MRI Scans Reveal Brain Changes in People at Genetic Risk for Alzheimer's

ScienceDaily for December 30, 2010 reported on brain-changes that indicate a susceptibility to
Alzheimer's and Dementia.

"We looked at a group of structures in the brain that make up what's called the default mode network," says lead author Yvette I. Sheline, MD. "In particular, we are interested in a part of the brain called the precuneus, which may be important in Alzheimer's disease and in pre-Alzheimer's because it is one of the first regions to develop amyloid deposits. Another factor is that when you look at all of the structural and functional connections in the brain, the most connected structure is the precuneus. It links many other key brain structures together."

Gene Protects Against Dementia in High-Risk Individuals, Study Finds

ScienceDaily for December 30, 2010 reported on causes and prevention of Dementia.

Neuroscientists had assumed that a mutation in the progranulin gene, which makes
the progranulin protein and supports brain neurons, was sufficient to produce a kind of dementia known as frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD). But now an international team of scientists led by researchers at Mayo Clinic's campus in Florida have found another genetic factor they say appears to protect against the disorder in progranulin mutation carriers.

Mild Memory Loss Is Not a Part of Normal Aging, New Research Finds

ScienceDaily for September 15, 2010 reported on memory and aging.

Simply getting older is not the cause of mild memory lapses often called senior moments, according to a new study by researchers at the Rush Alzheimer's Disease Center. The study, published in the September 15, 2010, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology, found that even the very early mild changes in memory that are much more common in old age than dementia are caused by the same brain lesions associated with Alzheimer's disease and other dementias.

Stress in Middle Age Could Contribute to Late-Life Dementia

ScienceDaily for August 19, 2010 reported on stress and Dementia.

Psychological stress in middle age could lead to the development of dementia later in life, especially Alzheimer's disease, reveals research from the University of Gothenburg, Sweden. Based on data from a study which followed women for 35 years, this is the first research in Sweden to indicate a link between stress and dementia.

Eliminating Diabetes and Depression, and Boosting Education, Most Likely to Ward Off Dementia

ScienceDaily for August 6, 2010 reported on Dementia.

While the exact cause of dementia is still unknown, several modifiable risk factors have already been identified. These include vascular risk factors (heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, obesity, diabetes, and high cholesterol), a history of depression, diet, alcohol consumption, and education level.