Category: Dementia

This Sleep Pattern Is Linked to Alzheimer’s Disease

Usually neurons shrink while we sleep, allowing waste products to clear.

Usually neurons shrink while we sleep, allowing waste products to clear.

A single night of lost sleep increases proteins in the brain linked to Alzheimer’s, research shows.

People not allowed to sleep for one night showed elevated levels of beta amyloid, the clumps of protein seen in the brains of people with Alzheimer’s.

As these build up, they hamper the brain’s ability to function.

Dr Ehsan Shokri-Kojori, the study’s first author, said:

“We certainly show that even oe night of sleep deprivation can increase the levels of these harmful beta amyloid compounds.

That’s a very logical assumption, I would say, and it’s consistent with prior research.”

The researchers recruited 20 healthy people who were allowed to sleep normally one night and were kept up the next night.

Brain scans were used to assess levels of beta amyloid.

Dr Ehsan Shokri-Kojori explained:

“…the beta amyloid increases were observed in regions of the brain important to memory and thought.

These included the hippocampus, which has been tied to memory, and the thalamus, which is an important hub for relaying sensory information to the brain.”

Usually, while we sleep, neurons in the brain get smaller, which allows waste products to be cleared.

Dr. Andrew Varga, a sleep scientist not connected to the study, said:

“It makes intuitive sense that if you have chronically high levels of beta amyloid they would congregate together and form plaques, but that piece of it is not fully fleshed out.”

The study was published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (Shokri-Kojori et al., 2018).

These Fruits And Veg Reduce Cognitive Decline Risk The Most

The fruits and vegetables that provide the highest protection against cognitive decline.

The fruits and vegetables that provide the highest protection against cognitive decline.

Certain fruits and vegetables that contain antioxidant flavonols appear to protect against cognitive decline.

Flavanols, which are a type of flavonoid, are found in nearly all fruits and vegetables, as well as in tea.

Consuming around one cup of dark leafy greens each day is linked to retaining stronger cognitive abilities with age.

Kaempferol and myricetin

A flavanol called kaempferol was linked to the highest level of protection by the research.

Typical foods that contain high levels of kaempferol include beans, tea, kale, spinach and broccoli.

Another flavanol called myricetin was also protective, although not quite to the same extent as kaempferol.

Typical foods that contain high levels of myricetin include wine, tea, kale, oranges and tomatoes.

Quercetin, which is found in tea, apples, kale and tomatoes was also protective, but at a still lower level.

Dr Thomas M. Holland, the study’s first author, said:

“It’s exciting that our study shows making specific diet choices may lead to a slower rate of cognitive decline.

Something as simple as eating more fruits and vegetables and drinking more tea is an easy way for people to take an active role in maintaining their brain health.”

Slowing cognitive decline

For the study, almost 1,000 people were divided into groups based on the amount of flavanols in their diet.

The group consuming the most flavanols got 15 mg a day — the amount that would come from a single cup of dark leafy greens.

Study participants were tracked over an average of 7 years and given regular cognitive tests.

These revealed that people who consumed the highest levels of flavanols experienced the slowest decline in their cognitive abilities.

The study’s authors explained:

“Results suggest dietary intakes of total flavonols and several flavonol constituents may be associated with slower decline in global cognition and multiple cognitive abilities with older age.”

As with any correlational research like this one, the study cannot prove that there is a link, merely that there is an association.

Related

The study was published in the journal Neurology (Holland et al., 2022).

Memory Loss NOT Always The First Sign of Alzheimer’s, New Study Finds

Memory loss is known as the classic sign of Alzheimer’s, but it isn’t always the first symptom.

Memory loss is known as the classic sign of Alzheimer’s, but it isn’t always the first symptom.

Although memory loss is often thought the first sign of Alzheimer’s, for many that isn’t the case.

In fact, difficulties with problem-solving or language can mark the disease’s onset in the under-60s, a study finds.

The conclusion comes from an analysis of almost 8,000 Alzheimer’s patients.

One in four were mainly complaining of problems unrelated to memory, the study found.

Dr Josephine Barnes, the study’s lead author, told Reuters:

“Non-memory first cognitive symptoms were more common in younger Alzheimer’s disease patients.

Tests which explore and investigate these non-memory cognitive problems should be used so that non-memory deficits are not overlooked.”

The research found that the younger people were when first diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, the more likely they were to have non-memory problems.

Also, the younger people were, the more likely that depression was a symptom.

