Alzheimer’s disease (AD) hits hardest among the “younger elderly” ‘people in their 60s and 70s’ who show faster rates of brain tissue loss and cognitive decline as compared to patients 80 years and older, a new study has revealed.The greatest risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is advancing age. By age 85, the likelihood of developing the dreaded neurological disorder is roughly 50 per cent.
The study, being led by Professor Clive Holmes at the University of Southampton, will monitor 140 people aged over 50 with mild cognitive impairment during an 18-month period.
The participants will be assessed for levels of stress and any progression from mild cognitive impairment to dementia.
About 60% of people with mild cognitive impairment are known to go on to develop Alzheimer’s.
Prof Holmes said: “All of us go through stressful events. We are looking to understand how these may become a risk factor for the development of Alzheimer’s.
“Something such as bereavement or a traumatic experience – possibly even moving home – is also a potential factor.
“This is the first stage in developing ways in which to intervene with psychological or drug-based treatments to fight the disease.
“We are looking at two aspects of stress relief – physical and psychological – and the body’s response to that experience.”
The study is part of a £1.5 million package of six grants being given by the charity to find the cause of the disease, a cure and a way to prevent it.
Alzheimer’s Society research manager Anne Corbett said: “The study will look at the role chronic stress plays in the progression from mild thinking and memory problems – mild cognitive impairment – to Alzheimer’s disease.
“We feel this is a really important area of research that needs more attention. The results could offer clues to new treatments or better ways of managing the condition.
“It will also be valuable to understand how different ways of coping with stressful life events could influence the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease.”
Those who do so maintain their ability to do everyday tasks better than people simply given anti-dementia drugs, found German researchers.
They believe the approach could help transform treatment for those in care homes living with mild to moderate dementia.
The academics came to the conclusions after studying the effects of their specially designed programme on residents with varying levels dementia in five Bavarian nursing homes.
Fish may help to protect the brain against the memory loss and cell damage caused by Alzheimer’s disease, scientists reported yesterday.
A study of mice carrying a human gene that causes Alzheimer’s disease suggests that a diet rich in an omega-3 fatty acid called DHA slows progression of the disorder in its later stages.
“This is the first proof that our diets affect how our brain cells communicate with each other under the duress of Alzheimer’s,” said Prof Greg Cole of the University of California, Los Angeles, senior author of the paper in the journal Neuron. “