Tag: Cognitive Decline
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The Disturbing Connection Between Loneliness and Dementia
Understanding the Link Between Loneliness and Dementia As people age, physical frailty often becomes more obvious: slower movement, longer recovery from falls, and weakened muscles. But another, more subtle form of weakness can emerge—social frailty. When connections to friends, family, and community fade, older adults may experience loneliness that quietly threatens cognitive health. Growing evidence…
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Early Heart Checks Could Signal Dementia Risk 25 Years Early
New evidence links heart biomarkers to future dementia risk A new study suggests that a simple blood test in midlife could forecast a person’s risk of developing dementia up to 25 years later. The key finding centers on troponin, a protein traditionally used to diagnose heart injury. In this study, higher midlife troponin levels were…
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Study Identifies New Approach to Protect the Brain During Radiation Therapy
Overview: A New Strategy to Shield the Brain During Radiation Cancer survivors often face cognitive challenges after treatment. In brain cancer, cranial radiation therapy is a standard lifesaving intervention, but it can cause lasting problems with memory, attention, and executive function. A recent experimental study from the University of California, Irvine, led by Munjal Acharya,…
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Smoking Tied to Faster Huntington’s Decline: What Clinicians Need to Know
Overview: Smoking as a Modifiable Factor in Huntington’s Disease Huntington’s disease (HD) is a progressive, currently incurable neurodegenerative disorder. While genetics set the stage, modifiable environmental factors may influence when symptoms start and how quickly they advance. A recent analysis using Periodic Dataset 4 from Enroll-HD examined 2,438 individuals, including 799 presymptomatic carriers with four…
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Quitting Smoking in Midlife Slows Memory Loss and Brain Decline
New evidence that quitting smoking can protect the brain, even in midlife A major international study published in The Lancet offers a hopeful message for millions: quitting smoking is beneficial for brain health even if you’re in your 40s, 50s, or older. The research shows that stopping smoking after years of use slows memory loss…
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Quitting Smoking Later in Life Slows Memory Loss and Cognitive Decline, New Study Finds
New Findings Highlight the Brain Benefits of Quitting Smoking A recent international study published in The Lancet provides new hope for smokers who fear the health consequences of decades-long tobacco use. The research shows that quitting smoking, even in midlife or later, significantly slows memory loss and cognitive decline. In other words, it’s never too…
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Brain shape changes linked to dementia: MRI findings
Brain shape changes as a potential early signal for dementia A new study published in Nature Communications on September 29 reveals that the aging brain’s shape, not just its tissue loss, shifts in systematic ways that correlate with cognitive function. The research suggests that magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can capture these geometric changes, which may…
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MRI Finds Brain Shape Changes Linked to Dementia Risk
Aging brain shape changes may signal dementia risk Aging brains don’t merely shrink; they also change shape in systematic ways. A Nature Communications study published on September 29 reveals that these global brain shape shifts, detected through MRI, are closely tied to cognitive status and could help clinicians assess dementia risk earlier in the disease…
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Chronic Insomnia Accelerates Cognitive Decline and Raises Dementia Risk
Insomnia and Dementia Risk Recent findings from the Mayo Clinic in the United States reveal that chronic insomnia is more than a sleep nuisance—it may trigger brain changes that elevate the risk for dementia. The large, long-term study followed 2,750 adults aged 50 and older for roughly five and a half years, using annual cognitive…
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New US Study Links Chronic Insomnia to Faster Cognitive Decline and Dementia Risk
Chronic insomnia and brain aging: what the study found A large U.S. study from the Mayo Clinic has found that chronic insomnia in adults over 50 is linked to faster declines in memory and thinking, along with a higher risk of developing dementia. The research followed thousands of participants over several years, using detailed cognitive…