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A new study published in the Journal of Neurobiology of Disease looked at organelle dysfunction in human astrocytes in Alzheimer’s Disease. “We have analyzed transcriptomic data (gene-expression data) from almost 800 patients with Alzheimer’s disease and controls to look for molecular signatures of astrocytes, a type of brain cell. Transcriptomes contain information about the cell genome, over 30,000 genes,” study author Elena Galea told us. [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]

A new study published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society looked at formal and informal social participation and elder mistreatment. “Our study examined patterns of social participation as well as abuse or mistreatment in older adults living in the community,” study author Emmy Yang told us. [More]

COVID-19 has had a significant mental health impact on both residents and staff members in aged care facilities. Research published in the American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry found those working or residing in aged care facilities during the COVID-19 pandemic are experiencing high levels of stress and negative mental health impacts. [More]

Mindfulness, laughter and even robotic dogs may be some of the methods to help people cope with isolation and loneliness due to social distancing during COVID-19. Researchers from Cambridge’s School of Medicine undertook a review examining existing evidence on the different approach to curbing loneliness and isolation, and found there are options to suit everyone. [More]

A new study published in the journal, PNAS (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America) looked at how childhood self-control forecasts the pace of midlife aging and preparedness for old age. “We studied whether as adults, children who exercise better self-control age more slowly, and are more prepared to manage the health, financial, and social demands of later life,” study author Leah Richmond-Rakerd told us. “We also investigated whether self-control in adulthood – not just childhood – is important for aging.” Prior studies have shown that people with better self-control live longer lives. Richmond-Rakerd and the team predicted that people with better self-control would also age more healthily, in midlife. [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]

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is associated with higher financial distress and a higher risk of suicide for those in a lot of debt. [More]

A recent study found that altruism increased with age, going from less than 25% through age 35 to around 75% among people 55 and older. It’s possible that realizing there are fewer years to live encourages people to consider the greater good more than they did as a youth. Whether people do good deeds because of their selfless nature or out of ulterior motives is unclear but we do see an increase in generosity with age. [More]