Diabetes slows down memory loss in people with Alzheimer’s disease! Researchers conducted a 4-year study on 608 subjects with mild to moderate Alzheimer’s disease, out of which 63 people also had diabetes. Their memory and thinking skills were tested regularly. Those with diabetes turned out to have a slower rate of memory decline than those who “only” suffered from Alzheimer’s disease. The reason for this is not completely clear yet. It could, however, be the result of the cardiovascular medication elderly diabetics are taking, which studies have shown to reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease as well as the rate of cognitive decline. Read more about it here.

Common mental conditions like depression affect our cognitive abilities, most notably working memory and attention, and can contribute to the difficulty of coping and being effective in our every day jobs and life. Depressed individuals must engage more brainpower to achieve the same results as someone without depression. This places heavy demands on the brain’s resources and may result in progressive brain exhaustion. This can lead to noticeable cognitive deficits.
This year the theme of the World Mental Health Day on October 10th is “Mental Health in Primary Care Medicine: Enhancing Treatment and Promoting Mental Health“. Through emphasizing the benefits of enhancing mental health in primary care medical settings, notable changes can be made in the early recognition and treatment of common conditions like depression. We applaud the work of the World Federation of Mental Health in promoting the importance of early detection and treatment. The economic and social costs of not doing so are enormous.

The World Federation for Mental Health started World Mental Health Day in 1992 with the aim to promote public awareness of mental health and illness. To find out more about World Mental Health Day, click here…

Scientific American posted an interesting article that proposed to put a predictive time line on the development of Alzheimer’s disease. Read about it here.

Whether it’s decision making, judgment, basic math, memory loss  or other brain function, it is increasingly important to stimulate all these cognitive capabilities on a regular basis. One is rarely used in isolation. Cognitive cross training programs can help at the early stages of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease or in advance of cognitive decline.

Today - World Alzheimer’s Day, September 21, is a day when the Alzheimer’s Association and other organizations around the globe unite  efforts to raise awareness about the disease and its impact on our families, communities and nations. World Alzheimer’s Day was first launched on September 21, 1994 by ADI.  The fact that 35M people today are living with Alzheimer’s Disease (a 10% increase in just the last 4 years!) should be cause for alarm and, more importantly, cause for action on the part of our health care and health insurance industry leadership, our government elected officials and all of us as individuals. You can read more about Alzheimer’s disease facts and figures and how you can get involved to make a difference in the fight here

The Alzheimer’s Association organizes  Memory Walks across the country to raise awareness and funds for Alzheimer’s research and education. It a great way to join others, get exercise,  and walk for the cause. Learn more  Here.

A new controlled study using HAPPYneuron exercises has been launched at the prestigious University of Zurich, Institute of Psychology, Switzerland under the supervision of Dr. Anne Echen. The goal of the study is to evaluate the effectiveness of episodic memory training consisting of personalized adaptive computer exercises. 40 subjects between the ages of 60 and 70 will participate in the study. The first results are expected to be available in the Fall of 2009. We’ll keep you posted of the results as they become available from the study team. At that time you’ll find the results posted on our research listing pages.

Not just one, but two recent studies have shown that increases in caffeine caused significant decreases in abnormal levels of proteins  linked to Alzheimer’s Disease. The scientists believe that the discoveries could lead to caffeine being a treatment in the future as well as defensive strategy to the disease.  Pour another cup of coffee and read more about it at Medical News Today.

The Alzheimer’s Association recently published an article on the 10 signs of Alzheimer’s disease. The first sign is occasional memory loss, like not being able to remember important dates or events, further signs are difficulties in planning or solving problems, completing everyday tasks, confusing time and place and not knowing how and why you arrived to a particular location. You can read about the different types of memory loss here and learn more about the 10 signs of Alzheimer’s disease here…