Alzheimer’s Disease
Will Aduhelm for Alzheimer’s Bankrupt Healthca…
Do you remember the story of Chicken Little? It goes back at least 200 years and is attributed to Scandinavian folk tales. The story has also been called Henny Penny and Chicken Licken. Perhaps you re…
Is Type 2 Diabetes Linked to Dementia Risk?
Some experts who study Alzheimer disease have suggested that it is closely linked to the metabolic problems of diabetes. Alternatively, they have proposed a diabetes-related dementia may differ from c…
Can You Delay Alzheimer Disease with Drugs for D…
People with Alzheimer’s disease have distinctive lesions within their brains. Individuals with diabetes also have pathological changes resembling those seen in patients with Alzheimer’s disease. P…
Why Are You Still Using An Antiperspirant?
OK, we know that habits are hard to break. If you’ve been using sweat stoppers for years, you may just automatically reach for a familiar brand. Of course during the pandemic, you may be shopping on…
Will Lots of Veggies on the Menu Help Your Brain…
If you are looking to reduce your risk of Alzheimer disease, you might want to pile lots of veggies on your plate. According to a new study, people who eat lots of veggies rich in carotenoids appear l…
Will Cheese and Wine Save Your Brain?
Epistemology Alert: This story is based on data from an epidemiological study, not a randomized controlled trial that fed people cheese and wine or other foods. (Epistemology is a fancy way of saying …
Show 1234: How Microbes Evolve to Become Enemies…
The SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus behind COVID-19 is changing. This should not be a surprise, since microbes evolve by nature. What implications might this have for the infection in future months? We speak w…
Show 1231: How Can Women Reduce Their Risk for D…
Two out three people with Alzheimer disease are women. Why are they at higher risk for this devastating condition than men? Even more important, how can they reduce their risk for dementia? Many of th…
Are There Cognitive Benefits to Moderate Drinkin…
Researchers have been disputing the benefits and risks of moderate alcohol consumption for decades. Some studies have suggested that several drinks a week might be beneficial for the cardiovascular sy…
Show 1214: How to Defend Your Brain During the P…
For decades, neurologists have been telling us that Alzheimer disease is driven largely by the accumulation of beta-amyloid plaque in the brain. They have suspected that this is determined in large me…
Will Blood Pressure Medicines Prevent Alzheimer …
Doctors have been debating the link between high blood pressure (hypertension) and cognitive decline for decades (BMC Cardiovascular Disorders, Nov. 3, 2016). They have been equally divided and uncert…
Could Dementia Genes Make You Vulnerable to COVI…
Investigators are trying to determine why some people remain asymptomatic after catching the SARS-2 virus while others become deathly ill. Could dementia genes make a difference? That earlier research…
PPIs and Cognitive Dysfunction: Anticholinergic …
What happens when people end up taking two or three anticholinergic medicines? The greater the “load” of such drugs in the body, the higher the risk of brain fog. Could there be a connection betwe…
Show 1132: Are Infections to Blame for Alzheimer…
With nearly six million Americans living with Alzheimer disease, this condition is a serious public health problem. It robs people of their memories, their ability to function independently and even t…
What Can Help You Stay Sharp as You Age?
Do you know how to stay healthy? Chances are you are aware that exercise and diet are keystones of good health throughout your life. You and your health care provider may also be paying attention to y…
Surgery Doesn’t Boost Risk of Alzheimer Di…
There’s good news and bad news about surgery under general anesthesia. Anesthesiologists have been debating the effects or surgical anesthetics on brain function for years. Some research suggests th…
Can You Lower Your Dementia Risk With a Few Drin…
For years, scientists have been arguing about the benefits of moderate alcohol consumption against Alzheimers disease. They have been very uncertain whether having a few drinks a week would lower your…
Can You Prevent Dementia With Grape Seed Extract…
The three top health worries are heart disease, cancer and dementia. Heart disease and cancer are certainly worrisome, but let's focus for now on dementia. We have written about the possibility that c…
Has a Chinese Company Found a Cure for Alzheimer…
The Chinese equivalent of the FDA, the National Medical Products Administration, has just approved a natural product to treat mild to moderate Alzheimer’s disease. Even the company, Shanghai Green V…
Soccer and Brain Damage: Kids and Headers?
