Older news items (pre-2010) brought over from the old website
Memory grows less efficient very early in Alzheimer's
A study of 109 healthy older adults (average age 75), 41 older adults with very early Alzheimer's, 13 with early Alzheimer's, and 35 younger adults (25 or younger) has found that those with Alzheimer’s — even those in the very early stages — were significantly less efficient than their healthy age peers at remembering items according to their value. It may be that Alzheimer's makes it harder for people to encode what they learn in a strategic way. This research suggests the potential for improved memory training.
Castel, A.D., Balota, D.A. & McCabe, D.P. 2009. Memory Efficiency and the Strategic Control of Attention at Encoding: Impairments of Value-Directed Remembering in Alzheimer's Disease. Neuropsychology, 23 (3), 297-306.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-05/apa-mgl042909.php
Pictures better than words for memory-damaged patients
We’ve long known that pictures are remembered better than words. Now a study has found that this picture superiority still exists in those with mild cognitive impairment and very mild Alzheimer’s disease. Moreover, frontally-based brainwave patterns were similar to those of controls when pictures were being retrieved, but not for words. The findings support the idea that those with mild Alzheimer’s can successfully use implicit memory (memory without conscious awareness) to support recognition, and this may point to new strategies for dealing with their memory problems.
Castel, A.D., Balota, D.A. & McCabe, D.P. 2009. Memory Efficiency and the Strategic Control of Attention at Encoding: Impairments of Value-Directed Remembering in Alzheimer's Disease. Neuropsychology, 23 (3), 297-306.
http://www.physorg.com/news160307482.html
Treating sleep apnea in Alzheimer's patients helps cognition
A study of 52 men and women with mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) has found significant improvement in patients' neurological test scores after continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) treatment. CPAP also reduced daytime sleepiness, a common complaint of Alzheimer's patients and their caregivers. The prevalence of OSA in patients with dementia has been estimated to be as high as 70 to 80%.
Ancoli-Israel, S. et al. 2008. Cognitive Effects of Treating Obstructive Sleep Apnea in Alzheimer's Disease: A Randomized Controlled Study. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 56 (11),2076-2081.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2008-12/uoc--tsa120308.php
Hypnosis shown to reduce symptoms of dementia
This one’s really quite weird. A study found that people living with dementia who received hypnosis therapy over a nine month period showed an improvement in concentration, memory and socialization compared to groups receiving the normal treatment (who declined in these measures) and those attending a regular discussion group (who stayed the same). Relaxation, motivation and daily living activities also improved with the use of hypnosis. The findings point to the role of depression and anxiety in worsening the symptoms of dementia. The latest follow-up study has found that many of the benefits in the hypnosis group were maintained 12 months later.
Duff, S.C. & Nightingale, D.J. 2008. Long-term outcomes of hypnosis in changing the quality of life in patients with dementia. European Journal of Clinical Hypnosis, 7 (1)
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2008-07/uol-hst072808.php
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080728111402.htm
More sleep improves cognition in Alzheimer patients with OSA
A study involving 52 participants with an average age of 77.8 years who had Alzheimer disease and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) has found that it was increases in total sleep time in those given continuous positive airway pressure treatment that was associated with improvements in cognition, rather than improvement in oxygen levels. This suggests that the cognitive dysfunction associated with OSA in patients with dementia may be in part an effect of short sleep time.
The findings were presented at SLEEP 2008, the 22nd Annual Meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies (APSS).
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2008-06/aaos-iit050708.php
Mediterranean diet may help Alzheimer's patients live longer
A study of 192 people with Alzheimer's disease has found that those who most closely followed a Mediterranean diet were 76% less likely to die during the 4 ½ year study period compared to those who followed the diet the least. A previous study by the same researchers found that healthy people who eat a Mediterranean diet lowered their risk of developing Alzheimer's disease. The Mediterranean diet includes a high intake of vegetables, legumes, fruits, cereals, fish, monounsaturated fatty acids; a low intake of saturated fatty acids, dairy products, meat and poultry; and a mild to moderate amount of alcohol.
