My last vivid memory of the beach dates back to March 2005, just after I was discharged from the hospital. I'd been hospitalized for five days for chemotherapy-induced low blood counts and a fever. It took antibiotics, a blood transfusion, and a lot of rest to help me recover, and I celebrated my homecoming with a family trip to the beach. I felt generally well for the duration of my ocean getaway, but I was weak. It took every ounce of my strength just to hold my hat and wig on my head when winds threatened to take it for a spin -- which it did on one occasion. Less than two weeks later, I was back in the hospital.

This past weekend, I was back at the beach. Now, I have a new vivid memory.

The weather was perfect, with temperatures ideal for running. The sand was a little sloped, a little soft, and a lot bumpy but I didn't mind. Equipped with my MP3 player and five of my favorite songs, I ran. And ran. When my songs ended, I turned around and ran back. I felt strong, alive, invincible. Later in the day, I ran again. I even did some sprinting. It was invigorating.

There are no visions of cancer that accompany this memory. No hospital stays. No wigs and hats. Just the way I like it.

Memories are powerful. So is the passage of time.

Have you ever had a "false memory?" That is, remembering something that never actually happened to you?

That's common (and sometimes known as deja vu), and a new study out of Duke University concludes that the area of the brain responsible for memory processing is also used to rule out false memories from the brain.

Tests on study subjects used both real memories and false memories (and fMRI scanning) to try and find out why human memory is not 100 percent correct at recalling true and false events.

Just goes to show -- unlike computers where there is no gray area, the human brain is quite a bit more artistically complex. We're just wired very differently, aren't we?

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A new U.S. study this week stated that training and experience has a direct impact on how a person's brain is organized. In the study, people with music training were pitted against 20 others with no music training.

It's been said many times that patterns (like music) can spawn creativity and organizational effects from people who otherwise would not have had the same organized brain, but this is one of the few studies that made that connection with music conducting that I have seen.

Brain activity in the study was measured with a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) procedure. The result showed that as auditory tasks became more complex, those without music training tuned out more of their visual senses and acuity.

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I've read that when someone recalls a traumatic event, the emotions connected to that event are just as real as the day it first happened. That's what makes conditions like post-traumatic stress disorder and anxiety so debilitating. But a recent study may someday open the door to a new kind of therapy that lets sufferers actually bury disturbing images and memories to allow themselves to heal.

Because the study didn't involve traumatic events that had actually happened to the participants, it's too early to say whether the findings will translate into care of patients, but during the study participants were able to "turn down" activity of their visual cortex, where images of events are stored in the brain. After actively working to block a disturbing image from their memory, participants in the study could train themselves to no longer associate an image with those memories.

Read more about the full study here.

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Staying sharp mentally is important to all of us as we get older, and thankfully research shows that working out your mind has much the same effect as working out your body: it gets leaner, more efficient, and better at doing pretty much everything. So if you know you want to "exercise" your mind but aren't sure where to begin, here are some ideas to get you started:

• Brain Age for Nintendo DS Stimulates the mind with math, reasoning, reading, and drawing tasks. $20
  
• The Brain Fitness Program for Windows Based on listening and recall skills, it trains you to be faster and more accurate with memory recall of what you hear. $400
  
• MindFit for Windows Offers individualized training after "learning" about you through various performance tests. $150
  
• Brain Fitness for Windows Works to strengthen short term memory, language skills, and concentration through deciphering, ordering, and classification projects. $65
  
• Crossword puzzles They'll definitely keep you entertained, and the thinking won't hurt either! 50¢
  

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Earlier this week two articles were published on the same day both regarding migraines, so what do you want first: the good news or the bad? Well I can't hear you so we'll just start with the bad news: migraines may put you at increased risk for having a heart attack. And then the good news! Migraines may help boost your memory.

The fact that migraines and heart disease are linked is not a completely new idea, although doctors and scientists are still trying to uncover if it's related to inflammation or genetics or what exactly. But the memory thing, well that's a surprise. Researchers originally went into the study, which started back in 1993, expecting to find that migraines caused cumulative brain damage over time, not brain protection.

Just goes to show you never know what to expect.

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