A team of scientists, led by researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine, report that a class of drugs used for a broad array of conditions, from allergies and colds to hypertension and urinary incontinence, may be associated with an increased risk of cognitive decline, particularly in older adults at greater risk for Alzheimer’s disease (AD).
Lifestyle changes could prevent 40% of dementia cases
Health revelations you need to know in each issue of the Harvard Health Letter
Scientific breakthroughs, new medical revelations, latest surgery techniques, new takes on tried-and-true remedies. In every issue of the Harvard Health Letter, you’ll get practical, instructive health information to keep you active, independent and vibrant as you age. Readers recently read about:
Estudo encontra ligação entre o pessimismo e a demência
Autores do estudo consideram que o pensamento negativo deve ser considerado um fator de risco para a doença.
Se é uma pessoa pessimista, saiba que isso não é bom para o seu cérebro. Um novo estudo descobriu que o pensamento negativo repetitivo pode estar ligado, mais tarde na vida, ao declínio cognitivo e a maiores depósitos de duas proteínas nocivas, responsáveis pela doença de Alzheimer.
“Propomos que o pensamento negativo e repetitivo possa ser considerado um novo fator de risco para a demência”, afirmou a psiquiatra e autora principal do estudo, Natalie Marchant, à CNN.
People aged 95 and over show stronger brain connectivity
World-first research led by neuroimaging expert Dr. Jiyang Jiang at UNSW’s Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing (CHeBA) has found that those aged 95 and over demonstrated more activation between the left and ride side of their brain than their younger counterparts.
Given the prevalence of dementia increases with age, near-centenarians and centenarians without dementia are generally considered as models of successful aging and resistance against age-related cognitive decline.
“We wanted to see if there was something particularly special about the brain‘s functional connectivity of those aged 95 and older that helps them preserve brain function into the 11th decade of their life,” says Dr. Jiang.
A happy partner leads to a healthier lifestyle
A new study has found there is some scientific truth to the saying “happy wife, happy life.”
Alzheimer: cientistas diminuem inflamação no cérebro e revertem demência
Cientistas dizem que, pela primeira vez, conseguiram reverter a demência em ratos reduzindo a inflamação no cérebro, em vez de atacar as proteínas invasoras típicas que provocam o problema, as chamadas as placas amilóides encontradas em pessoas com doença de Alzheimer.
O último estudo publicado na Science Translational Medicine sugere que o direcionamento da inflamação no cérebro pode deter a demência.
Scientists ‘Clear’ Alzheimer’s Plaque From Mice Using Only Light And Sound
Clumps of harmful proteins that interfere with brain functions have been partially cleared in mice using nothing but light and sound.
Research led by MIT has found strobe lights and a low pitched buzz can be used to recreate brain waves lost in the disease, which in turn remove plaque and improve cognitive function in mice engineered to display Alzheimer’s-like behaviour.
It’s a little like using light and sound to trigger their own brain waves to help fight the disease.
This technique hasn’t been clinically trialled in humans as yet, so it’s too soon to get excited – brain waves are known to work differently in humans and mice.
But, if replicated, these early results hint at a possible cheap and drug-free way to treat the common form of dementia.
So how does it work?
“Brasil enfrenta epidemia de demência”, afirma pesquisadora
Um estudo realizado por pesquisadores da Faculdade de Medicina (FM) da USP indica que uma parcela significativa dos casos de demência diagnosticados no Brasil poderia ser evitada com o controle de doenças crônicas como hipertensão e obesidade. O que chamou a atenção dos pesquisadores foi que a proporção de demência do tipo vascular é maior no Brasil do que em outros países. O Jornal da USP no Ar conversou sobre esse assunto com a professora Cláudia Kimie Suemoto, da Disciplina de Geriatria e pesquisadora do Biobanco para Estudos em Envelhecimento da FMUSP. Ela também colabora com o Estudo Longitudinal da Saúde do Adulto (ELSA-Brasil).
Germs in Your Gut Are Talking to Your Brain. Scientists Want to Know What They’re Saying.
The body’s microbial community may influence the brain and behavior, perhaps even playing a role in dementia, autism and other disorders.
