11 May 2021
Meditative Practice and Spiritual Wellbeing May Preserve Cognitive Function in Aging
A new review in JAD examines research that finds spiritual fitness, a new concept in medicine that centers on psychological and spiritual wellbeing, and Kirtan Kriya, a simple 12-minute meditative practice, may reduce multiple risk factors for Alzheimer's disease.
10 May 2021
COVID-19 Lockdown Increases Depression in Patients with Alzheimer’s Disease: Is This Backed by Research?
The lockdown, as implemented to cope with the COVID-19 pandemic, has drastically changed our everyday lives. Patients with Alzheimer’s disease, especially those who live in retirement homes, are not indifferent to the dramatic impact of the lockdown on social interactions.
10 May 2021
New Study Reveals an Association Between the Presence of Certain Infections and Later Development of Alzheimer’s Disease
A large-scale population-based study led by Dr. Paul Brassard, of the Lady Davis Institute at the Jewish General Hospital, discovered that there is an association between infectious disease burden and the risk of Alzheimer’s disease.
27 April 2021
The Greener the Neighborhood, the Lower Risk of Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementias
A new University of Miami Miller School of Medicine-led study examined the relationship of neighborhood greenness, such as trees, shrubs, or grass, to Alzheimer’s disease, Non-Alzheimer’s dementia, and Alzheimer’s disease and related dementia. The study found that a greater presence of neighborhood greenness was associated with a lower prevalence of Alzheimer’s disease by 20% and non-Alzheimer's disease by 11%.
27 April 2021
Chronic Pain and Other Life Experiences May Contribute to Brain Matter Loss
A new University of Florida study of non-Hispanic Black and non-Hispanic white adults links chronic knee pain and key demographic factors to differences in areas of the brain tied to memory. Participants who reported higher stages of pain and lower levels of income and education and less access to health insurance had thinner gray matter in these regions than those also experiencing higher stages of pain but who reported higher levels of income, education and greater access to health insurance.
5 April 2021
Dementia and COVID: What Families and Physicians Should Know
Early in the pandemic, neurologists expressed concern that COVID-19 patients with dementia may be at higher risk for complications and mortality. But those fears have not been realized, according to a new study of patients who were hospitalized with COVID-19 during the first wave of the pandemic in New York City. The study, led by James Noble, MD, MS, and Amro Harb, a Vagelos medical student, was published this month in JAD.
31 March 2021
Dementia Death Risk is Higher Among the Socioeconomically Deprived
A large proportion of dementia deaths in England and Wales may be due to socioeconomic deprivation, according to new research led by Queen Mary University of London. The team also found that socioeconomic deprivation was associated with younger age at death with dementia, and poorer access to accurate diagnosis. Dementia is the leading cause of death in England and Wales, even during the COVID-19 pandemic, and is the only disease in the top ten causes of death without effective treatment.
2 March 2021
Needs of Dementia Family Caregivers in Spain During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Recent confinement in the context of COVID-19 pandemic has been a challenge for people with dementia (PwD) and their caregivers. The study was motivated because all the attention to the consequences of confinement was focused on the institutional setting and few spoke about what happened to those people with dementia and their caregivers who lived at their homes in the community. The authors designed a survey with the main objective of knowing the needs of the caregivers in order to subsequently offer solutions to the problems detected in this context of care.
26 February 2021
New Research Finds Exercise May Help Slow Memory Loss for People Living with Alzheimer’s Dementia
Promising new research shows aerobic exercise may help slow memory loss for older adults living with Alzheimer’s dementia. ASU Edson College of Nursing and Health Innovation Professor Fang Yu led a pilot randomized control trial that included 96 older adults living with mild to moderate Alzheimer’s dementia. Participants were randomized to either a cycling (stationary bike) or stretching intervention for six months. Using the Alzheimer’s Disease Assessment Scale-Cognition (ADAS-Cog) to assess cognition, the results of the trial were substantial. The six-month change in ADAS-Cog was 1.0±4.6 (cycling) and 0.1±4.1 (stretching), which were both significantly less than the expected 3.2±6.3-point increase observed naturally with disease progression.
24 February 2021
Researchers Find New Way to Diagnose Potential for Alzheimer’s Disease
Early diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease has been shown to reduce cost and improve patient outcomes, but current diagnostic approaches can be invasive and costly. A recent study, published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, has found a novel way to identify a high potential for developing Alzheimer’s disease before symptoms occur.