Alzheimer’s disease, the most common cause of dementia among the elderly, is characterized by plaques and tangles in the brain, with most efforts at finding a cure focused on these abnormal structures. But a University of California, Riverside, research team has identified alternate chemistry that could account for the various pathologies associated with the disease. […]
Good cardiovascular health at age 50 is associated with a lower risk of dementia later in life, finds a study of British adults published by The BMJ today. The researchers say their findings support public health policies to improve cardiovascular health in middle age to promote later brain health. Dementia is a progressive disease that can start […]
Stereotypically viewed as passive and immobile, older adults with dementia seem to have experienced an improved quality of life after exposure to music and dance through a University of Otago, New Zealand, pilot study. Researchers from the Department of Dance and Department of Psychological Medicine used familiar, reminiscent music and the natural gestures of a […]
Reduced blood capillaries in the back of the eye may be a new, noninvasive way to diagnose early cognitive impairment, the precursor to Alzheimer’s disease in which individuals become forgetful, reports a newly published Northwestern Medicine study. Scientists detected these vascular changes in the human eye non-invasively, with an infrared camera and without the need […]
NORFOLK, Va. (AP) — It may have been a “silent dance party,” but the room was far from quiet at Commonwealth Senior Living’s Leigh Hall on a Tuesday as the residents clapped and sang along to “My Girl” by The Temptations. “I guess you’d say / What can make me feel this way?” “My girl!” […]
Athletes know a vigorous workout can release a flood of endorphins: “feel-good” hormones that boost mood. Now there’s evidence that exercise produces another hormone that may improve memory and protect against Alzheimer’s disease, according to a study co-led by Ottavio Arancio, MD, PhD, a researcher at Columbia University’s Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons and […]
University of Alberta scientists have identified three biomarkers for detecting mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s disease in saliva samples. The research has promising results for application in a clinical setting. The research team combines expertise in metabolomics from Liang Li, professor in the Department of Chemistry, and neurodegenerative disorders from Roger Dixon, professor in the […]
New research has identified the factors that enable people with dementia and their carers to live as well as possible. Led by the University of Exeter, the research seeks to inform support services and guide policy on where resources should be spent to support the 50 million people worldwide that have been diagnosed with a […]
Analysis of data captured during a long-term study of aging adults shows that those who report being very sleepy during the day were nearly three times more likely than those who didn’t to have brain deposits of beta amyloid, a protein that’s a hallmark for Alzheimer’s disease, years later. The finding, reported Sept. 5 in […]
A study by a Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) research team finds that neurogenesis -inducing the production of new neurons — in the brain structure in which memories are encoded can improve cognitive function in a mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease. Their investigation shows that those beneficial effects on cognition can be blocked by the hostile […]