risk factors

COPD associated with increased risk of MCI

Data from 1,425 cognitively healthy older adults (70-89) has found that a diagnosis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) was associated with an 83% greater risk of developing non-amnestic mild cognitive impairment. The greatest risk was among patients who had COPD for more than five years.

Over the study period, 230 (16%) developed amnestic MCI, 97 (7%) nonamnestic MCI, 27 (2%) MCI of unknown type, and 16 dementia (1%).

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2014-03/tjnj-caw031414.php

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Risk Factors

Older news items (pre-2010) brought over from the old website

High protein diet shrinks brain in Alzheimer’s mice

A study using genetically engineered mice has tested the effects of four diets for their effects on Alzheimer’s pathology: a regular diet, a high fat/low carbohydrate custom diet, a high protein/low carb version, or a high carbohydrate/low fat option. Unexpectedly, mice fed the high protein/low carbohydrate diet had brains 5% lighter that all the others, and regions of their hippocampus were less developed. Mice on the high fat diet had higher levels of amyloid-beta protein, although no effect on plaque burden was detected.

Franciosi, S., Gama Sosa, M., English, D., Oler, E., Oung, T., Janssen, W., et al. (2009). Novel cerebrovascular pathology in mice fed a high cholesterol diet. Molecular Neurodegeneration, 4(1), 42. doi: 10.1186/1750-1326-4-42. Full text available at http://www.molecularneurodegeneration.com/content/4/1/40

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-10/bc-arf101909.php

Infections may lead to faster memory loss in Alzheimer's disease

A 6-month study involving 222 people with Alzheimer's disease (average age 83) has found that people who had infections or even bumps and bruises from a fall were more likely to have high blood levels of tumor necrosis factor-α, a protein involved in the inflammatory process, and were also more likely to experience memory loss or cognitive decline than people who did not have infections and who had low levels of the protein. Nearly half the participants experienced an infection or injury that led to inflammation during the study, and they experienced memory loss that was at twice the rate of those who did not have infections or injuries. Those with high levels of the protein in their blood at the beginning of the study had memory loss at four times the rate of those with low levels of the protein at the start of the study, and those with high levels who also experienced acute infections during the study had memory loss at 10 times the rate of those who started with low levels and had no infections over the six-month period.

Holmes, C. et al. 2009. Systemic inflammation and disease progression in Alzheimer disease. Neurology, 73, 768-774.

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-09/aaon-iml090109.php

Poor sleep linked to later development of Alzheimer's

A mouse study has found that amyloid-beta significantly increases during periods of sleep deprivation. The discovery follows observation that peptide levels in both mice and humans increase significantly during the day and drop at night. When mice were only allowed to sleep four hours a day for 21 days, they had higher amyloid-beta plaque build-up in their brain than similar-aged mice with regular sleeping habits. The circadian fluctuation was found to reflect the activity of orexin, a hormone that regulates wakefulness. The findings suggest insomnia, late-night habits, and irregular sleep schedules during mid-life may be linked to the later development of Alzheimer's disease.

Kang, J-E. et al. 2009. Amyloid- Dynamics Are Regulated by Orexin and the Sleep-Wake Cycle. Science, Published Online September 24

http://www.the-scientist.com/blog/display/55996/ 
Alzheimers linked to lack of Zzzzs

Greater dementia risk in former N.F.L. players

A study commissioned by the National Football League reports that Alzheimer’s disease or similar memory-related diseases appear to have been diagnosed in the league’s former players vastly more often than in the national population: five times the national average among those 50 and older (6.1%)and 19 times for those aged 30 through 49. The findings are consistent with several recent studies regarding N.F.L. players and the effects of their occupational head injuries. The study involved a phone survey of 1,063 retired players (from an original random list of 1,625), who were asked questions derived from the standard National Health Interview Survey. Some health issues were reported at higher than the population rate (sleep apnea and elevated cholesterol — both risk factors for cognitive problems).

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/30/sports/football/30dementia.html

Oxygen treatment hastens memory loss in Alzheimer's mice

A study using genetically engineered mice has found that young adult Alzheimer's mice exposed to 100% oxygen during several 3-hour sessions demonstrated substantial memory loss, while those exposed to normal air had no measurable memory loss, and neither did normal mice without any genetic predisposition for Alzheimer's disease. The results suggest that people genetically predisposed to Alzheimer's disease or with excessive amounts of beta amyloid in their brains are at increased risk of developing the disease earlier if they receive high concentrations of oxygen, for example during or after surgery. The findings may help explain why some elderly patients develop memory loss after major surgery.

