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A new study published in JAMA Neurology looked at the characteristics of emergency department visits among older adults with dementia. “This study provides the first estimates of how often older adults with dementia utilize emergency services and the main reasons that drive such care,” study author Lauren Gerlach told us. “We anticipated that patients with dementia would utilize emergency services frequently but were unaware of what the main drivers of care were.” [More]

A new study published in Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology looked at physical and mental activity, disease susceptibility, and risk of dementia. “In the present study, we aimed to assess the associations between physical and mental activity and the subsequent risk of dementia,” study author Huan Song told us. “We further hoped to explore whether such associations would differ for individuals with different susceptibility to dementia.” [More]

A new study published in JAMA looked at longitudinal associations of mental disorders with dementia, a 30-year analysis of 1.7 million New Zealand citizens. “This study is about links between mental health and dementia,” study author Barry J. Milne told us. “We wanted to investigate whether there are associations between a range of mental health disorders and subsequent dementia, and whether associations are apparent for both early- and late-onset dementia.” [More]

Up to one billion people worldwide suffer from neurological disorders. In the United States, more than one million adults are diagnosed annually with a chronic brain disease or disorder. Studying the brain is difficult but new tools are emerging. A recent study published in the Journal of Molecular Psychiatry looked at how genetically encoded sensors enable micro and nano-scopic decoding of transmission in healthy and diseased brains. [More]

The findings of a new study on diabetes and dementia were presented at the annual meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes. The results of the study may be able to help reduce the risk of dementia in diabetic patients with poor glycemic control. “Our study looks at the link between diabetes and the risk of developing dementia and Alzheimer’s diseases,” study author Dr. Carlos Celis-Morales told us. "We would like to better understand the link between diabetes but also glycemic control with dementia risk and whether these associations are explained by existing risk factors such as being obese, a smoker or having existing heart diseases or other chronic diseases.” [More]

There are over five million people in the United States today who are living with dementia and 50 million around the globe. By 2050, it’s predicted that nearly 14 million people in the U.S. will have dementia and 152 million worldwide. A new study published in Journal of the American Geriatrics Society looked at whether personality traits were associated with a risk of developing cognitive decline in aging. [More]

Being less agreeable in old age may be protective against Alzheimer’s disease. Using brain imaging and psycho-cognitive evaluations, researchers from the University of Geneva and the University Hospitals of Geneva found that certain personality traits in elderly people were protective against neuro-degeneration. [More]

Alzheimer’s is one of the United States’ top ten causes of death but the only one on that list with no known cure. Alzheimer’s is actually the third leading cause of death after cancer and heart disease. About 5.7 million people in the U.S. have Alzheimer’s disease and the rate is expected to triple to 16 million by 2050. A new study published in the Journal of Alzheimer Disease and Associated Disorders looked at the conversion rates of from mild cognitive impairment to Alzheimer disease in monolingual and bilingual patients. [More]

A new study, published in Scientific Reports, looked at how memories are able to influence our emotional responses induced by music and images. Traditionally different domains, music and pictures are usually studied separately. The current study aimed to renew research of emotional experiences evoked by music and pictures through comparison. [More]

There appears to be a connection between dementia, Alzheimer’s Disease, and Vitamin B-12, but not one that suggests a cure for dementia of the Alzheimer’s or another type. If B12 reduces memory loss and deterioration of brain volume, it is a step in the right direction for the eventual effective treatment of the terrible condition known as dementia. [More]