Source: New York Times

By Gretchen Reynolds
​Ten minutes of mild, almost languorous exercise can immediately alter how certain parts of the brain communicate and coordinate with one another and improve memory function, according to an encouraging new neurological study. The findings suggest that exercise does not need to be prolonged or intense to benefit the brain and that the effects can begin far more quickly than many of us might expect.

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See TBI literature searchesA gene associated with dyslexia, a learning disorder, may make some athletes less susceptible to concussions, reports a new study from Penn State University and Northwestern Medicine.

This is believed to be the first time that this gene has been implicated in concussion or mild traumatic brain injury in athletes of a high-impact sport.

"This suggests that genotype may play a role in your susceptibility for getting a concussion," said co-corresponding author Dr. Hans Breiter, a professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and director of the Northwestern Medicine Warren Wright Adolescent Center. "If replicated, this information may be important to parents."

Read more here.

​Do you have any trouble recalling important names, dates,  where you put things, or what you need to take to work? 

If so, then stop worrying. You can use Alexa to remember and be your "peripheral brain".

Store things in her memory instead of yours. 

 Learn how to put Alexa to work remembering things, so you don't have to. 

1. On the Echo device:

•     Say, "Alexa, remember my nephew's graduation is June 2019."
•     Alexa will confirm the information. 

2. On a mobile device:

•     Open the Amazon Alexa mobile app.
•     Press the ring at the bottom of the screen to have Alexa start listening
•     Say, "Alexa, remember that I left my keys in the living room." 

3. Retrieve information:

•     At a later time (on either your physical device or mobile device), 
  ​    say, "Alexa, where did I leave my keys?"   
•     Then Alexa will tell you what you asked her to remember. 

So, if you practice off-loading some of your information to Alexa, she will do some of the "heavy lifting" of memory storage. 

Enjoy!

Watch the video below.

1. On your computer or mobile device, you can use voice typing in a Google Document. a. Open a Google Doc.
b. (On computer) Click on "Tools"  / "Voice typing", and then click the microphone icon,
and you're good to go.
c. (On mobile device)  Click the microphone icon at the bottom of the keyboard.
c. (On computer) For voice typing commands, hover your cursor over the microphone icon, then click on the question mark in the lower right corner of the box.

​See the video below. 

​1. Use Siri to open a note or email.
2. Say, "Hey, Siri. Make a note". Then dictate when Siri asks what you would like it to say.
4. Or, say, "Hey, Siri. Send an email". Then provide the information when Siri asks for the recipient, subject, and what you would like it to say.

​See the video below for how to create a note. 

Try this shortcut to quickly make an audio recording on your phone. 
1. Download and install the Just Press Record app.  (Note: this is a one-time paid app. There is no charge for the automatic transcriptions.)
2. Create a Siri Shortcut. (Example: "Record")
​3. Launch an audio recording with Siri . ("Hey, Siri. Record")
4. Your audio recording starts on command. After you stop recording, the audio is automatically transcribed. 

See the video below.  

What tools do you use for voice typing / speech-to-text? Please leave a comment below. ​

Date: October 16, 2018
Source: University of Pittsburgh Schools of the Health Sciences

​Summary: Stiffness of the aorta -- more so than blood pressure or subclinical brain disease -- is a key risk factor for dementia. Since aortic stiffness can be reduced by medication and healthy lifestyle changes, these results suggest that people can still lower their dementia risk well into old age.

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