Here are some interesting highlights from the annual 2015 Alzheimer’s Association International Conference held in Washington DC.
New Possible Risk Factors identified for Alzheimer’s Disease
– Sedentary behavior and lack of exercise. A Study in people aged 18 to 30 showed that lack of physical activity and prolonged TV viewing may lead to poorer cognitive function later in life (whether this leads to increased chance of developing Alzheimer disease is still to be showed but is currently assumed)
– Type 1 Diabetes. Type 2 Diabetes has already been show to increase the risk for Alzheimer’s Disease, however a new study shows that elderly type 1 diabetics may be at an even greater risk of developing the disease compared to their non diabetic peers.
– Low cognitive ability in childhood. The analysis of a study in around 8000 elderly revealed that participants who fell into the lowest 20% of childhood school grades were at 21% greater dementia risk, compared with those who had higher school grades,
– Loneliness. A 12 year study discovered that people who reported to be lonely experienced cognitive decline around 20% faster than participants who did not report it.
– Gender.Women with Mild Cognitive Impairment were shown to decline twice as fast as men with the condition.
Early Diagnosis of Dementia
– A small study done in the University of Alberta found compounds present in saliva samples in elderly patients that can be linked to poorer cognitive functioning. Whether this can be used to detect Dementia in its early stages, remains to be seen.
– A study done in Asmterdam showed that elderly with dementia had higher levels of a protein called neurogranin. This may prove to be a useful marker for diagnosis, prognosis and monitoring of Alzheimer’s according to researchers.
New Treatment of Alzheimer’s disease
– A study showed that Solanezumab, a humanized monoclonal IgG1 antibody directed against the Aß peptide, can slow the progression of Alzheimer’s disease if started early enough.
Food for though.
The full press release from the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference can be accessed by clicking below:
Posted on 24/07/2015 by Dr. Dimitre