Less cognitive decline in Danish nonagenarians

A large Danish study comparing two groups of nonagenarians born 10 years apart has found that not only were people born in 1915 nearly a third (32%) more likely to reach the age of 95 than those in the 1905 cohort, but members of the group born in 1915 performed significantly better on tests of cognitive ability and activities of daily living. Additionally, significantly more members of the later cohort scored maximally on the MMSE (23% vs 13% of the earlier cohort). All this even though the later cohort were on average two years older than the first cohort when tested (94-5 vs 92-3 years)

The difference doesn’t appear to be due to education (educational achievement was slightly higher in the 1915 cohort, but only in women, who had overall very low educational attainment in both groups). It’s suggested that factors such as better diet and general living conditions, improved health care, and greater intellectual stimulation have helped the younger cohort improve their cognitive functioning.

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-07/l-mpo070913.php

http://newoldage.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/07/17/in-europe-dementia-rates-may-be-falling/

http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736%2813%2960777-1/fulltext

[3562] Christensen, K., Thinggaard M., Oksuzyan A., Steenstrup T., Andersen-Ranberg K., Jeune B., et al.
(2013).  Physical and cognitive functioning of people older than 90 years: a comparison of two Danish cohorts born 10 years apart.
The Lancet. 382(9903), 1507 - 1513.

Related News

While everyone agrees that amyloid-beta protein is part of the problem, not everyone agrees that amyloid plaques are the cause (or one of them) of Alzheimer’s. Other forms of amyloid-beta have been pointed to, including floating clumps called oligomers or ADDLs.

A few months ago, I reported on an exciting finding that

The American Academy of Neurology has updated its guidelines on when people with dementia should stop driving.

Another gene has been identified that appears to increase risk of Alzheimer’s. The gene, MTHFD1L, is located on chromosome six.

Previous research has found that unexplained weight loss is an early sign of Alzheimer's.

Amnestic mild cognitive impairment often leads to Alzheimer's disease, but what predicts aMCI?

A pilot study involving 21 institutionalized individuals with moderate-to-severe Alzheimer’s found that, although drinking two 4-oz glasses of apple juice daily for a month produced no change in the Dementia Rating Scale or in the Activities of Daily Living measure, there was a significant (27%)

A pilot study involving 10 patients with moderate Alzheimer's disease, of whom half were randomly assigned to the treatment, has found that two weeks of receiving daily (25 minute) periods of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation to the prefrontal

A study involving outpatients with early stage Alzheimer’s found that their performance on some computerized tests of executive function and visual attention, including a simulated driving task, improved significantly after three months of taking

A study involving 54 older adults (66-76) and 58 younger adults (18-35) challenges the idea that age itself causes people to become more risk-averse and to make poorer decisions.

Pages

Subscribe to Latest newsSubscribe to Latest newsSubscribe to Latest health newsSubscribe to Latest news
Error | About memory

Error

The website encountered an unexpected error. Please try again later.