The study, conducted at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery in London, was published in the journal Alzheimer’s and Dementia (Barnes et al., 2015)

Scientists Warn: Avoid These Foods To Protect Your Brain Health (M)

Discover which everyday snacks might be harming your brain health.

Discover which everyday snacks might be harming your brain health.

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The Popular Drink Linked To Cognitive Decline — Yet Again

While the drink used to be thought safe for brain health, the latest research finds otherwise.

While the drink used to be thought safe for brain health, the latest research finds otherwise.

Drinking as little as three glasses of wine or three cans of beer per week is linked to Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease, research finds.

People who drank more than this amount of any alcohol, the study found, had elevated levels of iron in their brains.

Iron accumulation has been found in both Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease and may help to explain cognitive decline.

The research included over 20,000 people included in the UK Biobank study.

All had reported their alcohol consumption and had their brains scanned, while 7,000 had had MRIs of their livers to assess iron levels.

Average alcohol intake was around 18 UK units, which is equivalent to over 7 cans of beer or 6 large glasses of wine.

The results showed that anything above 7 units per week was linked to high levels of iron in the basal ganglia, a group of neurons involved in a whide range of cognitive functions, such as learning, movement and the emotions.

Dr Anya Topiwala, the study’s first author, said:

“In the largest study to date, we found drinking greater than 7 units of alcohol weekly associated with iron accumulation in the brain.

Higher brain iron in turn linked to poorer cognitive performance.

Iron accumulation could underlie alcohol-related cognitive decline.”

In the US, 7 units is this is about 4 standard drinks, which are 12 oz of beer, 5 oz of wine or 1.5 oz of a distilled spirit.

Reassessing alcohol’s effect on the brain

While moderate drinking used to be thought safe for brain health, the latest research finds otherwise.

Lower and lower amounts of alcohol have been linked to cognitive decline and neurodegeneration.

For example, as little as one alcoholic drink per day has been linked to brain shrinkage.

People who have as little as a glass of wine or pint of beer each day show greater signs of brain shrinkage with age.

Averaging four drinks a day was linked by this study to the equivalent of 10 years of brain aging.

The more people drink, therefore, the stronger the association gets between alcohol and brain shrinkage.

Even low levels of alcohol intake can damage memory, problem-solving skills and the ability to read emotions.

And alcohol continues to cause brain damage even six weeks after giving it up.

The study was published in the journal PLOS Medicine (Topiwala et al., 2022).

The Vitamin Deficiency Linked To Dementia

Some signs of the vitamin deficiency include include poor sleep, symptoms of depression, headaches, weak muscles and tiredness.

Some signs of the vitamin deficiency include include poor sleep, symptoms of depression, headaches, weak muscles and tiredness.

Vitamin D deficiency increases the risk of dementia, research finds.

Adequate levels of vitamin D could prevent almost one-in-five cases of dementia from occurring, the study estimates.

People with low levels of vitamin D have lower brain volumes and are also at a higher risk of strokes — a condition in which the blood supply is cut off to part of the brain.

Professor Elina Hyppönen, study co-author, said:

“Vitamin D is a hormone precursor that is increasingly recognised for widespread effects, including on brain health, but until now it has been very difficult to examine what would happen if we were able to prevent vitamin D deficiency.”

Researchers examined data from almost 300,000 people in the UK Biobank study.

A genetic analysis of the data suggested that low levels of vitamin D are causing the increase in dementia risk.

Professor Hyppönen said:

“Our study is the first to examine the effect of very low levels of vitamin D on the risks of dementia and stroke, using robust genetic analyses among a large population.

In some contexts, where vitamin D deficiency is relatively common, our findings have important implications for dementia risks.

Indeed, in this UK population we observed that up to 17 per cent of dementia cases might have been avoided by boosting vitamin D levels to be within a normal range.”

Worldwide, vitamin D deficiency is very common.

Changing this could help to reduce the dementia risk for many, explained Professor Hyppönen:

“Dementia is a progressive and debilitating disease that can devastate individuals and families alike.

If we’re able to change this reality through ensuring that none of us is severely vitamin D deficient, it would also have further benefits and we could change the health and wellbeing for thousands.

Most of us are likely to be ok, but for anyone who for whatever reason may not receive enough vitamin D from the sun, modifications to diet may not be enough, and supplementation may well be needed.”

How to correct a vitamin D deficiency

Around one-in-five people are thought to have a vitamin D deficiency.

