A large study has found that smoking, high blood pressure, diabetes, and obesity are each linked to more brain atrophy, and damage to white matter.
The more of these you have, the greater the shrinkage and damage.
Brain scans of 9,772 people aged 44 to 79, who were enrolled in the UK Biobank study, have revealed that smoking, high blood pressure, high pulse pressure, diabetes, and high BMI — but not high cholesterol — were all linked to greater brain shrinkage, less
A very large study shows that greater exposure to air pollution was linked to poorer cognitive performance in older adults, especially men and the less educated.
A large Chinese study involving 20,000 people has found that the longer people were exposed to air pollution, the worse their cognitive performance in verbal and math tests. The effect of air pollution on verbal tests became more pronounced with age, especially for men and the less educated.
A randomized clinical trial involving 103 teenage athletes who sustained concussions while playing sports found that those who underwent a supervised, aerobic exercise program took significantly less time to recover compared to those who instead engaged in mild stretching.
A large, long-running study has found an association between consumption of fruit & vegetables and subjectively assessed memory skills in older men.
A study following nearly 28,000 older men for 20 years has found that regular consumption of leafy greens, dark orange and red vegetables and berry fruits, and orange juice, was associated with a lower risk of memory loss.
Getting a good night’s sleep is given greater importance with the discovery that sleep deprivation appears to rapidly increase the spread of tau tangles.
Poor sleep has been associated with the development of Alzheimer's disease, and this has been thought to be in part because the protein amyloid beta increases with sleep deprivation. A new study explains more.
Preliminary research suggests that microbes in the gut directly affects dementia risk.
A Japanese study looking at 128 patients' fecal samples, found that fecal concentrations of ammonia, indole, skatole and phenol were higher in dementia patients compared to those without dementia, while levels of beneficial Bacteroides were lower in dementia patients.
A large clinical trial comparing the effects on cardiovascular disease of standard blood pressure control vs stricter control, has found that stricter control significantly reduced the risk of mild cognitive impairment.
A clinical trial involving 9361 older adults (50+) with hypertension but without diabetes or history of stroke has found that intensive control of blood pressure significantly reduced the risk of developing mild cognitive impairment.
A large Danish study has found that the greater number of symptoms of distress in late midlife, the more likely the individual was to develop dementia later in life.
Survey data from 6,807 Danish older adults (average age 60) in the Copenhagen City Heart Study, has found that being distressed in late midlife is associated with a higher risk of dementia in later life.
A very large genetic study provides evidence that cardiovascular disease risk and Alzheimer's risk are related because of one shared element: genes involved in cholesterol and lipid metabolism.
The APOE gene, the strongest genetic risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease, is known to be involved in cholesterol and lipid metabolism.
Two large studies show an association between the Alzheimer's protein tau and the Alzheimer's gene APOE4, but the association varies across race and gender.
Data from 1,215 older adults, of whom 173 (14%) were African-American, has found that, although brain scans showed no significant differences between black and white participants,
More evidence comes from several studies of more subtle brain damage that isn't captured in conventional tests of concussions.
A new brainwave monitor finds brain impairments in ice hockey players that had been cleared to return to play after concussions, as well as signs of impairment from players experiencing sub-concussive impacts
A new way of analyzing brain images has found clear brain changes six months after female rugby players suffered concussions
Young adults suffering multiple concussions showed brainwave changes accompanied by poorer cognitive control more than a month after the last concussion
Detailed scans found hockey players cleared to return to play showed loosened myelin (the insulating substance around brain wiring)
However one study of young football players showed no association between sub-concussive impacts and neurocognitive performance (but were their tests sensitive enough?)
New method finds undetected brain impairments in ice hockey players with and without diagnosed concussions
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has updated its concussion recommendations.
The American Academy of Pediatric now supports children and teens engaging in light physical activity and returning to school as they recover. It also now advises against complete removal of electronic devices, such as television, computers and smartphones, following a concussion.
Two studies suggest that those with stronger and thicker necks, and those with a specific gene variant linked to dyslexia, are less vulnerable to concussion.
One study points to the value of good nights' sleep when recovering from concussion.
Can stronger necks reduce concussion risk & severity?
