Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors are important for control of blood pressure and have made a profound impact on patients with diabetes and congestive heart failure. The ACE inhibitors, which act outside the brain, have had minimal impact on dementia of any cause. However, there is now evidence indicating that ACE Inhibitors which act inside the brain, may have the ability to reduce cognitive decline.
Recent observational data from the Cardiovascular Health Study revealed that that centrally active ACE inhibitors did diminish cognitive decline by 65% per year of exposure, an effect that is likely related to the drug’s ability to cross the blood-brain barrier.
READ MORE @ EMPOWER
Showing posts with label cognitive function. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cognitive function. Show all posts
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Severe COPD Linked to Mental Decline - Doctors need to recognize challenges these patients face, researchers say
Severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease appears linked to lower cognitive function in older adults, making it more difficult for them to remember and perform daily tasks, a new study finds.
Researchers at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City analyzed national data on 4,150 Americans aged 50 and older, including 492 with COPD. Of those, 153 had severe COPD. On a 35-point cognition scale, scores among all COPD patients declined an average of one-point between 1996 and 2002. Further analysis showed that patients with severe COPD had significantly lower scores than those without COPD.
"Our findings should raise awareness that adults with severe COPD are at greater risk for developing cognitive impairment, which may make managing their COPD more challenging, and will likely further worsen their general health and quality of life," study author Dr. William W. Hung said in a news release.
The results suggest that patients with severe COPD have a 22 percent increase in the difficulty they experience with daily tasks.
READ MORE @ FORBES
Researchers at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City analyzed national data on 4,150 Americans aged 50 and older, including 492 with COPD. Of those, 153 had severe COPD. On a 35-point cognition scale, scores among all COPD patients declined an average of one-point between 1996 and 2002. Further analysis showed that patients with severe COPD had significantly lower scores than those without COPD.
"Our findings should raise awareness that adults with severe COPD are at greater risk for developing cognitive impairment, which may make managing their COPD more challenging, and will likely further worsen their general health and quality of life," study author Dr. William W. Hung said in a news release.
The results suggest that patients with severe COPD have a 22 percent increase in the difficulty they experience with daily tasks.
READ MORE @ FORBES
Friday, June 12, 2009
Can Memory Loss Be Prevented?
At the age of 78, Bob Branham, a retired computer software developer in Dallas, Tex., took up quilting. It wasn’t his idea, actually. He’d never dreamed of piecing together his own Amish diamond coverlet or rummaging around Jo-Ann Fabrics in search of calico prints. But then he enrolled in a trial sponsored by the National Institute on Aging to assess whether learning a new skill can help preserve cognitive function in old age. By random assignment, he landed in the quilting group.
When it comes to mental agility, we’re more likely to think of crosswords than cross-stitch. But neuroscientists suspect that learning a challenging new skill — a new language, a new musical instrument — may be even more effective than mental games at keeping the brain sharp. And quilting is more complicated than it may seem.
“It’s a very abstract task,” said Dr. Denise Park, a cognitive neuroscientist at the University of Texas at Dallas, who is leading the trial. “You have to picture what the pattern will look like, match fabrics, manipulate geometric forms, mentally rotate objects.”
In Mr. Branham’s case, he also had to learn to use a sewing machine. And while it’s too early to tell if quilting is sharpening his mind, he quickly found that he loved his new pastime. He spends as much as 40 hours a week piecing and stitching, both at home and at the social center that Dr. Park set up for the trial.
READ MORE @ NY TIMES
When it comes to mental agility, we’re more likely to think of crosswords than cross-stitch. But neuroscientists suspect that learning a challenging new skill — a new language, a new musical instrument — may be even more effective than mental games at keeping the brain sharp. And quilting is more complicated than it may seem.
“It’s a very abstract task,” said Dr. Denise Park, a cognitive neuroscientist at the University of Texas at Dallas, who is leading the trial. “You have to picture what the pattern will look like, match fabrics, manipulate geometric forms, mentally rotate objects.”
In Mr. Branham’s case, he also had to learn to use a sewing machine. And while it’s too early to tell if quilting is sharpening his mind, he quickly found that he loved his new pastime. He spends as much as 40 hours a week piecing and stitching, both at home and at the social center that Dr. Park set up for the trial.
READ MORE @ NY TIMES
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