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NEWS ABOUT: dementia

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Mental Decline Can Start at 45

British study surprises researchers

(Newser) - A comprehensive new study has depressing news for people in their 40s: Memory loss and a general decline in brain function can start much earlier than thought, say about age 45, report Reuters and USA Today . The study of 7,000 office workers in Britain refutes the generally held notion... More »

Pat Summitt Has Early Dementia

But she intends to keep coaching

(Newser) - Pat Summitt has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s type early onset dementia, she revealed in an interview with the Knoxville News Sentinel last night, but she intends to keep her gig as head coach of Tennessee’s Lady Vols. “There’s not going to be any pity party, and... More »

Could Sleep Apnea Cause Dementia?

Study links sleep disorder to cognitive degeneration in older women

(Newser) - Sleep apnea disrupts the sleep of 10% to 20% of middle-aged and older adults—and the damage may not end there. Older women who suffer from the condition are twice as likely to face memory decline and other symptoms of dementia, according to a new study that followed 289 women... More »

Only Human Brains Shrink

Monkeys keep their gray matter throughout their lives

(Newser) - Next time you start to feel mentally superior to a chimp, think again. It turns out that while human brains shrink as they age, chimpanzee brains do not, a new George Washington University study has discovered. The findings upend the conventional wisdom that all primates saw their brains shrink over... More »

50% of Alzheimer's Cases May Be Preventable

Tackling risk factors could cut number of cases, researchers say

(Newser) - At least half of all cases of Alzheimer's disease are linked to common risk factors, and researchers believe the number of cases could be sharply reduced if people took steps to tackle those underlying issues. To reduce the risk, researchers say people need to stay active both mentally and... More »

Even Minor Head Injuries Boost Risk of Dementia

Survey of 280K veterans turns up sobering results

(Newser) - Even mild brain injuries can significantly increase the chance of developing Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia, says the largest brain injury survey ever conducted, and the first to concentrate on veterans. The study examined more than 280,000 veterans who were at least 55 and received care at... More »

Nursing Homes, Big Pharma Overmedicating Seniors

Residents with dementia get antipsychotics, boosting death risk: US report

(Newser) - Nursing homes are treating dementia sufferers with powerful antipsychotics despite FDA advice to the contrary, according to a Health and Human Services report spotted by Pro Publica . The FDA began requiring antipsychotics to carry warning labels in 2005 stating the increased death risk they pose for dementia patients. But 88%... More »

New Guidelines Help Diagnose Alzheimer's Earlier

First new guidelines in 27 years to be issued today

(Newser) - Alzheimer's disease is being redefined for the first time in 27 years, with new medical guidelines reflecting the fact that the disease is a "continuum." Growing evidence shows that Alzheimer's starts affecting the brain years before dementia symptoms present themselves, and the new guidelines reflect that... More »

Inability to Detect Sarcasm May Be Early Dementia Sign

People who can't pick up on lies, tone could be at risk

(Newser) - It might be a low-tech way to diagnose the early stages of certain types of dementia: Look for people no longer able to detect sarcasm or lies. University of California researchers found that people with frontotemporal dementia fared poorly in tests measuring gullability, reports UCSF . Anecdotal evidence of seniors getting... More »

Shocking Facility Elder Abuse Caught on Tape

Hidden camera catchers workers hitting, taunting dementia patient

(Newser) - Three workers at a nursing home in Pennsylvania have been arrested after being caught on tape hitting and mocking an elderly woman who suffers from dementia. Relatives of the 78-year-old woman installed a hidden camera after officials at the home rejected their suspicions that she was being abused, ABC News... More »

Nasal Spray Could Help Ward Off Alzheimer's

Tel Aviv researchers are working on vaccine

(Newser) - Intriguing news on the Alzheimer's front: Researchers at Tel Aviv University are working on a nasal spray they say protects against the disease as well as strokes, Israel 21 reports. The vaccine also can repair damage already done to the brain by triggering the body's immune system, say the researchers,... More »

Inheriting Alzheimer's From Mom Is Worse Than Dad

Study suggests faster brain deterioration

(Newser) - People whose mothers had Alzheimer's appear to have a greater risk of developing dementia themselves, reports the Los Angeles Times . University of Kansas researchers studied the brains of about 50 healthy senior citizens over two years and found that those whose mothers had the disease showed the most deterioration, especially... More »

Knowing 2nd Language May Ward Off Alzheimer's

Bilinguals cope with dementia better: study

(Newser) - People who want protection against Alzheimer's might want to pick up a second language, LiveScience reports. York University researchers found that bilingual people who suffered from Alzheimer's had cognitive impairment comparable to sufferers who were 4 to 5 years younger—essentially, being bilingual seems to have bought them additional years... More »

Etta James Has Leukemia, Dementia

Singer's condition comes out during court case

(Newser) - Legendary singer Etta James is suffering from dementia and leukemia, court documents show. The 72-year-old’s illnesses came to light during a civil case involving her husband, who wants control of more than $1 million of her money, and her son, who wants the money to be overseen by a... More »

Doctors Better at Detecting Early Alzheimer's: Then What?

Patients demand to know, but no treatment is available

(Newser) - The good news on Alzheimer's is that doctors are getting better at figuring out who's likely to get the disease years—even decades—in advance of its onset. The bad news is that with no treatment available, the diagnosis has no medical value to the patient, and likely results in... More »

Money Trouble May Signal Alzheimer’s

Financial advisers ponder meaning of 'competence'

(Newser) - The first sign of Arthur Packel's Alzheimer's was the call from the homeowner's association asking for unpaid fees. As his mind began its long slide, it turns out, the first thing he did was simply stop paying bills. When his wife tried to pick up the slack, she found much... More »

Heavy Smoking Raises Risk of Dementia Up to 114%

Puffing two packs a day in middle age jacks risk dramatically: study

(Newser) - Hey kids, did you know smoking was bad for you? You did? Well, how about this: A new study has found that heavy smoking in middle age more than doubles your risk of Alzheimer’s. The study, one of the first to examine smoking’s effect on the brain, surveyed... More »

Vitamin B May Slow Alzheimer's

Brain shrinkage slowed by supplements: study

(Newser) - Vitamin B supplements may be able to delay the onset of dementia and Alzheimer's disease, new research suggests. A study of seniors with mild cognitive impairment found that daily supplements significantly slowed brain shrinkage, the BBC reports. In some cases, the shrinkage slowed by 50%, making the atrophy no worse... More »

Brain Teasers May Speed Up Dementia, Alzheimer's

(Newser) - Sudoku, crosswords, and even listening to the radio may not be all they're cracked up to be when it comes to staving off mental decline. A study by researchers at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago indicates that once diagnosed with dementia and Alzheimer's, increased brain activity may actually accelerate... More »

Depression Doubles Risk of Dementia

But doctors aren't sure why

(Newser) - Depression sufferers are nearly twice as likely to develop dementia later in life, according to a pair of new studies. Doctors aren’t entirely sure why that is, and stress that they can’t prove that one causes the other. But they theorize that the brain inflammation that accompanies depression... More »

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