middle-aged

Memory impairment more common in people with a history of cancer

November, 2010

A very large study has found everyday memory problems among middle-aged and elderly are more likely in those with a history of cancer.

Confirming earlier indications from small studies, a very large nationwide survey has found that people who have had cancer are 40% more likely to experience memory problems that interfere with daily functioning.

The U.S. study involved nearly 10,000 people aged 40 and older, of whom 1,305 (13.3%) reported they had cancer or a history of cancer. Of these, 14% answered yes to the question "Are you limited in any way because of difficulty remembering or because you experience periods of confusion?" Of those who did not have a history of cancer, 8% answered yes to this question.

The degree to which these memory problems are related to the treatment or to the cancer itself (or even perhaps to the experience of having cancer) is one that needs further investigation, but the researcher suggests the finding points to memory issues being more common among cancer sufferers than realized, and recommends that cognitive assessment should be a standard part of cancer treatment.

The study is noteworthy in including all cancers, rather than focusing on one. Nevertheless, I hope that we eventually see a published paper (these results were presented at conference) that also analyses the data in terms of different cancers, different treatments, and length of time since the cancer.

Earlier reports on ‘chemobrain’, and possible ways to help

Reference: 

Results were presented at the Third AACR Conference on The Science of Cancer Health Disparities.

Source: 

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2010-10/aafc-mic092810.php

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When estrogen helps memory, and when it doesn’t

November, 2010

Recent rodent studies confirm attention and learning is more difficult for women when estrogen is high, but estrogen therapy can help menopausal women — if given during a critical window.

Recent rodent studies add to our understanding of how estrogen affects learning and memory. A study found that adult female rats took significantly longer to learn a new association when they were in periods of their estrus cycle with high levels of estrogen, compared to their ability to learn when their estrogen level was low. The effect was not found among pre-pubertal rats. The study follows on from an earlier study using rats with their ovaries removed, whose learning was similarly affected when given high levels of estradiol.

Human females have high estrogen levels while they are ovulating. These high levels have also been shown to interfere with women's ability to pay attention.

On the other hand, it needs to be remembered that estrogen therapy has been found to help menopausal and post-menopausal women. It has also been found to be detrimental. Recent research has suggested that timing is important, and it’s been proposed that a critical period exists during which hormone therapy must be administered if it is to improve cognitive function.

This finds some support in another recent rodent study, which found that estrogen replacement increased long-term potentiation (a neural event that underlies memory formation) in young adult rats with their ovaries removed, through its effects on NMDA receptors and dendritic spine density — but only if given within 15 months of the ovariectomy. By 19 months, the same therapy couldn’t induce the changes.

Reference: 

[1869] Quinlan, M. G., Duncan A., Loiselle C., Graffe N., & Brake W. G.
(Submitted).  Latent inhibition is affected by phase of estrous cycle in female rats.
Brain and Cognition. In Press, Corrected Proof,

[1944] Smith, C. C., Vedder L. C., Nelson A. R., Bredemann T. M., & McMahon L. L.
(2010).  Duration of estrogen deprivation, not chronological age, prevents estrogen's ability to enhance hippocampal synaptic physiology.
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 107(45), 19543 - 19548.

Source: 

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2010-09/cu-cfm092410.php

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Insulin sensitivity may explain link between obesity, memory problems

November, 2010

A new study suggests that the link between midlife obesity and cognitive impairment and dementia in old age may be explained by poorer insulin sensitivity.

Previous research has indicated that obesity in middle-age is linked to higher risk of cognitive decline and dementia in old age. Now a study of 32 middle-aged adults (40-60) has revealed that although obese, overweight and normal-weight participants all performed equally well on a difficult cognitive task (a working memory task called the 2-Back task), obese individuals displayed significantly lower activation in the right inferior parietal cortex. They also had lower insulin sensitivity than their normal weight and overweight peers (poor insulin sensitivity may ultimately lead to diabetes). Analysis pointed to the impaired insulin sensitivity mediating the relationship between task-related activation in that region and BMI.

This suggests that it is insulin sensitivity that is responsible for the higher risk of cognitive impairment later in life. The good news is that insulin sensitivity is able to be modified through exercise and diet.

A follow-up study to determine if a 12-week exercise intervention can reverse the differences is planned.

Reference: 

[1916] Gonzales, M. M., Tarumi T., Miles S. C., Tanaka H., Shah F., & Haley A. P.
(2010).  Insulin Sensitivity as a Mediator of the Relationship Between BMI and Working Memory-Related Brain Activation.
Obesity. 18(11), 2131 - 2137.

Source: 

http://www.physorg.com/news/2010-10-insulin-sensitivity-link-obesity-mem...

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Career choice may determine where frontotemporal dementia begins

October, 2010
  • An international review of patients with frontotemporal dementia has revealed that the area of the brain first affected tends to be the hemisphere least used in the individual’s occupation.

A review of brain imaging and occupation data from 588 patients diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia has found that among the dementias affecting those 65 years and younger, FTD is as common as Alzheimer's disease. The study also found that the side of the brain first attacked (unlike Alzheimer’s, FTD typically begins with tissue loss in one hemisphere) is influenced by the person’s occupation.

Using occupation scores that reflect the type of skills emphasized, they found that patients with professions rated highly for verbal skills, such as school principals, had greater tissue loss on the right side of the brain, whereas those rated low for verbal skills, such as flight engineers, had greater tissue loss on the left side of the brain. This effect was expressed most clearly in the temporal lobes of the brain. In other words, the side of the brain least used in the patient's professional life was apparently the first attacked.

These findings are in keeping with the theory of cognitive reserve, but may be due to some asymmetry in the brain that both inclines them to a particular occupational path and renders the relatively deficient hemisphere more vulnerable in later life.

Reference: 

[1893] Spreng, R. Nathan, Rosen H. J., Strother S., Chow T. W., Diehl-Schmid J., Freedman M., et al.
(2010).  Occupation attributes relate to location of atrophy in frontotemporal lobar degeneration.
Neuropsychologia. 48(12), 3634 - 3641.

Source: 

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2010-09/bcfg-fso092210.php

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Smoking may counteract benefit of moderate drinking on stroke risk

March, 2010

A large long-running study has found that though non-smokers who consumed moderate amounts of alcohol were 37% less likely to develop stroke than non-drinkers, this association was not found among smokers.

A 12-year study following the drinking and smoking habits of 22,524 people aged 39-79 has found that in non-smokers, people who consumed moderate amounts of alcohol were 37% less likely to develop stroke than non-drinkers. This association was not found among smokers. The finding may explain the inconsistency in previous studies into the relationship between light to moderate drinking and stroke.

Reference: 

The findings were presented at the American Academy of Neurology's 62nd Annual Meeting in Toronto, April 10 - 17, 2010.

Source: 

www.physorg.com/news190375547.html

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