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For some time, studies have linked the development of Alzheimer’s disease with vascular dysfunction during aging. A recent study suggests that this dysfunction could be driven by astrocyte dysfunction and/or pericyte loss, which results in a breakdown of the blood-brain barrier. But study results indicate that long-term aerobic exercise can mitigate age-related cognitive decline.
In addition to reading our E-newsletter, be sure to visit Today’s Geriatric Medicine’s website at www.TodaysGeriatricMedicine.com, where you’ll find news and information that’s relevant and reliable. We welcome your feedback at TGMeditor@gvpub.com. Follow Today’s Geriatric Medicine on Facebook and Twitter, too.
— Barbara Worthington, editor |
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Long-Term Aerobic Exercise Prevents Age-Related Brain Changes
A study of the brains of mice shows that structural deterioration associated with old age can be prevented by long-term aerobic exercise starting in midlife, according to the authors of a research article published in the Open Access journal PLOS Biology on October 29. Gareth Howell, PhD, Ileana Soto Reyes, PhD, and their colleagues at The Jackson Laboratory in Bar Harbor, Maine, found that structural changes that make the blood-brain barrier leaky and result in inflammation of brain tissues in old mice can be mitigated by allowing the animals to run regularly, thus providing a potential explanation for the beneficial effects of exercise on dementia in humans.
As with many other diseases, old age is the major risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease. Age-related cognitive deficits result in part from changes in neuronal function, but also correlate with deficiencies in the blood supply to the brain and with low-level inflammation.
In this study, the authors set out to investigate the changes in the brains of normal young and aged laboratory mice by comparing their gene expression profiles using a technique called RNA sequencing, and by comparing their structures at high resolution by using fluorescence microscopy and electron microscopy. The gene expression analysis indicated age-related changes in the expression of genes relevant to vascular function, including focal adhesion, vascular smooth muscle, and ECM-receptor interactions, and inflammation, especially related to the complement system, which clears foreign particles in the brain cortex.
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Depression Management in Controlling Chronic Conditions
Depression concomitant with chronic illness requires diagnosis and treatment for physicians to effectively manage older adults’ chronic conditions. Read more »
Comprehensive Wound Care Review
Because wound etiologies are multifactorial, clinicians must recognize the need for a comprehensive and individualized plan of care to ensure patients’ successful wound healing. Read more »
Palliative Care: Its Role in Improving Health Care
Palliative care reduces hospitalization rates and 30-day readmission rates while decreasing per capita health care expenditures. Read more » |
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Health Risk Assessments
May Benefit Elderly
Researchers suggest that a health risk assessment provides a valuable tool in improving older adults’ longevity and function, according to an article at Fox News online.
Data on Benefits of Lower Blood Pressure
Bring Clarity
for Doctors and Patients
How low is too low for systolic blood pressure? A recent study produced new guidelines for blood pressure control.
Sleep Could Be the Missing Link
in Dementia
According to an article in the Chicago Tribune, researchers have found links between sleep disturbance and the risk of cognitive impairment and decline.
Why Doctors Need to Consider
Spiritual Health
An article in The Philadelphia Inquirer suggests that becoming attuned to patients’ spiritual health can improve physicians’ effectiveness in treating older adults. |
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