In today's technology-driven society, Americans typically rely on GPS devices to get from point A to point B. That takes thinking out of navigating, which can actually be doing more harm than good in the long run. It's not the way most people navigate these days. “I got a photographic memory,” Pavelock said. Combining physical activity with navigation skills, according to some neurologists, is a great way to maintain brain plasticity, or keeping your brain circuits active. “I don’t think using GPS is a bad thing,” Danisi said.

For the Study studied the effects of orienteering on the hippocampus. This region of the brain plays a crucial role in memory and spatial orientation, among other things. The result: Orienteering experts reported greater use of allocentric and egocentric spatial processing and had better subjective spatial memory than control groups. What is considered a major factor in preventing dementia. This study is a cross-sectional study; causality cannot be proven with this alone.

The research team, led by McMaster University graduate student Emma Waddington, who participates in competitive orienteering, polled 151 healthy adults ranging in age from 18-87 with varying orienteering experience. Competitive orienteering is a demanding sport and may not be accessible to everyone. “It gives you more bang for your buck than regular exercise.”

As an international study involving University of Gothenburg researchers has shown, a decision tool for health professionals has proved capable of halving the use of antibiotics against urinary tract infections while maintaining patient safety. The background to the study is the overprescription of antibiotics for older people when urinary tract infections are suspected. The results show that the intervention was indeed effective: The outcome was a halving of the number of UTI antibiotic courses of treatment compared with the control group.

A sport that combines exercise with map and compass navigation has not only physical health benefits but appears to also help improve brain function, potentially diminishing cognitive decline. Research from McMaster University suggests putting away GPS technology and taking on the spatial navigation challenge “orienteering” helps stimulate the part of the brain responsible for memory, navigation and mental mapping.

“Modern life may lack the specific cognitive and physical challenges the brain needs to thrive,” says Jennifer Heisz, Canada Research Chair in Brain Health and Aging at McMaster University, who supervised the research. Researchers at McMaster found participants in orienteering reported better spatial navigation and memory, suggesting the sport could be beneficial to fighting cognitive decline. The sport is unique because it requires active navigation while making quick transitions between parts of the brain that process spatial information in different ways.

In patients with newly initiated antipsychotic medications following infection-related hospitalization, discontinuation rates were lower among atypical antipsychotic users compared to haloperidol users. The primary outcome was discontinuation of the antipsychotic medication which was defined as a gap of more than 15 days following the end of a prescription dispensing. Dementia and prolonged hospitalization were also found to be inversely associated with the discontinuation of antipsychotic medications.

At present, there is limited information regarding factors leading to a discontinuation of antipsychotics used for delirium, which this retrospective cohort study aimed to assess. The results of this study showed that the incidence of discontinuation within 30 days of antipsychotic initiation was 11.4% among patients using atypical antipsychotics and 52.1% among haloperidol users. The results of this study showed that of all the total participants, 8.5% had a suicide attempt.

Polygenic risk scores may improve risk-stratification in preventive care. Integrating Clinical and Polygenic Factors to Predict Breast Cancer Risk in Women Undergoing Genetic Testing. Primary care physician use of patient race and polygenic risk scores in medical decision-making. Views Of primary care providers on testing patients for genetic risks for common chronic diseases.

Physician recommendations for surveillance colonoscopies in older adults with prior adenomas vary based on several factors, including patient age, health, adenoma risk, and physician specialty, according to a national survey. "Developing the evidence base to evaluate the risks and benefits of surveillance colonoscopy in older adults, and decisional support tools that help physicians and patients incorporate available data and weigh risks and benefits are needed to address current gaps in care for older adults with prior adenomas," the authors write.