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

Intensive hypertension treatment reduces risk of 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.

Psychological distress a risk factor for dementia

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.

Poor sleep in older adults may increase Alzheimer’s risk

Poor sleep has been associated with Alzheimer's disease risk, but a new study suggests a specific aspect of sleep is important.

Lower tau levels may obscure early Alzheimer’s in black patients

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,

Older adults' distractability can be used to help put a face to a name

One important reason for the greater cognitive problems commonly experienced as we age, is our increasing difficulty in ignoring distracting and irrelevant information. But it may be that in some circumstances that propensity can be used to help memory.

Rigorous exercise does not slow dementia decline

A number of studies have found that physical exercise can help delay the onset of dementia, however the ability of exercise to slow the decline once dementia has set in is a more equivocal question. A large new study answers this question in the negative.

Gist memory may be why false memories are more common in older adults

Do older adults forget as much as they think, or is it rather that they ‘misremember’?

Lifestyle changes can prevent cognitive decline even in genetically at-risk individuals

A Finnish study involving over 1000 older adults suggests that a counselling program can prevent cognitive decline even among those with the Alzheimer’s gene.

The right diet may slow cognitive decline in stroke survivors

A pilot study involving 106 participants of the Rush Memory and Aging Project who had experienced a stroke followed participants for an average of 5.9 years, testing their cognitive function and monitoring their eating habits using food journals.

Reduced face memorization ability in those with MCI

A small Japanese study has found evidence that those with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) show a specific decline in their ability to recognize faces, and this is accompanied by changes in the way they scan faces.

Pages