Could staving off memory loss be as simple as strategically wiggling your pinky fingers around every day? That’s what TikTokers are claiming.
Dubbed “pinky time,” the viral exercise is fairly simple: You hold your hands in front of you with your palms facing each other. Then, you interlace your index and middle fingers, touch your ring fingers to your thumbs together, and move your pinkies up and down for several seconds.
Health: This 1 Activity Is Great For Your Brain — And It’s Extremely Simple To Do
“Just seven to 10 seconds a day of this exercise can help protect against Alzheimer’s and improve brain plasticity,” one wellness influencer, Ana Lučić, says in one of the earliest videos on “pinky time.”
If your picky can move this easily, Lučić says, it’s “a sign your brain is in great shape, because “loss of fine motor control often mirrors cognitive decline.”
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Those who post about pinky time say they do it at the same time each day. (One TikToker claimed she and her friends observe “pinky time” at 7:45 pm on the dot every night.)
Is there any truth to the TikTokers’ claims? Neurologists we spoke to say that research does suggest structured finger exercises can stimulate the brain, support neuroplasticity and help ease symptoms of mild cognitive impairment in older adults.
Health: These 5-Second Hand Exercises For Dementia Are Going Viral. Here’s What Neurologists Think.
That’s because finger exercises boost cognitive health by engaging the massive area of the brain’s motor cortex dedicated to the hands and fingers.
“The hands occupy a disproportionately large amount of the brain’s motor and sensory cortex,” explained Dr. Shaheen Lakhan, a neurologist and pain medicine specialist in Miami. “Activities that require dexterity, coordination, timing and learning can engage multiple brain networks simultaneously.”
But the specific movements used in the “pinky time” trend have not been studied, so it’s important not to confuse a viral exercise with a proven medical intervention, Lakhan told HuffPost.
“And we should distinguish between brain activation and dementia prevention,” he said. “Just because an activity activates the brain does not mean it prevents Alzheimer’s disease.”
Health: This Is The Most Commonly Missed Warning Sign Of Dementia
The value of an exercise like pinky time isn’t focusing on the pinky ― it’s the challenge involved.
“Learning a novel coordinated movement recruits brain networks involved in attention, motor planning, sensory processing, timing and learning,” Lakhan said. “The question isn’t whether the pinky moves; it’s whether the brain is being challenged in a meaningful way.”
One of the most important concepts in neuroscience is that the brain adapts to challenge, he explained. “Neuroplasticity thrives at the intersection of novelty, complexity and repetition.”
What is fascinating is that hand-brain exercises can serve as a window into broader brain function, the doctor said.
“Coordinated movements require communication among sensory, motor, attentional and executive networks,” he said. “In that sense, they are often exercising far more than the fingers themselves.”
Health: 5 Unusual Things Neurologists Do Every Day To Lower Their Risk Of Dementia
There are other drawbacks with pinky time, besides the lack of research on the specific movements. Pinky time provides repetition, but it lacks enough complexity to suggest it would substantially alter long-term cognitive trajectories, Lakhan said.
“As I often tell patients, cognitive decline isn’t prevented by a single movement. It’s resisted by a lifestyle that continuously asks the brain to adapt,” he said.
That’s why it’s a great idea to take up a hobby that calls upon a lot of finger movement, said Dr. Shae Datta, a clinical assistant professor in the department of neurology at NYU Grossman Long Island School of Medicine.
“Performing fine motor tasks or rhythmic finger movements stimulates these neural pathways,” she said. “Things like guitar, playing piano, tai chi and other martial arts, working with your hands and art should all help strengthen these brain pathways.”
Health: This Sign Of Aging Is Surprisingly More Common In Women
Other well-studied activities that have been shown to reduce the risk of dementia include reading, playing board games, crafting and dancing.
As for the TikTokers’ claim that you need to do finger exercises ― or finger-heavy hobbies ― at a designated time every day, that’s bunk. Move those digits whenever you want to get the benefits, Datta said.
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Cybele Maylone, 46, has been hearing about hormone therapy nonstop. Whether it is her friends going through menopause or posts from influencers on her social media feed, the subject has seemed unavoidable: who was on it, which doctor finally took their symptoms seriously and, most importantly, how good it felt to be on the medication. The hot flashes waning. Brain fog lifting. Sleep returning.
To Ms. Maylone, it sounds like a miracle drug. But for her and millions of other women, it is not an option.
She was diagnosed in 2023 with a type of breast cancer fed by estrogen, and now takes a drug that suppresses the hormone to reduce her risk of recurrence. While breast cancer is the most widely recognized reason women may not be able take hormone therapy, which delivers estrogen or progesterone through pills and patches, the list also includes endometrial cancer, certain cardiovascular issues, severe liver disease and blood clotting disorders.
Ms. Maylone and other women said they feel deeply frustrated that they can’t take a drug that so many women around them seem to have benefited from.
“The messaging about HRT is so positive and all-consuming right now,” Ms. Maylone said. It seems like “you can experience this phase of your life totally differently, and there is relief,” she added.
“I feel totally cut off from that,” she said.
