Alzheimer’s Drug May Someday Help Head Trauma Victims
A new class of Alzheimer’s disease drugs may prevent long-term damage from traumatic brain injury, suggests a study of mice by Georgetown University Medical Center researchers. The drugs — gamma-secretase inhibitors — are designed to target amyloid plaque that accumulates in the brains of people with Alzheimer’s disease, according to background information in the study. “No... Read more
Formal “brain exercise” won’t help healthy seniors
Healthy older people shouldn’t bother spending money on computer games and Web sites promising to ward off mental decline, the author of a review of scientific evidence for the benefits of these “brain exercise” programs says. “These marketed products don’t confer any additional benefit over and above being socially and intellectually active in one’s normal daily... Read more
Insulin May Protect Against Alzheimer’s
Insulin may slow or prevent the memory loss caused by Alzheimer’s disease, a new study says. Laboratory research led by a team from Northwestern University found that insulin acts as a shield that deflects the toxic proteins that attack the wiring in the brain responsible for forming memories. “Therapeutics designed to increase insulin sensitivity in the brain could provide new avenues... Read more
Seniors Who Exercise Help Their Health
Sedentary seniors can improve their motor function and decrease their risk for insulin resistance by starting an exercise program that includes both aerobics and resistance training, new Canadian research suggests. “For a long time, the standard recommendation for people of moderate age — those under 65 — has been 150 minutes a week of aerobic type activity,” noted study co-author... Read more
Moderate Alcohol Consumption May Protect Against Disabilities
Healthy people 50 and older who drink alcohol moderately are less likely to suffer physical disabilities that cause so many seniors to lose their independence, a new study says. The study authors said their research showed that healthy older adults who were light-to-moderate drinkers had 25 percent lower odds of being unable to carry out daily activities such as walking, dressing, eating, running errands... Read more
Positive Outlook Cuts Chances of Dementia
Sociable people who don’t sweat the small stuff may be more likely to remember the small stuff as they age, suggests new research exploring the link between personality and the incidence of Alzheimer’s disease. “Older people who are active, outgoing and relaxed may be less likely to develop dementia,” said study author Hui-Xin Wang, with the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm,... Read more
Drinking coffee reduces risk of Alzheimer’s: study
Middle-aged people who drink moderate amounts of coffee significantly reduce their risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease, a study by Finnish and Swedish researchers showed Thursday. “Middle-aged people who drank between three and five cups of coffee a day lowered their risk of developing dementia and Alzheimer’s disease by between 60 and 65 percent later in life,” said lead... Read more
Cold Weather May Raise Blood Pressure in Elderly
When the temperature drops outside, blood pressure appears to rise in older adults, a new study shows. The systolic (top number) and diastolic (bottom number) blood pressures both rose and fell with the change of seasons in the 8,801 people, aged 65 or older, looked at in the study by the Institut National de la Sante et de la Recherche Medicale of Paris. The average systolic blood pressure, for example,... Read more
Glaucoma Associated With Reading Impairments in Elderly
Having glaucoma may lead to reading problems in older adults, a new report shows. A study by the Johns Hopkins University’s Wilmer Eye Institute found people with glaucoma in both eyes (bilateral) read 29 words per minute slower than those without glaucoma. They also were almost twice as likely to have reading impairment. Those with glaucoma in one eye (unilateral) had rates about on par with... Read more
Deep Brain Stimulation Helps Those With Advanced Parkinson’s
The largest study of its kind finds that deep brain stimulation improves both physical function and quality of life after six months in patients with Parkinson’s disease. Deep brain stimulation (DBS) performed better than currently available drug treatments, but it did carry some risks, including one death, according to a study in the Jan. 7 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association. “This... Read more