Scarmeas, N., Luchsinger, J.A., Mayeux, R. & Stern, Y. 2007. Mediterranean diet and Alzheimer disease mortality. Neurology, 69, 1084-1093.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/09/ 070910162411.htm
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2007-09/aaon-mdm090407.php
Alzheimer's weight gain initiative improved patients' intellectual abilities
In a small, three-month study, Swedish researchers have found a way to increase the weight of people with Alzheimer's, with consequent improved intellectual abilities, by improving communication and patient involvement, altering meal routines and providing a more homely eating environment.
Mamhidir et al. 2007. Weight increase in patients with dementia and alteration in meal routines and meal environment after integrity promoting care. Journal of Clinical Nursing, 16, 987-996.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2007-05/bpl-awg051507.php
Enhanced environment restores memory in mice with neurodegeneration
Research involving genetically engineered mice has found that mice whose brains had lost a large number of neurons due to neurodegeneration regained long-term memories and the ability to learn after their surroundings were enriched with toys and other sensory stimuli. The same effect was also achieved through the use of a drug that encourages neuronal growth. The findings suggest not only new approaches to treatment for those with Alzheimer's or other neurodegenerative diseases, but also supports recent suggestions that "memory loss" may be an inaccurate description of the kinds of mental deficits associated with neurodegenerative diseases. The memories are still there; they are simply inaccessible.
Fischer, A., Sananbenesi, F., Wang, X., Dobbin, M. & Tsai, L-H. 2007. Recovery of learning and memory is associated with chromatin remodelling. Nature, 447, 178-182.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2007-04/hhmi-eer042507.php
Computer-based 'games' enhance mental function in Alzheimer's patients
An interactive multimedia internet-based game has been shown to benefit cognition in patients with Alzheimer's disease more than classic exercises of mental stimulation commonly used with dementia patients. The study compared patients receiving no cognitive intervention, those enrolled in a daily program that included 2.5 to 3.5 hours of cognitive stimulation tasks, musical therapy, arts and crafts, physical activity and programs that reinforced instrumental activities of daily living, and those who also used an interactive multimedia internet-based system which allowed them to carry out a variety of different cognitive stimulation tasks at varying levels of difficulty throughout the day. After 12 weeks, both intervention groups performed better on tests than the control group; at 24 weeks, the dual-intervention group did better than the program-only group. The study points to the value of cognitive stimulation to slow the rate of cognitive loss.
Tárraga, L. et al. 2006. A randomised pilot study to assess the efficacy of an interactive, multimedia tool of cognitive stimulation in Alzheimer’s disease. Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry, 77, 1116-1121.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-10/uopm-ce102306.php
Elders with dementia can tap into memory stores to give advice
Surprisingly, it appears that the best way to converse with an Alzheimer’s patient may be to ask them for advice. In two studies, researchers found that adults with moderate to severe symptoms of dementia can still be quite coherent and informative when asked for advice. In the first study, 14 people with early to advanced stages of dementia were asked about marriage, children and church in a purely social way, such as "Tell me about your children," and then later were asked for advice on the same topics, as in, "I'm thinking about having children. What kind of advice can you give me on that?" Patients were more coherent, informative and focused on the topic when asked for advice as opposed to when they were simply asked about their children, church or marriage. In the second study, six adults with dementia and six older adults without dementia, were given a booklet of pictures to guide them in teaching someone a simple recipe. Both groups successfully taught students to prepare the recipes, although those with dementia did need more prompting to finish the task.
Dijkstra, K., Bourgeois, M., Youmans, G. & Hancock, A. 2006. Implications of an Advice-Giving and Teacher Role on Language Production in Adults With Dementia. Gerontologist, 46, 357-366.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-07/fsu-sew071706.php
Missing eyeglasses impair activities for a third of nursing home patients with Alzheimer's disease
A study of nearly 100 Alzheimer’s patients in nursing homes has determined that one third of them were not using or did not have glasses that were strong enough to correct their eyesight. Apart from causing disorientation, limiting mobility and increasing the chance of falls, the loss of vision is likely to impact on mental stimulation, by making it difficult or impossible to engage in mentally stimulating activities such as reading or watching television.
