Air pollution can trigger Alzheimer's in aged women:

Women in their 70s and 80s who were exposed to higher levels of air pollution experienced greater declines in memory and more Alzheimer's-like brain atrophy than their counterparts who breathed cleaner air, new research has revealed.

"This is the first study to really show, in a statistical model, that air pollution was associated with changes in people's brains and that those changes were then connected with declines in memory performance," said the study researcher.

What did previous research find?

Previous research has suggested that fine particle pollution exposure increases the risk of Alzheimer's disease and related dementia.
What scientists haven't known is whether PM2.5 alters brain structure and accelerates memory decline.

How was this study conducted?

For the study, researchers used data from 998 women, aged 73 to 87, who had up to two brain scans five years apart as part of the landmark Women's Health Initiative launched in 1993 by the US National Institutes of Health and enrolled more than 160,000 women to address questions about heart disease, cancer and osteoporosis.
Those brain scans were scored on the basis of their similarity to Alzheimer's disease patterns by a machine learning tool that had been "trained" via brain scans of people with Alzheimer's disease.

The researchers also gathered information about where the 998 women lived, as well as environmental data from those locations to estimate their exposure to fine particle pollution.

When all that information was combined, researchers could see the association between higher pollution exposure, brain changes and memory problems -- even after adjusting to take into account differences in income, education, race, geographic region, cigarette smoking and other factors.

"This study provides another piece of the Alzheimer's disease puzzle by identifying some of the brain changes linking air pollution and memory decline. Each research study gets us one step closer to solving the Alzheimer's disease epidemic," the researcher said.

"Our hope is that by better understanding the underlying brain changes caused by air pollution, researchers will be able to develop interventions to help people with or at risk for cognitive decline," the researcher added.

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The Top 10 Most FAQs Concerning Alzheimer's Disease

Alzheimer's disease is a word many of us are familiar with. But do we know enough about the disease and how it may impact our lives - how it begins, what it does and what cures are available? These FAQs seek to provide a well-rounded foundation on Alzheimer's disease.

1. What is Alzheimer's disease?
Alzheimer's is a disease that occurs in the brain. It slowly impacts memory and thinking skills, and in the long run it will eventually impact a person's ability to carry out the simplest tasks. The onset of Alzheimer's may be slow, but it tends to get worse over time. 

2. What is dementia?
Dementia is a loss of thinking, remembering and reasoning skills that tends to interfere with a person's daily life and activities. The most common cause of dementia in older people is Alzheimer's disease. Dementia can range in severity. In its mild stage, this mental illness can affect a person's functioning. In the more severe stages, a person must depend on others for complete care. 

3. How many people in the U.S. have been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease?
While estimates vary, it is believed that more than 5 million Americans may have Alzheimer's disease. It is also currently ranked as the sixth leading cause of death in the U.S. However, recent estimates indicate that it may, in fact, rank third, just behind heart disease and cancer. 

4. What is the first sign of Alzheimer's disease?
Memory problems are usually the first symptom of Alzheimer's disease. Other symptoms include a decline in other aspects of thinking, such as finding the right words, vision or spatial issues as well as impaired reasoning or judgment. 

5. What are the stages in the development of Alzheimer's disease?
In the early stage of Alzheimer's a person may
• Find it hard to remember things.
• Ask the same questions repeatedly.
• Get lost in familiar places.
• Lose things or put them in unusual places.
• Have trouble handling money and paying bills.
• Take longer than they normally would to finish daily tasks.
Once Alzheimer's has progressed to the middle stages, the symptoms, particularly memory loss and confusion, grow worse. At this stage, people may also have problems recognizing family and friends. Other symptoms include:
• Difficulty learning new things and coping with new situations.
• Trouble carrying out tasks that involve many steps, such as getting dressed.
• Impulsive behavior.
• Forgetting the names of common things.
• Hallucinations, delusions or paranoia.
• Wandering away from home.
Once Alzheimer's has progressed to the more severe stages, symptoms include:
• Inability to communicate.
• More likely to sleep.
• Weight loss.
• Trouble swallowing.
• They often become incontinent - they cannot control their bladder or bowels.
• Are in need of total care. 

