The first changes in the brain of a person with Alzheimer’s disease can be observed as much as ten years in advance – ten years before the person in question has become so ill that he or she can be diagnosed with the disease. This is what a new study from Lund University in Sweden has found.
Physician Oskar Hansson and his research group are studying biomarkers – substances present in spinal fluid and linked to Alzheimer’s disease. The group has studied close to 140 people with mild memory impairment, showing that a certain combination of markers (low levels of the substance beta-amyloid and high levels of the substance tau) indicate a high risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease in the future.
As many as 91 per cent of the patients with mild memory impairment who had these risk markers went on to develop Alzheimer’s within a ten-year period. In contrast, those who had memory impairment but normal values for the markers did not run a higher risk of getting Alzheimer’s than healthy individuals. [continue reading…]
Study Participants at Risk for Alzheimer’s Want to Know Their Potential Fate
If you had a family history of developing Alzheimer’s disease, would you take a genetic test that would give you more information about your chances?
“Definitely,” said Gloria VanAlstine, 60, and Joyce Smith, 79. The two women took a controversial genetic test of a gene called Apolipoprotein E. APOE is a susceptibility gene where certain variants have been found to significantly increase a person’s risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. Both women have a family history of Alzheimer’s, which increases risk.
The genetic test was conducted as part of the Risk Evaluation and Education for Alzheimer’s disease Study (REVEAL), a series of clinical trials taking place at U-M School of Public Health, with other sites including Harvard University, Howard University, and the University of Pennsylvania. [continue reading…]
“Eat your fish” my mother use to say “its good for your brain”, well ma it looks like you were right. In a new study researchers suggest.e that eating fish at least once a week could help lower older patients’ risk of developing dementia
People who eat baked or broiled fish on a weekly basis may be improving their brain health and reducing their risk of developing mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer’s disease, according to a study presented today at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA).
“This is the first study to establish a direct relationship between fish consumption, brain structure and Alzheimer’s risk,” said Cyrus Raji, M.D., Ph.D., from the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. “The results showed that people who consumed baked or broiled fish at least one time per week had better preservation of gray matter volume on MRI in brain areas at risk for Alzheimer’s disease.” [continue reading…]
Driving demands quick reaction time and fast decision making – because of this, a person with Alzheimer’s will eventually become unable to drive.
Ideally, families should talk openly about driving soon after a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s. Making decisions about when it is time to stop driving can be difficult, but dealing with the issue early on can help ease the transition. Read more
If you had a family history of developing Alzheimer’s disease, would you take a genetic test that would give you more information about your chances?
“Eat your fish” my mother use to say “its good for your brain”, well ma it looks like you were right. In a new study researchers suggest.e that eating fish at least once a week could help lower older patients’ risk of developing dementia