Alzheimer's/ Dementia

A new study by researchers at three universities and several medical institutions in Spain has linked a Mediterranean diet supplemented with olive oil or nuts to better cognitive function in older people than was associated with a low-fat diet, . . . → Read More: Do Nuts & Olive Oil Help Preserve Cognitive Function?

The National Institute on Aging (NIA), part of the National Institutes of Health, has recently issued a tipsheet for Alzheimer’s caregivers on Coping with Agitation and Aggression. As the tipsheet points out, agitation and aggressive behavior are common . . . → Read More: Alzheimer’s Caregiving Tips for Dealing with Aggressive Behavior Issued by National Institute on Aging

New statistics released on Tuesday, March 19, from both the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Alzheimer’s Association have found that both the risk of dying from Alzheimer’s Disease and the actual number of Alzheimer’s . . . → Read More: Alzheimer’s Disease Deaths Increase Significantly Over Last Decade

A new study by researchers at Johns Hopkins has found an apparent link between hearing loss and accelerated cognitive decline in older adults. The new study was published on January 21, 2013 in JAMA Internal Medicine, a journal of . . . → Read More: Hearing Loss Linked to Accelerated Cognitive Decline, New Study Finds

By Deane Alban You already know that high blood pressure can lead to heart attacks, kidney failure, and blindness. Now there is one more reason to get your blood pressure levels under control. This condition has been found to . . . → Read More: How High Blood Pressure Puts Your Brain at Risk

A new study published in Neurology, the medical journal of the American Association of Neurology, has found that among older adults, regular exercise was more effective in protecting against brain shrinkage than were either mental or social activities. Some . . . → Read More: Exercise Better than Mental or Social Activity to Protect Brain from Shrinkage, Study Finds

A new study published in the Archives of Neurology, a journal of the American Medical Association, as found that among people age 90 and older, poor ability to walk, stand up, maintain balance, and perform other physical tasks was . . . → Read More: Decline in Physical Abilities Linked to Increased Risk for Dementia Among 90 Year Olds, Study Finds

“Did you know that your oral health can offer clues about your overall health? Or that problems in your mouth can affect the rest of your body?” So says the Mayo Clinic. In a paper called “Oral Health: Keeping . . . → Read More: Dental Health Key to Good Physical Health, Experts Say

A new Health Alert published by Johns Hopkins Medicine features 8 key strategies that the Johns Hopkins experts say can help preserve your memory and brain health. The Health Alert, entitled “How to Protect Your Memory and Brain Health,” . . . → Read More: Johns Hopkins Health Alert Features 8 Key Strategies to Protect Your Memory

A new study by researchers at Johns Hopkins University found that an in-home care coordination program for people with dementia improved their quality of care, quality of life, and ability to remain in home. The study, which was presented . . . → Read More: In-Home Care Coordination Helps Those with Dementia Stay at Home & Improves Care, Johns Hopkins Study Finds

UPDATED July 23, 2012: A new Health Tip published by MedlinePlus, a service of the National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health advocates that seniors “make exercise a social activity.” “Participate in a group dance class or a . . . → Read More: Experts Advocate Dancing for Health

Four new studies presented on Sunday at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference taking place in Vancouver, Canada, have clarified the key role that different types of exercises can play in improving mental functioning in older adults and staving off . . . → Read More: Strength Training & Walking Improve Brain & Memory, New Studies Find

May has been declared as National Mediterranean Diet Month, a national health observance aimed at generating awareness of the Mediterranean Diet and lifestyle, and the health benefits associated with it. The event is sponsored by Oldways Preservation Trust, a . . . → Read More: May is National Mediterranean Diet Month

On May 15, 2012, U.S. Secretary of Health & Human Services Kathleen Sebelius released the final version of the first comprehensive National Plan to Address Alzheimer’s Disease, which has been under development pursuant to the National Alzheimer’s Project Act . . . → Read More: Obama Administration Releases New National Plan to Fight Alzheimer’s

Alzheimer’s Community Care (ACC), a non-profit organization, has announced that its 2012 Alzheimer’s Educational Conference, with Keynote speaker Dan Rather, will be held May 31 and June 1, 2012, at the Palm Beach County Convention Center in Palm Beach, . . . → Read More: Alzheimer’s Community Care Announces 2012 Alzheimer’s Educational Conference May 31-June 1, 2012

A new study of over 16,000 women over age 70, conducted by researchers at Harvard, has found that eating an average of one-half cup of blueberries or one cup of strawberries per week, over decades, may slow the memory . . . → Read More: Eating Blueberries & Strawberries May Slow Mental Decline with Aging, Study Finds

A new study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, a journal of the American Medical Association, found that among a group of senior women, aged 70-80, with mild cognitive impairment, those who engaged in 6 months of twice . . . → Read More: Lifting Weights May Improve Seniors’ Brain Function More than Walking Does, New Study Finds

A new study published in the journal Neurology, has found that physical activity, including both exercise and activity from daily chores or activities of daily living, may significantly reduce a person’s risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease, even if you . . . → Read More: Physical Activity of All Kinds Lowers Risk of Alzheimer’s, Study Finds

The World Health Organization (WHO) on April 11 issued a substantial new report showing that, with populations aging, cases of dementia are expected to more than triple worldwide by 2050. The report calls upon nations to address this pandemic-size . . . → Read More: The WHO Issues Wake-up Call: Dementia Cases Will Triple by 2050, More Family Caregiver Support Needed

The American Academy of Neurology (AAN) Foundation has announced that it will host a Free Brain Health Fair on April 21, 2012 in New Orleans. The event, which is open to the public, “is a free, daylong family event . . . → Read More: Free Brain Health Fair April 21, 2012 – Hosted by American Academy of Neurology Foundation

