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Alzheimer's & Dementia

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Alzheimer's disease symptoms more subtle in people over 80
  • A new study shows that, among the very old, it’s harder to distinguish between normal brain atrophy and cognitive impairment and that indicative of Alzheimer’s.

A study involving 105 people with Alzheimer's disease and 125 healthy older adults has compared cognitive function and brain shrinkage in those aged 60-75 and those aged 80+.

Diagnosis and prevalence of dementia & MCI — recent reports

Several recent reports point to the need for GPs to be better informed about the initial symptoms of dementia and mild cognitive impairment.

Functional impairment good indicator of mild cognitive impairment

Sleep apnea and brain injury raise risk of later dementia

Recent studies add to the evidence that sleep apnea and even mild brain injury increase the risk of developing dementia.

Sleep apnea linked to later dementia

A study involving 298 older women with sleep problems found that those who had disordered breathing (such as sleep apnea) were significantly more likely to develop dementia or mild cognitive impairment.

Alzheimer's diagnostic guidelines updated
  • Updated clinical guidelines now cover three distinct stages of Alzheimer's disease.

For the first time in 27 years, clinical diagnostic criteria for Alzheimer's disease dementia have been revised, and research guidelines updated. They mark a major change in how experts think about and study Alzheimer's disease.

Discovery of more risky genes reveals more about the paths to Alzheimer’s

New genetic studies implicate myelin development, the immune system, inflammation, and lipid metabolism as critical pathways in the development of Alzheimer’s.

I commonly refer to ApoE4 as the ‘Alzheimer’s gene’, because it is the main genetic risk factor, tripling the risk for getting Alzheimer's. But it is not the only risky gene.

Tobacco-derived compound prevents memory loss in Alzheimer's mice

A mouse study has found that a compound derived from tobacco reduced plaques associated with dementia and prevented memory loss.

Some epidemiological studies have showed that people who smoke tend to have lower incidences of Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease; this has been widely attributed to nicotine. However, nicotine's harmful effects make it a poor drug candidate.

Brain starts shrinking long before Alzheimer's appears

A study following older adults for more than a decade has found that neural volume in specific brain regions markedly predicted later development of Alzheimer’s.

A long-term study of older adults with similar levels of education has found that those with the thinnest cerebral cortex in specific brain regions were the most likely to develop dementia.

Treating high blood pressure, cholesterol, diabetes may lower risk of Alzheimer's disease

New findings reveal that mild cognitive impairment is more likely to develop into Alzheimer’s if vascular risk factors are present, especially if untreated.

A study following 837 people with MCI, of whom 414 (49.5%) had at least one vascular risk factor, has found that those with risk factors such as high blood pressure, diabetes, cerebrovascular disease and high cholesterol were twice as likely to develop Alzheimer's disease.

More evidence moderate alcohol consumption helps stave off dementia

More evidence that a moderate amount of alcohol helps protect against Alzheimer’s —but not vascular dementia or age-related cognitive decline.

A review of 23 longitudinal studies of older adults (65+) has found that small amounts of alcohol were associated with lower incidence rates of overall dementia and Alzheimer dementia, but not of vascular dementia or age-related cognitive decline.

More evidence that Alzheimer's disease may be inherited from your mother
  • A new study adds to growing evidence that having a mother with Alzheimer's disease is a greater risk factor than if your father suffered the disease.

A two-year study involving 53 older adults (60+) has found that those with a mother who had Alzheimer's disease had significantly more brain atrophy than those with a father or no parent with Alzheimer's disease.

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