid-temporal cortex, mid-frontal cortex, cerebellum, and anterior watershed white matter) post-mortem.
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By Dennis Thompson HealthDay ReporterTHURSDAY, Oct. 30, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Doctors think they’ve figured out a way to predict who might lose vision due to a high brain pressure disorder.
Idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH) occurs when there’s unexplained pressure buildup in the fluid that cushions the brain in the skull, researchers explain in the journal Neurology.
If untreated, IIH can lead to blindness, researchers said. It mainly affects women of childbearing age who are obese.
Researchers found that changes in the optic disc – the place inside the eye where the optic nerve connects to the retina – can predict who will develop blind spots in their vision or lose sharpness of vision.
“The number of cases of idiopathic intracranial hypertension has been increasing, and it mainly affects young women, so we need more information about who is more likely to develop vision problems and how that process works,” senior researcher Dr. Dagmar Beier, a clinical professor of neurology with the University of Southern Denmark, said in a news release.
Symptoms associated with IIH include chronic, disabling headaches, double vision, loss of vision, hearing problems and nausea, according to the American Academy of Ophthalmology.
For the new study, researchers analyzed 154 people with IIH treated at two headache centers in Denmark between January 2018 and September 2022. The patients’ average age was 28.
Of those, 147 had papilledema, or swelling of the optic disc due to high pressure in the cerebrospinal fluid surrounding the brain, researchers found.
About 7 in 10 patients (69%) had developed scotomas, or blind spots in their vision that can be temporary or permanent, the study found. In addition, 1 in 4 (26%) had lost some sharpness of vision, also known as reduced visual acuity.
All the patients received medicines to reduce their high brain pressure. After it went away, half still had scotomas and 13% still had reduced visual acuity, although none developed full-fledged blindness.
Researchers identified two specific problems that led to vision loss among these patients.
One group’s papilledema led to damage in the optic nerve fibers of the retina, causing blind spots.
The other group’s papilledema caused problems in the macula – the center of the retina – which resulted in lost sharpness of vision.
Based on this, researchers developed a scoresheet to help doctors predict which patients with IIH will go on to develop vision problems.
“This score needs to be validated by external groups before it can be considered ready for use, but we identified the severity of papilledema and the disorganization of the inner layer of the retina as major predictors for who will have persistent vision problems,” Beier said.
The findings were published Oct. 29.
SOURCE: American Academy of Neurology, news release, Oct. 29, 2025
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