SharpBrains.com

29/04/2026

Important -- "If the core hypothesis is right, multi-anchor meditation may help engage new users for whom traditional meditation has perhaps not worked well enough, and help them train not just sustained attention but also the coordinated executive control that modern cognitive demands increasingly require."

https://lnkd.in/eCNbSkHs

22/04/2026

A recent and comprehensive Cochrane review of the anti-amyloid Alzheimer's drug evidence is attracting much attention.

In the midst of this growing controversy around anti-amyloid “Alzheimer’s drugs”, though, the billion-dollar question is the following. Why do we spend billions of dollars and euros and yens on drugs of unclear value, while overlooking the (safe) benefits of targeted cognitive interventions such as the one Dr. Marilyn Albert and I recently discussed, showing how 22 hours of adaptive, targeted Cognitive Training can reduce Dementia (mostly Alzheimer’s) Diagnosis risk by 25%?

Article: https://sharpbrains.com/blog/2026/04/22/given-anti-amyloid-alzheimers-drug-controversies-why-do-we-still-overlook-the-benefits-of-targeted-cognitive-interventions/

Cochrane review: https://www.cochrane.org/about-us/news/anti-amyloid-alzheimers-drugs-show-no-clinically-meaningful-effect

Researchers have found that the absolute effects of anti-amyloid drugs on cognitive decline and dementia severity were absent or trivial

09/04/2026

Fascinating research. Let's make sure we harness AI to expand cognition and improve reasoning...instead of the opposite.

"When the AI was accurate, those AI users accepted its reasoning about 93 percent of the time. When the AI was randomly “faulty,” though, those users still accepted the AI reasoning a lower (but still high) 80 percent of the time, showing that the mere presence of the AI frequently “displaced internal reasoning,” according to the researchers.

https://sharpbrains.com/blog/2026/04/09/study-ai-can-enhance-and-also-harm-human-cognition-beware-cognitive-surrender/

01/04/2026

In summary, "The future of psychedelic therapy may depend less on chasing mystical peaks and more on understanding the conditions that help people translate intense experiences – mystical or otherwise – into durable, meaningful change."

https://sharpbrains.com/blog/2026/04/01/on-the-role-of-psychedelic-drugs-mystical-experiences-and-super-placebo-effects-in-therapy/

24/03/2026

Fewer than half of children diagnosed with ADHD access behavior therapy even if the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that it should be the initial treatment.

Why?

https://sharpbrains.com/blog/2026/03/24/why-do-so-few-young-children-with-adhd-benefit-from-behavior-therapy-despite-clear-aap-recommendations/

17/03/2026

Important -- "Sleep disturbances occur in up to 70 % of children with ADHD ... Results from this study suggest that a time-limited educational intervention focused on helping parents improve their child’s sleep may yield significant benefits, both for children’s sleep and for their behavior. The fact that relatively robust effects were obtained with such a time-limited intervention is encouraging."

Good night, and good luck

https://sharpbrains.com/blog/2026/03/17/study-brief-educational-intervention-can-help-children-with-adhd-improve-their-sleep-behavior-and-habits/

12/03/2026

Every Moment Matters:

"For many people, depression can make gaining control of one’s thoughts and feelings seem out of reach. This study shows that taking just 10 minutes to learn evidence-based skills can be a valuable first step toward longer-term improvement."

https://sharpbrains.com/blog/2026/03/12/study-how-you-spend-your-next-10-minutes-may-influence-your-mental-health-a-month-from-now/

03/03/2026

Inviting everyone to prepare for the upcoming 2026 Brain Awareness Week (March 16–22) by learning about our incredible human minds and brains and by putting them to good use via some fun brain teasers, puzzles and illusions :-)

https://sharpbrains.com/blog/2026/03/03/brain-teasers-and-resources-to-celebrate-brain-awareness-week-march-16-22-2026/

27/02/2026

For those already planning summer vacation:

"Our findings don’t mean that people should not travel to space. While we found that larger location shifts of a sensory-processing brain region correlated with postflight balance changes, the crew members did not experience overt symptoms – such as headaches or brain fog – related to brain position shifts."

Good to know :-)

https://sharpbrains.com/blog/2026/02/27/what-happens-to-the-human-brain-during-space-travel/

13/02/2026

AF: Are you aware of any other intervention that has been shown to have such an outcome on dementia risk over this kind of time frame?

MA: No, this is unique. This is the only study that has evaluated the long-term, causal impact of cognitive interventions on dementia incidence. That’s why it’s so special. Everyone was randomized to different groups, there were almost 3,000 participants, and they were diverse and very representative of the population. The groups were also well balanced at baseline in terms of age, s*x, and risk factors. So when we see a much lower risk of dementia after 20 years in the speed-training group, we can be reasonably confident it’s due to that intervention rather than to some pre-existing difference between groups.

https://sharpbrains.com/blog/2026/02/13/landmark-study-22-hours-of-adaptive-targeted-cognitive-training-shown-to-reduce-dementia-mostly-alzheimers-diagnosis-risk-by-25/

06/02/2026

Key message: "One of the most important and often misunderstood aspects of neuroplasticity is that it is value-neutral. The brain adapts to repeated experiences whether those experiences are helpful or harmful.

This helps explain why conditions such as chronic pain, anxiety disorders and addiction can become self-reinforcing ... The hopeful side of this insight is that plasticity can also be deliberately directed toward recovery."

https://sharpbrains.com/blog/2026/02/06/to-boost-positive-neuroplasticity-focus-on-challenge-exercise-sleep-and-stress-regulation/

29/01/2026

Ready for a quick brain teaser testing your parietal lobe?

https://sharpbrains.com/blog/2026/01/29/brain-teasers-to-challenge-your-mental-rotation-visuospatial-skills/