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Research Shows That Having a Purpose in Life May Lower Alzheimer's Risk

An increasing amount of research is being directed at finding ways to prevent Alzheimer’s. A recent study reported in the Archives of General Psychiatry (Volume 67, page 304) suggests that feeling like one has a purpose in life is linked to a reduced risk of Alzheimer's disease and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) among older people. More...

Advice to Keep Dementia at Bay

Recently, researchers looking into cognitive decline and dementia have made encouraging findings. Although it was believed that the adult brain could not develop new neurons (or brain cells), scientists have learned in the past decade or so that the human brain is pliable and adaptive. The brain can actually add new neurons even late in life and continually form new connections among existing neurons -- a phenomenon known as neuroplasticity. More...

Mild Cognitive Impairment: Is It a Sign of Alzheimer’s?

In this excerpt from a recent issue of the Memory Disorders Bulletin, Dr. Peter Rabins talks about efforts to create workable diagnostic criteria for mild cognitive impairment or MCI. More...

How Dr. Folstein Created the MMSE

The Mini-Mental State Exam (MMSE) -- the brief structured screening test of mental status that is given to all patients suspected of having dementia -- was created by Marshal Folstein, M.D., a Johns Hopkins psychiatrist. More...

Unraveling the Mystery of Cognitive Impairment in Parkinson’s Disease Patients

If you have Parkinson's disease, your body fails to produce enough dopamine, a substance necessary for smooth and coordinated movements. This loss of dopamine leads to the signature symptoms of Parkinson's disease: rhythmical shaking (tremor), stiffness, shuffling, slowness of movement, balance problems, small or cramped handwriting, loss of facial expression and soft, mumbled speech. More...

Research Update: Dementia Linked to Atrial Fibrillation

As our population ages, people with chronic cardiovascular disease, including atrial fibrillation (or irregular heartbeat), are living longer. In a study reported in the journal Heart Rhythm (Volume 7, page 433) researchers reported that atrial fibrillation may be associated with an increased risk of developing dementia and Alzheimer's disease. More...

Does Namenda Work? Dr. Rabins Addresses a Difficult Question

In this excerpt from a recent issue of the Memory Disorders Bulletin, medical editor Dr. Peter V. Rabins confronts the difficult question: What do you do when a caregiver asks, "Dr. Rabins, do you think that Namenda is really working?" More...

Research on Abdominal Fat and Dementia

Gaining weight, especially around the midsection, has been associated with a number of health conditions, including diabetes, heart disease and cancer. New research suggests that you can add shrinking brain size -- a hallmark of Alzheimer's disease and dementia -- to that list. More...

Should You Hire a Geriatric Care Manager?

When a loved one is diagnosed with dementia and needs help to make it through the day, the spouse and adult children are faced with two choices if they wish to keep that person well cared for in the home: Join the ranks of the 65 million family caregivers in this country and become a full-time caregiver, or else hire a home-care aide to help with the many tasks throughout the day and night, from bathing and dressing to preparing food and doing housework and laundry. More...

Six Signs of Cognitive Impairment in Parkinson’s Disease Patients

Nearly every person who develops Parkinson's disease will experience some cognitive changes, but the changes range in severity from very mild to severe. Experts believe that 30 to 40 percent of patients with Parkinson's disease develop cognitive impairments that are severe enough to interfere with their daily functioning. More...

Recognizing the Signs of Lewy Body Dementia

Lewy body dementia is a form of dementia that may account for as many as 20 percent of all dementia cases. Lewy body dementia is now believed to be the second most common specific cause of dementia after Alzheimer's disease. Lewy bodies -- named for Frederick Lewy, the physician who first identified them in 1912 while working in the laboratory of Dr. Alois Alzheimer -- are tiny spherical deposits of a protein called alpha-synuclein that are found in the brains of patients with this disorder. The presence of Lewy bodies throughout the brain disrupts the brain's normal functioning. More...

Two Issues at the Heart of Alzheimer’s Caregiving: Q & As from the Johns Hopkins Memory Disorders Bulletin

Q. My wife (81 years old) is in the early stages of Alzheimer's, but even so, she is demonstrating some strange habits that she never had before. Unfortunately, I don't know what to do about them. Here are some examples: At nighttime, she now wants all the lights on in our bedroom. I put on a special sleep mask and I am able to sleep, but sometimes she will put the television on, which awakens me immediately ... More...

The Current State of Alzheimer’s Research Funding

In a recent issue of the Johns Hopkins Memory Disorders Bulletin, Dr. Marilyn Albert, director of the Johns Hopkins Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, talked about the current state of Alzheimer’s research funding. Here’s an excerpt from that conversation. More...

Should You Take Dietary Supplements to Prevent Dementia?

Americans spend over $25 billion each year on dietary supplements that promise everything from slender waistlines to better sex lives. A large and growing portion of this market is devoted to products that claim to improve memory or prevent the onset of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. More...

Improve Your Memory With These 9 Common-Sense Techniques

The minor memory lapses that occur with age-associated memory impairment can’t be eliminated completely; however, a number of common-sense strategies can improve overall memory at any age. The keys are to stay focused, active and alert. More...

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