Category: Dementia

They could slow the ageing process and delay the onset of debilitating cognitive symptoms.

Blueberries, strawberries and walnuts could help protect the brain from the consequences of ageing, new research finds.

The antioxidants in both can help fight age-related changes in the brain like the loss of synapses.

Dr James Joseph, who led the research on walnuts, said:

“The good news, is that it appears that compounds found in fruits and vegetables — and, as we have shown in our research, walnuts — may provide the necessary protection to prevent the demise of cognitive and motor function in aging.”

Dr Joseph’s study involved feeding older rats with varying amounts of walnuts.

The research found that the walnuts helped to reduce both cognitive and motor problems that the mice had naturally developed with age.

Dr Joseph said:

“Importantly, this information, coupled with our previous studies, shows that the addition of walnuts, berries, and grape juice to the diet may increase ‘health span’ in aging and provide a ‘longevity dividend’ or economic benefit for slowing the aging process by reducing the incidence and delaying the onset of debilitating degenerative disease.”

The study was published in the journal The Journal of Nutrition (Joseph et al., 2009).

Image credit: Liz Jones

Scientists studied 250 people with mild cognitive impairment: a condition that can progress to dementia.

B vitamins combined with omega-3 can help slow mental decline in older people with memory problems, a new study finds.

Dr Celeste de Jager, one of the study’s authors, said:

“We previously found that B vitamins are able to slow or prevent the atrophy of the brain and memory decline in people with MCI.

This was most effective in those who had above average blood levels of homocysteine, a factor related to B vitamin status that may be toxic to the brain.

Scientists in our team initially found that there was a link between Omega-3 levels, homocysteine, and brain atrophy rates.

We wanted to find out whether Omega-3 and B vitamins might interact to prevent cognitive decline.”

The scientists studied 250 people with mild cognitive impairment.

This condition can progress to dementia.

The study’s first author, Dr Abderrahim Oulhaj explained the results:

‘We found that for people with low levels of Omega-3, the vitamin supplements had little to no effect.

But for those with high baseline Omega-3 levels, the B vitamins were very effective in preventing cognitive decline compared to the placebo.

This result complements our previous finding that B vitamins slow the rate of brain atrophy in MCI only in those with a good Omega-3 level to start with.”

Dr Doug Brown, Director of Research and Development at Alzheimer’s Society said:

‘These results help us to tease apart who could benefit from taking B vitamins, suggesting that they might only improve cognition in people who have high levels of Omega-3 oils in their blood.

Encouragingly, these findings suggest that for some older people a combination of fish oil supplements and B vitamins may help to improve thinking and memory.

As this study shows, the relationship between nutrition and brain health is complex and we need to see increased research efforts to help us understand the role that diet and nutrition can play in reducing a person’s risk of dementia.”

The study was published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease (Oulhaj et al., 2016).

Brain aging image from Shutterstock

Plus four food types linked to higher risk of Alzheimer’s disease.

People who eat more nuts, fish, poultry and certain fruits and vegetables have a lower risk of Alzheimer’s, research finds.

Set against this, those who eat more red meats, organ meats, butter and high-fat dairy products have a higher risk of Alzheimer’s.

The conclusions come from a study of 2,148 adults aged over 65 published in the journal Archives of Neurology.

All lived in New York and did not have dementia.

They were followed over a period of around four years.

Their diet was studied and their dementia risk assessed every 1.5 years.

253 people had developed Alzheimer’s at follow-up.

However, one dietary pattern apparently provided the best protection against the disease.

Those who had a higher intake of the following had a lower risk of Alzheimer’s:

• salad dressing,
• nuts,
• fish,
• tomatoes,
• poultry,
• fruits,
• and cruciferous and dark and green leafy vegetables, like cabbage, cauliflower and broccoli.

The study’s authors write:

“Epidemiological evidence linking diet, one of the most important modifiable environmental factors, and risk of Alzheimer’s disease is rapidly increasing.

However, current literature regarding the impact of individual nutrients or food items on Alzheimer’s disease risk is inconsistent, partly because humans eat meals with complex combinations of nutrients or food items that are likely to be synergistic.”

The dietary benefits are likely related to essential vitamins and minerals.

The study’s authors write:

“For example, vitamin B12 and folate are homocysteine-related vitamins that may have an impact on Alzheimer’s disease via their ability of reducing circulating homocysteine levels, vitamin E might prevent Alzheimer’s disease via its strong antioxidant effect and fatty acids may be related to dementia and cognitive function through atherosclerosis, thrombosis or inflammation via an effect on brain development and membrane functioning or via accumulation of beta-amyloid.”

Alzheimer’s photo from Shutterstock

Certain kinds of cholesterol linked to amyloid plaques — a toxic substance associated with Alzheimer’s disease.

High levels of ‘HDL’ or the ‘good type’ of cholesterol are good for the brain as well as the heart, recent research finds.

