dementia •

Memory Slips Could be Early Indicator of Future Dementia Risk

September 25, 2014 By Deborah Cobing Leave a Comment

A while back we reported on some new research that concluded that women over the age of 65 are twice as likely to develop Alzheimer’s than breast cancer and today we’ve got the results of another study that could shock many: it appears that memory slips could very well be an early indicator of future dementia risk.

We’ve all had memory slips, young and old, men and women. But when does something as common and as seemingly harmless memory slip turn into a warning sing of future dementia risk? Well, this new research says that people who experience and report memory issues, such as memory slips, have an increased chance of future dementia risk, later in live, even if they’re not experiencing any other signs of the disease.

Dementia is the clinical name given to a group of disorder that impair the memory, motor functions, language abilities, object recognition and even decision making; one of the most common diseases is Alzheimer’s.

The author of the study is Richard Kryscio, professor at the University of Kentucky in Lexington. He had this to say about the study and its findings that were published in Neurology, the American Academy of Neurology’s journal:

Our study adds strong evidence to the idea that memory complaints are common among older adults and are sometimes indicators of future memory and thinking problems. Doctors should not minimize these complaints and should take them seriously.

The study found that 82 was the age when 56% of the people who participated in the study experienced and reported changes in the memory. They were found to be three times more likely to develop memory problems, as well as thinking issues associated with future dementia risk.

What are your thoughts on this matter? Share them with us in the comment section below.

Stressful events in midlife ups risk of Dementia, Alzheimer’s in women

October 1, 2013 By Janet Vasquez Leave a Comment

Stressful events like divorce, miscarriage, widowhood, break-ups etc in the life of a woman may increase the risk of developing dementia at a later stage of her life, a new study has found.

The researchers carried study on 800 women in Sweden who periodically underwent testing between 1968 and 2005 to find out the physiological effect of trauma on their life.

The researchers found that experiencing such psychosocial trauma in midlife was linked with a 21 percent increase in risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease, and a 15 percent increased risk of developing any type of dementia, over nearly four decades.

These women were also at increased risk of experiencing prolonged periods of distress or feelings of irritability, tension, nervousness, fear, anxiety or sleep disturbances.

For the study, the participants were asked whether they had experienced any of 18 psychosocial stressors, including whether their spouse or close relative had a mental illness or abused alcohol, or whether they or their husband had lost a job. Medical records and other information from psychiatric examinations were used to determine whether participants developed dementia over a 38-year period.

About a quarter of participants said they had experienced one psychosocial stressor, 23 percent experienced two stressors, 30 per cent experienced three stressors and 16 percent experienced four stressors. The most common stressor was mental illness in a first-degree relative.

The study was published in the journal BMJ Open.

Scientists find Alzheimer’s cure in diabetes way

September 13, 2013 By Janet Vasquez Leave a Comment

Scientists have discovered a link between diabetes drugs and Alzheimer’s cure.

A new study suggests, a commonly prescribed diabetes drug can reverse memory loss and the build-up of plaques in the brain linked to Alzheimer’s disease.

The study, led by Professor Christian Holscher at Lancaster University, found that the drug liraglutide commonly used by diabetics, may be able to reverse some of the damages caused by Alzheimer’s. They are even effective in the later stages of the condition. If successful in clinical trials this will be the first new dementia treatment in a decade.

Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia. The condition is characterised by the slow death of brain cells. It is progressive, ultimately terminal and there is yet no cure.

Study

The researchers carried study on mice with late-stage Alzheimer’s. They were given the diabetic drug. The scientists found that they performed significantly better on an object recognition test and their brains showed a 30 percent reduction in the build-up of toxic plaques.

Most of the drugs available for dementia are generally effective in early stages. But these drugs were found effective even in later stage of the disease.

Liraglutide is a member of a class of drugs known as a GLP-1 analogue. The drug is used to stimulate insulin production in diabetes, but research shows it can also pass through the blood brain barrier and have a protective effect on brain cells.

“This exciting study suggests that one of these drugs can reverse the biological causes of Alzheimer’s even in the late stages and demonstrates we’re on the right track,” said Dr Doug Brown, Director of Research and Development at Alzheimer’s Society.

The study was published in the journal Neuropharmacology.

Omega-3 fish oil may cut alcohol-related dementia risk

September 9, 2013 By Janet Vasquez Leave a Comment

Scientists have uncovered another health benefit of omega-3 fish oil. According to a new study, this enriched oil may help protect against alcohol-related dementia.

The long-term use of alcohol increases the risk of dementia, scientists say.

Small amounts of alcohol are likely to make brain cells more fit. Alcohol in moderate amounts stresses cells and thus toughens them up to cope with major stresses down the road that could cause dementia. However, too much alcohol overwhelms the cells, leading to inflammation and cell death.

Study

Researchers at Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine carried study on brain cells of rats exposed to high levels of alcohol.

An earlier analysis by Michael A Collins and colleague Edward J Neafsey, which pooled the results of 143 studies, found that moderate social drinking may reduce the risk of dementia and cognitive impairment. Notably, moderate drinking is defined as a maximum of two drinks per day for men and 1 drink per day for women.

Collins and colleagues exposed cultures of adult rat brain cells to amounts of alcohol equivalent to more than four times the legal limit for driving in the US. These cell cultures were compared with cultures of brain cells exposed to the same high levels of alcohol, plus a compound found in fish oil called omega-3 docosahexaenoic acid (DHA).

Findings

There was about 90 percent less neuroinflammation and neuronal death in the brain cells exposed to DHA and alcohol than in the cells exposed to alcohol alone.

“Fish oil has the potential of helping preserve brain integrity in abusers. At the very least, it wouldn’t hurt them,” Collins said.

Down syndrome to decode Alzheimer’s disease, say scientists

September 7, 2013 By Janet Vasquez Leave a Comment

Alzheimer’s are evident as the most common disease among the elderly people. In a significant study, scientists have discovered a link between Down syndrome and Alzheimer’s, saying that understanding the former may help in decoding the latter.

This has been known for decades that people with Down syndrome were at increased risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease, but some researchers now believe that understanding the connection between the two conditions might help us unravel the Alzheimer’s puzzle and point towards therapies that might slow, or even halt, the dreaded disease.

“It’s a tantalizing and provocative question: Do people with Down syndrome hold the key to the mystery of Alzheimer’s development?” Dr. Brian Skotko, co-director of the Down Syndrome Program at the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, said while adding, “And what can we learn from those with Down syndrome that will benefit the rest of the population?”

Alzheimer’s disease affects more than 26 million people worldwide. It is predicted to skyrocket as boomers age — nearly 106 million people are projected to have the disease by 2050.

Researchers say, not only do more people with Down syndrome develop Alzheimer’s, but they also develop it at a much younger age. By age 40, a full 40 percent of people with Down syndrome will develop the disease, and by age 50 that rises to 50 percent.

While not everyone with Down syndrome develops dementia, all develop changes in their brains that are found in Alzheimer’s patients, scientists stressed.

“We’ve learned that prevention and treatment in the earliest stages is probably our best way to battle this disease,” Lemere said.

“And we know that everybody with Down syndrome will eventually develop Alzheimer’s disease – or at least the changes in the brain. So we know that this is now another population where we can perhaps go in and test therapies very early in the disease as a prevention,” she added.

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