Article Abstract:
The Nun Study, focusing on 678 Catholic nuns in Minnesota, may provide some insight into why and how people age, according to David Snowdon of the University of Kentucky. Early writing samples of the nuns, and brain autopsies of those who agreed to donate their brains upon death have allowed researchers to conclude that nuns who had more advanced verbal skills early in life were less likely to develop Alzheimer's disease. It is possible that mental development confers some protection against Alzheimer's, but it is also possible that low verbal abilities in youth indicate that the brain is already compromised with the precursor of later degeneration.
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Article Abstract:
Tens of thousands of Australians, like many others in other parts of the world, suffer from the debilitating Alzheimer's, a degenerative disorder, which causes dementia and does not allow the intellectual faculties to function normally. Hazel Hawke had the courage to stand up and talk about this disease in public and she has started a research and care fund but there are a lot of others who don't have the courage to talk about the condition and who need help.
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Article Abstract:
Baroness Susan Greenfield grew up a working-class child of the 50's but her intellect has seen her forge a brilliant career as a scientist of the brain. She is haunted by the fate of kids in the age of computers and fears that humanity might be sleepwalking into a future in which the new technologies are so invasive that they penetrate the seat of human individuality, the mind.
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