Koch, J.M., Datta, G., Makhdoom, S. & Grossberg, G.T. 2005. Unmet Visual Needs of Alzheimer’s Disease Patients in Long-term Care Facilities. Journal of the American Medical Directors Association, 6(4), 233-237.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2005-07/slu-mem071905.php
New memory aid helps dementia sufferers remember
An innovative memory aid based on an interactive multimedia computer system aims to stimulate more enjoyable, rewarding conversation between sufferers and those who care for them. CIRCA (Computer Interactive Reminiscence and Conversation Aid) involves a simple touch-screen with easy-to-follow instructions; it displays a choice of three random categories (entertainment, local life etc) and three media (music, photo, video). The images, video or sound clips then act as a memory trigger and conversation prompt. During development, CIRCA was tested on 40 dementia sufferers with very encouraging results. CIRCA could become available on the market in 2-3 years.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2005-06/eaps-nma061505.php
Weight loss may be an early sign of dementia in the elderly
An analysis of data from 1,890 men who were participants in The Honolulu-Asia Aging Study has found that the weight loss common in people with dementia begins 2-4 years before the onset of clinical dementia symptoms. It’s possible that treatment interventions directed toward maintaining optimal nutrition and preventing excess weight loss could slow the disease.
Stewart, R., Masaki, K., Xue, Q-L., Peila, R., Petrovitch, H., White, L.R. & Launer, L.J. 2005. A 32-Year Prospective Study of Change in Body Weight and Incident Dementia: The Honolulu-Asia Aging Study. Archives of Neurology, 62, 55-60.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2005-01/jaaj-wlm010505.php
Studies suggest people with early AD can still learn
A new study suggests that people who have early stage Alzheimer's disease could be more capable of learning than previously thought. The study found that mildly impaired Alzheimer’s patients who participated in 3-to-4 months of cognitive rehabilitation had a 170% improvement, on average, in their ability to recall faces and names and a 71% improvement in their ability to provide proper change for a purchase. The participants also could respond to and process information more rapidly and were better oriented to time and place. These improvements were still evident 3 months after the cognitive training ended.
Loewenstein, D.A., Acevedo, A., Czaja, S.J. & Duara, R. 2004. Cognitive Rehabilitation of Mildly Impaired Alzheimer Disease Patients on Cholinesterase Inhibitors. American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 12(4), 395-402.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2004-07/nioa-ssp062904.php
Alzheimer's may leave some forms of memory intact
A new study has demonstrated that people with Alzheimer's disease retain the capability for a specific form of memory used for rote learning of skills, despite their other memory loss. The finding suggests new strategies to improve training and rehabilitative programs for Alzheimer's sufferers. It also confirms other studies suggesting that a number of brain systems are more intact in Alzheimer's than previously thought.
Lustig, C., & Buckner, R. L. (2004). Preserved Neural Correlates of Priming in Old Age and Dementia. Neuron, 42(5), 865-875. Retrieved from http://www.cell.com/neuron/retrieve/pii/S0896627304002612
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2004-06/hhmi-als060404.php
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2004-06/cp-ssh060304.php
Program helps physical and behavioral well-being of Alzheimer's patients
A controlled trial of 153 community-dwelling patients diagnosed with Alzheimer’s examined the effectiveness of a home-based exercise program combined with caregiver training in behavioral management techniques in reducing functional dependence and delay institutionalization. The program resulted in improved physical health and less depression. Specifically, after three months, those receiving the training were more likely to exercise at least 60 minutes a week, to have fewer days of restricted activity, to have improved scores for physical role functioning, and improved Cornell Depression Scale for Depression in Dementia scores, and have less institutionalization due to behavioral disturbance.
Teri, L. et al. 2003. Exercise Plus Behavioral Management in Patients With Alzheimer Disease: A Randomized Controlled Trial. JAMA, 290, 2015-2022.
