Dietary Patterns and Indicators of Cognitive Function

Which Diet Best Protects Your Brain From Cognitive Decline?

The DASH diet. A large study of over 159,000 U.S. adults found the DASH diet outperformed five other popular dietary patterns, including the Mediterranean and MIND diets, in protecting against cognitive decline. Participants with the highest DASH diet adherence had a 41% lower risk of subjective cognitive decline.

This study, published in JAMA Neurology, compared six well-known dietary patterns head to head. Researchers tracked participants over time and measured changes in global cognition, episodic memory, and processing speed. What they found surprised many in the nutrition world: the DASH diet, originally designed to lower blood pressure, came out on top for brain health too.

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Efficacy of 5x5 accelerated versus conventional repetitive

Can Accelerated TMS Treat Depression in Just Five Days?

Yes. A UCLA study of 175 patients found that five TMS sessions per day over five days produced comparable depression relief to the standard six-week course of daily sessions. Even patients who did not respond right away saw a 36% drop in depression scores two to four weeks later.

Transcranial magnetic stimulation, or TMS, uses magnetic pulses to stimulate specific areas of the brain involved in mood. It is one of the few treatments that works for people whose depression has not improved with medication. The problem is that standard TMS requires daily clinic visits for six weeks, which is a major barrier for many patients. This new study tested whether compressing all that treatment into just five days could work just as well.

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2-3 Cups of Coffee a Day Linked to 18% Lower Dementia Risk in 43-Year Study

Can Your Morning Coffee Actually Protect Your Brain?

Quite possibly. A landmark study published in JAMA followed 131,821 people for up to 43 years and found that those who drank 2 to 3 cups of caffeinated coffee per day had an 18% lower risk of developing dementia compared to people who drank little or none. Tea drinkers saw similar benefits at 1 to 2 cups daily. But here is the catch: decaffeinated coffee showed no protective effect at all, suggesting that caffeine itself may be doing something meaningful for the brain.

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Blood Tests for Alzheimer's: A New Study Shows 83% Accuracy

Can a Simple Blood Test Detect Alzheimer’s Disease?

Yes. A multinational study of 605 participants across Latin America found that blood tests measuring three key proteins detected Alzheimer’s disease with 83% accuracy and frontotemporal dementia with 88% accuracy. When combined with brain scans and cognitive tests, accuracy rose to 89% for Alzheimer’s and 95% for frontotemporal dementia.

Right now, diagnosing Alzheimer’s disease usually requires expensive PET brain scans or painful spinal taps. These tests cost thousands of dollars and are not available in many parts of the world. This study shows that a simple blood draw could do much of the same work, and it holds up across populations with wide genetic and racial diversity.

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Just 5 Weeks of Brain Training May Protect Against Dementia

Can a Few Weeks of Brain Training Really Protect Against Dementia?

Yes. A landmark 20-year NIH-funded trial found that older adults who completed five to six weeks of “speed of processing” brain training, plus booster sessions, had a 25% lower risk of developing dementia compared to those who received no training. It was the only type of cognitive training in the study to show a lasting protective effect.

The study followed over 2,000 adults aged 65 and older from the ACTIVE trial (Advanced Cognitive Training for Independent and Vital Elderly). Researchers at Johns Hopkins Medicine tracked dementia diagnoses through Medicare records over two full decades. The findings were published February 9, 2026 in Alzheimer’s & Dementia: Translational Research and Clinical Interventions.

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Parkinson's disease as a somato-cognitive action network disorder

Could a Newly Discovered Brain Network Explain Parkinson’s Disease?

Yes. A large international study of 863 patients found that a brain network called the somato-cognitive action network (SCAN) is central to Parkinson’s disease. When treatments targeted this network directly, symptom improvement more than doubled compared to targeting other brain areas.

Parkinson’s disease has always been hard to explain. It starts with sleep problems and digestive issues. Then it moves to tremors, stiffness, and trouble walking. It even affects thinking and motivation. No single brain region can account for all of that, and that has puzzled researchers for decades.

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Long Covid Brain Fog and Csf Abnormalities and Safety

Does Long COVID Brain Fog Show Up in Spinal Fluid Tests?

Yes. In this study, 77% of patients with cognitive Long COVID symptoms had abnormal spinal fluid findings, compared to 0% of those without cognitive symptoms. Researchers also found that people with cognitive Long COVID had more pre-existing risk factors for thinking problems.

This study from UCSF examined adults who developed persistent cognitive symptoms after mild COVID-19, meaning they were never hospitalized. The findings suggest that immune system changes may play a role in Long COVID brain fog.

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At-home Feasibility: Intranasal Evaporative Cooling for Acute Migraine

Can You Use Intranasal Cooling for Migraines at Home?

No, it’s not practical. This feasibility study found that at-home intranasal cooling caused too much pain and discomfort, leading to high dropout rates. Only 6 out of 15 participants completed the study, and the treatment was rated as “very unpleasant.”

A previous pilot study showed that intranasal evaporative cooling could help migraines when given in a clinic. But for this treatment to be useful for most migraine sufferers, people need to be able to use it at home. This study tested whether that’s realistic. The results were disappointing.

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Cold-water Immersion: Neurohormesis and Possible Therapeutic

Can Cold Water Therapy Benefit Your Brain?

Yes, the science suggests it can. This 2024 review from The Journal of Neuropsychiatry explains how cold water immersion triggers “neurohormesis,” a process where mild stress creates beneficial effects on the brain and nervous system. Cold exposure releases key brain chemicals and may even protect against neurodegenerative diseases.

Hormesis is an important concept in biology: low doses of stress can actually help the body, while high doses cause harm. Cold water immersion (typically 10-15°C) produces this controlled stress, triggering a cascade of beneficial responses throughout the body and brain. This review examines the evidence for cold water’s effects on mental health and neurological function.

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Experiences of Open-water Swimmers with Depression Qualitative

Why Do People with Depression Say Open-Water Swimming Helps?

This qualitative study interviewed 10 people with depression who swim regularly in open water. They described three main benefits: standing up to depression through challenge, belonging in a supportive community, and connecting with their bodies and the natural world. One participant captured it simply: “It seems to sort of wash my brain out.”

Depression affects about 1 in 6 adults in the UK, making it a leading cause of disability worldwide. Standard treatments like medication and therapy have modest effects, and more than half of people experience recurrent episodes. Many people with depression have turned to open-water swimming to manage their symptoms. This study explores why.

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Headache and Migraine Cold-based Interventions and Health Benefits

Can Cooling Through Your Nose Help Stop a Migraine?

Yes. In this pilot study, 87% of migraine patients had benefit from intranasal evaporative cooling within 2 hours, and the relief lasted for 24 hours. This device sprays a cooling mist into the nose to reduce migraine pain.

Cryotherapy (cold therapy) is the most common non-drug method that migraine sufferers use to relieve pain. Researchers tested a new approach: cooling through the nose. The inside of your nose has lots of blood vessels close to the brain. Cooling this area can transfer cool blood to the brain’s outer layer, potentially reducing migraine pain.

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Systematic Review: Effects of Cold Exposure on Cognitive Performance

Can Cold Air or Cold Water Affect Your Brain Function?

Yes. This 2021 systematic review found that in 15 of 18 studies, cold exposure caused measurable drops in thinking ability. Attention, memory, processing speed, and executive function were all affected, and the impairment happened before body temperature dropped to dangerous levels.

Researchers analyzed studies from 1975 to 2021 that tested healthy adults in controlled cold environments. Eight studies used cold air chambers (temperatures from -10°C to 10°C), while ten studies used cold water immersion (temperatures from 4.7°C to 15°C).

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