Highlights from the Alzheimer's Association International Conference
Posted by Donna Mae Scheib on September 04, 2017
Highlights from the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference
The Alzheimer’s Association International Conference (AAIC) was held July 16-20, 2017, in London, England. In attendance were about 5,000 professionals from more than 64 countries involved in research and care of those with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (social workers, radiologists, psychologists, psychiatrists, primary care physicians, pharmacologists, nurses, neuroscientists, neurologists, molecular and cell biologists, and biochemists). The conference featured over 2,200 presentations and included reports on the latest dementia study results and theories from around the world. Some distinct highlights are summarized below.
Health and Retirement Study
A group of United States scientists followed the diets of over 6,000 elderly adults in four major population studies. The adults adhered to the MIND diet (similar to the Mediterranean diet). Results linked these healthy dietary practices to better cognition. In fact, 30-35% of the individuals had a lower risk of cognitive impairment as other older adults. Dr. Doug Brown, Director of Research & Development at the Alzheimer’s Society, stated that this type of diet can help maintain memory and reduce the risk of dementia. He added, “...the biggest risk factor for dementia is age, but there are things we can all do now that help to lower our chances of developing dementia. These include healthy eating, regular exercise, and the avoidance of smoking.”
Verbal Fluency Predicts Cognitive Health
Researchers at Wisconsin Alzheimer’s Institute at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health studied those with memory decline and its correlation to everyday speech. They found certain changes in everyday speech (like an increase in use of shorter sentences and pronouns as well as more frequent pausing with the interjection of “ah” and “um”) could indicate a likelihood of developing Alzheimer’s disease. Researchers looked at two speech samples from 264 participants; these samples averaged one-minute long and were taken two years apart. The participants were asked to describe a given picture. Nearly 40% exhibited mild cognitive impairment (eMCI). Notable of those individuals was that their speech content was more general and utilized a higher number of pronouns per specific nouns; they also had an increase in hesitations, word repetitions, and pauses (“ah” and “um”). Furthermore, the subjects used less complex sentences and took a longer time to convey their thoughts. Dr. James Pickett, Head of Research at Alzheimer’s Society, reported that this study shows that changes in speech can indicate memory and thinking decline.
Urgent and Emergency Hospitalizations
Researchers found that older adults who have a higher risk of cognitive and memory problems are hospitalized at a higher rate than those of similar age without the impairments. These findings are based on data from 930 older adults (75% female; 25% male with a mean age of 81) who were enrolled in the Rush Memory and Aging Project (MAP) in Chicago. Researchers obtained data from both clinical evaluations and cognitive assessments and linked their findings to 1999-2010 Medicare claim records for these individuals. 60% had at least one emergency or urgent admission within a five-year period.
These hospitalizations were associated with a decline in cognition when compared to prior hospitalization. Dr. Doug Brown, Director of Research and Development at the Alzheimer’s Society, claimed that it is common for dementia patients to notice a decline in memory and thinking skills after surgery, but no one knows exactly the reason behind this. For hospital admissions that were elective, there was no marked decline in cognitive and memory problems for this same population of older adults from the study.
Other Significant Findings
One study reported that a single major stressful event in early life is equal to four years of cognitive aging. The study went on to say that this may help to explain the heightened level of dementia for those born in states with the highest level of infant mortality and poverty.
Several new studies addressed sleep-disordered breathing and sleep apnea associated with the accumulation of amyloid and tau in the brain, noting that these are two important markers for Alzheimer’s.
A new study on older people with hearing loss revealed a 3-times increase in mild cognitive impairment versus those with “normal” hearing.
Maria Carrillo, Ph.D. and Chief Science Officer at the Alzheimer’s Association, spoke of the determination to continue to find ways to reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s. She noted medical breakthroughs in fighting heart disease, cancer, and HIV/AIDS with both lifestyle changes and medications. In the near future, she predicts the same level of progress with Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias. She advocates for continued large-scale trials in diverse populations and increased funding for research. She asks for at least $414 million for the year 2018 from Congress.