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Older drivers may have problems seeing cars, cyclists and walkers near them because they are so aware of movement farther away, a study suggests. The study focused on the medial temporal (MT) visual area of the brain. It found that this area helps people to ignore background motion. This allows them to focus on things near them. The study discovered this effect with tests on six young adults. Researchers used electric stimulation on the MT area to shut off its function for a short time. After this, people were more able to notice background motion in vision tests. Older adults are known to notice background motion better than younger people. Researchers said perhaps the MT area of the brain works less well as people age. The study appeared in the Journal of Neuroscience. HealthDay News wrote about it January 24.

Although women have a lower risk of heart disease compared with men, lowering blood pressure could save women’s lives, says a study. It included 9,357 people with an average age of about 53. Their blood pressure readings were monitored, sometimes 24 hours a day. After about 11 years, 1,245 of them had died. Of those, 472 died of cardiovascular disease. The women in the study had two-thirds the risk of cardiovascular problems or of death, compared with the men. But 36% of heart-related problems, including heart-related deaths, were preventable in women. Only 24% were preventable in men. The study appears in the March issue of the journal Hypertension. HealthDay News wrote about it January 25.