There is a finely graded inverse association between age and cognitive performance, 3 4 5 but the age at which cognitive decline becomes evident at the population level remains the subject of debate.5 6 7 A recent review of the literature concluded that there was little
evidence of cognitive decline before the age of 60.8 This point of view, however, is not universally accepted.5 6 Clinicopathological studies show good correlation between neuropathology and the severity of cognitive decline, 9 10 11 and neurofibrillary tangles and amyloid plaques, the hallmarks of pathology, are known to be present in the brains of young adults.12 13 Emerging consensus on the long gestation period of dementia14 15 also suggests that adults aged under 60 are likely to experience age related cognitive decline.
Not exact matches
There is
evidence to suggest a link between stress and an increased risk
of Alzheimer's and
cognitive decline.
«Now that we have more
evidence that serotonin is a chemical that appears affected early in
cognitive decline, we suspect that increasing serotonin function in the brain could prevent memory loss from getting worse and slow disease progression,» says Gwenn Smith, Ph.D., professor
of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the Johns Hopkins University School
of Medicine and director
of geriatric psychiatry and neuropsychiatry at Johns Hopkins University School
of Medicine.
«Brain scan study adds to
evidence that lower brain serotonin levels are linked to dementia: Results suggest serotonin loss may be a key player in
cognitive decline, not just a side - effect
of Alzheimer's disease.»
Those who slept fewer hours showed
evidence of faster ventricle enlargement and
decline in
cognitive performance.
For years now the gold standard for R&D in Alzheimer's disease has focused on generating convincing
evidence that any new therapy being studied could slow the
cognitive decline of patients and help preserve their ability to perform the kind
of daily functions that can keep a patient independent for a longer period
of time.
«Our study provides further
evidence that sleep - disordered breathing negatively affects attention, processing speed and memory, which are robust predictors
of cognitive decline,» said senior study author Susan Redline, MD, MPH, Peter C. Farrell Professor
of Sleep Medicine, Harvard Medical School.
Auriel Willette, a researcher in food science and human nutrition at Iowa State University, found
evidence that an elevated presence
of a protein called neuronal pentraxin - 2 may slow
cognitive decline and reduce brain atrophy in people with Alzheimer's disease.
Auriel Willette, a researcher in food science and human nutrition, found
evidence that an elevated presence
of a protein called neuronal pentraxin - 2 may slow
cognitive decline and reduce brain atrophy in people with Alzheimer's disease.
Strongest
evidence was found for training and maternity spells being related to slower
cognitive decline, suggesting beneficial associations
of these kinds
of leaves on
cognitive function.
Brain imaging using radioactive dye can detect early
evidence of Alzheimer's disease that may predict future
cognitive decline among adults with mild or no
cognitive impairment, according to a 36 - month follow - up study led by Duke Medicine.
However, growing
evidence from a number
of studies links the body's inflammatory response to increased rates
of cognitive decline, suggesting that it would be worth exploring whether the treatment
of gum disease might also benefit the treatment
of dementia and Alzheimer's Disease.
«In conclusion, in this study we could not find
evidence to support the claim that anthracycline treatment confers greater risk
of cognitive decline for breast cancer survivors,» the study concludes.
A team
of experts found no strong
evidence to support current intervention methods against
cognitive decline and dementia.
An analysis
of published studies found no
evidence that low - dose aspirin buffers against
cognitive decline or dementia or improves
cognitive test scores.
Although multiple sclerosis (MS) is generally considered a disease
of the white matter, recent
evidence suggests substantial involvement
of gray matter in
cognitive decline and disease progression.
But from a scientific perspective, for the rest
of the population there is no conclusive
evidence of a connection between gluten consumption and either
cognitive decline or dementia.
While it's important to recognize that diet is frequently associated with other factors that may impact cognition in aging, Fargo says — such as smoking, education levels, and socioeconomic status — he does believe that there is «sufficiently strong
evidence to conclude that a healthy diet may reduce the risk
of cognitive decline.»
From the point
of view
of those who rely on peer - reviewed science, there is no conclusive scientific
evidence of a connection between gluten consumption and
cognitive decline or dementia.
Researchers haven't conclusively proven that
cognitive decline in middle age predicts Alzheimer's or other dementias, but on balance the
evidence suggests that small changes in midlife mental function can become magnified later in life, says Francine Grodstein, Sc.D., an epidemiologist and associate professor
of medicine at Brigham and Women's Hospital, in Boston.
«There is a lot
of evidence that [people] with
cognitive decline are at highest risk
of later developing dementia, so it is likely that preventing or delaying
cognitive decline today will help reduce risk
of dementia tomorrow,» says Grodstein, who was not involved in the research but wrote an editorial accompanying the study.
The new study provides the clearest
evidence to date
of early life
cognitive decline in individuals with psychotic disorders.