The Brain: Alzheimer's and dementia news and discussions

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Diet Has a Major Impact on Risk of Alzheimer’s Disease
December 4, 2023

Introduction:

(Eurekalert) December 4, 2023 San Francisco, CA: In a detailed study, Diet’s Role in Modifying Risk of Alzheimer’s Disease: History and Present Understanding published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, we can finally see which diets are helpful in reducing the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. The role of diet in modifying the risk of Alzheimer’s disease is discussed in detail. Diets that are more plant based, like the Mediterranean diet and traditional diets in China, Japan, and India, are shown to reduce risk, especially when compared to the Western diet.

Alzheimer’s disease rates rise in these countries as they make the nutrition transition to the Western diet. This study identifies dementia risk factors including higher consumption of saturated fats, meat, especially red meat such as hamburgers and barbeque as well as processed meats such as hot dogs, and ultra processed foods high in sugar and refined grains.

This review also lets us know why certain foods increase or reduce risk of Alzheimer’s disease. For example, meat raised risk of dementia the most by increasing risk factors such as inflammation, insulin resistance, oxidative stress, saturated fat, advanced glycation end products, and trimethylamine N-oxide. This study also outlines several foods that are protective against Alzheimer’s disease, such as green leafy vegetables, colorful fruits and vegetables, legumes (like beans), nuts, omega-3 fatty acids, and whole grains.

Ultra processed foods can increase the risk of obesity and diabetes, themselves risk factors for Alzheimer’s disease. Ultra processed foods often lack the very ingredients found in whole plant foods that keep dementia away, such as anti-inflammatory components and antioxidants.

Poverty is an important driver of Alzheimer’s disease in the US since ultra processed foods and meat are cheaper sources of energy than fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and other more nutritious foods, thus promoting obesity.

Read more of the Eurekalert article here: https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1010050

For a fairly lengthy presentation of the results of the study as presented in IOS Press: https://content.iospress.com/articles/ ... jad230418

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Novel drug delivery system developed for Gouteng compound for Alzheimer's disease treatment

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-12- ... eimer.html

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New protein linked to early-onset dementia identified

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-12- ... entia.html

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Light therapy may improve symptoms of Alzheimer's disease
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-12- ... sease.html
by Public Library of Science

Light therapy leads to significant improvements in sleep and psycho-behavioral symptoms for patients with Alzheimer's disease, according to a new study published in PLOS ONE by Qinghui Meng of Weifang Medical University, China, and colleagues.

The cognitive decline associated with Alzheimer's disease is often accompanied by sleep disturbances and psycho-behavioral symptoms including apathetic and depressive behavior, agitation and aggression. Photobiomodulation is a non-pharmacological therapy that uses light energy to stimulate the suprachiasmic nucleus (SCN), a sleep modulator in the brain. Despite light therapy receiving increased attention as a potential intervention for Alzheimer's, a systematic evaluation of its efficacy and safety has been unavailable.

In the new study, researchers searched multiple research databases to identify all randomized controlled trials related to light therapy intervention for Alzheimer's disease or dementia. Fifteen high-quality trials with available methods and relevant outcomes were selected for further analysis. The included trials were written in English, published between 2005 and 2022, and performed in seven countries. They included a combined 598 patients.

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A substantial number of Parkinson's disease cases can be attributed to preventable risk factors, researcher says
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-12- ... buted.html
by Savannah Koplon, University of Alabama at Birmingham

New research published by neurology researchers from the University of Alabama at Birmingham in npj Parkinson's Disease found that preventable risk factors play a significant role in a person's potential of developing Parkinson's disease.

The 1,223 persons studied at UAB hailing from the Southern region of the United States included 808 with PD and 415 neurologically healthy controls. Researchers came away with two significant findings that indicated that preventable risks affect the risk of Parkinson's disease: Repeated blows to the head sustained in activities like football and exposure to herbicides and pesticides.

First, the study found that repeated blows to the head in sports or military combat that seem harmless and may not even cause concussion doubled a person's risk of developing PD later in life. Second, 23% of cases of PD in both men and women were associated with exposure to pesticides, herbicides or military-related chemical exposures. Together, head injury and exposure to environmental toxins may account for nearly 1 in 3 cases of PD in men, and 1 in 4 in women.

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New findings about key pathological protein in Parkinson's disease open paths to novel therapies
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-12- ... sease.html
by Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine

A so-called pathological protein long associated with Parkinson's disease has been found in a new study to trigger cells to increase protein synthesis, an event that eventually kills the subset of brain cells that die off in this neurodegenerative condition.

Researchers from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine who conducted the study say the findings offer potential new targets for treating Parkinson's disease, which affects about 1% of the U.S. population over age 60 and has no cure.

The findings were published in Science Translational Medicine. "Parkinson's disease has major impacts on quality of life for patients, but also for their caretakers and loved ones," says study leader Ted M. Dawson, M.D., Ph.D., professor in the Department of Neurology and director of the Institute for Cell Engineering at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

"We hope that research like this will provide mechanistic, molecular-based therapies that can actually slow or halt the progression of Parkinson's disease."

Parkinson's disease symptoms, including a variety of motor and cognitive deficits that worsen over time, result from the death of neurons that produce the chemical messenger dopamine. Current treatments with drugs such as L-dopa primarily focus on replacing the dopamine lost when these dopaminergic neurons die.

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Experimental therapy eases Alzheimer's signs, symptoms in mice

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-12- ... ptoms.html

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Soft robotic, wearable device improves walking for individual with Parkinson's disease
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-01- ... idual.html
by Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences

Freezing is one of the most common and debilitating symptoms of Parkinson's disease, a neurodegenerative disorder that affects more than 9 million people worldwide. When individuals with Parkinson's disease freeze, they suddenly lose the ability to move their feet, often mid-stride, resulting in a series of staccato stutter steps that get shorter until the person stops altogether. These episodes are one of the biggest contributors to falls among people living with Parkinson's disease.

Today, freezing is treated with a range of pharmacological, surgical or behavioral therapies, none of which are particularly effective.

What if there were a way to stop freezing altogether?

Researchers from the Harvard John A. Paulson Sc

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Three-quarters of autistic children also have other types of neurodivergence, finds study
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-01- ... gence.html
by University of Glasgow

Three quarters of children (76.2%) who were diagnosed with autism also had traits of other neurodivergent neurotypes—including traits associated with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), learning and motor differences—according to a new study.

The research—led by the University of Glasgow and published in PLOS One—found that more than half (55.6%) of children referred for autism assessment may also meet the diagnostic threshold for ADHD, and certainly have at least some significant ADHD traits.

The study only looked at a small selection of possible neurotypes, suggesting the actual number of children with autism and other neurotypes may be higher.

This study is believed to be the first time the level of overlap of different neurodivergences in children has been studied in Scotland, where services aim to move away from single neurotype assessments to a more holistic assessment model, where all possible overlapping neurotypes are explored and identified.

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Differences in cerebrospinal fluid of Alzheimer's patients suggests possibility of variants

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-01- ... ients.html