Rebecca Hastings, 46, cannot take hormone replacement therapy because it raises the risk of blood clots, which she is already more likely to develop because of a genetic mutation that she carries.
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It is always heartbreaking when someone loses custody of their kids. Even though it is hard, the best thing for the kids is if they can be cared for by family members.
What would you do if your mother was caring for your sister’s kids after she lost custody, but then Mom got sick and asked you to take the kids in?
That is the situation that the woman in this story is in, but she doesn’t think she can afford three more kids. She offered to have her mother move closer to her with the kids so she could help out, but Mom is unwilling.
This is honestly a very difficult situation, but in the end, I think she has to do what is best for her immediate family. Read through the full story below and see what you think she should do.
AITAH I don’t want custody of my sister’s 3 kids?
I (29F) have 1 kid (11F). My sister (32F) has 3 kids (11F, 8F, 6F). The oldest is also autistic.
What a sad situation.
About 3 years ago my sister lost custody of her kids. The girls were split up in the system for a little over a year before our mom (52F) got custody 2 years ago.
Over the last 2 years the girls have been really thriving. They’re happy, healthy, doing well in school…
Absolutely heartbreaking.
Recently my mom got some unexpected health issues that are severely impacting her mobility and energy. There is no cure. She called me last week to ask if I would take the girls so they aren’t split up in the system again. My heart sank.
I LOVE my nieces. There’s no denying that. And my daughter loves her cousins. The kids all get along great.
She clearly wants what is best for these young ladies.
They live on the opposite side of the country, but I visit whenever possible. I’m always planning all sorts of activities and experiences for them, and encouraging them to pursue the things they love.
The oldest loves art, the middle child loves gymnastics, and the youngest loves pokemon and video games. I plan things we can all do together and I make sure they each get one on one time too. I would die for these girls.
You can’t just pretend that taking custody won’t cost money.
But I just don’t have the means to care for them full time.
My husband and I are considered a low income family. After a decade of saving, we finally bought a small 2 bed townhouse, but there’s barely enough room for the 3 of us, let alone another 3 kids too.
The kids will have to move either way.
I suggested my mom move closer so I can help more day to day, but she shot that down rather quickly.
Her reasons were she didn’t want to pull the kids out of their current school (but I guess it’s ok if I do??), and with her health issues she didn’t want to have to find a new Dr (that one is pretty valid, there’s a serious health care crisis in my country).
They are offering some very reasonable options.
Us moving closer to them is not an option, we would both have to find new jobs and my husband’s current job has really good benefits we can’t afford to lose.
My mom is retired so the only thing tying her to her current location is her Dr.
She has to really think this through.
My heart is breaking. I don’t want to lose my nieces to the system again. I love the relationship we have.
But I don’t see how I could sustainably take on the 3 of them full time.
It really isn’t fair to be upset with her about the situation. What did the sister do to lose custody?
My mom and my sister have been calling me heartless and that I haven’t fully thought it through, but I have.
I’ve been thinking about it every day for over 3 years when my sister first lost custody.
This is undoubtedly a very difficult situation, but she has to do what is in the best interests of his own family. She has offered some good options, but Mom and his sister seem unwilling.
If you enjoyed this story, check out this post about a bus driver who is sick and tired of covering everyone else’s weekend shifts.
Let’s see what the people in the comments have to say about the situation and what should be done.
This really is a heartbreaking situation.
You can’t make decisions based on guilt.
Here is someone who works in the child protection field.
I agree with this commenter.
Her sister has no say in what happens.
No matter how badly she wants to help, she is not in a position to do so. This family needs to come together to figure out what is best for the kids. Thinking outside the box and coming up with potential solutions.
No matter what they choose, it isn’t going to be easy. Hopefully, they can figure something out. Even if the kids need to go to the foster system, the family can still see them.

In the past, I used to love going out with friends, working out in the gym, going on walks every day and playing with my dog. I had a regular life for a 20-something, and I adored it. I never could have expected how much my life would be turned upside down in just six months.
When my back pain started in August 2025, I really did not think much of it. At the time, I was in hospital receiving treatment for an eating disorder, so I spoke to my doctors about the pain. They assessed me but did not notice anything concerning, so they suggested it was just my body adjusting to the healthy weight gain. I kept on having the back pain and body aches, but still, I assumed that was normal.
A few months passed and, by October, I noticed a lump on the side of my neck. I had never had anything like that before, but I just thought it was something that occurs naturally.
Read More on Health
Nevertheless, I booked to see my doctor in November so I could get a second opinion. They did an ultrasound on the lump and said it was only a cyst and did not require any further investigation. When I heard that, I thought, Great, what a relief.
‘I Needed Them To Take Me Seriously’
I was still experiencing the body aches and then my stomach also became really swollen. It looked bloated and distended, not to mention, it was rock hard.
I had never experienced that before, and I started to question the growing list of symptoms. I was in an extreme amount of pain, so I went back to my GP where I was urged to head to the emergency room.
