This annual Alzheimer’s Research conference, attended by thousands of researchers from around the world, was held once again during the 3rd week of July, in Toronto Canada. And once again they unveiled some very encouraging research related to early detection and prevention, as well as another drug failure. Here are a few of the more practical highlights.
Early Detection
Two new tests for the early detection of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) were revealed. The first, comes from a simple eye exam. The researchers found that “if the retinal nerve that comes out of the brain is getting narrower,” then a similar loss in nerve tissue is also likely occurring within the brain.
This thinning of the retinal nerve fiber layer in the back of the eye was more prominent in people who performed more poorly in testing of cognitive skills like memory, reasoning and reaction time.
Researchers in the past have found that other eye problems like diabetes retinopathy and dancing vision are also indicators of other neurological problems deep within the brain.
The seconds method tests one’s sense of smell. As cognitive impairment develops, the brain may be less capable of identifying various smells. So this test involved a panel of 40 scratch-and-sniff surfaces scented with a range of familiar scents including turpentine, lemon, licorice, bubble gum and even “eau de skunk.” (If a person can’t smell skunk I would say they have a real problem.)
If you can identify 35 or more of them, it’s unlikely you have Alzheimer’s. Below 35, suggests deterioration has occurred in at least the part of the brain that identifies smells.
Helps To Prevent Alzheimer’s
On a more encouraging note, another study found computer based speed and recognition training appeared to be very helpful in maintaining a healthy brain and reducing risk for dementia. As I noted last year this has been a topic of considerable controversy over the past few years, with many “experts” expressing their opinion that computer based games are of little practical value in promoting brain health.
So in this study they did both a meta-analysis of more than 50 peer-reviewed studies examining a particular type of training called “speed of processing training;” and they conducted their own study of the efficacy of such training. .
As we note in chapter 8 of our new book How to Maintain A Healthy Brain, “as we age our brain processing speed tends to slow down, … People with Alzheimer’s often exhibit much slower brain processing speeds …. That’s one reason why they have a harder time keeping up with conversations, and a good reason why they should not be driving.
One way to potentially arrest this slowdown and shrinkage is through mental speed work, pushing ourselves periodically to remember or process information faster. Speed drills, if not overdone, apparently can do for our brain what weightlifting does for our muscles.”
Their study, called the ACTIVE study (Advanced Cognitive Training for Independent and Vital Elderly) then tested the validity of that proposition – that speed training could strengthen the brain. It consisted of 2,832 participants, ages 65 to 94. The sample was 74 percent white and 26 percent African-American and 76 percent women.
This randomized trial was also designed to test the long-term value of this type of brain training for preventing cognitive impairments that adversely affect one’s ability to perform activities of daily living.
The biggest criticism of brain games has been that they don’t generalize to other normal daily activities, therefore, this study was designed to test that proposition as well.
According to Jerri Edwards, PhD, from U of South Florida, who conducted this study:
“This highly specific exercise is designed to improve the speed and accuracy of visual attention or someone’s mental quickness. For example, during one task, a person must identify an object (e.g., a car or truck) at the center of a screen while locating a target, such as another car or road sign, in his or her peripheral vision. As people practice the task, the time it takes them to locate the peripheral object gets shorter and shorter even as the objects become harder to distinguish. In more difficult tasks, the peripheral target is surrounded by distracting objects, forcing the person to work harder to stay focused.”
The exercise was developed by Karlene Ball, PhD, and Daniel Roenker, PhD, at the University of Alabama Birmingham and Western Kentucky University and is exclusively licensed to Posit Science Inc. It is marketed under the name “Double Decision” on the BrainHQ <http://www.brainhq.com/> website.
I tried this out last week. And it’s actually quite fun. If you go to their website above and sign-up for a free trial this is one of the games you will be offered. It’s called “Double Decision.” Of course they first run you through a short tutorial on how to play the game. But I do have a tip. You have to look closely at the two vehicles presented as they can be quite similar. And identify which car was in the previous picture. The only way I was able to tell them apart was that one had whiter hub caps. There is another trial game identifying different birds that’s quite similar in function. It’s like a virtual trap shoot.
