Dementia and Alzheimer's references Flashcards
Definition
A general term a group of diseases characterised by memory loss and other thinking abilities that are severe enough to effect daily living as a result of cognitive decline
Alzheimer’s definition
Overall mental deterioration which the onset mid to later life as a result of generalised degeneration of the brain
Most common dementias
Alzheimer’s - 80%
Lewy body - 5-10%
Vascular - 5-10%
Prevalence and economic burden
850,000 - Mikel 2022
£26.3 billion
Symptoms of dementia
- memory less
- reduced attention span
- confusion
- withdrawal
- misplacing items
Assessment and diagnosis of dementia
- GP, usually diagnosed after symptoms have been presenting for a while
- Mini Mental State examination
Why can it be difficult to diagnose dementia
Usually tends to occur at similar times to big lifestyle changes, such as retirement
Other assessments tend to be insensitive to small changes such as SCD and MCI
Causes of dementia
- aging, 9% of 65+ diagnosed - Prince 2014
- low PA (Tan 2017), high sedentary (2020)
- genetic component APOEe4
- vascular illnesses
Biomarkers of dementia
MRI - brain shrinkage but not common method
Inflammation - high TNF, IL-6, low BDGF, S100b, GFA
Amyloid beta - tacky and form plaque around neurons and prevents normal firing
Phosphorylated tau - results in neurofibrillary tangles preventing normal functioning
Modifiable factors of dementia
Exercise
Med diet
Intellectual and social activities
Education
(Serrano-Pozo 2019)
Benefits of exercise
Improved mental health - Mikkelsen 2017
Improved cognitive function
Reduced inflammation
Improved aerobic fitness
Tarumi 2019
Aerobic v stretching study
- results: reduced shrinkage in amyloid positive, improved memory and executive cognitive function
Jennings 2024
MEDEX study
-55-74y/o at risk
- 24 intervention
Results - improved cognitive function
Brown 2013 - cognitively healthy
546 cognitively healthy
Measured levels of PA participation via IPAQ
PA negatively associated with amyloid beta
Therefore provides ability to reduce markers of dementia
Nascimento 2014
Looking at other markers
- 16 week multimodal exercise
- 3 times per week
- reduced TNF, IL-6 and increased BDNF (inflam) and improved attention and executive function
