KsD up to date: messages and news from all over the world
Since 2022 the team of the project “Knowledge stops Dementia” started to refer on a regular base to current contributions from the world wide web which have a close relation to our core topic, the early detection of individual risk factors and thus the lifestyle-oriented and self-responsible prevention and treatment of dementia-related diseases. The opinions expressed in the following articles should serve as a stimulus for critical discussion. They do not necessarily correspond to the positions we hold, but in all cases, they enrich the basis for discussion. Occasionally, we also refer to current freely available studies at the end – please make up your own mind!
Studie: COVID-19-Pneumonie erhöht Demenzrisiko (Ärzteblatt 20. April 2022)
Columbia/Missouri – Patients with COVID-19 who require hospitalization for severe pneumonia are more likely to develop dementia in subsequent months than patients with pneumonia from other causes. This is the finding of a case-control study in Open Forum Infectious Diseases.
Weibliche Hormonspiegel könnten Aufschluss über höheres Demenzrisiko bei Frauen geben (SciTechDaily 6. April 2022) Life events that influence levels of the female hormone estrogen may be linked to a woman’s risk of developing dementia in later life, according to new research.
Was sind die Ursachen für kognitive Veränderungen nach COVID? Neue Forschungsergebnisse erklären, warum der COVID-Gehirnnebel andauern kann (ABCNews, original MedPage Today 1. April 2022)
New research published Friday suggests that an over-stimulated immune system — possibly triggered by ongoing vascular injury and repair — may be behind persistent post-COVID cognitive changes.
Alzheimer: Schützende Immunzellen schon Jahrzehnte vor Ausbruch aktiv (23.03.2022 – Deutsches Zentrum für Neurodegenerative Erkrankungen e.V.)
Strengthening the brain’s defenses could help fight the disease. In people with a genetic predisposition to Alzheimer’s, the brain’s immune cells, known as “microglia,” begin to exert a protective effect up to two decades before symptoms appear. This is the conclusion of a team from the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE) and Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität (LMU) Munich based on a study of more than 200 subjects, which they report in the journal The Lancet Neurology.
Die Netzhaut als möglicher Biomarker für reduzierte Hirnsubstanz (17.03.2022 – Deutsches Zentrum für Neurodegenerative Erkrankungen e.V.)
There is evidence that the retina can serve as a window into the brain. Researchers from the Department of Ophthalmology at the University Hospital Bonn (UKB) and the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE) have found a close connection between the dimensions of retinal structures and those of the brain. They report on this in the journal Scientific Reports. Their study results suggest that examinations of the retina of the eye could help detect a loss of brain substance, also called brain atrophy. The findings are based on data from the so-called Rheinland Studie.
Grundlagenforschung: Diazepam-Dauergebrauch greift Synapsen an (Pharmazeutische Zeitung 14.03.2022)
Long-term use of diazepam can lead to cognitive impairment. Researchers have now demonstrated for the first time in an animal model that the benzodiazepine leads to the loss of nerve connections in the brain.
Demenz-Killer: Das 150-Minuten-Rezept (Doc-Check 31.01.2022)
Cheap, easy and suitable for almost any patient – exercise can not only prevent cardiovascular disease, but also boost cognitive performance. But what are the underlying mechanisms?
Morbus-Alzheimer: Wie ein normaler Schlaf vor einer Demenz schützen könnte (Ärzteblatt 6.12.2021)
Houston/Texas – Decreased activity of the nucleus reticularis in the thalamus leads to sleep disturbances that may promote the deposition of beta-amyloids and tau fibrils in the brain and thus the development of Alzheimer’s disease. U.S. researchers were able to prevent the process in mice by stimulating the nucleus reticularis. According to results presented in Science Translational Medicine, the animals were protected from dementia.