Arendash, G.W. et al. 2009. Oxygen treatment triggers cognitive impairment in Alzheimer's transgenic mice. NeuroReport, 20 (12), 1087-1092.

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-08/uosf-oth081109.php

Delirium rapidly accelerates memory decline in Alzheimer's patients

A new analysis of data spanning 15 years and involving 408 Alzheimer’s patients, has revealed that among those 72 patients who developed delirium at some point, the average decline on cognitive tests was 2.5 points per year before the episode of delirium, and 4.9 points per year after. Across groups, the rate of decline was about three times faster in those who had delirium compared to those who did not. Delirium often develops in elderly patients following a medical disturbance, surgery or infection, but it is preventable in up to 40% of cases.

Fong, T.G. et al. 2009. Delirium accelerates cognitive decline in Alzheimer disease. Neurology, 72, 1570-1575.

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-05/bidm-dra043009.php

Connection between heart disorder and Alzheimer's

A very large study, involving over 37,000 patients, has found that those with atrial fibrillation, regardless of age, were 44% more likely to develop dementia, and those younger than 70 were 130% more likely to develop Alzheimer's. Previous studies have shown a connection between atrial fibrillation and vascular dementia. Atrial fibrillation is the most common heart rhythm problem, and has a strong genetic link. It is also a risk factor for stroke.

The findings were presented Friday, May 15, at "Heart Rhythm 2009," the annual scientific sessions of the Heart Rhythm Society in Boston.

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-05/imc-smf051309.php

Inflammatory response to infection and injury may worsen dementia

Systemic inflammation – inflammation in the body as a whole – is known to have direct effects on brain function, but there has been little research into the impact of systemic inflammation on the progress of dementia and neurodegenerative diseases. Now, in a study to mimic the effect of bacterial infection in people with dementia, a mouse study has revealed that that the inflammatory response to infection in mice with prior neurodegenerative disease leads to exaggerated symptoms of the infection, causes changes in memory and learning and leads to accelerated progression of dementia.

Cunningham, C. et al. In press. Systemic Inflammation Induces Acute Behavioral and Cognitive Changes and Accelerates Neurodegenerative Disease. Biological Psychiatry

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2008-09/wt-irt091608.php

Physical frailty may be linked to Alzheimer's disease

Autopsies of the brains of 165 people who had been participants in a larger community study of chronic diseases of aging has revealed that Alzheimer's disease pathology (plaques and tangles) was associated with physical frailty in older persons regardless of whether they had dementia. The level of frailty was approximately twice as high in a person with a high level of Alzheimer’s pathology, and this was true regardless of medical history or level of physical activity. These findings raise the possibility that Alzheimer's disease may contribute to frailty or that frailty and Alzheimer's disease share a common cause. Studies show that about 7% of people over age 65 are considered frail; 45% after age 85.

Buchman, A.S., Schneider, J.A., Leurgans, S. & Bennett, D.A. 2008. Physical frailty in older persons is associated with Alzheimer disease pathology. Neurology, 71, 499-504.

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2008-08/aaon-pfm080508.php

Thyrotropin levels associated with Alzheimer's risk in women

A clinically detectable over- or under-active thyroid has long been recognized as a potentially reversible cause of cognitive impairment. Now a large long-running study of thyrotropin (a hormone secreted by the pituitary gland that helps regulate thyroid gland function) levels has found that women with the lowest and highest levels of thyrotropin had more than double the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease. No relationship was observed between thyrotropin levels and Alzheimer's disease risk in men.

Tan, Z.S. et al. 2008. Thyroid Function and the Risk of Alzheimer Disease: The Framingham Study. Archives of Internal Medicine, 168(14), 1514-1520.

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2008-07/jaaj-tla072408.php

Short arms and legs linked to risk of dementia

Several studies have shown that early life environment plays an important role in susceptibility to chronic disease later in life. Data from the Cardiovascular Health Cognition Study (involving 2,798 people for an average of five years) has now found that women with the shortest arm spans were 1.5 times more likely to develop dementia and Alzheimer’s disease than women with longer arm spans. For every inch longer a woman’s leg, the risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease was reduced by 16%. In men, only arm span was associated with a lower risk of dementia. With every increased inch in arm span, men had a 6% decrease in risk of dementia. The association between short limbs and dementia risk may be due to poor nutrition in early life, which can affect limb growth (which implies that there should be no such connection if your short limbs are due to genetics).

Szekely, C.A. et al. 2008. No advantage of Aβ42-lowering NSAIDs for prevention of Alzheimer dementia in six pooled cohort studies. Neurology, 70, 2291-2298.

