If two new studies are any indication, there could soon be progress in the fight against Alzheimer’s disease. Answering a question that has perplexed scientists for 25 years, researchers from Harvard and Columbia found that the degenerative brain condition apparently "spread[s] like an infection from brain cell to brain cell," rather than rooting itself in weaker parts of the organ as had been widely believed. The discovery means the disease could eventually be treated in its early stages with an antibody that halts its progress. The initial studies were performed on mice, whose Alzheimer’s symptoms closely mirror those of humans. Researchers now wonder if other brain-related illnesses, like Parkinson’s, may behave similarly, which could lead to more effective treatments of those disorders.

Discover 7 ways to keep your mind sharp »

Reader Ginger D. of Minneapolis submitted this rich special-occasion recipe, ideal for a group brunch or indulgent dinner. Grandkids will love seeing the pancake puff up in the oven, and you’ll love how it manages to be to be creamy, fluffy, and just-sweet-enough all at the same time. Ginger likes to serve it with vanilla ice cream when the kids are over, since, as she says, "It's always funny to hear your grandchildren tell their parents they got to have ice cream for breakfast!"

Go to the recipe now »

Dear Grandparent,

Do you remember that magical feeling when your new grandchild was born? You came to see her in the hospital, and there she was, wrapped in a soft blanket, her skin so precious, so soft, so smooth ...

Well, now that she's entered toddlerhood, after months of crawling around on hardwood floors and bumping into tables, we'll bet her skin isn't what it was once was, is it? Those palms and knees are probably as calloused as a dockworker's by now.

And what about the sheer stress of those first 18 to 24 months? Just imagine the toll it takes on a person's chakra, all that nonstop pressure to learn new things, eat new foods, and meet new people ...

Clearly, your grandchild needs a break. That's where we come in ...

Want to end your week with a smile? Read the rest of our baby-spa parody now »

Why is the Super Bowl called the Super Bowl? Who's performing at halftime this year? Which team has more titles, the Giants or the Patriots? And, perhaps most important, how many wings will Americans consume on Sunday? Our Super Bowl quiz has the answers to all of those questions and more. Take the big-game challenge today and see how much you really know about Super Sunday.

Try the quiz now »

NBCUniversal - Up All Night

You’d think Hollywood’s most famous Nana could choose her own grandparent name. But after multiple attempts to make "Woof" stick, actress Blythe Danner settled for the moniker her granddaughter, Apple, bestowed upon her: Lalo. "I said, 'Well, who am I?' And she said, 'Lalo.' And then she laughed for about a minute – hysterically – and an hour later, I was still Lalo."

Of course, Danner is more than just grandma to Apple and her little brother, Moses. She’s an acclaimed actress with multiple Tonys and Emmys to her name; the mother of Oscar-winner Gwyneth Paltrow and director Jake Paltrow; and a longtime supporter of several charities. One of those, the Oral Cancer Foundation, became close to Danner's heart after the 2002 death of her husband, producer Bruce Paltrow. In recent years, she’s become a go-to grandma in films like Meet the Fockers and TV shows like NBC's new Up All Night with Christina Applegate. That's why …

Blythe Danner is Grandparents.com’s Grandparent of the Week!

It's finally here, football fans. After a particularly thrilling season, the New York Giants and New England Patriots are ready to throw down this Sunday in Super Bowl XLVI. If you can't jet the family to Indianapolis, a home viewing party is the next best thing, and Grandparents.com is here to help: Our guide to Super Bowl XLVI is packed with dozens of recipes, plus a challenging Super Bowl quiz, all teed up and waiting for kickoff.

Go to the guide now »

Location, location, location.

It's the philosophy of real estate brokers near and far: The more desirable an area, the higher the demand and value. But as Jane Brody writes this week in the New York Times, new research suggests there may be more compelling criteria in choosing where to live than eventual resale value – for example, your health. In his book, Designing Healthy Communities (now the basis for a four-part PBS series), Dr. Richard J. Jackson, chairman of environmental health sciences at UCLA, argues that architecture and urban planning have has contributed to the nation's obesity epidemic, and all the diseases and maladies that accompany it, by creating suburban sprawl. So how can we design healthy communities going forward? By creating neighborhoods whose structure and layout encourage healthful eating and physical activity.

Discover more great reasons to get fit now »

If you think the best way to get over a bad mood is to sleep it off, think again. A report published in The Journal of Neuroscience suggests that the advice to never go to bed angry, which dates back to Biblical times, has also earned the support of the scientific community. Measuring brain activity, researchers determined that going to sleep in the wake of an upsetting experience may etch the incident and its accompanying emotions deep in your psyche. In practical terms, this means that you should avoid heated arguments at bedtime – and if you want to keep your dreams sweet, you’re better off watching sitcom reruns as you nod off (or turning the television off completely) instead of listening to the news.

More practical medical advice you can use »

Lego, the iconic maker of toy building blocks, recently introduced a new line specifically marketed to young girls. Lego Friends features five female characters who are more shapely than the brand's traditional boxy figures, and blocks in colors like pink and purple. The slogan is "The Beauty of Building."

Since the Friends went on sale, however, they have been attacked for perpetuating female stereotypes. A California eating-disorders specialist started an online petition to pressure the Denmark-based company to stop selling the sets because, she claims, they could encourage body-image problems for girls. A New York City "girl power" group organized a similar petition drive, protesting what it called the toys' sexist message.

The company, however, claims that all of its toys are suitable for boys and girls, and that the new line is simply meeting consumer demand. Others find the protests to be much ado about nothing. We recently asked our Grandparents.com Facebook followers whether they would get Lego Friends for their granddaughters, and their opinions were mixed . . .

Read the full article and join the debate now »

Take 10 minutes to browse the internet, and you’ll find it's packed with food blogs, spanning the globe and covering every conceivable ethnic or regional cuisine. Take 10 more minutes, and you’ll learn why Lisa Fain’s Homesick Texan has remained been considered among the best on the web since it launched in 2005. Fain, a seventh-generation Lone Star Stater who now lives in New York, is a talented chef and photographer, and her website has been lauded by every major food publication from Saveur to Bon Appetit. Now, she has finally published a cookbook of her own.

The Homesick Texan Cookbook (Hyperion, 2011) contains more than 125 Texas-style, Mexican-influenced recipes, and Fain's hearty authenticity and emphasis on fresh ingredients make it a welcome change from run-of-the-mill local food guides. Happily, many of her dishes are ideal for big gatherings. She recently shared three Super Bowl-ready recipes with Grandparents.com, and we know you’re going to love them, whether you’re a die-hard Dallas fan, a hardcore Houston homer, or even a supporter one of those other great football regions (like, maybe, New York or New England).

Go to the recipes now:

• Guacamole
• Black Bean Dip
• Chalupas