Age-related drop in body temperature worsens Alzheimer's disease

A mouse study suggests that some Alzheimer’s symptoms are made worse by falling body temperature — and are helped by improving body temperature.

Our bodies’ ability to regulate its temperature gets worse with age, along with a slowing metabolism. We also become more vulnerable to Alzheimer's as we age. A study compared mice genetically engineered to manifest Alzheimer's symptoms as they age with normal mice. They found that these transgenic mice were worse at maintaining their body temperature as they aged, with the difference reaching almost 1° Celsius by the age of 12 months.

Moreover, there was an increase in Alzheimer’s symptoms (such as a greater increase in abnormal tau proteins and loss of synaptic proteins) in transgenic mice when they were exposed to low temperatures.

But — and this is the exciting bit — when the mice were given one week in a 28°C environment, and their body temperature increased by 1°C, beta-amyloid production dropped substantially, and memory test results were comparable to those of normal mice.

While obviously these results need to be replicated in humans, the findings do suggest that improving body temperature might be helpful for those in early stages of Alzheimer’s. Body temperature can be increased through physical activity, diet, drugs, or simply by turning the heat up.

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2016-04/ul-dib040716.php

Reference:

[4207] Vandal, M., White P. J., Tournissac M., Tremblay C., St-Amour I., Drouin-Ouellet J., et al.
(Submitted). Impaired thermoregulation and beneficial effects of thermoneutrality in the 3×Tg-AD model of Alzheimer's disease.
Neurobiology of Aging. 43, 47 - 57.

seniors

risk factors

Alzheimers

Related News

Cognitive decline in old age related to poorer sleep

Recent research has suggested that sleep problems might be a risk factor in developing Alzheimer’s, and in mild cognitive impairment.

Early surgical menopause linked to faster cognitive decline

The issue of the effect of menopause on women’s cognition, and whether hormone therapy helps older women fight cognitive decline and dementia, has been a murky one. Increasing evidence suggests that the timing and type of therapy is critical.

Why learning gets harder as we get older

A new study adds more support to the idea that the increasing difficulty in learning new information and skills that most of us experience as we age is not down to any difficulty in acquiring new information, but rests on the interference from all the old information.

Hearing loss accelerates cognitive decline in older adults

I’ve written before about the gathering evidence that sensory impairment, visual impairment and hearing loss in particular, is a risk factor for age-related cognitive decline and dementia.

Intensive training helps seniors with long-term aphasia

Here’s an encouraging study for all those who think that, because of age or physical damage, they must resign themselves to whatever cognitive impairment or decline they have suffered.

Inhibitory control deficits common in those with MCI

Providing some support for the finding I recently reported — that problems with semantic knowledge in those with mild cognitive impairment (

Chewing ability linked to reduced dementia risk

Previous research has pointed to an association between not having teeth and a higher risk of cognitive decline and dementia. One reason might have to do with inflammation — inflammation is a well-established risk factor, and at least one study has linked gum disease to a higher dementia risk.

Ginkgo biloba doesn’t prevent Alzheimer’s

Sad to say, another large study has given the thumbs down to ginkgo biloba preventing Alzheimer’s disease.

Popular cognitive test for Alzheimer’s insufficiently sensitive

New research suggests that reliance on the standard test Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale—Cognitive Behavior Section (ADAS-Cog) to measure cognitive changes in Alzheimer’s patients is a bad idea. The test is the most widely used measure of cognitive performance in clinical trials.

Simple semantic task reveals early cognitive problems in older adults

A small study shows how those on the road to Alzheimer’s show early semantic problems long before memory problems arise, and that such problems can affect daily life.

Pages