Similarly, the ‘bad type’ of cholesterol (LDL) is worse for brain health.

The study found links between these cholesterol levels and amyloid plaques, a toxic substance associated with Alzheimer’s disease.

Professor Bruce Reed, who led the study, said:

“Our study shows that both higher levels of HDL — good — and lower levels of LDL — bad — cholesterol in the bloodstream are associated with lower levels of amyloid plaque deposits in the brain.

Unhealthy patterns of cholesterol could be directly causing the higher levels of amyloid known to contribute to Alzheimer’s, in the same way that such patterns promote heart disease.”

For HDL, a level of 60 milligrams per decilitre of blood or higher is best.

For LDL, a level of 70  milligrams per decilitre of blood or lower is recommended.

Typical ways to increase HDL levels include:

• Weight loss
• Exercise
• Eating more fibre
• Omega-3 fatty acids

Professor Charles DeCarli,  director of the Alzheimer’s Disease Center and study co-author, said:

“If you have an LDL above 100 or an HDL that is less than 40, even if you’re taking a statin drug, you want to make sure that you are getting those numbers into alignment.

You have to get the HDL up and the LDL down.”

The study involved 74 people over 70 years-of-age — around half of whom had mild dementia.

Professor Reed said:

“This study provides a reason to certainly continue cholesterol treatment in people who are developing memory loss regardless of concerns regarding their cardiovascular health.

It also suggests a method of lowering amyloid levels in people who are middle aged, when such build-up is just starting.

If modifying cholesterol levels in the brain early in life turns out to reduce amyloid deposits late in life, we could potentially make a significant difference in reducing the prevalence of Alzheimer’s, a goal of an enormous amount of research and drug development effort.”

The study was published in the journal JAMA Neurology (Reed et al., 2013).

Tree head image from Shutterstock

Being able to spot the signs of Alzheimer’s is crucial as early diagnosis can help.

Over 5 million people in the US have Alzheimer’s.

Being able to spot the signs of Alzheimer’s is crucial as early diagnosis can help.

There are 10 main signs of Alzheimer’s, explained Dr Erin Yelland, an expert on ageing:

“Alzheimer’s disease is predictable.

We know certain issues are going to come up, and we know the process of decline that you might be experiencing.

By educating yourself, you can understand what might be happening, but more importantly, your family members are going to understand what they are going to experience while you’re battling this disease.”

1. Memory loss that disrupts everyday life

Most people experience some memory problems with age, but Alzheimer’s is different.

It can involve repeatedly asking for the same information, forgetting important dates or events and needing help with things that previously could be managed independently.

2. Problems with planning or solving

Dr Yelland explained:

“…a person with normal cognitive functioning can make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

For a person with Alzheimer’s disease, this may be a complicated task, because it has many steps involved: getting out the bread, getting out the peanut butter and jelly, and applying those ingredients to the bread.

It might even be that the person with Alzheimer’s disease will end up with the peanut butter and jelly on the outside of the sandwich, simply because that judgment and recall of steps get tangled in the brain.”

3. Difficulties with everyday, familiar tasks

Turning on the microwave, running the dishwasher, navigating around familiar routes — these everyday tasks can be disrupted by Alzheimer’s.

4. Time/place confusion

Dr Yelland said:

“Commonly, people (with Alzheimer’s disease) don’t remember what year it is.

I might forget the date, but eventually I’ll figure it out.

For people with Alzheimer’s disease, the key is that they might not eventually figure it out.”

5. Getting visual images and spatial relationships mixed up

This could include vision problems, judging distances, problems reading and driving.

6. New speaking or writing problems

Finding it hard to locate the right word — often simple words.

For example instead of ‘watch’, saying ‘wrist clock’ or ‘hand clock’.

7. Losing things

People with Alzheimer’s find it difficult to retrace their steps because of memory problems.

They can put things in unusual places and accuse others of moving them.

8. Poor judgement

This could include anything from failing to wash to problems dealing with money.

9. Giving up on social activities

Dr Yelland said:

“Oftentimes when all these frustrations and hard times are happening, people with Alzheimer’s disease do realize it.

They know what’s happening to them, and it’s hard for them to deal with it.”

10. Mood and personality changes

Those with Alzheimer’s sometimes experience mood swings.

One moment they are suspicious, the next depressed, later confused and so on.

Many people with Alzheimer’s find they are better in the morning and deteriorate over the course of the day.

• Read on: 10 Ways to Prevent Alzheimer’s Disease

Part 2 in this series of articles on the psychological benefits of alcohol.

One drink a day (or less) for women and 1-2 drinks (or less) for men reduces the risk of developing dementia, a study has found.

It works out to between 8 and 14 drinks per week.

The study is one of the largest — and longest — to look at the connection between alcohol and dementia.

Dr Kaycee Sink, one of the study’s authors, said:

“As of yet, we still have no cure for Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias, so it is important to look for things that might help people prevent the disease.

