Thursday, February 16, 2006

Intriguing news about Alzheimer's disease

Several of my family members have succombed to Alzheimer's, so I am very interested in current research. Two articles, both from the BBC News site, have caught my eye.

Alzheimer's 'faster in educated'
Alzheimer's disease progresses more rapidly in highly educated people, research suggests. It is thought high levels of education may ward off Alzheimer's by helping the brain better tolerate damaging changes. But the latest study, involving 312 Alzheimer's patients, suggests once accumulated damage reaches a critical level, decline is relatively swift.

Exercise 'cuts Alzheimer's risk'
Regular exercise reduces the risk of dementia and Alzheimer's disease by up to 40%, US research suggests. The University of Washington study claims to be the most definitive investigation into the effect of exercise on dementia.

1 comment:

  1. Hey, I found your site through a weird series of random clicks, but thought "Matt Brown" was a "Matt Brown" that I knew! Anyway, it's not the most recent research, but I just felt like adding a little to your Alzheimer's knowledge! I am a music therapist, so I wanted to let you know a little bit about how music therapy helps people with Alzheimer's disease.
    http://www.calregistry.com/dyk/music.htm

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