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Depression in Mid-Life Linked to Higher Odds for Later Dementia
Posted 7 May 2012 by Drugs.com
MONDAY, May 7 – People who suffer depression when they're middle-aged or elderly may also have an higher risk of dementia later, a new study suggests. Researchers evaluated long-term data from more than 13,000 people in California. They found that depressive symptoms occurred in about 14 percent of participants in midlife only, while about 9.2 percent of cases of depression developed in late life only. Just over 4 percent of people in the study had depression that stretched over midlife and late life. Over six years of follow-up, 22.5 percent of the participants were diagnosed with dementia. The study found that 5.5 percent of the participants developed Alzheimer's disease and 2.3 percent developed vascular dementia, which is caused by brain damage resulting from impaired blood flow to the brain. According to the research team, people with late-life depression were twice as likely to ... Read more
Related support groups: Depression, Dementia, Alzheimer's Disease, Mild Cognitive Impairment
Having a 'Purpose in Life' May Help Shield You From Dementia
Posted 7 May 2012 by Drugs.com
MONDAY, May 7 – If you're looking for a way to keep dementia at bay, a new study suggests you can do so by developing a firm purpose in life. The findings don't prove that having a purpose will make a difference, and it's possible that the researchers missed another important factor that's at play. Still, the study found that people who had more purpose – as defined by the researchers – seemed to be less affected by the brain-clogging gunk that's considered to be a cause of Alzheimer's disease. "Somehow, having a purpose allows people to cope with the physical signs of Alzheimer's disease," said Patricia Boyle, an associate professor at the Rush Alzheimer's Disease Center at the Rush University Medical Center in Chicago. Boyle and colleagues looked at tests given to 246 older people who later died and underwent autopsies that explored the state of their brains. The researchers ... Read more
Related support groups: Dementia, Alzheimer's Disease, Mild Cognitive Impairment
Eating Berries Might Help Preserve Your Memory
Posted 26 Apr 2012 by Drugs.com
THURSDAY, April 26 – Regular consumption of berries, such as blueberries or strawberries, may help keep your brain functioning well as you age, new research suggests. The study found that women with the highest intake of berries appeared to delay cognitive aging by up to 2.5 years. Cognition refers to brain activities such as thinking, remembering and reasoning. "Given that we know that fruits and vegetables are good for our health in general, our findings add to the idea that we should be consuming more, especially berries, as a way to help maintain memory in older ages," said the study's lead author, Elizabeth Devore, an instructor in medicine at Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, in Boston. "Berries are a simple dietary intervention that may be helpful to the brain," Devore added. Results of the study were published online April 26 in the Annals of Neurology. ... Read more
Related support groups: Dementia, Alzheimer's Disease, Mild Cognitive Impairment
Strength Training May Give Boost to Seniors' Brains
Posted 23 Apr 2012 by Drugs.com
MONDAY, April 23 – Elderly women noticing the first signs of memory decline might ward off full-blown dementia by engaging in routine strength training, new research suggests. But while supervised weight-lifting seemed to boost mental functioning among those struggling with incipient memory loss, aerobics-based activity programs did not confer a similar mental health benefit, the study team found. "Most studies have looked at aerobic training, but this study compares both aerobic and strength training," explained study co-author Teresa Liu-Ambrose, an assistant professor in the department of physical therapy at the University of British Columbia. "And among people who don't yet have dementia but are already at a high risk in terms of mild memory and executive function impairment, our study shows that strength training, but not aerobics training, does have benefits for cognition." ... Read more
Related support groups: Dementia, Alzheimer's Disease, Mild Cognitive Impairment
FDA Approves Amyvid (Florbetapir F 18 Injection) for Use in Patients Being Evaluated for Alzheimer's Disease and Other Causes of Cognitive Decline
Posted 9 Apr 2012 by Drugs.com
INDIANAPOLIS, April 6, 2012 /PRNewswire/ – Eli Lilly and Company and Avid Radiopharmaceuticals, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Lilly, today announced the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of Amyvid, a radioactive diagnostic agent indicated for brain imaging of beta-amyloid plaques in patients with cognitive impairment who are being evaluated for Alzheimer's Disease and other causes of cognitive decline.[1] Amyvid binds to amyloid plaques, a hallmark characteristic of Alzheimer's Disease,[2],[3],[4] and is detected using PET scan images of the brain.[1] A negative Amyvid scan indicates sparse to no amyloid plaques are currently present, which is inconsistent with a neuropathological diagnosis of Alzheimer's Disease and reduces the likelihood that a patient's cognitive impairment is due to Alzheimer's Disease.[2] [5] A positive Amyvid scan indicates moderate to ... Read more