Alzheimer patients who scored well on memory tests show unique compensatory brain activity
A study of 12 healthy older adults and 11 older patients with probable early-stage Alzheimer's compared their performance in a series of semantic and episodic memory tasks on a computer screen, using PET scans. Overall, Alzheimer's patients performed less accurately on the semantic and episodic tasks compared to the normal controls. However, the range of scores was quite large in the Alzheimer group, with some performing poorly and others performing within the normal range. For those patients who did better on the memory tasks, researchers found that their prefrontal network activity was more expansive compared to the error-prone patients. This additional activity was happening in the right frontal and temporoparietal areas. It was a unique neural pattern not found in the controls either. This provides the most direct evidence to date that Alzheimer's patients can use additional neural resources in the prefrontal cortex to compensate for losses attributable to the degenerative process of the disease.
Grady, C.L., McIntosh, A.R., Beig, S., Keightley, M.L., Burian, H. & Black, S.E. 2003. Evidence from Functional Neuroimaging of a Compensatory Prefrontal Network in Alzheimer's Disease. Journal of Neuroscience, 23, 986-993.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2003-02/bcfg-apw013103.php
Memory training may help some Alzheimer's patients
Following anecdotal "success stories" of memory training provided by rehabilitation experts, researchers in London conducted a controlled study to see whether such training could be standardized for a larger group of people, and whether the benefits of training endured. The study involved 12 participants with probable Alzheimer's Disease (AD) at the minimal or mild stage, when they still had some capacity for learning. The researchers then trained participants to remember the names of people whom they had difficulty naming from a set of 12 photos that included people in their social network and famous people. They used such memory aids as mnemonic devices, which use the image to jog memory through some kind of meaningful association; "vanishing cues," a method in which participants fill in more and more letters in the person's name, until they can recall that name without any help; and "expanding rehearsal," in which people test themselves on what they've learned, in spaced intervals over time. All training minimized the chance of errors, which helped to reduce distress and raise confidence. By training participants' memory for just half of their photo sets, researchers were able to compare memory training with no training, for each participant. Participants learned the face-name association at the rate of one per week, adding each new pair to their practice until they worked at all six pairs. They continued practicing until a one-month follow-up test of the face-name pairs. Testing was repeated at three, six and 12 months. The memory training produced a statistically significant improvement in group performance on free recall of trained items. Participants kept their memory gains six months after training, and scores remained above baseline levels after 12 months -- even without further practice. Not all participants benefited from the training. Further research is needed to discover what distinguishes those who benefitted from those who didn’t. One factor that was found, was that those who were more aware of their memory problems were more likely to respond well to memory training.
Clare, L.,Wilson, B.A., Carter, G., Roth, I., Hodges & J.R. 2002. Relearning Face-Name Associations in Early Alzheimer's Disease. Neuropsychology, 16 (4), 538-47.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2002-10/apa-mtm101502.php
Helping Alzheimer's sufferers remember
Alzheimer sufferers recalled significantly more details of long-ago events when music was played during recall. Recent memory was not affected. It is suggested that music could be played at particular times when better recall is desirable, such as when relatives visit.
The study involved 23 older adults with mild-to-moderate dementia. Participants were tested in each of four auditory background conditions presented randomly, one week apart: quiet; cafeteria noise; familiar music (first movement of Vivaldi's “The Four Seasons”); novel music (Fitkin's “Hook”). Questions were drawn from three life eras: up to age 20; around ages 20—50; and recent past and present. Sound conditions (music or noise) were significantly better than quiet (mean recall 67% vs 61%). There was no difference between familiar and novel music, but there was a small difference between noise and music (66% vs 68%). This difference was greater for remote memory; there was no difference between noise and music for memory of recent past. Overall, the Alzheimer's patients had much better recall for older memories.
The improvement in recall for the sound conditions over quiet, and the similarity between all sound conditions, points to arousal as the crucial factor. The greater effectiveness of music compared to noise may signal an associational effect. Further research exploring the effects of different pieces of music would help clarify this.
Valentine, E. & Foster, N. 2000. Reported at the British Psychological Society's London Conference, December 20.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2000/dec/24/paulharris.theobserver1