Category: Dementia

The snake venom originally came from a pit viper, which is found in South and Central America.

A drug contained in snake oil may help in the fight against Alzheimer’s disease.

The drug may help the body’s natural defences against the build-up of amyloid plaques in the brain.

Amyloid plaques are lumps of protein which are usually kept in check by enzymes.

In people with Alzheimer’s, though, these enzymes do not do their job.

The molecule, which was discovered in snake venom, could help activate the enzymes and break down the plaques.

The snake venom originally came from a pit viper, which is found in South and Central America.

This is the result of a long search stretching back years by Dr Sanjaya Kuruppu.

The scientists have now developed a synthetic version and found that it works on human cells in the lab.

Although it might sound unusual, snake venoms are actually a common inspiration for pharmaceutical research.

The study was published in the journal Nature Scientific Reports (Smith et al., 2016).

Alzheimer’s image from Shutterstock

Over 3,000 people had their personality, memory and thinking skills measured across 25 years.

Young adults who are hostile or aggressive and find it difficult to deal with stress have worse memory and thinking skills later on, a study finds.

The study surveyed 3,126 people who were asked about their:

• personality,
• attitudes,
• memory and thinking skills,
• aggressive behaviours and any trust issues,
• as well as how they coped with stress.

People were asked first when they were around around 25-years-old and then followed up when they were around 50.

Dr Lenore J. Launer, one of the study’s authors, said:

“We may not think of our personality traits as having any bearing on how well we think or remember things, but we found that the effect of having a hostile attitude and poor coping skills on thinking ability was similar to the effect of more than a decade of aging.”

The results showed that those with the highest levels of hostility performed the worst on tests of memory and thinking skills.

The study only shows a link between hostility and poor cognitive skills, not necessarily that one causes the other.

Dr Launer said:

“If this link is found in other studies, it will be important to understand whether these personality traits are amenable to change that would lead to interventions that promote positive social interactions and coping skills to see if they could play a role in reducing people’s risk for memory and thinking problems in middle age.”

The study was published in the journal Neurology (White et al., 2016).

Image credit: Atos

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