So how effective was this? Well according to Dr. Edwards, those who completed 10 hours of this training over several weeks, had 30% fewer cases of Alzheimer’s ten years later. If they did a refresher at one and three years, there was nearly a 48 percent reduction in risk. That’s pretty amazing! Actually it’s hard to believe. Moreover, those who completed this training were said to have improved their performance across standard cognitive (attention), behavioral (depressive symptoms, feelings of control), functional (health-related quality of life, functional performance) and real world measures (driving, predicted health care costs). Which is even more amazing, assuming these results hold up under peer reviewed scrutiny, and others are able to duplicate them.
In response to the critics and naysayers, doctor Edwards noted that, “Lumping all brain training together is like trying to determine the effectiveness of antibiotics by looking at the universe of all pills, and including sugar pills and dietary supplements in that analysis. You’ll find that some work and some do not. To then conclude that brain training does not work — or is not yet proven — is based on flawed analysis.”
Interesting. By the way. The American Brain Council, for whom I work, has now endorsed BrainHQ as their choice, for an online brain training program. And we now provide it for all those who go through our Dementia Prevention Certification Course. This is particularly good for anyone with hearing problems as it has also been shown to improve auditory processing.
Actually I first heard of this company more than 6 years ago, but it wasn’t near as fun or effective back then. Another nice thing is that it costs less than Cognifit, the other best validated brain training program. And only slightly more than Lumosity, which does not have nearly as much empirical support.
Social Interaction Is Also Protective
On a more human note. While some work or play on a computer may be protective, social interaction may be just as important. In one study presented by Elizabeth Boots, a researcher at the Wisconsin Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center and University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health they found that working in a complex job that requires engaging with people instead of just data and things might also protect against Alzheimer’s disease. In other words they found that People who work with people do better cognitively as they age.
Social connections and positive social interaction can not only help to provide stimulation for the brain, they can also help to mitigate the effects of stress on the body and brain, which we know can be a significant contributor to cognitive decline.
In Boots and colleagues’ study of 284 people, average age 60, MRI scans showed that those with more complex jobs who also had signs of cerebrovascular disease, performed just as well on tests of brain function as people with less complex jobs.
But the complex jobs had to involve interacting with people and not just working with data and things, Boots said, and included occupations such as as physicians, social workers and school counselors.
Why Drugs Fail To Stop Alzheimer’s
Finally, as usual, their most recent drug study was NOT shown to be effective. There have actually now been more than 102 drugs targeting AD that have failed. Why is that? I believe one basic reason is that most drugs are designed to stop bio-chemical reactions in the body, by some artificial means. Drugs are by definition foreign to the human body. If they were not novel or foreign or artificial, they could not be patented. But this quality likely accounts for the fact that most cause side effects, as they try to tweek mother nature. Bottom line, drugs typically are not nutritional in nature. They, are often pretty good at stopping things but not so good for rebuilding and maintaining biological structures – like the brain.
Since Alzheimer’s or most forms of dementia are a result of a combination of damaging forces and insufficient nutrients required by the body to counter this, nutrients that support brain functions are proving to be more efficacious than drugs, by far.
Yet right after this conference on 2 Aug the Alzheimer’s Association announced a 7 million offering, and for what? To further test the value of a brain games? How about the impact of a healthy diet and social interaction, i.e. lifestyle? All interventions proven to be helpful in numerous studies. No, this money was proposed to test the efficacy of more drugs! The never ending quest for a silver bullet. To me it’s like the definition of insanity: Doing the same things and expecting a different outcome. When will they ever learn?
Of course it’s not a matter of learning it’s a matter of money. And the drug companies have it.
But if you have people who are struggling or concerned about their mind or memory, do let them know that while drugs are not a solution, at this point at least, there are many things that they can do and take that can make a real difference, as suggested by this brain game study, and other studies we have reported on this site.
By the way I am pleased to report a new search feature available to your right, beneath the brain. Use it to search any topic related to brain health, memory and dementia prevention on this site (more than 50 articles on various related topics).
And if you are interested in helping to get the word out, by becoming a Dementia Prevention Education Specialist contact me at ABCBrain7@aol.com, for more information. As we noted above it’s becoming easier all the time for physicians to identify those at high risk for developing dementia. But then where are they going to refer them. They know current drugs can’t prevent dementia, but changing unhealthy aspects of one’s lifestyle may. And we are looking for more people from around the country who would like to help provide this critical information. If you are interested let me know.
Dave Larsen
801-529-8238
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