Dementia News and Research

Latest Dementia News and Research

Drinking more coffee linked to reduced cognitive decline in people with atrial fibrillation

Drinking multiple cups of coffee a day may help prevent cognitive decline in people with atrial fibrillation (AFib or AF), according to new research published on Dec. 14, 2024 in the Journal of the American Heart Association, an open-access, peer-reviewed journal of the American Heart Association.

19 Dec 2024

Vanderbilt researchers achieve milestone in Alzheimer's drug development

Researchers at the Warren Center for Neuroscience Drug Discovery, a clinical stage biotech within the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine Basic Sciences, have detailed the successful drug discovery of a phase I single ascending dose clinical trial of VU319, a drug for memory loss in people with Alzheimer's disease and schizophrenia.

19 Dec 2024

Chronic gut infection may play role in Alzheimer’s disease progression

Arizona State University and Banner Alzheimer's Institute researchers, along with their collaborators, have discovered a surprising link between a chronic gut infection caused by a common virus and the development of Alzheimer's disease in a subset of people.

19 Dec 2024

New blood test could help identify patients at risk for cognitive impairment

To identify and follow blood vessel-related changes in the brain that contribute to cognitive impairment and dementia, researchers and clinicians typically rely on MRI to evaluate "downstream" biological markers – those at the end of a cascade of events.

19 Dec 2024

Self-reported walking speed can predict metabolic disease risk

Walking speed can provide insights into health, extending beyond mere mobility, so much so that it is considered to be the "sixth vital sign."

19 Dec 2024

Study shows chatbots’ cognitive limitations using dementia screening

Almost all leading large language models or "chatbots" show signs of mild cognitive impairment in tests widely used to spot early signs of dementia, finds a study in the Christmas issue of The BMJ.

19 Dec 2024

Social and mentally stimulating activities benefit cognitive function

It’s that time of the year when most of us get the chance to sit back and enjoy some well-deserved down time. But whether you reach for the TV controller, or a favourite book, your choice could have implications for your long-term brain health, say researchers at the University of South Australia.

19 Dec 2024

Sleep disruptions may increase brain volume in the hippocampus

People with breathing problems during sleep may have a larger hippocampus, the area of the brain responsible for memory and thinking, according to a study published in the December 18, 2024, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

18 Dec 2024

Study finds no link between antibiotic use and cognitive decline in older adults

For healthy older adults, using antibiotics is not associated with an increased risk of cognitive impairment or dementia, according to a study published in the December 18, 2024, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

18 Dec 2024

Structural sexism may accelerate memory decline in women

Women born in the most sexist U.S. states experience faster memory decline in later years compared to women born in the least sexist states, a new study by researchers at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons has found.

18 Dec 2024

Taxi and ambulance drivers show reduced Alzheimer’s mortality

Taxi drivers and ambulance drivers, whose jobs require frequent spatial and navigational processing, have the lowest levels of death due to Alzheimer's disease compared with other occupations, finds a study in the Christmas issue of The BMJ.

18 Dec 2024

Heat waves pose unique threats to people with Parkinson's and dementia

As 2024 is set to end as Earth's hottest year on record – breaking the previous record set in 2023– a UCLA Health researcher says people living with neurodegenerative diseases will be uniquely vulnerable to worsening heat waves because of a higher risk of heat-related complications.

17 Dec 2024

Researchers receive NIH grant to study dementia caused by cerebral small vessel disease

Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have been awarded $7.5 million from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to investigate a form of dementia caused by cerebral small vessel disease, the second-leading cause of dementia after Alzheimer's disease.

17 Dec 2024

A comprehensive review of atrial fibrillation

In the U.S., atrial fibrillation (AF), a heart condition that causes an irregular heartbeat in the upper chambers of the heart, affects up to one in three people in their lifetime.

17 Dec 2024

Driving occupations could lead to lower rates of death from Alzheimer's disease

A new study raises the possibility that jobs that require frequent spatial processing - such as figuring out a taxi route or the best way to navigate to a hospital - could lead to lower rates of death from Alzheimer's disease.

17 Dec 2024

Promising ultrasound therapy for Alzheimer's disease licensed to new start-up

A promising ultrasound therapy to potentially restore brain function in people with Alzheimer's disease has been licenced to a new start-up spun out of The University of Queensland.

16 Dec 2024

Breathing rhythms coordinate brain waves to strengthen memory during sleep

Just as a conductor coordinates different instruments in an orchestra to produce a symphony, breathing coordinates hippocampal brain waves to strengthen memory while we sleep, reports a new Northwestern Medicine study.

16 Dec 2024

USC researchers awarded $3.4 million to combat age-related cognitive decline in women

A team of researchers at The Keck School of Medicine of USC have received a $3.4 million federal grant to advance research on an innovative approach to slowing age-related cognitive decline.

14 Dec 2024

TTUHSC researcher to uncover mechanisms that regulate gene expression in Alzheimer's disease

More than six million Americans are affected by Alzheimer's disease, a form of dementia marked by accumulation of amyloid-β within the brain. Amyloid-β is a relatively small protein that forms toxic plaques in the brain contributing to the harmful effects of Alzheimer's disease.

14 Dec 2024