Moderate alcohol intake has been linked to lower risk of heart attacks, stroke, dementia, and death in middle-aged adults, but there is still controversy about alcohol intake in older adults.”

Over 3,000 people aged 75 or over took part in the research, which followed them for over six years.

The study found that those who drank moderately had a 37% reduction in the risk of developing dementia compared with those who did not drink at all.

In this study there was no link between the type of alcohol people drank and the benefits.

Dr Kaycee Sink

“We were excited to see that even in older adults, moderate alcohol intake decreases the risk of dementia,.

It is important to note, however, that our study found a significantly higher risk of dementia for heavy drinkers who started the study with mild cognitive impairment.”

The study can’t tell us whether people should abstain until they are in their 70s, but it seems likely the results reflect steady habits.

Dr Kaycee Sink said:

“The participants in this study self-reported their alcohol intake at the start, but it is unusual for people to start drinking in their 70s, so we assume that the habits they reported at the start of the study reflect stable drinking habits.

Without scientific data showing that it is beneficial, I wouldn’t recommend that non-drinkers start drinking in their 70s.”

Dr Kaycee Sink explained:

“Our results suggest that older adults who are normal cognitively and drink moderately do not need to change their drinking behavior.

If you have mild cognitive impairment however, it might benefit you to restrict your drinking and certainly not exceed one drink a day for women and two drinks a day for men.”

The study was published in the journal Alzheimer’s and Dementia (Sink et al., 2009).

Tree head image from Shutterstock

Men and women use different strategies to navigate — but which is really most effective?

Men have a better sense of direction than women, a new study finds.

But putting some testosterone under women’s tongues improves their performance.

This suggests that men’s advantage at navigation is more than a stereotype or cultural belief, but has some biological basis.

The research had men and women trying to find their way around a maze in virtual reality.

Dr Carl Pintzka, who led the study, explained the main result:

“Men’s sense of direction was more effective.

They quite simply got to their destination faster.”

Men solved 50% more of the navigational tasks than women.

The reason is partly because men and women use different strategies.

Men tend to use cardinal directions more: north, east, south and west.

Women, though, tend to work out a route.

Dr Pintzka explained:

“If they’re going to the Student Society building in Trondheim, for example, men usually go in the general direction where it’s located.

Women usually orient themselves along a route to get there, for example, ‘go past the hairdresser and then up the street and turn right after the store’,”

It turns out that going in the general direction is a better strategy because it is more flexible.

On the other hand, following a known route obviously depends on where you start — so it’s not as flexible.

The scientists also scanned men’s and women’s brains to look for differences.

The scans revealed that men tended to use their hippocampus more for navigation, while women relied on their frontal lobes.

Dr Pintzka said:

“…other researchers have documented that women are better at finding objects locally than men.

In simple terms, women are faster at finding things in the house, and men are faster at finding the house.”

In a second stage of the study, some women were given testosterone to try and boost their performance.

This did help women’s navigational performance, but not much, Dr Pintzka said:

“We hoped that they would be able to solve more tasks, but they didn’t.

But they had improved knowledge of the layout of the maze.

And they used the hippocampus to a greater extent, which tends to be used more by men for navigating.”

Sense of direction could provide a clue as to how to treat some brain diseases, Dr Pintzka said:

“Almost all brain-related diseases are different in men and women, either in the number of affected individuals or in severity.

Therefore, something is likely protecting or harming people of one sex.

Since we know that twice as many women as men are diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, there might be something related to sex hormones that is harmful.”

The study was published in the journal Behaviour Brain Research (Pintzka et al., 2015).

Directions image from Shutterstock

Ordinarily, older brains have to work harder to do the same job as younger brains.

The link between physical fitness, better brain function and brain activation has been shown for the first time.

Research on older Japanese men has shown that the brains of those who are fitter perform like those of much younger men.

The finding is based on how typical patterns of brain activation change with age.

The images below show the difference between young and old in brain activation on a typical memory test.

As you can see, younger adults primarily use the left side of the prefrontal cortex for the short-term memory task.

Older adults, meanwhile, tend to use the left and right side of the brain equally for the same task.

The reason is that with age the brain typically doesn’t work so well, so we need to utilise more of it to do the same task

Neuroscientists have a nick-name for this change: HAROLD.

It stands for “hemispheric asymmetry reduction in older adults”.

In the study, though, neuroscientists found that older men who were fitter tended to use the left-side of their brains more, just like younger people.

On top of that, fitter seniors also had faster reaction times.

Professor Hideaki Soya, who led the study, said:

“…one possible explanation suggested by the research is that the volume and integrity of the white matter in the part of brain that links the two sides declines with age.

There is some evidence to support the theory that fitter adults are able to better maintain this white matter than less fit adults, but further study is needed to confirm this theory.”

We don’t yet know if the results would be the same for women, but it would be surprising if they weren’t.

The study was published in the journal Neuroimage (Hyodo et al., 2015).

Shiny brain image from Shutterstock