6. What causes Alzheimer's disease?

It's exact cause is not yet known. In its early onset, which occurs in people aged between 30 and 60, a genetic mutation is usually the cause. Late-onset of Alzheimer's develops after the age of 60 and arises from a complex series of brain changes that occur over decades. The causes may include a combination of genetic, environmental and lifestyle factors.


Age is the most well-known risk for Alzheimer's disease. However, lifestyle factors such as diet and physical exercise as well as long-term health conditions like high blood pressure and diabetes may also play a role.

7. If you become forgetful as you get older, does that mean you will get Alzheimer's disease?

No. Not all memory problems are caused by Alzheimer's disease. In fact, mild forgetfulness is often a normal part of aging. Memory problems may also be related to a treatable health issue too. The following conditions may signal future memory loss, or possibly dementia:
• Medication side effects.
• Vitamin B12 deficiency.
• Chronic alcoholism.
• Tumors or infections in the brain.
• Thyroid, liver or kidney disorders also can lead to memory loss.
• Emotional problems such as stress, anxiety or depression may make a person forgetful. But the confusion and forgetfulness caused by emotions usually are temporary and tend to subside once the feelings fade.

8. Why is early diagnosis of Alzheimer’s important?

An early diagnosis can help people and their families plan for the future, giving them time to discuss care options, find support and make legal and financial arrangements while the person with Alzheimer's is still able to. In addition, early diagnosis offers the best chance to treat the symptoms.


9. Are there any medicines to treat Alzheimer's disease?

Unfortunately there are no medications to stop Alzheimer's disease. But four medications are recommended to treat the symptoms, including thinking, memory and speaking skills. They work by regulating certain chemicals in the brain. But most of these medicines work best for people diagnosed in the early or middle stages of the disease.

10. Is there anything I can do to prevent Alzheimer's disease?

While there are no medicines or treatments that one can take to prevent Alzheimer's, scientists are looking into many possibilities including lifestyle factors like exercise and physical activity, a healthy diet as well as mentally stimulating activities.


Scientists have also found clues that certain long-term health conditions like heart disease, high blood pressure and diabetes may be linked to Alzheimer's disease. It may therefore be possible that controlling these conditions will reduce a person's risk of developing Alzheimer's. 

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Alzheimer's-like symptoms reversed in mice thanks to special diet

A diet with compounds found in green tea and carrots reversed Alzheimer's-like symptoms in new experiments, a new study suggests.

Researchers say that mice genetically programmed to develop the disease had memory and visual-spatial skills restored and could find their way out of a maze just as well as healthy mice.

The team of researchers note that it's possible the discoveries made in the rodents may not be able to be replicated in humans. 

However, they add that the findings could lead to plant-based supplements being used in combination with drugs to prevent or slow down dementia symptoms. 

An estimated 5.7 million Americans of all ages are living with Alzheimer's disease in 2019.

However, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that number will rise to around 14 million over the next four decades. 

Sufferers experience a decline in cognitive, behavioral and physical abilities - and there is no cure.

For the study,  the team studied two compounds, the first being EGCG, which is found in high quantities in green tea.

EGCG is an antioxidant that prevents free radicals from forming in the body, thereby protecting against cell and molecule damage.

Previous studies have shown that EGCG protects newly-developed neurons, which helps with cognition and alertness. 

The second compound, ferulic acid (FA), is found in foods such as carrots, oats and tomatoes.  

FA is an antioxidant that is best-known for its benefits when it comes to skin, such as treating sun damage, fine lines and wrinkles.

The team split the mice with Alzheimer's into four groups and added the same number of healthy mice to each group.

They were given one of four diets: both EGCG and FA, just EGCG, just FA, or a placebo.

The mice underwent several neuropsychological tests - which measures areas such as problem solving, memory, and visual-spatial skills - both before and after the diet. 

The researchers noted one test, which is maze in the shape of a Y and tests if the mice can find their way out it.

Following the three months, the mice who were on the combination diet performed just as well as the healthy mice did.

Senior author, a professor of physiology and neuroscience, says it appears that EGCC and FA prevent amyloid beta proteins from entering the brain and smothering neurons, which leads to loss of memory and confusion.

The antioxidants also seemed to reduce inflammation and oxidative stress in the brain, risk factors associated with Alzheimer's disease. 

'You don't have to wait 10 to 12 years for a designer drug to make it to market. You can make these dietary changes today,' said the Dr. 'I find that very encouraging.' 