Related support groups: Dementia, Alzheimer's Disease, Mild Cognitive Impairment, Diagnosis and Investigation
Brain Falters Near End of Life, but Games, Puzzles Might Slow Decline
Posted 4 Apr 2012 by Drugs.com
WEDNESDAY, April 4 – New research offers insights into the mysterious phenomenon of rapid cognitive decline in the two or three years before death, and confirms that intellectually challenging activities can help keep your mind sharp. "Part of what your brain is like in old age has to do with what you're asking it to do on a regular basis," said Robert Wilson, professor of neurological sciences and behavioral sciences at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago and lead author of two new studies. "Engaging in mentally stimulating activities is one course to improving the health of your brain." One of the studies focused on the rapid decline in cognitive function in the last few years of life. Not everyone suffers from this, but it's a common phenomenon, Wilson said. Scientists aren't quite sure why this happens. Is the decline caused by aging? The dying process? Or perhaps by ... Read more
Related support groups: Mild Cognitive Impairment
Hospitalization May Hasten Seniors' Memory Decline
Posted 21 Mar 2012 by Drugs.com
WEDNESDAY, March 21 – Seniors' memory and thinking skills decline more rapidly than normal after they've been hospitalized, a new study finds. The study included nearly 1,900 Chicago residents over age 65 whose memory and thinking skills were tested every three years for up to 12 years. During the study, 71 percent of the participants were hospitalized at least once. On average, seniors' scores on tests of memory and thinking skills decline slightly as they grow older, the researchers noted. This study found that seniors' overall scores declined twice as fast after a first hospital stay, compared either to their previous rate of decline or to those who had not been admitted to the hospital. When the researchers looked at specific tests, they found that the rate of decline after a first hospital stay was more than three times faster on a long-term memory test and 1.5 times faster on a ... Read more
Related support groups: Mild Cognitive Impairment
Omega-3 Fatty Acids May Protect the Aging Brain
Posted 27 Feb 2012 by Drugs.com
MONDAY, Feb. 27 – Middle-aged and elderly adults who regularly eat foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids may slow the mental decline that leads to dementia, according to a new study. Researchers found that people with the highest blood levels of these essential fatty acids – found in fish such as salmon and tuna – were more likely to perform well on tests of mental functioning and to experience less age-related brain shrinkage. "We feel fatty acid consumption exerts a beneficial effect on brain aging by promoting vascular health," said study lead author Dr. Zaldy Tan, an associate professor in the Easton Center for Alzheimer's Disease Research and the division of geriatrics at the University of California, Los Angeles. This might include reducing blood pressure and inflammation, he added. Previous research linked dementia risk with the amount of omega-3 fatty acids in blood plasma, which ... Read more
Related support groups: Dementia, Lovaza, Fish Oil, Mild Cognitive Impairment, Omacor, Omega-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids, MaxEPA, Animi-3, Marine Lipid Concentrate, Proepa, Divista, Sea-Omega 30, Super-EPA, Mi-Omega, Omega-500
Exercise a Defense Against Dementia: Study
Posted 13 Feb 2012 by Drugs.com
MONDAY, Feb. 13 – Here's another reason to get into shape: Physical activity may reduce the risk of dementia-related death, according to a new study. Researchers assessed the health of more than 45,000 men and nearly 15,000 women, ages 20 to 88 years, in the United States and grouped them into one of three fitness categories – low, middle or high. After an average follow-up of 17 years, about 4,050 participants died. Of those deaths, 164 were attributed to dementia (72 vascular dementia and 92 Alzheimer's disease). Of those 164 deaths, 123 of the people were in the low-fitness group, 23 were in the middle-fitness group, and 18 were in the high-fitness group. People in the high- and medium-fitness groups had less than half the risk of dying as those in the low-fitness group, the researchers concluded. The study appears in the February issue of the journal Medicine & Science in Sports & ... Read more
Related support groups: Dementia, Mild Cognitive Impairment
Screening by Primary-Care Doctors May Spot Dementia
Posted 13 Feb 2012 by Drugs.com
MONDAY, Feb. 13 – Routine screening at primary care clinics led to a two- to threefold increase in diagnoses of brain-function impairments such as dementia in older veterans, researchers say. The new study included more than 8,000 U.S. veterans aged 70 and older who agreed to undergo a brief screening during a routine visit to a VA primary care clinic. None of the veterans showed signs of memory loss. Of the 2,081 (26 percent) who failed the screening, 580 (28 percent) agreed to further evaluation. Of those, 93 percent were found to have brain-function impairment, including 75 percent with dementia. This type of mental decline, known as "cognitive" impairment, causes a reduction in skills such as memory, learning and thinking beyond what's expected with normal aging. The researchers noted that 118 patients who passed the initial screening requested further evaluation, and 87 percent ... Read more
