In a new animal study examining Alzheimer’s disease, researchers found that disease progression could be slowed by decreasing neuroinflammation in the brain before memory problems and cognitive impairment were apparent.
Tag: Dementia
A Silent Epidemic
After years of progress, geriatrician Sharon Inouye worries that hard-won best practices for reducing delirium risk are getting lost in the turmoil of COVID-19 care.
Which Foods Do You Eat Together? How You Combine Them May Raise Dementia Risk
It’s no secret that a healthy diet may benefit the brain. However, it may not only be what foods you eat, but what foods you eat together that may be associated with your risk of dementia, according to a new study published in the April 22, 2020, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.
Tips for Homebound Caregivers Coping with Alzheimer’s and Other Dementias during the COVID-19 Pandemic
Researchers from FAU’s Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing provide several coping and care strategies for caregivers to help sustain their health as well as the health of those in their care during the quarantine associated with COVID-19.
How to Help Loved Ones with Dementia Cope During COVID-19
The COVID-19 pandemic and resulting social isolation present unique challenges for more than five million Americans living with Alzheimer’s disease and their caregivers. Monica Townsend, training and consultation specialist at the Comprehensive Services on Aging at Rutgers University Behavioral Health Care, shares how caregivers can cope through the health crisis:
Upended Caregiving Impact for 5M+ Americans with Alzheimer’s, Caregivers
The COVID-19 pandemic is presenting unique challenges for 5M+ Americans living with Alzheimer’s and their caregivers. The recent upending of traditional caregiving resources and structures, across home, adult day services, residential and assisted living facilities and nursing homes, has created new challenges for caregivers. Data from the Alzheimer’s Association indicates 48% of nursing home residents are living with Alzheimer’s or other dementias and among older adults in residential care settings, including assisted living, 42% or more have some form of dementia. Still others receive community-based services, including 32% of individuals using home health services and 31% using adult day services.
The Alzheimer’s Association continues to offer free care and support for families through 24/7 Helpline (800.272.3900) staffed by clinical experts, while local support groups are now being offered via virtual channels for the foreseeable future. Experts including Harry Johns, president
Primary Care Physicians on the Front Lines of Diagnosing and Providing Alzheimer’s and Dementia Care: Half Say Medical Profession Not Prepared to Meet Expected Increase in Demands
– Report provides latest Alzheimer’s prevalence, incidence, mortality and costs of care data –
– Barring medical breakthroughs, the number of people age 65+ with Alzheimer’s dementia may nearly triple by 2050 –
Embargoed: Forthcoming Report To Examine Alzheimer’s and Other Dementias in U.S.
The Alzheimer’s Association will issue the 2020 Alzheimer’s Diseases Facts and Figures Report on March 11, 2020. The new report will highlight the latest disease-related statistics for America’s 6th leading cause of death for those 65+, including prevalence, incidence, mortality, costs of care and impact on caregivers both nationally, as well as state by state data, for both 2020 and future projections. This new report will feature findings from a first-of-its-kind, comprehensive survey of primary care physicians (PCPs) and medical school residents which examines the medical profession’s readiness to meet future care needs for the growing number of people living with Alzheimer’s and other dementias. Information and report findings are under strict embargo until Wednesday, March 11, 2020.
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.
Scientists Discover New Clue Behind Age-Related Diseases and Food Spoilage
Berkeley Lab scientists have made a surprising discovery that could help explain our risk for developing chronic diseases or cancers as we get older, and how our food decomposes over time.
Understanding Brain Inflammation and Stroke Recovery
University of Kentucky professor Ann Stowe’s research may pave the way to understanding and improving how the brain recovers from stroke.
Neighborhood Features and One’s Genetic Makeup Interact to Affect Cognitive Function
Few studies have examined how the neighborhood’s physical environment relates to cognition in older adults. Researchers categorized 4,716 individuals by apolipoprotein E (APOE) genotype – a genetic risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease (AD) to determine if there are cognitive benefits of living in neighborhoods with greater access to social, walking and retail destinations. Results showed that the positive influence of neighborhood environments on cognition are strongest among those who are at the lowest risk for AD, specifically APOE ε2 carriers.
Gene ID’d as potential therapeutic target for dementia in Parkinson’s
Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have discovered that the genetic variant APOE4 – long linked to dementia – spurs the spread of harmful clumps of Parkinson’s proteins through the brain. The findings suggest that therapies that target APOE might reduce the risk of dementia for people with Parkinson’s disease.
Blood test identifies risk of disease linked to stroke and dementia
A UCLA-led study has found that levels of six proteins in the blood can be used to gauge a person’s risk for cerebral small vessel disease, or CSVD, a brain disease that affects an estimated 11 million older adults in the U.S.
Family Caregivers Are Rarely Asked About Needing Assistance With Caring for Older Adults
Family caregivers usually are not asked by health care workers about needing support in managing older adults’ care, according to a study led by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Alzheimer’s study shows promise in protecting brain from tau
In the search for an Alzheimer’s cure, the scientific community has focused on drugs to lessen the buildup of amyloid protein in the brain. But new research published today in Science Translational Medicine finds that targeting tau pathology shows promise.The discovery came by looking at what could make worms resistant to pathological tau protein. That’s when researchers discovered the role of the MSUT2 gene. The latest study applied to mice as well. And held true in autopsy samples of Alzheimer’s patients.
Zimmerli Art Museum Offers New Tools for Visitors with Sensory-Related Disorders
The Zimmerli Art Museum at Rutgers University-New Brunswick is the first art museum in New Jersey to offer specialized tools to help visitors in the autism spectrum enjoy their visit without stressful sensory overload.