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2008-05/aaon-saa042908.php

Inhaled anesthetics might increase the risk of Alzheimer's

A study using a new imaging technique has been able to see why anesthetics might cause amyloid β peptides to clump together, and whether one method of anesthesia was better than another. Previous studies have found that the inhaled anesthetics halothane and isoflurane and the intravenous anesthetic propofol encouraged the growth and clumping of Aβ in a test tube experiment. The new study found that the inhaled anesthetics caused the highest levels of Aβ aggregation, while the injected anesthetic propofol only interacted and caused aggregation at high concentrations, and thiopental did not cause the clustering of Aβ peptides even at high concentrations.

Mandal, P.K., Williams, J.P. & Mandal, R. 2007. Molecular Understanding of Aβ Peptide Interaction with Isoflurane, Propofol, and Thiopental: NMR Spectroscopic Study. Biochemistry, 46 (3), 762 –771.

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2007-01/uopm-roa012507.php

Anesthetics a risk factor for Alzheimer’s?

The link between surgery and cognitive problems has long been noted, but it’s never been clear whether postoperative cognitive dysfunction was the result of the surgery itself or the anaesthetics. Now animal studies and test tube experiments are beginning to show that certain anaesthetics reduce the rate at which brain cells are born and develop. The latest study reveals that the inhaled anaesthetics halothane and isoflurane encourage clumping of beta amyloid protein, as does the commonly used intravenous anaesthetic propofol, at least at higher concentrations — suggesting that giving elderly patients certain general anaesthetics could increase their risk of developing Alzheimer's disease. The intravenous anaesthetic thiopental appears to have no effect on the proteins.

The study was presented at the annual Society for Neuroscience Meeting held in Atlanta, Georgia, October 14-18.

http://www.newscientist.com/channel/health/mg19225753.900-alzheimers-alert-over-anaesthetics.html
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-10/ns-aao102506.php

Brain activity, drugs could affect Alzheimer's progression

Mouse studies have revealed that the activity of connections among brain cells significantly affects levels of the toxic protein beta-amyloid, suggesting that the kind of mental activity people practice or drugs they might take fo affect their risk of Alzheimer’s or the disease progression. The researchers suggest that enriched environments may increase overall synaptic activity in some brain regions and decrease it in others. Increased activity in some brain regions might result in increased susceptibility to beta-amyloid deposition if the activated neural circuits contain high levels of human APP expression. Drugs used to treat neuropsychiatric disorders directly influence neurotransmitters, and their receptors, thereby altering synaptic activity.

Cirrito, J.R. et al. 2005. Synaptic Activity Regulates Interstitial Fluid Amyloid-b Levels In Vivo. Neuron, 48, 913–922.

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2005-12/cp-bad121505.php

New research suggests heart bypass surgery increases risk of Alzheimer's disease

Patients who have either coronary artery bypass graft surgery or coronary angioplasty are at an increased risk of developing Alzheimer's disease, according to a study involving 5,216 people who underwent coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG) and 3,954 people who had a percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) in 1996 and 1997. The researchers suggest the trauma to the brain during surgery is the principle cause.

Lee, T.A., Wolozin, B., Weiss, K.B. & Bednar, M.M. 2005. Assessment of the Emergence of Alzheimer's Disease Following Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Surgery or Percutaneous Transluminal Coronary Angioplasty. Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, 7 (4), 319-324.

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2005-08/cwru-nrs082405.php

Testosterone loss may lead to Alzheimer's

A new study suggests that, like estrogen loss in older women, decreased levels of testosterone may put aging men at risk for Alzheimer's disease. The research suggests that testosterone both protects neurons from injury, and reduces levels of beta-amyloid.

Rosario, E.R., Chang, L., Stanczyk, F.Z. & Pike, C.J. 2004. Age-Related Testosterone Depletion and the Development of Alzheimer Disease. JAMA, 292, 1431-1432.

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2004-09/uosc-alm092104.php

Coronary artery bypass surgery not a risk factor for dementia

A comparison of dementia patients with controls has found that dementia patients are no more likely than those without dementia to have had coronary artery bypass surgery.

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2004-07/mc-cab071504.php

Minorities hardest hit by Alzheimer's disease

A study of 119 Latinos and 55 non-Latino white Alzheimer patients suggests that Latinos in the U.S. develop Alzheimer's symptoms much earlier than their white, non-Latino peers. There are several known factors which may be responsible for this apparent vulnerability in Latinos: high rates of vascular disease, leave school earlier, and less likely to use medical services or have health insurance than other Americans.

