Category: Dementia

This symptom of dementia is often overlooked, but very damaging.

Apathy is the most forgotten symptom of dementia and has a greater impact than memory loss, research concludes.

Nearly half of all people with dementia are apathetic: being highly indifferent, passive, unconcerned and lacking in enthusiasm.

People who are apathetic tend to feel little motivation, passion or excitement in life.

Apathy is linked to worse clinical symptoms and, naturally, is very distressing for families.

Apathy is distinct from depression, the researchers found, with some people with dementia not necessarily feeling down.

Apathy tends to be ignored as it is not a disruptive state, said Mr Miguel Vasconcelos Da Silva, study co-author:

“Apathy is an under-researched and often ignored symptom of dementia.

It can be overlooked because people with apathy seem less disruptive and less engaging, but it has a huge impact on the quality of life of people living with dementia, and their families.

Where people withdraw from activities, it can accelerate cognitive decline and we know that there are higher mortality rates in people with apathy.

It’s now time this symptom was recognised and prioritised in research and understanding.”

The conclusions come from an analysis of 4,320 people with Alzheimer’s disease included in 20 separate studies.

The results showed that 45 percent were apathetic at first, while 20 percent remained that way over time.

Professor Clive Ballard, study co-author, said:

“Apathy is the forgotten symptom of dementia, yet it can have devastating consequences.

Our research shows just how common apathy is in people with dementia, and we now need to understand it better so we can find effective new treatments.

Our WHELD study to improve care home staff training through personalised care and social interaction included an exercise programme that improved apathy, so we know we can make a difference.

This is a real opportunity for interventions that could significantly benefit thousands of people with dementia. “

The study was presented at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference in Los Angeles (Da Silva, 2019).

It is thought that the vitamin helps clear the brain of the characteristic tangles of proteins that form in dementia.

Taking vitamin D supplement could decrease dementia risk, a large study suggests.

People who took vitamin D supplements lived for longer without developing dementia and overall had a 40 percent lower risk of developing the disease.

Adequate vitamin D levels have been repeatedly linked to lower dementia risk by research (1, 2, 3, 4).

One study has even suggested that adequate levels of vitamin D could prevent almost one-in-five cases of dementia (Navale et al., 2022).

However, the link remains somewhat controversial, with other studies finding no connection (also: Owusu et al., 2018).

Professor Zahinoor Ismail, the study’s first author, acknowledged the contradictory findings from past studies:

“We know that vitamin D has some effects in the brain that could have implications for reducing dementia, however so far, research has yielded conflicting results.

Our findings give key insights into groups who might be specifically targeted for vitamin D supplementation.

Overall, we found evidence to suggest that earlier supplementation might be particularly beneficial, before the onset of cognitive decline.”

Vitamin D and dementia

For this study, data from over 12,000 participants in the US National Alzheimer’s Coordinating Center was analysed.

Just over one-third were taking vitamin D supplements.

The results showed that vitamin D supplementation was associated with a reduced dementia risk in all groups.

However, the connection was stronger in women and people who had no pre-existing cognitive deficits, such as mild cognitive impairment.

Similarly, carriers of the APOEe4 gene appeared to benefit more from vitamin D supplementation.

The APOEe4 gene significantly increases the risk of developing dementia.

It is thought that vitamin D helps to clear the brain of the characteristic tangles of proteins that form, known as amyloid and tau.

Dr Byron Creese, study co-author, said:

“Preventing dementia or even delaying its onset is vitally important given the growing numbers of people affected.

The link with vitamin D in this study suggests that taking vitamin D supplements may be beneficial in preventing or delaying dementia, but we now need clinical trials to confirm whether this is really the case.

The ongoing VitaMIND study at the University of Exeter is exploring this issue further by randomly assigning participants to either take vitamin D or placebo and examining changes in memory and thinking tests over time.”

Despite these findings, it is not recommended to take high levels of vitamin D as a preventative measure.

Recommended doses are 600 IU per day for people under 70 and 800 IU for those over 70.

The study was published in the journal Alzheimer’s & Dementia: Diagnosis, Assessment & Disease Monitoring (Ghahremani et al., 2023).

This component of the Mediterranean diet protects memory.

Extra-virgin olive oil helps to protect the brain from cognitive decline, research finds.

The oil reduces the formation of protein in the brain that is linked to Alzheimer’s.

The conclusions come from a study of mice, some of whom were fed a diet enriched with extra-virgin olive oil.

Professor Domenico Praticò, who led the study, said:

“We found that olive oil reduces brain inflammation but most importantly activates a process known as autophagy.

Brain cells from mice fed diets enriched with extra-virgin olive oil had higher levels of autophagy and reduced levels of amyloid plaques and phosphorylated tau.”

Autophagy is the natural process by which cells get rid of material that is not required.

The Mediterranean diet

The Mediterranean diet — which contains extra-virgin olive oil — has been repeatedly linked to health benefits.

Some think, though, that it is the consistent use of extra-virgin olive oil in these diets that is mostly responsible for the benefits.

Professor Praticò said:

“The thinking is that extra-virgin olive oil is better than fruits and vegetables alone, and as a monounsaturated vegetable fat it is healthier than saturated animal fats.”

Professor Praticò said:

“This is an exciting finding for us.

Thanks to the autophagy activation, memory and synaptic integrity were preserved, and the pathological effects in animals otherwise destined to develop Alzheimer’s disease were significantly reduced.

