Study Reveals How Obesity Could Accelerate Aging in the Brain

A new study conducted in mice traces how obesity and a high-fat diet may accelerate aging in the blood vessels that supply blood to the brain. The work is being presented this week at the American Physiology Summit, the flagship annual meeting of the American Physiological Society.

‘Curved’ Walking and a Depth Camera: New Tool Detects Early Cognitive Decline

Gait impairments often are prevalent in the early stages of cognitive decline. Researchers quantitatively compared straight walking and curved walking – a more natural yet complex activity – in healthy older adults and adults with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). A depth camera detected and tracked 25 joints of body movement and signals were processed to extract 50 gait markers. Intriguingly, curved walking illuminated notable disparities between the study groups.

Study Detects Cognitive Changes in Older Drivers Using In-vehicle Sensors

Continuous, unobtrusive sensors and related monitoring devices are installed in older drivers’ vehicles to detect changes in highly complex activities over time. A driver facing camera, forward facing camera, and telematics unit provide video in real-time to enable researchers to analyze abnormal driving such as getting lost, reaction time and braking patterns as well as travel patterns such as miles driven, miles during the night and daytime, and driving in severe weather. Detecting changes in behavior could generate early warning signs of possible changes in cognition.

Yoga provides unique cognitive benefits to older women at risk of Alzheimer’s disease, study finds

A new UCLA Health study found Kundalini yoga provided several benefits to cognition and memory for older women at risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease including restoring neural pathways, preventing brain matter decline and reversing aging and inflammation-associated biomarkers – improvements not seen in a group who received standard memory training exercises.

Dr. Claudia Padilla discusses Alzheimer’s and a new treatment.

Claudia Padilla, MD, at Baylor Scott & White Health, discusses Alzheimer’s and a new treatment. What You Need to Know: Alzheimer’s disease is a type of dementia. The most common sign is short-term memory loss. New medication targets the protein…

Residents of Rural ‘Glades’ Take a ‘Leap of Faith’ to Combat Dementia

Compared to urban dwellers, racially/ethnically diverse older adults face up to an 80 percent greater risk of cognitive impairment in older age, and 2.5 times potentially preventable Alzheimer’s-related (ADRD) hospitalizations.

AI model isolates olive oil ingredients that may fight Alzheimer’s

A growing body of evidence suggests extra virgin olive oil can help prevent cognitive decline due to Alzheimer’s disease. In a new study, Yale School of Medicine researchers led by Natalie Neumann, MD, trained a machine learning algorithm on current…

Majority of older adults with cognitive impairment still drive

The majority of older adults with cognitive impairment are still driving, despite concerns raised by caregivers and others, a study finds. Researchers say it’s best for caregivers to start conversations surrounding driving earlier while the care recipient is able to understand and actively participate in the discussion.

Insomnia, sleep apnea contribute to reports of cognitive decline in women with multiple sclerosis

Sleep disorders such as insomnia and sleep apnea may contribute to perceived cognitive decline, including ability to follow instructions and memory, in women with multiple sclerosis. Cognitive decline affects up to 70% of people with MS.

Researchers Find That Brains With More Vitamin D Function Better

Researchers at Tufts University have completed the first study examining levels of vitamin D in brain tissue, specifically in adults who suffered from varying rates of cognitive decline. They found that members of this group with higher levels of vitamin D in their brains had better cognitive function.

Daily Multivitamin May Improve Cognition and Possibly Protect Against Decline

New research from Wake Forest University School of Medicine shows that taking a daily supplement may improve cognition in older adults. In the study, researchers estimated that three years of multivitamin supplementation roughly translated to a 60% slowing of cognitive decline (about 1.8 years).

Moderate drinking linked to brain changes and cognitive decline

Consumption of seven or more units of alcohol per week is associated with higher iron levels in the brain, according to a study of almost 21,000 people publishing July 14th in the open access journal PLOS Medicine. Iron accumulation in the brain has been linked with Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases and is a potential mechanism for alcohol-related cognitive decline.

When it Comes to Preventing Alzheimer’s, Women and Men are Not Created Equal

A study is the first to examine if sex significantly affects cognitive outcomes in people who follow individually-tailored, multi-domain clinical interventions. The study also determined whether change in risk of developing cardiovascular disease (CVD) and Alzheimer’s disease (AD), along with blood markers of AD risk, also were affected by sex. Results showed that while care in an Alzheimer’s Prevention Clinic setting is equally effective at improving cognitive function in both women and men, the personally-tailored interventions used by the researchers led to greater improvements in women compared to men across AD and CVD disease risk scales, as well blood biomarkers of risk such as blood sugar, LDL cholesterol, and the diabetes test HbA1C. Findings are important because women are disproportionately affected by AD and population-attributable risk models suggest that managing risk factors can prevent up to one-third of dementia cases.