Some signs of vitamin D deficiency include include poor sleep, symptoms of depression, headaches, weak muscles and tiredness.

A deficiency in this vitamin is particularly prevalent among people with darker skin, who do not leave the house or who are pregnant or have problems with absorption.

Vitamin D supplementation is one option for correcting the problem.

Around 10 mcg per day is the dose often recommended.

A change of diet can also help the problem.

Vitamin D is particularly abundant in foods like milk, liver, fatty fish, and egg yolks.

The study was published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (Navale et al., 2022).

The Personality Trait That Protects Against Brain Aging

Personality can help sustain thinking skills in the face of brain aging.

Personality can help sustain thinking skills in the face of brain aging.

A conscientious personality helps protect against brain aging, a study finds.

Conscientious people tend to be well-organised, self-disciplined and motivated for achievement.

People who are higher on this personality trait, which is one of the five major aspects of personality, tend to have greater cognitive resilience.

Cognitive resilience is the ability to maintain strong thinking skills despite deterioration in the brain that occurs naturally with age.

Dr Eileen Graham, the study’s first author, said:

“These findings provide evidence that it is possible for older adults to live with the neuropathology associated with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias while maintaining relatively healthy levels of cognitive function.”

In contrast, a neurotic personality can increase the risk of worse cognitive functioning, the research also found.

People who are neurotic tend to be moody, impulsive and anxious.

They also tend to have lower cognitive resilience, meaning they find it harder to resist the brain’s deterioration with age.

Dr Graham said:

“Our study shows personality traits are related to how well people are able to maintain their cognitive function in spite of developing neuropathology.

Since it is possible for personality to change, both volitionally and through interventions, it’s possible that personality could be used to identify those who are at risk and implement early interventions to help optimize function throughout old age.”

The results come from a study of 1,375 people whose brains were examined for damage after they died.

These results were compared to years of tests previously done on their psychological and cognitive functioning.

It is one of the first studies to show that personality can help people to sustain their thinking skills despite brain aging.

The study was published in The Journals of Gerontology: Series B (Graham et al., 2020).

This Sleep Pattern Accelerates Memory Loss – Possible Link to Alzheimer’s

Sleep pattern lowered levels of an antioxidant that helps fight cellular damage, such as that caused by Alzheimer’s.

Sleep pattern lowered levels of an antioxidant that helps fight cellular damage, such as that caused by Alzheimer’s.

Sleep disruptions similar to jet lag could cause memory problems linked to Alzheimer’s disease, research finds.

It’s well-known by scientists that there’s a link between Alzheimer’s and sleep, but not what causes what.

Professor Gregory Brewer, who led the research, said:

“The issue is whether poor sleep accelerates the development of Alzheimer’s disease or vice versa.

It’s a chicken-or-egg dilemma, but our research points to disruption of sleep as the accelerator of memory loss.”

The research gave jet-lag to mice that had been genetically engineered to suffer from Alzheimer’s.

They did this by moving the dark period every three days to a different time — which is what causes jet-lag.

The jet-lagged mice had lower levels of an antioxidant that helps fight cellular damage, such as that caused by Alzheimer’s.

This suggests it could be poor sleep that is contributing to the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease.

Professor Brewer said:

“This study suggests that clinicians and caregivers should add good sleep habits to regular exercise and a healthy diet to maximize good memory.”

Dementia and sleep

Many other studies have found a link between dementia and sleep.

People who sleep for too little or too long are at a higher risk of cognitive decline and dementia.

Indeed, people who sleep more than 9 hours a night have double the risk of developing dementia, one study found.

However, those who sleep for between 5.5 and 7.5 hours per night do not see declines in their cognitive health, even when suffering the early effects of Alzheimer’s disease.

Those sleeping longer also have lower brain volumes.

Also, getting less REM sleep — the phase in which we dream — is linked to dementia.

During sleep the brain cycles between periods of deep sleep and then up towards shallower periods of sleep in which we tend to dream, whether we remember those dreams or not.

During REM sleep the eyes move rapidly from side-to-side (hence Rapid Eye Movement Sleep).

Sleep apnea has also been linked to developing Alzheimer’s disease.

The most common signs of sleep apnea, which affects 30 percent of older people, include:

  • Loud snoring,
  • gasping for air during sleep,
  • breathing stopping for brief periods during the night,
  • morning headache,
  • and daytime sleepiness and irritability.

The study was published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease (Brewer et al., 2015).

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