Currently viewing the category: "dementia"

Brain Starvation May Be Cause of Alzheimer’s

By On · Add Comment · In Alzheimer's, amyloid beta, BACE1, blood flow, brain, dementia, neurodegeneration, oxidative stress

Who knew that Grace Slick would have had the answer for preventing Alzheimer’s: Feed your head!

That’s right, according to new research published in this month’s issue of Neuron, poor blood flow to the brain may be the main cause of the dementia disorder. Blood carries nutrients and oxygen throughout the body, and the brain’s main fuel is glucose, a sugar. The researchers found that when the brain is deprived of glucose, a biochemical cascade is unleashed that ultimately leads to neurodegeneration.

This study, and all Alzheimer’s research for that matter, focuses on a type of protein called amyloid beta. Amyloid beta is found in high concentrations in the brains of people with Alzheimer’s. An enzyme, called BACE1, has also been found high concentrations along with the amyloid beta, but whether high BACE1 causes high amyloid beta or vice versa is still under study. Either way, the main focus of Alzheimer’s research is in how to decrease both without screwing up the brain–very important since BACE1 is also important in many brain functions including memory and protection and regulation of nerve cells.

The interesting thing about this study is that it recognizes an external stress which might lead to the physiological defect, as opposed to just a “random” dysfunction. Yes, of course there’s a precursor event–hypoxia and oxidative stress. Brilliant! Give lead researcher Robert Vassar, professor at Northwestern’s Feinberg School of Medicine, the Nobel Prize. He’s the same gent who has discovered the BACE1 enzyme, and I think his work is instrumental in understanding this dreaded disease.

What I don’t agree with is the preoccupation with searching for drugs to combat the hyper-production of amyloid beta or the BACE1 enzyme. It’s obvious to me that these products are a response to a dysfunctional state, so attacking them is like putting a band-aid on a bloodshot wound. But the astute Professor Vassar knows better. He suggests that increasing blood flow to the brain of those susceptible to Alzheimer’s would be more prudent. This could be done with drugs like vasodilators, or it could be done preventatively through…exercise!

You’ve got it. Good old fashioned exercise is the best way to increase blood flow to the brain. Throw in good nutrition (whole, natural foods), some vitamin supplementation (vitamins B, C, essential fatty acids, some anti-oxidants), regular chiropractic care to keep the blood a’flowin’, and minimizing the cigarettes, drugs, and booze (sorry Grace) and you’ll do wonders for your cerebral blood flow. Hey, don’t wait until you’re forgetting what year it is to start doing these head-healthy habits. Start today and lower your chances of developing Alzheimer’s in the future.

“Good” Cholesterol Retains Memory

By On · Add Comment · In aerobic, Alzheimer's, cholesterol, dementia, exercise, fatty acids, high density lipoprotein (HDL), omega 3, weight

If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a million times: Your high density lipoprotein (HDL) levels are the cholesterol readings that matter the most. If you remember my earlier posts, and my podcast on statins (Episode 7), you’ll recall that HDLs, or “good” cholesterol, are more important than low density lipoproteins (LDL) and total cholesterol when it comes to predicting whether you’ll develop heart disease. If you don’t, then maybe your HDL levels need a little boost.

According to British researchers, middled-aged people with low levels of HDLs had greater memory decline and were at greater risk for developing Alzheimer’s disease or other forms of dementia. The study looked at 3,700 British men and women, and found that falling levels of HDL cholesterol were linked to declining memory by age 60. The subjects were given a memory test, whereby they had twenty words read to them and then were instructed to write down in two minutes as many of the words they could remember. At age 55, those with low HDL cholesterol had a 27% higher risk of memory loss than those with high HDLs. At age 60, those with low HDLs had a 53% higher risk of memory loss compared to those with high HDLs.

I’m trying to tell you how important keeping your HDL levels up is. Here are the ways to increase HDL levels:

  • Regular aerobic exercise–walking, jogging, hiking, treadmill, stair climber–anything that makes you sweat for 20-30 minutes uninterrupted
  • Supplementing with omega 3 fatty acids–take these every day. I carry the best in my office
  • Losing weight–the two previous activities will help in this regard as will portion control (and by cutting sodas, and by going on the wagon)
  • Kicking the smoking habit

Pick up these habits, one at a time if you need to, and watch your HDL levels climb. You’ll not only benefit by reducing your chances of having a heart attack and retaining your sharp mental wit, but you’ll also feel better. And look better, too. Can I motivate you any more than that?

Bright Light and Vitamins Help Dementia

By On · Add Comment · In Alzheimer's, antioxidant, dementia, elderly, insomnia, light, melatonin, sleep, sun, supplements

What’s the best thing you can do for a loved one suffering from dementia? Open the shades and let the light shine through during the day, and give them melatonin supplements at night. This according to a recent study out of the Netherlands this month. The research, conducted at the Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience in Amsterdam, showed that increasing light exposure, either from the sun or from fluorescent lights, along with nightly melatonin supplementation, helped elderly people suffering from dementia improve their sleep, mood, and overall well-being.