Study: Adding Color to Your Plate May Lower Risk of Cognitive Decline

A new study shows that people who eat a diet that includes at least half a serving per day of foods high in flavonoids like strawberries, oranges, peppers and apples may have a 20% lower risk of cognitive decline. The research is published in the July 28, 2021, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. The study looked at several types of flavonoids, and found that flavones and anthocyanins may have the most protective effect.

Obesity and Cardiovascular Factors Combine to Cause Cognitive Decline in Latinos

Obesity is a major public health issue among Latinos, and a risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease. But in a new study, researchers at UC San Diego report that cardiometabolic abnormalities, such as hypertension, are more strongly associated with cognitive decline than obesity alone.

Rush Researchers Develop New Measure of Brain Health

A new measure of brain health developed by researchers at Rush University Medical Center may offer a novel approach to identifying individuals at risk of memory and thinking problems, according to research results published in Alzheimer’s & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer’s Association on June 1.

Exercise May Help Slow Cognitive Decline in Some People with Parkinson’s Disease

For people with Parkinson’s disease, problems with thinking and memory skills are among the most common nonmotor symptoms of the disease. A new study shows that exercise may help slow cognitive decline for some people with the disease. The study is published in the March 31, 2021, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

New Model May Help Us Better Understand Cancer-Related Disability in Humans

A novel preclinical mouse model of pancreatic cancer may promote better understanding of the mechanisms that lead to disability in human cancer patients, according to the findings of a new study presented this week at the Association of Academic Physiatrists Annual Meeting.

Can Large Fluid-Filled Spaces in the Brain Help Identify Those at Risk of Dementia?

People with enlarged fluid-filled spaces in the brain around small blood vessels may be more likely to develop cognitive problems and dementia over time than people without these enlarged spaces, according to a new study published in the January 27, 2021, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

Cognitive decline distorts political choices, UCI-led study says

Irvine, Calif., Oct. 29, 2020 — Identification along the liberal/conservative spectrum may last a lifetime, but cognitive decline distorts our political choices, according to the first-of-its-kind study led by the University of California, Irvine. For those who are cognitively impaired, identifying as being liberal or conservative loses its relationship to their political decision-making.

NIH Awards $13.8 Million for Studies on the Prevention and Treatment of Alzheimer’s Disease

Joe Verghese, M.B.B.S., M.S., an international leader in aging and cognition research at Albert Einstein College of Medicine and Montefiore Health System, has received two grants from the National Institutes of Health totaling $13.8 million to conduct studies on pre-dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.

Midlife Thinking Skills May Suffer from High Blood Pressure, Diabetes and Smoking

You can modify the risk factors that a new study has found may lead to the steepest declines in thinking skills in middle age. The study is published in the July 15, 2020, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. At the same time, the risk factors that were not associated with cognitive decline might surprise you.

Research News Tip Sheet: Story Ideas From Johns Hopkins

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Johns Hopkins Medicine Media Relations is focused on disseminating current, accurate and useful information to the public via the media. As part of that effort, we are distributing our “COVID-19 Tip Sheet: Story Ideas from Johns Hopkins” every Tuesday throughout the duration of the outbreak.

Better controlled diabetes is associated with preserved cognitive function following stroke

Better glucose control can help people with diabetes who have a common type of stroke to preserve their cognitive function, according to a study accepted for presentation at ENDO 2020, the Endocrine Society’s annual meeting. The abstract will be published in a special supplemental issue of the Journal of the Endocrine Society.

Does smoking increase your risk for dementia and cognitive decline?

Scientists from the Uniformed Services University (USU), Emory University and the University of Vermont have found that cigarette smoking is linked to increased lesions in the brain’s white matter, called white matter hyperintensities. White matter hyperintensities, detected by MRI scan, are associated with cognitive decline and Alzheimer’s disease. These findings may help explain the link between smoking and increased rates of dementia and other forms of cognitive decline.

Study to examine biomarkers, economic factors that may increase risk for cognitive decline

An image of your retina may help determine your risk for Alzheimer’s disease even before other symptoms are detectable. Iowa State researchers will use the retinal images, cognitive measurements and economic data to determine if this information can identify risk for Alzheimer’s disease.

Combination of More Hospitalizations and Brain Pathologies Linked to Faster Cognitive Decline

Older people who experienced more hospitalizations and also had more Alzheimer’s pathology in their brain experienced the fastest rates of cognitive decline, according to study results published in the October 15 online issue of the Annals of Neurology.