Dementia
Poor diet and lack of exercise could influence the risk of cognitive decline (CD) and dementia long before their onset, a study suggests.
Scientists believe these factors can potentially influence hippocampal neurogenesis; the process by which the brain produces new brain cells.The study, by researchers at King’s College London, suggests that altered neurogenesis in the brain could potentially represent an early biomarker for both CD and dementia.
Regular video calls help with lifestyle changes to reduce dementia risk in older people, a lockdown-inspired research project has found.
A pilot project involved 12 participants being invited to 10 group Zoom calls, between July and September 2020, to plan lifestyle changes they could make to reduce dementia risk. They attended over 80 per cent of sessions, and met four of the five goals they set themselves, UCL have reported. Most participants had not used video calling before. The sessions were facilitated by graduate mental health workers from UCL, with a facilitator from a third sector charity. Facilitators were not from clinical backgrounds and received a short training course and regular supervision from a clinical psychologist.
By comparing data from two studies, researchers have identified a potential link between air pollution and dementia.
The data was compiled from two large, long-running studies in the Puget Sound region. One study began in the late 1970s examining air pollution and the other began in 1994 analysing risk factors for dementia.The study
A small increase in fine particle pollution levels was detected (PM2.5 or particle matter 2.5 micrometres or smaller) at specific addresses in the Seattle area. This was associated with a greater risk for dementia for those living in that area.
Researchers have combined Global Positioning System-based (GPS) with AI to detect early-onset Alzheimer’s in drivers, revealing a high level of accuracy in diagnosis.
The DRIVES Study at Washington University in St. Louis, led by Catherine Roe and Ganesh Babulal and funded by the National Institute on Aging. They proposed that those who had been diagnosed would make different decisions when driving in comparison to those without the disease. Alzheimer drivers may drive for shorter periods of time, stick to commonly used routes, travel less at night and make abrupt changes to their driving. AI has the advantage of being able to read from large amounts of cases and diagnoses without bias or judgement. It is thought that this could lead to more correct diagnosis.
A landmark study on footballers from the University of Glasgow revealed that goalkeepers only suffer dementia as much as the general public but defenders are five times more likely to be diagnosed.
The research analysed the health records of around 8000 former professional footballers in Scotland. It found that outfield players were almost four times as likely as ordinary members of the public. It also discovered that defenders develop dementia later in life at a rate of five times the general public.
The results did not vary depending on the era that the footballers played in. The study included data on players who played in 1930 all the way to the 1990s. This shows there has been no change to the risk of neurodegenerative disease despite changes to technology and head injury management over decades.
Researchers at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference in Denver reported that dementia cases could triple to 152 million by 2050.
Dementia prevalence worldwide is expected to decrease by 6.2 million cases by the year 2050 due to global education access. However, other lifestyle habits such as smoking, high body mass index and high blood sugar are predicted to increase prevalence by nearly the same amount at 6.8 million cases. Together, the two trends come close to cancelling each other out.
The US Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation (ADDF) has announced up to US$2m of funding for a collaborative research initiative led by Alzheimer’s Research UK to develop a digital toolkit of apps and wearables to detect the earliest stage of Alzheimer's.
The funding awarded to the Early Detection of Neurodegenerative Diseases (EDoN) initiative is part of the ADDF Diagnostics Accelerator (DxA), which challenges the global research community to innovate new diagnostic technologies for dementia and Alzheimer’s.
Technology in the care system has come a long way, with the COVID-19 pandemic highlighting the need for more remote assistive technology.
Although there is no cure for degenerative diseases like dementia, utilising technology can ease the burden on both carers and patients, particularly those living on their own.
A student from the Edinburgh Napier University has created a reminiscence therapy tool kit which is designed to help dementia patients recall past memories.
The Forget Me Not Box contains a number of tools that are used to activate the five senses, bringing joy to those with dementia while also helping retain their identity. The kit is fully customisable so patients can explore memories and senses that are unique to them. Its lid allows photographs to be displayed while the built-in speaker can play a patient’s favourite songs as well as voice notes from family and friends. The box’s taste cards come with photographs and descriptions of a person’s favourite foods, while the scent bottles allow them to recall familiar smells such as similar perfumes.
A team of scientists are exploring if pauses, pitch and voice intensity could predict the development of Alzheimer’s Disease.
It is thought that people with the disease tend to speak slower and pause more often as they try to find the right words. The Alzheimer’s Society in the UK estimates that 850,000 people were living with dementia in 2019. It represents 1 in every 14 people aged 65 or over. It is thought this could rise to 1.5 million by 2040. The study The scientists used three machine-learning algorithms to assess voice data from 24 participants diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. They compared this to 99 participants without the disease. All those who took part were over the age of 65.
