#hippocampus

#hippocampus

The hippocampus, a deep-brain structure that plays a role in memory and spatial navigation, continues to listen, learn and predict the meaning of words while a person is completely anesthetized.

For decades, scientists have observed a consistent pattern: women typically live about five years longer than men and exhibit slower cognitive decline as they age. Now, groundbreaking research from the University of California, San Francisco has uncovered a surprising biological mechanism that may explain this disparity. The discovery centers on what researchers once dismissed as a dormant structure, the so-called "silent" X chromosome that exists in every female cell.

When I asked neurologists about their top behaviors for brain health, they all stressed the importance of physical activity. Exercise is top, No. 1, when we're thinking about the biggest bang for your buck, said Dr. Gregg Day, a neurologist at the Mayo Clinic. Numerous studies have shown that people who exercise regularly tend to perform better on attention, memory and executive functioning tests. There can be a small cognitive boost immediately after a workout, and the effects are sustained if people exercise consistently.

The hippocampus creates mental maps crucial for navigation, while the parahippocampal cortex distills visual scenes into actionable paths, integrating sensory input seamlessly.