Some correlation between certain types of brain activity and propensity to Alzheimer's

Main Category: Public Health
Article Date: 01 Jul 2004 - 1:00 PDT

email to a friend   printer friendly   opinions  

Alzheimer's is a devastating disease, throwing into turmoil not only the lives of sufferers but also their carers, and reducing its victims to shadows of their former selves - as the high-profile cases of Ronald Reagan and Iris Murdoch have shown.

While there is no known cure or definitive prevention, research shows some correlation between certain types of brain activity and propensity to dementia.

Most recently, it has been revealed that being bilingual may keep the brain sharper for longer and help protect against senile dementia. Researchers at York University in Canada tested 104 people aged 30-88, half from Canada, speaking only English, and the other half from India and fluent in English and Tamil. All were educated to degree level and middle class. Vocabulary skills, non-verbal reasoning ability and reaction times were tested. Those fluent in both English and Tamil responded faster at all ages, showing a slower rate of decline for some processes with age.

While the UK Alzheimer's Society welcomed the study, it questioned the validity of comparing people of different nationalities educated by different systems. It also pointed out that it is well recognised that education can bestow benefits on cognitive function in later life.

However, this research does back up previous studies showing that people who keep their brains active are less likely to develop Alzheimer's. Activities such as doing crosswords, playing board games, playing musical instruments, learning a language and reading may all have a protective effect.

Dementia affects an estimated 700,000 people in Britain. It is a progressive disease, whereby the structure and chemistry of the brain becomes increasingly damaged over time - particularly those parts responsible for storing memories. There are over 100 different types of dementia, with Alzheimer's being the most common, affecting about 4,500 people in the UK.

The main risk factor is age - the chances of being affected are less than one in a thousand for those aged under 65, increasing to one in five over the age of 80. Inherited genetic factors can increase the risk among a small number of families (about 200 in the UK), leading to early onset 'familial' Alzheimer's among 35 to 60-year-olds. Head injuries have also been shown to be a risk factor.

Early Alzheimer's symptoms include memory lapses, mood swings and confusion - such as finding the right words for everyday objects. Sufferers may remember things that happened many years ago, but forget events in the recent past. However, this can happen to a lesser degree as part of the normal ageing process and doesn't in itself mean someone is developing dementia.

As the disease progresses, victims may experience routine forgetfulness (appointments, names, faces), greater mood swings and difficulty understanding what is being said to them.

Advanced Alzheimer's causes severe memory loss - failure to recognise people or surroundings, and sufferers can wander around getting lost. Physical disability, depression and eventually total dependence on a carer follow as it becomes difficult to perform everyday tasks such as washing, eating and dressing.

Those with Alzheimer's usually live for between five to 10 years after diagnosis. Some drug treatments can slow progress for a while. In the early stages, simple techniques such as list writing can help, and patients should be encouraged to maintain a normal lifestyle for as long as possible. In the long term, however, hospital or residential care may be necessary.

Alzheimer's affects everyone in the family and relatives may often need support themselves - from social workers, nurses and organisations like the Alzheimer's Society. The Society has taken 'Dementia, children and young people' as the theme for this year's Alzheimer's Awareness Week, from 4-10 July, to help youngsters understand what dementia is and how it might affect someone they know.

Norwich Union Health

• Additional
• References
• Citations