How older adults approach cognitive test problems, such as the small mistakes they make and the strategies they use, can help predict who will later develop dementia, a finding that is helpful in detecting earlier any risk of cognitive decline, according to a recent study.
Early Outcomes of Lecanemab for Alzheimer’s Disease in the Veterans Health Administration
In the first year that lecanemab, marketed as Leqembi, and other amyloid-targeting therapies were approved for Alzheimer’s disease, only a limited number of VHA patients received it.
Modestly Increasing Cardiorespiratory Fitness Significantly Lowers Risks of Alzheimer’s, Other Dementia in Veterans
Modestly improving cardiorespiratory fitness in low-fit veterans lowered their risk of developing Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias (ADRD) 13%-24%, according to a new study.
Higher Optimism Levels Helpful, but Don’t Stop Cognitive Decline
Strong evidence suggests that optimism leads to good physical and emotional health in aging populations. Its role in cognitive aging remains understudied, however.
Low-Frequency Cannabis Use No Problem for Senior Cognition
How does recent cannabis use affect neuropsychological functioning in adults 65 and older?
Even Mild CKD Can Affect Alzheimer’s Blood Biomarkers
How chronic kidney disease (CKD) affects Alzheimer’s disease (AD) plasma biomarkers is poorly understood.
SMART Training Helps Servicemembers Regain Cognitive Edge After Brain Injury
For active-duty servicemembers, sharp cognitive skills like problem-solving, memory, and strategic thinking are essential for mission success and personal safety. But many return from deployment with mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which can cloud these critical mental abilities.
VHA Patients in Some U.S. Regions Have Higher Dementia Rates Than Others
Where veterans live appeared to have an outsized influence on whether they develop dementia, according to a new study.
Polypharmacy Can Spur Transition From Healthy to Dementia, Other Conditions
Polypharmacy is considered both common and dangerous in older patients, and a new study offers some explanations for why.
Large Analysis of Veterans With Diabetes: More Benefits with GLP-1RA, Especially Neurological
While glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RA) are known to successfully treat diabetes and aid weight loss, they also have other widespread benefits, including for cognitive and behavioral health.
Long-term Opioid Use Can Lead to Neurocognitive Symptoms
Opioid-related harm might be signaled early on by neurocognitive symptoms (NCS).
Cholesterol Medication Ezetimibe Promising for Lowering Alzheimer’s Disease Risk
The mechanism through which heart disease elevates the risk of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementia (ADRD) has been investigated intensively.
What Is the Role of the X Chromosome in Alzheimer’s Disease Genetics?
The X chromosome makes up 5% of the human genome and carries a high proportion of genes expressed in the brain. Yet, it is a relatively unexplored as a potential source of genetic variation in AD, according to a new study.
How PTSD, Cognitive Decline Affect Veterans’ Alzheimer’s Disease Biomarkers
While post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and subjective cognitive decline (SCD) are independent risk factors for Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and dementia, the association of their interaction on AD biomarkers has not been clear.
Black Americans Have Less Alzheimer’s Disease Awareness, Despite Higher Risk
Older Black Americans are almost twice as likely as white Americans to be affected by Alzheimer’s and related dementias, with 21.3% of Black Americans aged 70 and older living with the disease.
Tracking Genetic Risk to Better Understand Which Veterans Have Alzheimer’s
Because of overlapping symptom profiles observed in cognitive disorders, psychiatric disorders, and environmental exposures such as head injury, clinicians can find it difficult to detect early signs of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD).
Sacubitril/Valsartan Not Linked to Higher Dementia Rates in HF Patients
Could using the drug combination sacubitril/valsartan, an angiotensin receptor/neprilysin inhibitor, in heart failure patients increase their risk of cognitive impairment?
Olfactory Function Loss in GW Veterans Linked to Cognitive Deficits
A disorder related to military service in the 1991 Gulf War (GW), Gulf War illness (GWI)/Chronic Multisymptom Illness (CMI), includes symptoms such as fatigue, pain and cognitive dysfunction.
Psychiatric, Health Factors Should Be Considered in Veterans With Cognitive Decline
While cognitive decline in older people often raises suspicion of early Alzheimer’s disease, a new VA study underscores the importance of considering how factors beyond Alzheimer’s—including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), pain and sleep difficulties—might also impact cognition in older veterans.
Younger Veterans With Mild TBI Appear to Be at Higher Alzheimer’s Risk
Do concussions caused by explosive battlefield blasts increase the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease (AD)?
Some Veterans With Dementia Might Have Treatable Cirrhosis Brain Effects
Could 1 in 10 veterans diagnosed with dementia actually have reversible cognitive decline caused by advanced liver disease?
Review Looks at Higher Alzheimer’s Rates Among Blacks in U.S.
Why do Black/African-American (AA) individuals have a higher risk of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) than white non-Hispanic persons of European ancestry (EUR)?
More Flexible Lookback Periods for Dementia Also Useful
Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD) often are identified using a list of claims codes and a fixed lookback period of three years of data.
Monogalactosyl Diglyceride Levels Rise With Alzheimer’s Progression
While many clinical studies have reported brain lipidomic abnormalities in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) that affect glycerophospholipids, sphingolipids and fatty acids, no consensus exists about those abnormalities and whether they relate to disease progression.
Anemia Raises Dementia Risk in Veterans With CKD
What is the role of anemia in risk of dementia in veterans with chronic kidney disease?
Genetic Risk Factors for Alzheimer’s Found for Those of African Ancestry
VA researchers have discovered several new genetic variants associated with Alzheimer’s disease—the most common form of dementia—in people of African ancestry.
With More Than 250,000 Alzheimer’s Patients, VA Is a Market for New Drug
Now that the Food and Drug Administration has granted Fast Track approval for the new Alzheimer’s disease medication Leqembi, the issue of who will pay for it looms large.
Military Study: Biomarkers Can Identify Risk for TBI-Related Dementia
Several studies have found a link between traumatic brain injury (TBI) and an increased likelihood of late-life dementia. The mechanisms driving the relationship have remained elusive, however.
Model Helps Predict Mortality Prognosis for AD, Dementia Patients
Dementia is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide and is associated with increased mortality risk.
Glitazones Decrease Risk of Alzheimer’s, Other Dementia in Veterans’ Study
The risk of dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease, appeared to be reduced in veterans prescribed an older class of type 2 diabetes drugs, glitazones.