My mom came to the emergency room with me, and doctors thought it could be a bowel obstruction. They did not want to do a CT scan because I was only 28 years old, so they did an X-ray and I was sent home that night, believing it was constipation.
As my condition remained the same over the following days, I went back to the emergency department with the same painful symptoms.
I needed them to listen and take me seriously.
They did more X-rays before eventually doing a CT, which revealed the devastating truth. When the results came in, the consultant doctor simply could not stop apologizing.
I just remember the doctor repeatedly saying he was sorry. I did not know what he was talking about, and then he handed me the results of my CT scan.
In that moment, I read the words “evidence of metastatic disease.”
At the age of 28, I was diagnosed with stage 4 melanoma, and the report listed a significant number of tumors. It was a huge shock, especially after being sent home with constipation earlier in the week.
My mom went outside to call my dad and told him to come into the hospital immediately. At the time, he still believed I was in for a bowel obstruction, so, when my mom told him something bad happened, he thought I had died in surgery or something. When he got to the hospital, he was distraught, and then I had to break it to my own dad that I have cancer.
After that, I was admitted, and it turns out the issue with my stomach was something called ascites. It is the body’s way of reacting to the cancer, as the abdominal cavity fills with fluids that must be drained.
My stomach looked so distended by that point, I looked nine months pregnant. Two nursing assistants even asked me how the baby was, and I had to tell them it was not a baby bump; I actually have cancer. The fluid was drained from my abdominal cavity a few days later, and they collected 7 liters of fluid.
‘I Never Had Any Issues With My Skin’
I was so shocked by my diagnosis because I never had any issues with my skin—no moles, no sun spots, nothing. But it turns out that you can develop melanoma just like any other cancer; it doesn’t have to be caused by sun exposure.
The scans also identified two compound fractures in my spine, which was, of course, the cause of my body aches. No wonder I was dealing with such severe back pain.
I was eventually discharged from hospital and had my first immunotherapy treatment at the end of November. By mid-December, I was back in hospital having my stomach drained because there was more fluid and I was still suffering with symptoms.
I started chemotherapy in January 2026 because I was not responding to immunotherapy. A few weeks later, I returned to hospital because I could not get my pain under control. No amount of medication could help, and it turned out that I had three more spinal fractures because the bones were so weak from the tumors.
I had to have spinal surgery on February 20 to stabilize my vertebrae from T2 to T8, and they removed a large tumor on my T5 vertebrae. The recovery from that was intense, and I spent around three weeks in hospital seeing physiotherapists and occupational therapists.
Immunotherapy took a toll on my body, and I had severe swelling, nausea, and could not eat. It was all the classic symptoms that are associated with cancer, so we eventually stopped with immunotherapy, and now I’m currently back on chemotherapy tablets.
‘I Feels Like my Life Is on Hold’
My whole life has been turned upside down in the space of a few months.
You truly never think it is going to happen to you. This was the first time I had ever experienced these symptoms, and I was otherwise very healthy.
It feels like my life is on hold, which is really frustrating because I cannot do the things that my peers are doing. I haven’t been able to work since I was diagnosed, I can’t travel, can’t live alone, can’t go out on the weekends.
I think that has been the hardest part because these precious years are being wasted due to cancer. I try to have a positive outlook because that’s all you can do.
Otherwise, those dark moments will consume you and you cannot function if you if dwell on the magnitude of the situation.
My advice is to trust yourself when it comes to your health. If you feel like something is wrong, advocate for yourself. It’s especially important as a young person because I think that’s why my symptoms were dismissed so many times because I was seen as a young healthy person who couldn’t possibly have cancer.
There were so many opportunities where a diagnosis was missed or delayed.
Charlotte Fowler, 29, lives in Perth, Australia, and has been documenting her experience on TikTok (@charfowlerx).

KINSHASA, Congo (AP) — The number of confirmed Ebola cases in Congo has increased to 782, with 181 deaths, the Congolese Ministry of Health said in a statement on social platform X on Sunday evening.
However, the number of cases in Congo is believed to be higher because the outbreak was confirmed on May 15, weeks after it is suspected to have begun, and the contact tracing coverage rate is at 56%, a sharp decrease from last week.
The latest Ebola outbreak is caused by the rare Bundibugyo virus, which has no approved vaccine or treatment, unlike the “Zaire virus,” which was responsible for most of Congo’s past 16 outbreaks of the disease.
Fifty-six people have recovered, and the current fatality rate of the outbreak is 23%, the Ministry said.
The outbreak is concentrated in Congo’s eastern province of Ituri, which accounts for more than 90% of the cases. Cases have also been recorded in the North Kivu and South Kivu provinces, and have spread across the border to Uganda.
Nearly a million people have been displaced by conflict in Ituri, according to the U.N. humanitarian office, making contact tracing difficult as people flee attacks or move frequently in the vast province with dense forests, poor roads and remote villages that can take days to reach.
Tracing is also difficult among the thousands of artisanal miners who regularly move between remote sites in the mineral-rich region.
Attacks on health workers from angry residents, skepticism among some locals, and armed conflict in hot spots continue to challenge efforts to stop the outbreak.