The study looked at 189 elderly Dutch women who were split into groups according to whether they were exposed to bright lights, given melatonin supplements, or both. Other groups were given standard Alzheimer’s medication, while others were given nothing at all. They then looked at various mental factors such as cognitive function, mood (as in depression and agitation), and sleep function. The researchers found that the group receiving bright lights and melatonin fared as well as those on the Alzheimer’s medication. Considering the side effects which usually accompany the medication (nausea mostly), these findings offer a great deal of encouragement.

I find this study especially interesting as I believe we can extrapolate these observations to the general population. I highly advocate both regular sun exposure and melatonin supplementation for overall health and well-being. Think about it: the source of all energy in the solar system is our sun. Every plant, animal, microbe, fungus or algae needs energy either directly from the sun, or by consuming another energetic life form. Either way, the energetic chain begins with the sun. Nothing could survive without the life-giving force of our primary star. So why would anybody avoid it? Yes, I know: skin cancer propaganda is at its highest–dermatologist need to market too–but we all need sunlight, plain and simple.

Melatonin is a naturally produced hormone that helps regulate our circadian rhythms, or our sleep cycles (you’ve read about it in The Six Keys To Optimal Health, right?). It is also a great natural remedy for insomnia. Melatonin has many other non-sleep related benefits. For instance, it has antioxidant properties. It has also been studied as a therapy against certain cancers. And it has also shown promise as an agent to boost memory and learning ability. Throw this in with the current findings on dementia, and what you’ve got is a very useful little substance.

One does need to be careful with both sun exposure and melatonin, though. Obviously, too much sun-worship can cause serious health problems. And taking melatonin every day can cause dependence, nasty withdrawals, and sluggishness when taken in too large a concentration. So I recommend taking it a couple time a week only, and then laying off completely for longer stretches, like say a month or so. Other than that, both practices should be highly beneficial and therefore done by everyone.

Social Ties Keep People Mentally Sharp

By On · Add Comment · In decline, dementia, energetic, Harvard School of Public Health, memory, social integration, social life, socialization


In the fight against dementia, a rich social life may be just as important as cognitive calisthenics. According to a recent study, staying connected with family and friends may delay memory decline among the elderly.

This month’s issue of the American Journal of Public Health features a study conducted out of the Harvard School of Public Health, which looked at the effects of social integration on memory. Almost 17 thousand older adults were followed for a six year period and their memory tested over time. The people were categorized by marital status, volunteer activity, and frequency of contact with children, parents, and neighbors. Memory was assessed by immediate and delayed recall of a 10-word list.

Researchers found that highly social people had less memory decline (all participants had some memory decline) than their less social counterparts. And people with the least social integration had twice the rate of decline than the most socially integrated. Gives you something to think about when considering whether to let that ol’ crotchety pal of yours go, doesn’t it?

What wonderfully pleasant results coming out of the social and psychological sciences. Yes, we are social organisms. We thrive when interacting with others. Socialization is one of the seven major areas of life (along with physical, mental, spiritual, familial, financial, and vocational aspects) and it’s a fact that each one effects the others enormously. And now we know just how much socialization effects our mental and physical health.

As energetic organisms we need to have energetic exchanges regularly with other life forms. The most obvious is with our own species. However, I do believe that people can receive this necessary exchange with nature too. And some people can get all their energetic interaction needs fulfilled through nature–you know, the Dr. Doolittles of the world, Euell Gibbons, and such. But the social recluse who sits at home, watching T.V. and cursing the world is doomed to a later life of rapid mental decline.

Bottom line is this: If you want to stay sharp into old age, increase your social life. It’s fun. It’s healthy. It’s happenin’. Socializing is a great way to stay young.

Brain Fitness is the Future

By On · Add Comment · In Alzheimer's, brain stimulation programs, brain-fitness, Cogmed Working Memory Training program, dementia, memory, mentally fit, technology
Want to know what the next “big thing” in health will be? Brain-fitness games, software and other technology. You guys know that because you remember some of my earlier blogs, right? Of course you do. But if you don’t, let me refresh your memory.

Studies have shown that people who stay mentally fit have a significantly lower probability of developing dementia disorders like Alzheimer’s disease. How can people stay mentally sharp? I like the old tried and true, like studying calculus, or learning a new language, or memory puzzles (my favorite).

But a number of companies are producing brain stimulation programs, like the Cogmed Working Memory Training program (pictured left), which uses a sequence of flashing lights that need to be replicated by the player, much in the fashion of the old Simon game of my youth.