A recently published study has found that when approximately 60,000 adults were tested and ranked — as high, middle or low — for their level of cardiorespiratory fitness, those with medium or high levels of fitness had less than . . . → Read More: Fitness Lowers Odds of Death from Dementia, Study Finds

Brain Awareness Week, a global campaign to raise public awareness about the progress and benefits of brain research, including research into the causes of Parkinson’s disease and other problems of the brain and nervous system and how to treat . . . → Read More: Celebrate Brain Awareness Week March 12-18

“People with lower blood levels of omega-3 fatty acids had lower brain volumes that were equivalent to about two years of structural brain aging,” said Dr. Zaldy S. Tan, MD, MPH of the University of California, principal author of . . . → Read More: Omega-3 in Fish & Other Foods May Keep Your Brain Sharper, New Study Finds

A new study conducted on mice has found that a skin-cancer drug may give hope of providing a future effective treatment for Alzheimer’s dementia. The study found that the drug, bexarotene, successfully cleared away the amyloid plaques in the . . . → Read More: Skin-Cancer Drug Gives Preliminary Hope of Alzheimer’s Treatment, Mouse Study Finds

A new study by researchers at the Mayo Clinic has found that older adults who ate a high-calorie diet (2,142.5 to 6,000 calories per day) had more than double the risk of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) of those who . . . → Read More: Eating Too Much May Double Risk of Memory Impairment, Mayo Clinic Finds

The Obama Administration announced yesterday a $130 million increase over two years in the funding for Alzheimer’s Disease research, as well as $26 million of additional funding for support of caregivers and other programs toward the prevention and treatment . . . → Read More: Obama Administration Increases Funding for Alzheimer’s Research & Caregiver Support

A new study published February 6 in the Archives of Neurology, a journal of the American Medical Association, has questioned the wisdom of a new expanded definition of Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI), a precursor stage to Alzheimer’s disease. The . . . → Read More: New Study Questions Definition of Mild Cognitive Impairment in New Alzheimer’s Diagnosis Guidelines

A new study published on February 1 in the journal PosS One has found that Alzheimer’s Disease spreads throughout the brain through a distorted protein known as Tau jumping from one cell to another, like a virus. Previously, scientists . . . → Read More: Alzheimer’s Spreads in the Brain like a Virus, New Study Finds

sources indicate that up to 15 percent of people with MCI develop Alzheimer’s within one year. However, studies have shown that preventive interventions such as exercise and changes in lifestyle factors can be effective in staving off mental decline. . . . → Read More: Four Questions on Simple Questionnaire Found Highly Predictive of Mild Cognitive Impairment & Risk of Alzheimer’s

People with diets high in several vitamins found in fruits and vegetables or in omega 3 fatty acids found in fish are less likely to have the brain shrinkage associated with Alzheimer’s disease than people whose diets are not . . . → Read More: Fruits, Vegetables & Fish May Keep Brain from Shrinking, New Study Finds

A new study by scientists at Columbia University Medical Center in New York has found that “silent strokes” are associated with memory loss in the elderly, suggesting that stroke-prevention may help stave off memory loss in the elderly, according . . . → Read More: New Study Associates Silent Strokes with Memory Loss

Johns Hopkins has released the updated 2012 Edition of the Johns Hopkins Memory White Paper. According to a recent Johns Hopkins Health Alert, the Johns Hopkins Memory White Paper compiles in simple language for consumers some of the best . . . → Read More: Johns Hopkins Releases 2012 Memory White Paper

The National Institute on Aging (NIA), part of the National Institutes of Health, under the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS), provides a useful resource list with excerpts and links to multiple sources of information on Legal . . . → Read More: Legal and Financial Issues for People with Alzheimer’s Disease: A NIA Resource List

A new study by researchers at Northumbria University in the UK, has found that smokers have seriously impaired prospective memory skills (the ability to remember to do tasks in the future), but those who quit smoking have significantly better . . . → Read More: Quit Smoking: It May Improve Your Memory, Study Finds

The Alzheimer’s Association has declared September “World Alzheimer’s Month,” a time to place focus on Alzheimer’s and the need for public education, awareness and action to combat the “Alzheimer’s Epidemic” that threatens the world as populations age. As part . . . → Read More: September is World Alzheimer’s Month; September 21 is Alzheimer’s Action Day

A new study of over 1,000 adults age 60 and above, conducted by researchers in Japan found that those with diabetes had about twice the risk of developing Alzheimer’s dementia and 1.74 times the risk of developing dementia of . . . → Read More: Diabetes Doubles The Risk of Getting Dementia, Study Finds

In her book, The Secret Life of the Grown-up Brain: The Surprising Talents of the Middle-Aged Mind, recently published in paperback, author Barbara Strauch, deputy science editor of The New York Times in charge of health and medical science, . . . → Read More: Hope for the Middle-Aged Brain; Author Presents Science-Based Tips for a Sharper Brain

Scientists in New Jersey now say they have developed a new, simple blood test that can identify the presence of Alzheimer’s with 96% accuracy, and rule out the presence of Alzheimer’s with 92.5% accuracy, in a sample of persons . . . → Read More: Can a New Blood Test Detect Alzheimer’s?

A new survey presented at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference 2011 (AAIC) in Paris and administered by the Harvard School of Public Health, showed the disproportionate impact that Alzheimer’s Disease has on women in five countries — France, Germany, . . . → Read More: Women Bear Heaviest Burden of Alzheimer’s Worldwide, New Survey Shows

A new study by researchers at the University of California, San Francisco, has concluded that up to half of Alzheimer’s cases worldwide and in the US may be attributable to seven risk factors that are potentially preventable through simple . . . → Read More: Half of Alzheimer’s Cases Attributable to 7 Risk Factors Preventable by Lifestyle Changes, Study Finds