I attended a small public high school. My graduating class had under 40 kids. Clearly, we could not muster a competitive football team with such a paltry number of students. Instead, we played soccer.…
Show 1182: How You Can Use Exercise as Medicine
Does medicine mean “drugs and surgery” to you? That is certainly how a lot of people see it. However, physical activity–exercise–has powerful abilities to help us heal. How can we use exercise…
Prostate Cancer Therapy and Dementia: The Link G…
Prostate cancer is hard enough by itself. That’s because treatment often comes with unpleasant complications. Now, add the possibility of Alzheimer’s disease and/or dementia linked to testosterone…
Falling for Scams Is a Sign of Cognitive Impairm…
If you are like most Americans, you've honed your ability to smell out a scam over the past few years. But not all older people have perfected these techniques. Falling for scams may be an early sign …
Will Gum Disease Boost Your Risk for Dementia?
If you are trying to reduce your chance of developing Alzheimer disease, you might want to schedule an appointment with your dentist. New research suggests that gum disease should join the list of fac…
Will Statins Protect the Brain and Lower Blood S…
We have written on several occasions that statins are linked to diabetes. The most recent article was this one: “Statins Cause Diabetes: The Link Just Got Stronger!” Before that we wrote: "Statins…
Show 1159: Do Cold Sores Boost Your Risk for Dem…
The past few months have produced some fascinating science stories from international sources. We interviewed two scientists in far-flung places to learn more about unexpected ways that microbes inter…
FDA Cracking Down on Dietary Supplements for Dem…
The Food and Drug Administration has just taken action against many companies that advertise their dietary supplements for dementia. The commercials often imply that these products could be used to tr…
Could Aggressive Blood Pressure Control Save You…
A new study suggests that aggressive blood pressure control may have modest benefits for cognitive function (The SPRINT MIND investigators, JAMA, Jan. 28, 2019). That is the conclusion from a fol…
New Blood Test for Alzheimer Disease
Detecting Alzheimer disease is complicated. There are no simple tests. Doctors can perform cognitive function evaluations and order brain imaging, but to date definitive diagnosis relies on autopsy ex…
Are Leaky Blood Vessels A Culprit Behind Alzheim…
What causes Alzheimer’s disease? That is the billion-dollar question which remains unanswered to this day. A lot of money has been spent trying to find answers to the mystery of dementia. Most exper…
Can Clonazepam Increase the Risk for Dementia?
Millions of people take benzodiazepines every day. Such drugs are variously described as anti-anxiety agents, sedatives, hypnotics (to aid sleep) or benzos for short. At last count about five million …
Will New MRI Help Doctors Detect Alzheimer Disea…
Cognitive tests can help diagnose approximately 70 percent of people with Alzheimer’s disease. Although scientists don’t yet have good drugs to prevent this devastating dementia, they are studying…
Are Your Eyes the Window to Your Brain?
It is difficult to diagnose Alzheimer disease early in its course. In fact, a definitive diagnosis has only been available upon autopsy. But what if you had a window to your brain? Would that make ear…
Do People Who Eat Fish Grow Old More Healthfully…
Does eating fish or taking fish oil make any difference for your health? For decades, researchers have touted the anti-inflammatory benefits of the omega-3 fatty acids found in fish oil. They have sug…
Could an Antiviral Drug Help Control Alzheimer D…
There is a growing recognition by neuroscientists that the brain is not a sterile organ. In other words, the brain has a microbiome just like the digestive tract. There are bacteria, fungi and viruses…
Synthetic Cannabinoid (Nabilone) vs. Antipsychot…
People with Alzheimer’s disease frequently become distressed and agitated. Nursing homes may try to control this behavior with antipsychotic drugs such as aripiprazole (Abilify), haloperidol (Haldol…
Mice on Aspirin Avoid Alzheimer’s. Will Yo…
Could humble aspirin help prevent Alzheimer disease? Research in genetically modified mice on aspirin suggests that the answer might be yes (Journal of Neuroscience, July, 2018). How Scientists Studie…
New Research Confirms Link | Herpes Virus Infect…
Could Alzheimer disease be caused in part by a viral infection? Such an association seems bizarre and yet the evidence is accumulating that certain strains of herpes virus infections and Alzheimer dis…
Will Nutrients Slow Deterioration from Alzheimer…
Could nutritional supplements delay the deterioration from Alzheimer disease? A pilot study from Ireland suggests this might be possible (Nolan et al, Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, June 2018). Ca…
Should Desperate Patients Have the Right To Try …
Most people empathize with the plight of desperate patients. Those who have exhausted all available treatments are willing to try almost anything. That is why Congress has passed the "right to try" bi…