Articles related to COGNITIVE HEALTH/MEMORY

In the study, 1,400 individuals were assessed multiple times between ages of 36 and 69 for level of physical activity. They were quantified as not active, moderately active, and most active. Cognition measurements in later life showed a dose-response relationship between sustained levels of physical activity and later-life cognition status.

4,500 people were tracked using 24-hour monitors for 7 days. Activity levels were studied to determine the effect on short-term memory, problem-solving, and processing skills. As little as six to nine minutes of moderate-to-vigorous activity when compared to sitting, sleeping, or gentle activities yielded higher cognition scores. Cognitive improvement was modest, but increasing time spent in energetic activity increased the measured benefits.

Factors evaluated were diet, exercise, social integration, cognitive activity, smoking history, and alcohol use. Participants were categorized as favorable (4-6 positive factors), average (2–3 positive factors), and unfavorable (0–1 positive factor). The “favorable” group had a a slower decline in cognition even if they were APOE e4 carriers.

The presence of vitamin D in the brain and its link to improved cognitive performance in aged subjects was originally discovered by a Tufts University study. Higher vitamin D concentrations were linked to a 25% to 33% decreased risk of dementia or mild cognitive impairment in four different brain areas. Authors did note, however, that the observational nature of the study and the lack of a diverse subject population were two of its drawbacks, and there may be further explanations for the results.

Gantenerumab treatment generated a slowing of clinical decline from baseline score on the Clinical Dementia Rating-Sum of Boxes (CDR-SB), but at levels that did not reach statistical significance. The relative reduction in clinical decline was 8% in GRADUATE I and 6% in GRADUATE II compared with placebo.

At the time of this study, in 2016, dementia was seen in 10% of those over age 65 in the US, and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) in 20%, with increased risk for every 5 year advance in age. Risk was 80% higher for non-Hispanic Black individuals and approximately 40% higher in Hispanic persons, compared with White individuals. Dementia and MCI were inversely correlated with years of education, though.