This is a very important discovery, since we suspect that a reduction in autophagy marks the beginning of Alzheimer’s disease.”

The researchers are now moving on to look at the effects of extra-virgin olive oil after Alzheimer’s has already set in.

Professor Praticò explained:

“Usually when a patient sees a doctor for suspected symptoms of dementia, the disease is already present.

We want to know whether olive oil added at a later time point in the diet can stop or reverse the disease.”

The study was published in the journal Annals of Clinical and Translational Neurology (Lauretti et al., 2017).

An easy, everyday habit can cut Alzheimer’s risk by one-quarter.

Keeping gum disease at bay could reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s by 25 percent, research finds.

The reason is that bacteria related to gum disease can travel from the mouth to the brain.

Once in the brain, they can destroy nerve cells, which ultimately leads to memory loss and, sometimes, Alzheimer’s disease.

Brushing and flossing regularly — along with regular hygiene appointments — helps keep the bacteria in check.

Brushing your teeth regularly could reduce the risk of dementia by more than one-quarter, a previous review of the research found.

Indeed, people with fewer than 20 teeth are 26 percent more likely to develop cognitive problems that could lead to Alzheimer’s.

Dr Piotr Mydel, study co-author, said:

“We discovered DNA-based proof that the bacteria causing gingivitis can move from the mouth to the brain.”

The bacteria causing gingivitis (gum disease) are not the only cause of Alzheimer’s, although they do raise the risk.

The bacteria — called Porphyromonas gingivalis — also increase the speed at which the disease develops.

The conclusions come from a study of 53 people with Alzheimer’s, 96 percent of whom had harmful enzymes.

A further mouse study showed that the bacteria’s movement from mouth to brain can be blocked by an experimental drug.

Dr Mydel said:

“We have managed to develop a drug that blocks the harmful enzymes from the bacteria, postponing the development of Alzheimer’s.

We are planning to test this drug later this year.”

Professor Jan Potempa, study co-author, said:

“Oral hygiene is very important throughout our life, not only for having a beautiful smile but also to decrease the risk of many serious diseases.

People with genetic risk factors that make them susceptible to rheumatoid arthritis or Alzheimer’s disease should be extremely concerned with preventing gum disease.”

The study was published in the journal Science Advances (Dominy et al., 2019).

This simple test can help to predict Alzheimer’s disease.

Being unaware of memory loss is actually an important warning sign for developing Alzheimer’s disease, research finds.

People who were unaware of their own memory problems — known as anosognosia — were 64 percent more likely to develop Alzheimer’s within 5 years.

On the other hand, if you are worried about memory loss, but your partner isn’t, then it’s probably not Alzheimer’s.

Dr. Philip Gerretsen, the study’s lead author, said:

“If patients complain of memory problems, but their partner or caregiver isn’t overly concerned, it’s likely that the memory loss is due to other factors, possibly depression or anxiety.

They can be reassured that they are unlikely to develop dementia, and the other causes of memory loss should be addressed.”

The conclusions come from the largest ever study on the self-awareness of dementia.

Over one thousand people aged 55 to 90 were involved.

Being unaware of memory problems predicted the shift from mild cognitive impairment to Alzheimer’s disease, the researchers found.

The study was published in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry (Gerretsen et al., 2017).

The food that shrinks your brain and leads to dementia.

The average person eats the equivalent of an extra burger meal every day compared with 50 years ago, research finds.

A burger, fries and soft drink works out to an extra 650 calories per day.

That is around 30 percent more calories than people need.

The consequences for people’s waistlines and their brains is devastating.

Brain health declines dramatically as a result of poor nutrition, especially early in life.

One of the main culprits is sugar, which accelerates neurodegeneration and impairs cognitive function.

People need to eat well and exercise early in life to avoid brain shrinkage and dementia later on.

Professor Nicolas Cherbuin, the study’s first author, said:

“People are eating away at their brain with a really bad fast-food diet and little-to-no exercise.

We’ve found strong evidence that people’s unhealthy eating habits and lack of exercise for sustained periods of time puts them at serious risk of developing type 2 diabetes and significant declines in brain function, such as dementia and brain shrinkage.”

The conclusions come from a review of around 200 studies carried out around the world.

Fully 30 percent of the world’s population is obese now, and 10 percent will have type 2 diabetes by 2030.

Professor Cherbuin said:

“The link between type 2 diabetes and the rapid deterioration of brain function is already well established.

But our work shows that neurodegeneration, or the loss and function of neurons, sets in much, much earlier—we’ve found a clear association between this brain deterioration and unhealthy lifestyle choices.

The damage done is pretty much irreversible once a person reaches midlife, so we urge everyone to eat healthy and get in shape as early as possible—preferably in childhood but certainly by early adulthood.”

The effort to improve diet is coming too late for many, said Professor Cherbuin:

“What has become really apparent in our investigation is that advice for people to reduce their risk of brain problems, including their risk of getting dementia, is most commonly given in their 60s or later, when the ‘timely prevention’ horse has already bolted.

Many people who have dementia and other signs of cognitive dysfunction, including shrinking brains, have increased their risk throughout life by eating too much bad food and not exercising enough.

One of the best chances people have of avoiding preventable brain problems down the track is to eat well and exercise from a young age.

The message is simple, but bringing about positive change will be a big challenge.

Individuals, parents, medical professionals and governments all have an important role to play.”

The study was published in the journal Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology (Cherbuin & Walsh, 2019).