The study is the first to find a way for patients to lower their risk of mild cognitive impairment. “I think it actually is very exciting because it tells us that by improving vascular health in a comprehensive way, we could actually have an effect on brain health,” said Dr. Kristine Yaffe, a professor of psychiatry and neurology at University of California San Francisco.
The New York Times: Study Offers Hint Of Hope For Staving Off Dementia In Some People
In dementia research, so many paths have led nowhere that any glimmer of optimism is noteworthy. So some experts are heralding the results of a large new study, which found that people with hypertension who received intensive treatment to lower their blood pressure were less likely than those receiving standard blood pressure treatment to develop minor memory and thinking problems that often progress to dementia. (Belluck, 1/28)
In other news on dementia and brain health —
The New York Times: Germs In Your Gut Are Talking To Your Brain. Scientists Want To Know What They’re Saying.
In 2014 John Cryan, a professor at University College Cork in Ireland, attended a meeting in California about Alzheimer’s disease. He wasn’t an expert on dementia. Instead, he studied the microbiome, the trillions of microbes inside the healthy human body. Dr. Cryan and other scientists were beginning to find hints that these microbes could influence the brain and behavior. Perhaps, he told the scientific gathering, the microbiome has a role in the development of Alzheimer’s disease. (Zimmer, 1/28)
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