Alzheimer's & dementia

[waltky]

New study shows way to detect Alzheimer's earlier...

Alzheimer's detected decades before symptoms
5 November 2012 - Researchers have found some of the earliest signs of Alzheimer's disease, more than two decades before the first symptoms usually appear.

Treating the disease early is thought to be vital to prevent damage to memory and thinking. A study, published in the Lancet Neurology, found differences in the brains of an extended Colombian family predisposed to develop an early form of Alzheimer's. Experts said the US study may give doctors more time to treat people. Alzheimer's disease starts long before anyone would notice; previous studies have shown an effect on the brain 10-15 years before symptoms.


The shrunken brain of an Alzheimer's patient compared with a healthy one

It is only after enough brain cells have died that the signs of dementia begin to appear - some regions of the brain will have lost up to 20% of their brain cells before the disease becomes noticeable. However, doctors fear so much of the brain will have degenerated by this time that it will be too late to treat patients. The failure of recent trials to prevent further cognitive decline in patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease has been partly put down to timing.

Early start

A team at the Banner Alzheimer's Institute in Arizona looked at a group of patients in Colombia who have familial Alzheimer's. A genetic mutation means they nearly always get the disease in their 40s. Alzheimer's normally becomes apparent after the age of 75. Brain scans of 20 people with the mutation, aged between 18 and 26, already showed differences compared with those from 24 people who were not destined to develop early Alzheimer's. The fluid which bathes the brain and spinal cord also had higher levels of a protein called beta-amyloid.

The researchers said differences could be detected "more than two decades before" symptoms would appear in these high-risk patients. Dr Eric Reiman, one of the scientists involved, said: "These findings suggest that brain changes begin many years before the clinical onset of Alzheimer's disease. "They raise new questions about the earliest brain changes involved in the predisposition to Alzheimer's and the extent to which they could be targeted by future prevention therapies."

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[GrumpyDog]

Thanks for posting. Good information for the conservative posters on the forum.

Got anything on Romneysia?

[Captain Obvious]

Thanks for posting. Good information for the conservative posters on the forum.

Got anything on Romneysia?

Please keep to the topic

http://thepoliticalforums.com/thread...litical-Forums

Other Discussions are for more serious discussion and stricter moderation. The rules apply but, on the positive side, we will also require that all posts make a contribution be it information, question or argumentation, and on the negative side we will not allow trolling, inflammatory remarks, personal attacks, or off-topic comments.

[Adelaide]

I kind of laughed when I saw this since I have found myself frequently arguing the many benefits of hormonal contraception, which now also apparently could include some protection against Alzheimer's and other conditions which affect cognitive functioning:

Longer Use of Hormonal Contraception During Midlife Predicts Better Cognitive Function Later

ScienceDaily (Nov. 7, 2012) — Premenopausal use of hormonal contraceptives may improve the cognitive abilities of women in midlife and for years afterward. This finding may have implications for prevention of declining cognitive function that occurs with advancing age and in diseases such as Alzheimer's. The beneficial effects of hormones increase the longer a woman uses them, as described in a study published in Journal of Women's Health, a peer-reviewed publication from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases...1107122602.htm

[Trinnity]

I have heard there is research suggesting NOT eating meat contributes to Alzheimer's. It would be (literally) ironic if strict vegetarianism increased one's chances for the disease (no snark intended). I mean eating a lot of vegetables is definitely very healthy overall. Maybe deep down in ways we don't yet understand, man/woman is meant to consume some meat.

[Peter1469]

I have heard there is research suggesting NOT eating meat contributes to Alzheimer's. It would be (literally) ironic if strict vegetarianism increased one's chances for the disease (no snark intended). I mean eating a lot of vegetables is definitely very healthy overall. Maybe deep down in ways we don't yet understand, man/woman is meant to consume some meat.

Right. You need high quality Omega 3s to protect the CPU. You aren't getting that from non-meat sources.

[bladimz]

We're carnivores for a reason.

[roadmaster]

If your mom or dad had it, most likely you will some won't. Some people say this when their parents have mild strokes, it's not the same. I have known 50 year olds that came down with stage 1. The first signs are when you are talking to someone they after 5 to 10 minutes say the same thing over. It doesn't run in my family but does in my spouses family. Listen and watch for the signs. I called it way before the Dr. on his mom. One of his younger brothers already shows the signs. I worked with these people for a long time. The best thing I have found is to work the mind and try to prolong it. Until we can find a cure.