South Carolina, as the only U.S. state that keeps a comprehensive database of people with a diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease, has found that African Americans aged 55 to 64 years were more than three times as likely to have Alzheimer's as their European American counterparts. At ages 65 to 84, African Americans were more than twice as likely to have Alzheimer's. South Carolina has greater rates of obesity, diabetes, and related health problems than the rest of the country, especially amongst African Americans.

Another study has found that, in order to avoid overestimating the number of African Americans who may have early signs of Alzheimer's disease, screening tests must be adapted to cultural differences. The study involved 635 people over the age of 60. Researchers found that, using current scoring methods, African Americans scored lower on various neuropsychological tests. Even when education was taken into account, 35% of African Americans scored low enough to warrant a diagnosis of MCI, compared to only 15% of European Americans. However, when the researchers applied new, racially sensitive scoring methods they've developed, the difference in MCI rates disappeared.

Reported at The 9th International Conference on Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders (ICAD), July 17-22, at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania:

Christopher Clark – Latino Patients with AD Have An Earlier Age of Symptoms Onset Compared to Anglos (P1-041)

James Laditka – Epidemiology of Alzheimer's Disease: Race Effects, Area Variation, and Clustering (P3-132)

Marjorie Marenberg – Racial Differences in Screening of MCI in a Primary Care Population (O4-01-02)

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2004-07/aa-mhh070704.php

Alzheimer's Association offers information about providing culturally sensitive care at http://www.alz.org//Resources/Diversity/

Low free testosterone levels linked to Alzheimer's disease in older men

A study evaluating the testosterone levels of 574 men, ages 32 to 87, who participated in the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging (BLSA), found that older men with lower levels of free, or unbound, testosterone circulating in their bloodstreams were apparently at higher risk of developing Alzheimer's than their peers. This is believed to be the first study to associate low circulating blood levels of free testosterone with Alzheimer’s years before diagnosis. Previously, the same researchers had found that older men with high levels of circulating free testosterone have better visual and verbal memory and perform spatial tasks more adeptly than their peers.

Moffat, S.D., Zonderman, A.B., Metter, E.J., Kawas, C., Blackman, M.R., Harman, S.M. & Resnick, S.M. 2004. Free testosterone and risk for Alzheimer disease in older men. Neurology, 62, 188-193.

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2004-01/naos-lft012804.php

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Physical activity saves hippocampus in people at risk of Alzheimer's

A study involving 97 healthy older adults (65-89) has found that those with the “Alzheimer’s gene” (APOe4) who didn’t engage in much physical activity showed a decrease in hippocampal volume (3%) over 18 months. Those with the gene who did exercise showed no change in the size of their

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Highest risk Alzheimer's genetic carriers take positive steps after learning risk status

It’s often argued that telling people that they carry genes increasing their risk of Alzheimer’s will simply upset them to no purpose. A new study challenges that idea.

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Genes implicated in late-onset Alzheimer's disease

11 new genetic susceptibility factors for Alzheimer’s identified

The largest international study ever conducted on Alzheimer's disease (I-GAP) has identified 11 new genetic regions that increase the risk of late-onset Alzheimer’s, plus 13 other genes yet to be validated. Genetic data came from 74,076 patients and controls from 15 countries.

Eleven genes for Alzheimer's disease have previously been identified.

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Brains grow differently in babies with Alzheimer’s gene

A brain imaging study of 162 healthy babies (2-25 months) has found that those who carried the ApoE4 gene (60 of the 162) tended to have increased brain growth in areas in the

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One Alzheimer's risk gene may begin to affect brains from childhood

A gene linked to Alzheimer's has been linked to brain changes in childhood. This gene, SORL1, has two connections to Alzheimer’s: it carries the code for the sortilin-like receptor, which is involved in recycling some molecules before they develop into amyloid-beta; it is also involved in lipid metabolism, putting it at the heart of the vascular risk pathway.

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Gene variation associated with brain atrophy in MCI

Analysis of data from 237 patients with mild cognitive impairment (mean age 79.9) has found that, compared to those carrying the ‘normal’ ApoE3 gene (the most common variant of the ApoE gene), the ApoE4 carriers showed markedly greater rates of shrinkage in 13 of 15 brain regions thought to be key components of the brain networks disrupted in Alzheimer’s.

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2014-01/rson-gva010714.php

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No evidence of Alzheimer’s pathology in younger carriers of Alzheimer’s gene

Two studies indicate that young people carrying the “Alzheimer’s gene” (ApoE4) do not have the pathological changes found later in life. The first study, involving 1412 adolescents, found no differences in hippocampal volume or asymmetry as a function of gene status. The second study, involving 173 young adults (average age, 28 ± 7.6 years), found no difference in plasma concentrations of amyloid-beta peptides.

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2014-04/ip-neo040614.php

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