Dentures did not affect the unusual changes of brain sizes in Japanese older adults with less than 10 teeth, defined as tooth loss, compared with those not using dentures. It may also not improve cognitive ability decline associated with these changes in the brain. Scientists explained that when tooth loss happens, people lose the connection […]
Tooth loss relates to unusual brain sizes among older adults with normal cognitive ability. Can food help?
A recent study revealed that older adults with normal cognitive ability who had less than 10 teeth, defined as tooth loss, showed unusual brain sizes, compared to those with over 24 teeth. This may signal mild cognitive impairment and dementia in the future. They also found that the elderly with tooth loss ate less plant-based and […]
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6 Min
Playing musical instruments can benefit older adults’ short-term memory and verbal reasoning ability
A recently published study with a large cohort of older participants shows that playing instruments can benefit their short-term memory and verbal reasoning ability. Particularly, those who played keyboard, brass, or woodwind instruments benefited the most. Verbal reasoning is a person’s ability to understand and interpret what they are reading. We have long heard about the […]
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4 Min
Multidomain trainings may improve cognitive flexibility of older adults
At least 12 weeks of multidomain trainings focusing on balance, strength, and cognitive ability may improve older adults’ cognitive flexibility, according to a meta-analysis. The trainings also notably improved muscle strength of the elderly. Cognitive flexibility is individual’s ability to change their behavours and thinking when environment changes. Meta-analysis is a method used for combining and analyzing results […]
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6 Min
DNA methylation mediates traffic-related PM2.5’s impact on Alzheimer’s disesase
Scientists identified methylation of 24 regions, called CpG sites, in the DNA sequence, that interferes the effects of traffic-related particulate matter 2.5 (PM2.5) on brain structure changes in individuals with Alzheimer’s disease. DNA methylation is a biological process that adds chemical methyl groups to the DNA sequence. Some of the CpG sites locate in the […]
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5 Min
Outdoor PM2.5 poses risk of Alzheimer’s disesase to healthy elderly people
One, three, or five years of exposure to outdoor particulate matter 2.5 (PM2.5) increased the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease among healthy elderly people. PM2.5 are inhalable air pollutant particles in diameter of 2.5 micrometers or less, which can be at least 20 times smaller than a human hair. Over years of urban development across […]
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5 Min
Probiotic Supplements Improved Cognitive Ability And Sleep Quality Of Elderly People With Mild Cognitive Impairment
Using probiotic supplements for 12 weeks improved cognitive ability and sleep quality of Chinese patients with mild cognitive impairment, a randomized controlled trial shows. Randomized controlled trials prospectively study how effective an intervention or a drug is on patients with a certain disease. It is the gold standard for effectiveness studies. People with mild cognitive impairment are […]
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7 Min
Gut Microbiome Changes in People with Preclinical Alzheimer’s Disease
People with preclinical Alzheimer’s disease have notably different gut microbiome features from those without the condition. The distinct gut microbiome features may help physicians detect preclinical Alzheimer’s early for individuals at risk. People with the preclinical condition have normal cognitive ability, while already show the biological evidence of Alzheimer’s in the brain, blood, or the […]
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5 Min
GFAP, a Strong Blood-based Biomarker, Predicted Alzheimer’s Disease at Least 10 Years Before Symptoms Appear
Researchers have found that by evaluating people’s blood levels of glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), together with their cognitive test results and demographic information, they could predict Alzheimer’s disease at least 10 years before the diagnosis. The prediction was more accurate when they considered all these factors together, rather than considering the blood level of GFAP alone. […]
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6 Min
Weakened bones in women and chest pain in men are the top predictors of Alzheimer’s disease, a machine learning model shows
Researchers developed a machine learning model trained on a large amount of electronic health record data for finding risk factors that can predict Alzheimer’s disease. Machine learning model is a computer program that can find patterns in or make predictions about previously unseen data, after people trained it with a set of data. They identified weakened […]
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5 Min