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Possible link between rotavirus vaccine and decline in type 1 diabetes

A drop in the number of young children diagnosed with type 1 diabetes could be associated with the introduction of routine rotavirus vaccination of Australian infants, according to a new study by  researchers. 

The researchers investigated the number of Australian children diagnosed with type 1 diabetes from 2000 to 2015 and found that type 1 diabetes diagnoses in children aged 0-4 years declined from 2007—the year that rotavirus vaccine was introduced as a routine infant vaccination.

This is the first time the rate of type 1 diabetes in young children in Australia has fallen since the 1980s. While not conclusively linking the rotavirus vaccine with protection against type 1 diabetes, the discovery builds on earlier research suggesting natural rotavirus infection may be a risk factor for type 1 diabetes.

Decline in type 1 diabetes
Since the 1980s, the incidence of type 1 diabetes has steadily increased in Australia and worldwide, but the reasons for this increase are poorly understood. Type 1 diabetes is a serious, lifelong autoimmune condition, in which the body's immune system destroys cells in the pancreas that produce insulin, a hormone that controls the level of glucose in the blood.

By investigating the number of Australian children diagnosed with type 1 diabetes each year since 2000, the research team observed that after 2007 the rate of type 1 diabetes decreased in children aged 0-4 years, said study lead author.

"The significant decrease in type 1 diabetes that we detected in young children after 2007 was not seen in older children aged 5-14. This suggests the young children could have been exposed to a protective factor that didn't impact older children," the Dr. said.

"We observed the decline in the rate of type 1 diabetes in children born after 2007 coincided with the introduction of the oral rotavirus vaccine onto the Australian National Immunisation Program in 2007."

The rotavirus vaccine is routinely given to Australian infants aged 2 and 4 months to protect them against a severe, potentially life-threatening form of diarrhea.

Exploring the connection
Professor , who is the study senior author, said the discovery followed on from earlier research implicating rotavirus infection in the development of type 1 diabetes.

"Twenty years ago our team revealed an association between the appearance of immune markers of type 1 diabetes in children and rotavirus infection. Subsequent studies in laboratory models suggested rotavirus infection of pancreatic cells can trigger an immune attack against the insulin-producing cells—similar to what occurs in type 1 diabetes," he said.

"While not conclusive, our latest study suggests that preventing rotavirus infection in Australian infants by vaccination may also reduce their risk of type 1 diabetes. We will be continuing this research to look more closely at the correlation, by comparing the health records of  young children with or without type 1 diabetes.

"At this stage we don't yet know whether the reduction in type 1 diabetes is a permanent effect or transient, and it may only be relevant to Australian children," the Prof. said.

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Drawing Better Than Writing for Retaining Memory For Older Adults

Drawing can help you better retain new information than re-writing notes or passively looking at images, a study has found.

Scientists have found that older adults could enhance their memory by taking up drawing, even if they are not good at it.

"We found that drawing enhanced memory in older adults more than other known study techniques. We’re really encouraged by these results and are looking into ways that it can be used to help people with dementia, who experience rapid declines in memory and language function." 

For the study, the researchers asked both young people and older adults to do a variety of memory-encoding techniques and then tested their recall.

They believe that drawing led to better memory when compared with other study techniques because it incorporated multiple ways of representing the information -- visual, spatial, verbal, semantic and motoric.

"Drawing improves memory across a variety of tasks and populations, and the simplicity of the strategy means that it can be used in many settings." said a professor.

As part of the studies, the researchers compared different types of memory techniques in aiding retention of a set of words, in a group of undergraduate students and a group of senior citizens.

Participants would either encode each word by writing it out, by drawing it, or by listing physical attributes related to each item.

Later on after performing each task, memory was assessed. Both groups showed better retention when they used drawing rather than writing to encode the new information, and this effect was especially large in older adults.

Retention of new information typically declines as people age, due to deterioration of critical brain structures involved in memory such as the hippocampus and frontal lobes.

In contrast, we know that visuospatial processing regions of the brain, involved in representing images and pictures, are mostly intact in normal aging, and in dementia.

"We think that drawing is particularly relevant for people with dementia because it makes better use of brain regions that are still preserved, and could help people experiencing cognitive impairment with memory function. Our findings have exciting implications for therapeutic interventions to help dementia patients hold on to valuable episodic memories throughout the progression of their disease." 

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