Category: harvardhealth_news_UNDEFINED

Memories are stored in pieces in various regions of the brain. The different pieces contain information such as the sight, sound, and emotional reactions that occurred during an experience. The pieces are then linked into a coherent combination called a memory engram. Some research in mice suggests that if the brain is temporarily impaired, access to a memory may be temporarily lost, but it’s still there and has the potential to be retrieved later. It’s not clear yet if lost memories can be restored in humans.

To reactivate an old memory, one must think about the perceptions that were engaged as the memory was being recorded. These perceptions include images, sounds, smells, tastes, touches, thoughts, or feelings of an experience. To trigger such recorded perceptions, one can look at old photographs, read a familiar poem, hold an old article of clothing, read an old letter, listen to a favorite old song, cook a family recipe, or watch an old movie or TV show.

The concern about radiation exposure is an increased risk for developing cancer later in life. Ionizing radiation from tests such as x-rays or CT scans have the potential to damage tissue in the body, including cell DNA. Getting a diagnostic test once in a while is likely to provide crucial information to guide treatment, and it isn’t believed to pose much of a cancer risk. But frequent diagnostic testing may slightly increase cancer risk and should be weighed carefully.

Advances in dentistry are enabling more people with low jawbone volume to consider dental implants. Advances include smaller “mini” implants that are about half the width of regular dental implants and technology that gives dentists the ability to place implants with greater precision. The improved technology has several additional benefits, including faster, safer procedures and less invasive surgery. Mini implants are also used to anchor fixed dentures. A mini implant ranges in cost from $2,000 to $6,000 per implant.

The best exercises for core muscles are the ones that strengthen several core muscle groups at the same time. Examples of these exercises are bridges and planks. Sit-ups and crunches have fallen out of favor because they strengthen only a few muscles and because they pose risks for older adults from pulling on the neck. Experts recommend that people first beginning a core-strengthening routine start out slowly, focusing on the quality of the exercise and gradually increasing the number of repetitions in subsequent workouts.

Women who adhered to five healthy lifestyle factors appeared to prevent nearly 40% of their GERD symptoms each week, according to a research letter published online Jan. 4, 2021, by JAMA Internal Medicine.

Mindfulness and cognitive training have potential benefits in thinking and mood for people with mild cognitive impairment, according to a review of research published online Dec. 29, 2020, by The American Journal of Medicine.

A study published online Jan. 18, 2021, by the journal Heart found that people who ate the most fried foods each week were 28% more likely to have heart problems, compared with people who ate the least.

More people who need a new heart valve can have a less invasive procedure instead of surgery, according to updated guidelines from the American College of Cardiology and American Heart Association. Most valve replacements are in people with a stiff, thickened aortic valve. The less invasive procedure, transcatheter aortic valve replacement, or TAVR, was initially approved only for people who were too weak or frail to undergo surgery. Today, many people ages 65 and older who meet certain criteria can have TAVR.

Both the first and second numbers in a person’s blood pressure reading are important for predicting the risk of cardiovascular problems.