Cognitive Function News and Research

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Cognition is a concept used in different ways by different disciplines, but is generally accepted to mean the process of thought. For example, in psychology and cognitive science it refers to an information processing view of an individual's psychological functions.

Oxaloacetate supplement may help reduce chemo brain in breast cancer survivors

A new study led by researchers at the UCLA Health Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center found that a nutritional supplement containing oxaloacetate, a molecule naturally found in the body that helps cells produce energy, may help improve cognitive function and reduce the fatigue experienced by some breast cancer survivors following treatment.

21 Oct 2026

Diverse social activities may help slow age-related cognitive decline

Diverse and sustained social activities may boost cognitive performance and slow the decline in brain health associated with aging, suggest the findings of a large international study, published online in the Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health.

21 Oct 2026

Rice, fish and pickles: Is the traditional Japanese diet as healthy as we think?

A systematic review of 37 studies found that greater adherence to predefined Japanese-style dietary patterns was associated with lower all-cause and cardiovascular mortality, based on pooled evidence from three cohort studies. However, health associations varied according to dietary composition, suggesting that traditional Japanese diet scores alone may not adequately distinguish the potential benefits and risks of different food combinations.

20 Oct 2026

Study links abnormal immature astroglia to lower fluid intelligence in older epilepsy patients

A new USC-led study links abnormal immature astroglia, star-shaped cells that support brain function, to lower fluid intelligence, or the ability to solve new problems, in older adults with epilepsy.

20 Oct 2026

Scientists restore memory-linked neuron function in Alzheimer's mice

Researchers were able to restore the function of neurons linked to cognitive function and information processing in mice that mimic key features of Alzheimer's disease, showing early promise for the development of a similar targeted therapy in humans.

15 Oct 2026

People who walk more each day tend to score better on several brain tests

Researchers analyzed 14 years of physical activity and blood pressure records from 3,093 US adults and found that higher daily step counts were associated with better performance on tests of attention, cognitive control, and reward-related decision-making. Higher systolic blood pressure was associated with poorer delay-discounting performance, but accounted for only 4.8% of its association with physical activity, while the single cognitive assessment prevented conclusions about causation or cognitive decline.

14 Oct 2026

Does extra protein protect aging muscle during fasting?

A randomized trial found that alternate-day fasting reduced weight in older men, while added protein and leucine did not prevent lean mass loss.

7 Oct 2026

Timing of brain surgery critical for certain Parkinson's patients

The timing of Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) surgery is a critical factor in preserving cognitive function for Parkinson's disease patients with a specific genetic mutation, according to a new study by an international team of researchers.

6 Oct 2026

Childhood family environments impact midlife cardiovascular and cognitive health

Doctoral dissertation research investigated how the family environment in childhood affects health in midlife.

30 Sep 2026

Swedish study links lower midlife cognitive scores to future strokes

Adults in their 60s who scored lower on tests of overall thinking ability, memory and how quickly they processed information were more likely to have a stroke years later, according to new research conducted in Sweden, published today in the Journal of the American Heart Association, an open-access, peer-reviewed journal of the American Heart Association.

30 Sep 2026

What older adults do on screens may matter more than total screen time

Across 8,996 older adults in four cohorts, television viewing was associated with poorer global cognition, while computer use was associated with better cognitive performance, with the strongest positive associations at low-to-moderate levels of use. Mendelian randomization supported these opposing patterns and linked genetically predicted television viewing time to lower left insula volume, which accounted for an estimated 14.8% of its association with poorer cognitive performance.

29 Sep 2026

Exercise may reshape your gut microbiome to support recovery

Research reveals how exercise alters gut microbes, influencing recovery and proposing 'intestinal rehabilitation' for those with limited exercise capacity.

29 Sep 2026

Focused radiosurgery extends survival for small cell lung cancer patients with brain metastases

Patients with small cell lung cancer (SCLC) that had spread to the brain lived a median of 17 months after focused stereotactic radiosurgery, compared with nine months after an advanced form of whole brain radiation therapy, an unexpected secondary finding from the first randomized phase 3 trial to compare the treatment approaches in this population.

28 Sep 2026

Fractionated radiosurgery extends survival for brain metastasis patients

Delivering focused radiation therapy over three to five sessions after surgery for a large brain metastasis reduced the risk of cancer returning at the surgical site compared with delivering the radiation in a single session, according to the results of the Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology A071801 presented today at the plenary session of the American Society for Radiation Oncology in Boston.

28 Sep 2026

Blood proteins may help monitor Alzheimer’s treatment response

Patients with early symptoms of Alzheimer's disease may be prescribed anti-amyloid therapy, which can help clear the sticky clumps of amyloid protein in the brain that characterize Alzheimer's.

25 Sep 2026

Chronic stress and social support affect how cognitive abilities change with age

Chronic stress and perceived social support may play a role in how memory and thinking abilities change with age, according to a new study led by researchers at Wake Forest University School of Medicine.

24 Sep 2026

Frailty linked to greater cognitive impairment risk in men with chronic kidney disease

New research from the University of Colorado Anschutz Department of Medicine is shedding light on how women and men with chronic kidney disease (CKD) may fare differently as they age and their disease progresses.

23 Sep 2026

Low spinal bone density may predict faster brain aging

Researchers at Johns Hopkins University found that lower bone mineral density in the spine was associated with faster cognitive decline and accelerated age-related white matter injury, according to a new study published today in Radiology, a journal of the Radiological Society of North America.

22 Sep 2026

Older adults with higher polyphenol intake were less likely to have mild cognitive impairment

In a cross-sectional study of 92 older Italian memory-clinic patients, higher habitual intake of total dietary (poly)phenols and several specific subclasses was associated with a lower likelihood of mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Total (poly)phenol intake was not associated with cognitive test performance or circulating inflammatory biomarkers, and the authors cautioned that the small observational study cannot establish causality.

20 Sep 2026

Better fitness was linked to healthier brain structure, but not better memory

Researchers studying 353 cognitively unimpaired adults aged 60 to 94 found that higher muscular capacity was associated with lower basal ganglia perivascular space volume, while greater aerobic fitness was associated with greater gray matter volume and medial temporal lobe thickness. Fitness was not directly associated with global cognition or episodic memory, and evidence for cognitive reserve was limited, although VO₂max explained additional variation in delayed verbal memory beyond tau burden.

18 Sep 2026