Gerontology News and Research

RSS

Gerontology is the study of the social, psychological and biological aspects of aging.

Periodontal disease may increase risk of cognitive dysfunction: Researchers

NYU dental researchers have found the first long-term evidence that periodontal (gum) disease may increase the risk of cognitive dysfunction associated with Alzheimer's disease in healthy individuals as well as in those who already are cognitively impaired.

4 Aug 2010

Sense of community is more important for pregnant woman's mental health than ethnicity: Study

It takes a village to keep a pregnant woman at her healthiest, a new University of Michigan study shows. The study compared African American and European American women and women of lower and higher socioeconomic status to see what effects communalism, or a strong sense of community, had on African American women and women of lower socioeconomic status.

3 Aug 2010

Reliance on assistive devices can affect everyday life in multiple ways: Study

Obese older adults are more likely to use walkers, canes and other mobility devices at a younger age, and may run the risk of using them incorrectly, according to new research from Purdue University.

29 Jul 2010

Study finds national differences in degree of conflict between older parents, adult children

Tolstoy wrote that every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way, and a new study in the August 2010 issue of the Journal of Marriage and Family finds significant national differences in the degree of conflict between older parents and their adult children.

27 Jul 2010

Lack of SIRT1 protein exhibits impaired memory and learning: Study

A protein implicated in many biological processes also may play a role in memory, according to a study led by the University of Southern California and the National Institute on Aging at the National Institutes of Health.The findings, published this week in the Journal of Neuroscience, agree with research by a different team published online by Nature on July 11. Both studies found that mice lacking the protein SIRT1 exhibited impaired memory and learning, suggesting SIRT1's importance to those functions.

23 Jul 2010

NIH awards $20M grant to support Institute for Clinical & Translational Science efforts

The Institute for Clinical & Translational Science at UC Irvine will get $20 million over five years from the National Institutes of Health to speed the transformation of scientific discoveries into medical advances for patients.

15 Jul 2010

Columbia University professor named 2010 recipient of Gerontology Outstanding Mentorship Award

The Gerontological Society of America (GSA) - the nation's largest interdisciplinary organization devoted to the field of aging - has chosen Ada C. Mui, PhD, ACSW, LMSW, of Columbia University as the 2010 recipient of the Task Force on Minority Issues in Gerontology Outstanding Mentorship Award.

14 Jul 2010

UVA launches first-of-its-kind educational website focusing on Alzheimer's disease, dementia

The University of Virginia School of Medicine is launching Memory Commons, an interactive, first-of-its-kind educational website for physicians and healthcare professionals that focuses specifically on Alzheimer's Disease and dementia.

12 Jul 2010

Dietary protein intake may reduce bone density in overweight, postmenopausal women: Research

Overweight and moderately obese postmenopausal women using diets based on higher protein intake also need to be aware of potential bone loss, according to new research from Purdue University.

8 Jul 2010

Vitamin E may help prevent cognitive deterioration in elderly people: Study

High levels of several vitamin E components in the blood are associated with a decreased risk for Alzheimer's disease in advanced age, suggesting that vitamin E may help prevent cognitive deterioration in elderly people. This is the conclusion reached in a Swedish study published in the July 2010 issue of the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease.

8 Jul 2010

Older adults experience more supportive friendships, less conflict with children and siblings

Part of what makes those relationships so golden during the golden years is that people of all ages are more likely to forgive and respect one's elders, according to research from Purdue University.

29 Jun 2010

GSA selects Helene Fung as 2010 recipient of Margret M. and Paul B. Baltes Foundation Award

The Gerontological Society of America - the nation's largest interdisciplinary organization devoted to the field of aging - has chosen Helene Fung, PhD, of the Chinese University of Hong Kong as the 2010 recipient of the Margret M. and Paul B. Baltes Foundation Award in Behavioral and Social Gerontology.

25 Jun 2010

ARS study finds link between vitamin D and cognitive function

At a time when consumer interest in health-enhancing foods is high, Agricultural Research Service (ARS)-funded scientists have contributed to a limited but growing body of evidence of a link between vitamin D and cognitive function.

25 Jun 2010

European researchers define research priorities in biogerontology

The quality of the medical care for geriatric patients is a major investment for society and must imperatively be a research priority in Europe. This is why 50 European researchers, met on May 17 - 19 in Brussels, to define the research priorities in the field of biogerontology for the next 10 to 15 years.

21 May 2010

Non-adherence to medication increases risk of falling in older adults

Older adults increase their chances of falling by not taking their medications as directed, according to an article in the latest edition of the Journals of Gerontology Series A: Biological and Medical Sciences (Volume 65A, Number 5). This new information comes from a recent study of Boston-area residents over age 70, which found that those who sometimes neglected their medications experienced a 50 percent increased rate of falls compared with those who did not.

20 May 2010

CNA announces winners of 2010 CNA Employer Recognition Award

The Canadian Nurses Association announced today the winners of the 2010 CNA Employer Recognition Award. This prestigious prize honours employers who have shown an exceptional commitment to supporting registered nurses pursuing national certification in a range of nursing specialties.

12 May 2010

Hartford Foundation awards $800,000 grant for training in geriatric social work

The prestigious Hartford Doctoral Fellows and Hartford Faculty Scholars programs have awarded $800,000 in combined new grants to ten researchers in the field of geriatric social work.

4 May 2010

Rush Center for Urban Health Equity to focus on disparities in heart and lung disease

Rush University Medical Center has been awarded a $10 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to establish the Rush Center for Urban Health Equity. The aim of the Center is to find ways to promote changes to eliminate the disparities in heart and lung disease affecting inner city residents, in particular those who are low-income persons of color.

4 May 2010

Short-term calorie restriction improves function of T-cells

Scientists funded by the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) found that volunteers who followed a low-calorie diet or a very low-calorie diet not only lost weight, but also significantly enhanced their immune response. The study may be the first to demonstrate the interaction between calorie restriction and immune markers among humans.

30 Apr 2010

Posit Science challenges BBC study on cognitive training programs

Posit Science, the leader in clinically proven brain fitness programs, contests the interpretation and methodology used in a British Broadcasting Corporation-sponsored study published in the journal Nature.

21 Apr 2010