Posted under Blog on January 3rd, 2012 by Editorial Team / No Comments

Many people know all too well the devastating effect that dementia can have on the brain, yet it has been found that our memory for music appears to remain undiminished.

Singing for the Brain is a choir run by the Alzheimer’s Society in the UK for people with dementia and their carers. The weekly sessions see even the most seriously affected individuals singing along merrily to tunes of their youth. It seems that music also allows individuals to demonstrate a capacity to remember and learn through increased responses, retention of new lyrics and the creation of new relationships.

Ms  Jill Dean, Singing for the Brain, Regional Leader, recently told The Times ‘’We did ‘If You Were the Only Girl in the World’ and there was a couple singing it looking into each other’s eyes, giggling and holding hands, and the rest of the room were dissolving into tears’.”

For more information, visit the Alzheimer's Society.

Tags: Alzheimer's, carers, dementia, memory, music, singing for the brain

Posted under Blog on December 12th, 2011 by Editorial Team / No Comments

Alzheimer’s disease and frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD) are both two forms of dementia sharing similar symptoms. This means that telling the two apart is a real challenge. 

In a recent study published in Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology, so-called PIB markers were used along with a brain PET scan to detect amyloid in the brain. Amyloid is the hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease but completely unrelated to FTLD and usually detection is only possible after death. This led to an increased ability to differentiate between the two dementias.

"While widespread use of PIB PET scans isn't available at this time, similar amyloid markers are being developed for clinical use, and these findings support a role for amyloid imaging in correctly diagnosing Alzheimer's disease versus FTLD," said Rabinovici, the study’s author.

New research is vital and continuously being developed to detect Alzheimer’s disease and differentiate it from other forms of dementia. This will not only allow doctors to provide patients with an accurate diagnosis but will also aid research into treatments and cures.

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Tags: Alzheimer's, amyloid, dementia, memory loss, PET scan

Posted under Blog on November 29th, 2011 by Editorial Team / No Comments

A recent study published in Neurology, November 2011, revealed that people in the earliest stages of Alzheimer’s disease are more likely to have a lower body mass index (BMI).

This finding is in accordance with other research stating that people who are overweight in middle age are more likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease decades later than those of a normal weight.

The study assessed persons suffering from mild cognitive impairment as well as individuals with no memory problems. Those who displayed the Alzheimer’s biomarkers were also more likely to have a lower BMI than those who did not.

These results have the potential to incriminate the hypothalamus, the key player in regards to metabolism and food intake, in the development of the disease but the study’s authors noted that further research is needed to assess the direction of cause and effect.

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Tags: Alzheimer's, early-stage Alzheimer's, mild cognitive impairment, neurology