dementia tagged posts

CasRx (magenta) targeting RNA in the nucleus of human cells (gray). Credit: Salk Institute

Most people have heard of the CRISPR/Cas9 gene-editing technology, which acts as targeted molecular scissors to cut and replace disease-causing genes with healthy ones. But DNA is only part of the story; many genetic diseases are caused by problems with RNA, a working copy of DNA that is translated into proteins. Now, Salk Institute scientists have created a new tool that targets not DNA, but RNA, and used it to correct a protein imbalance in cells from a dementia patient, restoring them to healthy levels...

One in three cases of dementia could be prevented by addressing nine lifestyle factors, according to a report from the first Lancet Commission on Dementia Prevention and Care. Credit: Keck Medicine of USC

Managing lifestyle factors such as hearing loss, smoking, hypertension and depression could prevent 1/3 of the world’s dementia cases, according to a report by the first Lancet Commission on Dementia Prevention and Care. Presented at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference (AAIC) 2017 and published in The Lancet, the report also highlights the beneficial effects of nonpharmacologic interventions such as social contact and exercise for people with dementia.

“There’s been a great deal of focus on developing medicines to prevent dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease,” says com...

New research correlates sugary drinks—as well as diet soda—to smaller brain volume and memory deficits. Photo by RapidEye/iStock

Both sugary, diet drinks correlated with accelerated brain aging. Researchers using data from the Framingham Heart Study (FHS) found that people who drink sugary beverages frequently are more likely to have poorer memory, smaller overall brain volume, and a significantly smaller hippocampus. A follow-up study found that people who drank diet soda daily were almost 3X as likely to develop stroke and dementia when compared to those who did not.

Researchers are quick to point out that these findings, which appear separately in the journals Alzheimer’s & Dementia and Stroke, demonstrate correlation but not cause-and-effect...

Researchers at Johns Hopkins University found a link between rapid drops in blood pressure, known as orthostatic hypotension, and an increased risk of dementia. Photo by ronstik/Shutterstock

Middle-aged people who experience temporary blood pressure drops that often cause dizziness upon standing up may be at an increased risk of developing cognitive decline and dementia 20 years later, new Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health research suggests. The findings suggest that these temporary episodes – orthostatic hypotension – may cause lasting damage, possibly because they reduce needed blood flow to the brain...