alzheimers and dementia

Question 1

what is dementia ?

Answer 1

umbrella term for loss of memory + other think abilities affecting daily life

Question 2

what is alzhiemers and how many people with dementia does it affect?

Answer 2

progressive mental deterioration that can occur in middle or older age due to generalised degeneration of the brain.

affects 60-80% of people will dementia

Question 3

when does the average diagnosis of dementia occur ?

Answer 3

on average age 70

genetic factors can lead to early onset at younger age

Question 4

what are some symptoms?

Answer 4

become more apparent over time or with lifestyle change

• poor judgement
• memory loss
• confusion
• difficulty solving problems
• social withdrawing

Question 5

what is mini-mental state examination ?

Answer 5

assesses persons language, attention, calculation and orientation

high score 24-30 no cog impairment

low score 0-17 is severe impairment

Question 6

what are pros and cons of mini-mental state examination ?

Answer 6

adv -
- quick and easy
- can compare back to over time to monitor deterioration

disadvantage-
- can vary depending on how person feels on the day
- biased agains visually impaired
- poor sensitivity
- biased against those poor eduction due language + maths test

Question 7

what does an MRI and CT scan show ?

Answer 7

MRI- shrinkage of specific regions

CT - tumor/ stroke

Question 8

what are the biomarkers for alzhiemers ?

Answer 8

tau
amyloid beta

Question 9

how does tau affects the brain ?

Answer 9

tau phosphorylates but can’t remove the phosphate

leads to high levels that can’t function effecting brain function + processes

Question 10

how does amyloid beta effect the brain ?

Answer 10

accumulation effects cell processes leading to firing issues in neurons

can be region specific depending on location

Question 11

what tests detect tau and amyloid beta ?

Answer 11

positron emission tomography

cerebrospinal fluid

Question 12

what alleles are linked to alzhiemers ?

Answer 12

2 of APOE-4 then guaranteed

2 of APOE- 2 then protected

Question 13

what did Serrano-pozo + growdon 2019 find about risk factors ?

Answer 13

there’s changeable + nonchangable factors

genetics aging - unchanged
hypertension, diabetes, obesity , smoking - changeable

protective non change - genetics

protective change - eduction, alcohol intake, exercise

Question 14

what did Livingstone et al 2020 find about risk factors ?

Answer 14

12 factors in a life course model can account for 40% of dementia around world

e.g.smoking, obesity , physical inactivity

Question 15

that is familial alzhiemers ?

Answer 15

early onset from age 35

mutation of PSEN1, PSEN2 & APP

Question 16

what did yan et al (2020) find about exercise ?

Answer 16

meta analysis conducted

30% risk of dementia in sedentary populations irrespective of age, gender, education or ethnicity

Question 17

what are limitations of interventions for alzhiemers ?

Answer 17

poorly designed:
- intervention timing
- outcome measures
- mode/intensity of exercise (adherence)

Question 18

what was found about intervention timing in early alzhiemers ?

Answer 18

12 month study on either aerobic training or stretching + toning

BOTH found slight improvements in memory + executive function scores

both did NOT prevent brain atrophy

aerobic improved Cardiorepsiratory fitness

Question 19

how does exercise affects amyloid beta, tau & cognition ?

Answer 19

it shifts their development to the right or reduce their levels

delays onset of dementia + symptoms

Question 20

how is amyloid beta affected by alzhiemers ?

Answer 20

without exercise increased amyloid activity occurs with alzhimers

Question 21

what happens to amyloid beta during exercise ?

is it more or less effective than drug that can block the pathway?

Answer 21

increases activity of the amyloid ALPHa pathway, improving brain BF, enzymes + cell transport

the beta pathway is not blocked but reduced due to benefits of the pathway

better than drug that blocks it

Question 22

who found the 30% risk increase in alzhiemers in those who are sedentary ?

Answer 22

yan et al 2020