Physiology

As the incidence rates of dementia climb across the globe, the need to identify modifiable risk factors, preventive measures, and early treatments has become a public health priority. While some modifiable risk factors have been identified, there is still a considerable amount of unexplained risk. There is some evidence that environmental factors may account for […] Read More

Besides age, having a family history of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most significant risk factor for AD. Researchers wanted to determine if brain atrophy was present in people who are not experiencing symptoms of AD, but have a family history of the disease.1 Individuals with a family history of AD, but who were cognitively […] Read More

Researchers have linked Alzheimer’s disease risk to modifiable lifestyle factors, including: low education, midlife hypertension, midlife obesity, diabetes, physical inactivity, smoking, and depression.1 Addressing modifiable factors may help individuals maintain their cognitive function and possibly even prevent cognitive impairment. However, randomized controlled trials are needed to confirm the associations of modifiable factors and to determine […] Read More

The incidence of Alzheimer’s disease and dementia are increasing globally. Research has identified an association between inflammation in the body and cognitive decline. Hence, researchers have begun evaluating whether modifying behaviors associated with inflammation in the body may be beneficial in reducing the incidence of mild cognitive impairment. The current study focused on periodontal disease […] Read More

Worldwide, the leading cause of disability and dependence in older adults is dementia. As the life expectancy of the world’s population increases, it is predicted that so will the incidence of dementia. The costs of caring for an aging population needing specialized care due to dementia are expected to increase exponentially. While study participants with […] Read More

It has been reported that sleep apnea, stress, anxiety, obesity, diabetes, sedentary lifestyle, depression, insomnia, and low levels of cardiovascular fitness either alone or together are associated with hippocampus (region in the brain) atrophy and cognitive impairment in aging. Researchers have begun to look at whether providing a multi-disciplinary program that addresses these factors could […] Read More

  Alzheimer’s disease is characterized by extracellular (outside of cells) ‘amyloid plaques’ composed of deposits of protein called Aβ, and intracellular (within cells) ‘neurofibrillary tangles’ composed of a protein called tau. The molecular connection between Aβ and tau is still unclear.   Animal models have been used to try and better understand the role of […] Read More

  According to the World Health Organization, the prevalence of obesity nearly doubled between 1980 and 2008. They report that more than 1.4 billion adults were overweight and more than half a billion were obese in 2008. At least 2.8 million people each year die as a result of health implications from being overweight or […] Read More