Bea Weiser, 98, Volunteers to Help People with Alzheimer’s and Other Dementias
For more than 14 years, Bea Weiser, 98, has volunteered at the front desk of FAU’s Louis and Anne Green Memory and Wellness Center to help attendees who are struggling with Alzheimer’s disease and other related dementias. Nothing slows down this vibrant and energetic senior who continues to maintain her independence (she still drives) and who has worked since she was 14 years old. Even a recent setback with a broken shoulder and a cancer diagnosis has not deterred her from returning to the center three afternoons a week to continue her passion to help others.
Genetic Variation in Individual Brain Cell Types May Predict Disease Risk
Researchers identified non-coding regions of the human genome that control the development and function of four brain cell types and mapped genetic risk variants for psychiatric diseases. They found that risk variants for Alzheimer’s disease were enriched in microglia-specific regulatory elements.
People Who Cannot Read May Be Three Times as Likely to Develop Dementia
New research has found that people who are illiterate, meaning they never learned to read or write, may have nearly three times greater risk of developing dementia than people who can read and write. The study is published in the November 13, 2019, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.
U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Names María Ordóñez to Alzheimer’s Council
The advisory council is made up of federal and non-federal members who serve overlapping four-year terms. As a new member, Ordóñez brings the perspectives of Hispanic and Latino Americans and providers of long-term services and support.
Research shows that early retirement can accelerate cognitive decline
Early retirement can accelerate cognitive decline among the elderly, according to research conducted by faculty at Binghamton University, State University of New York.
Study aims to learn more about ‘silent strokes’
Investigators at the University of Alabama at Birmingham and Stanford University want to learn more about silent strokes and their role in brain health, cognitive decline and dementia.
Study identifies brain injury as a cause of dementia in some older adults
A UCLA-led study finds that, with the use of MRI scans, it is possible to distinguish between memory loss caused by Alzheimer’s disease and traumatic brain injury.
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.
Can Healthy Lifestyle Reduce Dementia Risk?
Rush is part of national study to test effects of lifestyle intervention on older adults at risk for dementia.
NIH-funded research consortium to target frontotemporal lobar degeneration
The National Institutes of Health has awarded a five-year, multi-investigator research grant expected to total more than $63 million to Mayo Clinic and the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), to advance treatments for frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD).
New study to examine if sleep problems contribute to cognitive decline and Alzheimer’s
Everybody knows sleep is good for your body. It may be good for your mind, too.
That’s what scientists at Wake Forest School of Medicine will attempt to determine thanks to a $5.3 million grant from the National Institute on Aging, part of the National Institutes of Health.
New Diagnostic Criteria May Enable Earlier Detection of Cognitive Impairment in Women
Study finds when verbal memory test cut-offs were tailored to patient sex, more female patients and fewer male patients were considered to have amnesic mild cognitive impairment. This could change the way aMCI diagnoses are determined and make it easier to catch the condition in its early stages.
Georgetown Offers Multiple Clinical Trials for People with Lewy Body Dementia
Georgetown University Medical Center, a Lewy Body Dementia (LBD) Association Research Center of Excellence, is now offering three clinical trials to study new treatments for LBD, a disease often confused with Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease.
IU School of Medicine awarded $36 million NIH grant for Alzheimer’s disease drug discovery center
The IU-led center is one of only two multi-institution teams in the nation selected as part of a new federal program intended to improve, diversify and reinvigorate the Alzheimer’s disease drug development pipeline.
Researchers Receive $18 Million Grant to Study Connection Between Alzheimer’s, Dementia, and Parkinson’s Disease
A National Institute on Aging grant will support Penn’s Center for Neurodegenerative Disease Research to study the underlying genetic connections between Alzheimer’s Disease, Parkinson’s Disease, and Dementia.
Rush University Medical Center Joins National Age-Friendly Health Systems Initiative
Rush University Medical Center has joined the national movement to improve health care for older adults by becoming the only hospital in Illinois to be part of the Age-Friendly Health Systems initiative.
Abnormal Blood Pressure in Middle And Late Life Influences Dementia Risk
In a study that spanned two and a half decades and looked at data from more than 4,700 participants, Johns Hopkins researchers have added to evidence that abnormal blood pressure in midlife persisting into late life increases the likelihood of developing dementia. Although not designed to show cause and effect, the study suggests that maintaining a healthy blood pressure throughout life may be one way to help decrease one’s risk of losing brain function.
New Target for Drug Intervention in Alzheimer’s Disease Identified
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Scientists at the University of Alabama at Birmingham have identified an enzyme in the brain that may be an intriguing target for interventions against Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias. The researchers suggest that the enzyme, a serine/threonine…
Artificial Intelligence Could be ‘Game Changer’ in Detecting, Managing Alzheimer’s Disease
Study Introduces Machine Learning as New Tactic in Assessing Cognitive Brain Health and Patient Care Worldwide, about 44 million people are living with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) or a related form of dementia. Although 82 percent of seniors in the United…
NUS researchers develop new blood test for faster, cheaper and more accurate detection of Alzheimer’s disease
Using just a tiny drop of blood, the APEX system detects AD and mild cognitive impairment in less than one hour Doctors may one day be able to diagnose Alzheimer’s disease (AD), the most common cause of severe dementia, and…
Five Things Caregivers Can Do To Keep Senior Citizens Safe During Summer
Take special precautions and establish a support system so the senior under your care can have an active, healthy, and safe summer. Five Things Caregivers Can Do To Keep Senior Citizens Safe During Summer By Virginia Hannon, Geriatric APRN, Western…