Dementia News and Research

Latest Dementia News and Research

Massive study looks at history of COVID-19 in Catalonia, Spain

A massive and important new study published on the preprint server medRxiv* in July 2020 sets out a comprehensive picture of the COVID-19 outbreak in Catalonia, Spain. It fills in a void in the current research, with its grand scale and detailed analysis.

16 Jul 2020

Super-agers found to have increased resistance to tau and amyloid proteins

Super-agers, or individuals whose cognitive skills are above the norm even at an advanced age, have been found to have increased resistance to tau and amyloid proteins, according to research presented at the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging 2020 Annual Meeting.

15 Jul 2020

Dopamine therapy improves cognitive function in patients with mild-to-moderate Alzheimer's

A study supported by the Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation and published today in JAMA Network Open provides the first evidence that rotigotine, a drug that acts on dopamine transmission in the brain, improves cognitive function in patients with mild-to-moderate Alzheimer's disease.

15 Jul 2020

Researchers design new model to predict life expectancy of patients with Creutzfeldt‐Jakob disease

Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) is a serious minority neurodegenerative disease, with an annual rate of 1.5 cases per million inhabitants, which represents approximately 11 cases each year in Catalonia. CJD is a very rapid and fatal disease, in fact, the mean life expectancy is six months after diagnosis.

15 Jul 2020

New link between impaired brain energy metabolism and delirium discovered

Scientists from Trinity College Dublin have discovered a new link between impaired brain energy metabolism and delirium - a disorienting and distressing disorder particularly common in the elderly and one that is currently occurring in a large proportion of patients hospitalized with COVID-19.

14 Jul 2020

Apathy not depression offers an important early warning sign of dementia

Apathy offers an important early warning sign of dementia in individuals with cerebrovascular disease, but depression does not, new research led by the University of Cambridge suggests.

13 Jul 2020

Delirium linked to long-term cognitive decline

A new meta-analysis of 24 observational studies from researchers at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons found that delirium may cause significant long-term cognitive decline.

13 Jul 2020

States allow in-person nursing home visits as families charge residents die ‘of broken hearts’

States across the country are beginning to roll back heart-wrenching policies instituted when the coronavirus pandemic began and allow in-person visits at nursing homes and assisted living centers, offering relief to frustrated families.

13 Jul 2020

New study to examine COVID-19's impact on the mental health of older adults

Rates of depression and stress have increased among the general population since the COVID-19 pandemic began. However, we know little about the current state of mental health of older adults (65+), who are at a higher risk for illness and death due to infection, and account for more than 95% of COVID-19 deaths in Ontario.

12 Jul 2020

New biomarker could be an early indicator of cognitive decline

Medical researchers in the UK and Australia have identified a new marker which could support the search for novel preventative and therapeutic treatments for dementia.

11 Jul 2020

Morinaga Milk’s probiotic B. breve A1 improves memory functions of older adults with MCI

Morinaga Milk Industry Co., Ltd., a leading Japanese dairy product company and a key global probiotics manufacturer, confirmed that its proprietary probiotic strain Bifidobacterium breve A1 (a.k.a. B. breve MCC1274) is safe and effective for improving memory functions of older adults with suspected mild cognitive impairment (MCI) in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial (RCT).

10 Jul 2020

Age-related hearing loss can negatively affect cognitive test outcomes

The early and correct diagnosis of a cognitive impairment - such as dementia - is crucial as it allows interventions and treatments that may slow the progression of a patient's symptoms to be quickly put in place.

10 Jul 2020

Study aims to more accurately define methods for measuring delirium severity

In a study published in the journal Dementia and Geriatric Cognitive Disorder, researchers reported on their effort to improve and validate tools used to assess the severity of a condition called delirium, an acute confusional state often experienced by older hospitalized patients.

8 Jul 2020

Dual sensory impairment in older adults linked to higher risk for dementia

Older adults with both hearing and visual impairments—or dual sensory impairment—had a significantly higher risk for dementia in a recent study published in Alzheimer's & Dementia: Diagnosis, Assessment & Disease Monitoring.

8 Jul 2020

COVID cuts a lethal path through San Quentin’s death row

The old men live in cramped spaces and breathe the same ventilated air. Many are frail, laboring with heart disease, liver and prostate cancer, tuberculosis, dementia. And now, with the coronavirus advancing through their ranks, they are falling one after the next.

8 Jul 2020

Scientists receive grant to study cerebrovascular changes during healthy and Alzheimer's aging

Scientists often focus on abnormal accumulations of proteins called plaques in the brain in efforts to find a treatment for Alzheimer's disease. But the effects of these plaques have not been clear.

7 Jul 2020

Desk-based jobs associated with lower risk of poor cognition

People who work in jobs that require less physical activity - typically office and desk-based jobs - are at a lower risk of subsequent poor cognition than those whose work is more physically active, suggests new research from the University of Cambridge.

7 Jul 2020