According to experts, the brain stimulation industry has more than doubled between 2005 and 2007 to $225 million in sales. I imagine it will continue to grow, as baby boomers seek out ways to beat mental decline. Cool, I like it. Technology will always try to improve upon what’s already available, and there are currently many ways to keep the mind fit. But, hey, I’m all for any outlet which stimulates the mind. We think, therefore we are…right? The brain-fitness industry is definitely taking a step in the right direction.

Antibiotic Overuse Raises Ethical Questions

By On · Add Comment · In Alzheimer's disease, antibiotics, brain, death, dementia, drug-resistant, Hastings Center, nursing homes, old man's friend, pneumonia, superbugs, terminal illness
As medical technology advances, modern society is increasingly faced with tough ethical questions–questions regarding right to life and quality of life issues. Take for example a new study which suggests that antibiotics are overused in people dying of dementia diseases and should be considered more carefully in light of the growing problem of drug-resistant superbugs. In other words, should people at the end stage of disease be given life-saving treatments despite the fact that time is not on their side? Or should medical practitioners consider the larger implications to the public health as a whole?

According to study co-author Dr. Susan Mitchell, a senior scientist with the Harvard-affiliated Hebrew Senior Life Institute for Aging Research in Boston, “Advanced dementia is a terminal illness; if we substituted ‘end-stage cancer’ for ‘advanced dementia,’ I don’t think people would have any problem understanding this.” What she is referring to is withholding antibiotics from people in the end-stages of Alzheimer’s disease, a fatal brain disease. Although many dementia patients die from infections like pneumonia, the underlying cause of illness and deterioration is damage to brain cells.

In the study, over two hundred people with advanced stage dementia residing in nursing homes in the Boston area were followed over an eighteen month period or until they died. Almost half the subjects died during the study. All subjects failed to recognize loved ones, had stopped speaking, were unable to walk or feed themselves, and were incontinent. Researchers looked at the patient’s medical records and found that 42% received antibiotics–many intravenously–within two weeks of their death. And here’s the kicker: The closer the patients were to dying, the more likely they were to receive antibiotics.

The problem with the practice of administering antibiotics to people near death is that we are in the midst of a superbug (antibiotic resistant strains of bacteria) epidemic; and the indiscriminate use of anti-bacterial medicines is more than a little to blame. Liberal prescribing of antibiotics is common in nursing homes, in children with ear infections, in adults with coughs and sore throats, and in many other ailments which, for the most part, will resolve on their own over time, or for which antibiotics are useless, like viral infections. But the fact is that, in nursing homes, the standard of care is for doctors to see the residents only one time per month or once every two months. According to Dr. Daniel Brauner, a geriatrician and ethicist at the University of Chicago Medical Center who was not involved in the study, “I’m sure a lot of these antibiotics were prescribed over the telephone.” I’m sure of that, too.

So the question remains: Should medical treatments be administered to people who are at the end stage of terminal illness? I’m certain there is no real answer. If the person is your loved one–your wife, husband, mother, father, and so forth–I’m quite convinced the answer will be YES! We all want the extra time with our closest family members. But in the bigger picture, perhaps a dignified death with the help “the old man’s friend”, as pneumonia was once called, is in order. As bioethicist Bruce Jennings, consultant at the Hastings Center, a research institute on medical ethics, says, “You might rescue the patient from life-threatening pneumonia and they live a few days, weeks or even months longer, but the extra time you have bought them by that rescue is not beneficial.”

Fuhgeddaboudit

By On · Add Comment · In brain cells, dementia, enzyme inhibitor, long-term memory, memory, memory storage, mental function, PKMzeta

New research shows that long-term memory storage is not as secure as once thought. In fact, it is now evident that memory can be erased. You heard me right. All those fond recollections of our youth can be whisked away forever by just blocking a protein that controls information flow between brain cells.

U.S. and Israeli researchers found these results by feeding rats saccharine, which made them sick, and then teaching the rats to associate the taste of saccharine with feeling ill. The scientists then injected the rats with an enzyme inhibitor called ZIP, blocking the protein PKMzeta, which controls memory. As a result, the rats were unable to remember the association with saccharine (feeling ill), regardless of how long they were trained. This suggests that a key mechanism in the brain works like a piece of machinery to store long-term memory. According to Yadin Dudai who led the study, “Long-term memory can be erased.”

This study is being touted as a breakthrough for the understanding and future treatment of dementia, a progressive decline of mental function well beyond that associated with normal aging. I certainly think that this is one potential use for these recent findings; however, I can’t help but feel a little creeped out by the possibility that we may be seeing the future with regard to some Orwellian “mind control”, a la Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. And it’s not lost on me that this study was conducted by two groups that could greatly benefit from a few erased memories in the world of politics and national security. Although I’m not usually one to subscribe to conspiracy theories, I still feel a bit uneasy about any research that leads to tampering with brain function. I mean, we think therefore we are, right? Oh well, I guess we’ve got to take the good with the bad with every situation, and that includes with science. Let’s just hope human trials won’t be taking place anytime soon.

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