Related support groups: Dementia, Mild Cognitive Impairment
Questionnaire Could Help Predict Alzheimer's: Study
Posted 3 Feb 2012 by Drugs.com
FRIDAY, Feb. 3 – A series of specific "yes" or "no" questions could help doctors distinguish between people who have normal memory loss that comes with age and those with a condition known as amnestic mild cognitive impairment, according to a new study. Researchers from Banner Sun Health Research Institute in Arizona developed a questionnaire for patients' relatives or caregivers to complete. Known as AQ, the questionnaire consists of 21 items scored and weighted by how well they predicted problems with memory. The study, published online Feb. 3 in BMC Geriatrics, found that scores higher than 15 predicted Alzheimer's disease. Totals between 5 and 14 indicated amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI). Questionnaire scores of 4 or lower indicated no problems with memory. The researchers noted that six of the questions are known to be predictive of Alzheimer's disease and were given ... Read more
Related support groups: Alzheimer's Disease, Mild Cognitive Impairment
Alzheimer's-Linked Brain Plaques May Affect Memory in Healthy People
Posted 1 Feb 2012 by Drugs.com
WEDNESDAY, Feb. 1 – A new study suggests that a brain-clotting plaque linked to Alzheimer's disease may cause cognitive decline even in healthy people, potentially setting the stage for the development of the devastating illness later in life. The findings don't point to any new treatment for Alzheimer's disease, which is incurable, and the detected decline in brain function is so small that affected people probably wouldn't notice anything in their daily lives. Still, "I think they certainly are at higher risk of Alzheimer's," said study co-author Denise Park, A cognitive neuroscientist at the Center for Vital Longevity at the University of Texas at Dallas. She added that the test that turned up signs of the brain plaque could eventually help doctors figure out if someone's at risk for the disease long before they reach old age. "Just because we don't have a treatment for Alzheimer's ... Read more
Related support groups: Alzheimer's Disease, Mild Cognitive Impairment
Men at Higher Risk for Mental Decline That Precedes Alzheimer's
Posted 25 Jan 2012 by Drugs.com
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WEDNESDAY, Jan. 25 – Subtle problems with memory and thinking skills – known as mild cognitive impairment – often precede Alzheimer's disease, and a new study finds that men are at higher risk for these troubles than women. Lead researcher Rosebud Roberts and her colleagues looked at 1,450 people from Olmsted County, Minn., who were between 70 and 89 years old and free of dementia in October 2004. Some three and a half years later, 296 had become mildly impaired. New cases of mild cognitive impairment were consistently higher among men, except in the 85 to 89 age group. Overall, the risk was 40 percent higher for men. Having a high school or less education was also linked to greater risk, and the study found that the combination of being male without college education brought an "unexpectedly high risk" of impairment that did not involve memory loss. Currently married people were at ... Read more
Related support groups: Alzheimer's Disease, Mild Cognitive Impairment
Could Nicotine Patches Help Stave Off Memory Loss?
Posted 9 Jan 2012 by Drugs.com
MONDAY, Jan. 9 – New research suggests that the nicotine patches used by people trying to quit smoking could serve an unexpected purpose: They appear to counteract mild memory loss in older patients. The research is preliminary and only involved a few dozen subjects. There's also the matter of expense: While they're available over the counter, patches may cost several dollars a day. Still, "nicotine treatment may be a way to improve people's symptoms and maybe extend their ability to do all of those cognitive things we need to do," said study author Dr. Paul Newhouse, director of the Center for Cognitive Medicine at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. "We're hoping to pursue this with a much larger group." This isn't the first time researchers have tried to analyze connections between the brain and nicotine. In the 1980s, Newhouse and others discovered through autopsies that the ... Read more
Related support groups: Nicotine, Nicorette, Nicoderm CQ, Nicotrol Inhaler, Commit, Mild Cognitive Impairment, Habitrol, ProStep, Nicotrol NS, Nicorelief
Mental Decline Can Start at 45, Study Finds
Posted 5 Jan 2012 by Drugs.com
THURSDAY, Jan. 5 – Sorry, Boomers, but a new study suggests that memory, reasoning and comprehension can start to slip as early as age 45. This finding runs counter to conventional wisdom that mental decline doesn't begin before 60, the researchers added. "Cognitive function in normal, healthy adults begins to decline earlier than previously thought," said study author Archana Singh-Manoux. "It is widely believed that cognitive ability does not decline before the age of 60. We were able to show robust cognitive decline even in individuals aged 45 to 49 years," added Singh-Manoux, research director at INSERM's Center for Research in Epidemiology & Population Health at the Paul-Brousse Hospital in Paris. These findings should be put in context of the link between cognitive function and the dementia, Singh-Manoux said. "Previous research shows small differences in cognitive performance in ... Read more
Related support groups: Mild Cognitive Impairment