Neuroplasticity

Neuroscientists propose that REM sleep and dreaming act as a biological screen saver, preventing neighboring senses from hijacking the visual cortex during prolonged darkness.

A large study recently published reached an optimistic conclusion: 70 and 80-year-olds can improve their cognitive abilities just like young people. However, the promise is controversial: do brain training exercises really improve overall brain function, or does the key lie elsewhere? On one thing everyone agrees: the perception that the brain necessarily deteriorates over time is no longer...