New study links language-processing issues to early dementia, Alzheimer’s detection

New research challenges the common perception that memory loss is the earliest indicator of dementia, and in particular Alzheimer’s.

Groundbreaking new research has uncovered a cognitive biomarker that could serve as an early warning sign of dementia, particularly Alzheimer’s disease.

Researchers from MIT, Cornell University, and Massachusetts General Hospital have found language-processing difficulties, specifically in handling complex grammatical structures, are an indicator — more so than memory loss — of Alzheimer’s.

The study focused on individuals with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI), a condition linked to heightened risk of developing Alzheimer’s.

Researchers discovered that while these individuals were competent with basic sentence structure, they struggled with the interpretation of ambiguous sentences.

This language-processing deficit exists aside from their memory issues, and may provide an additional “cognitive biomarker” to aid in early detection – the time when treatments, as they continue to be developed, are likely to be most effective.

“Previous research has looked most often at single words and vocabulary,” co-author of the study Professor Barbara said.

“We looked at a more complex level of language knowledge. When we process a sentence, we have to both grasp its syntax and construct a meaning.

“We found a breakdown at that higher level where you’re integrating form and meaning.”

NEW TEST COULD DIAGNOSE DEMENTIA 10 YEARS EARLY

A study released in February found blood tests may be able to predict the risk of developing dementia more than 10 years before diagnosis.

The findings, published in the journal Nature Aging, looked at plasma biomarkers from blood samples of more than 52,000 participants from the UK Biobank who did not have dementia.

After a follow up years later (a median of 14.1 years), 1417 participants had been diagnosed with dementia.

Of the 1463 plasma proteins analysed, researchers Jin-Tai Yu, Jian-Feng Feng, Wei Cheng at the Fudan University in Shanghai found plasma proteins GFAP, NEFL, GDF15 and LTBP2 were consistently associated with all-cause dementia, Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia.

With this finding, Dr Yu and co-authors produced a predictive model for risk of these diseases over the course of 10 years.

The found, people with elevated levels of GFAP were 2.32 times more likely to develop dementia.

The researchers suggested GFAP could be a potential biomarker for early risk assessment because GFAP levels started to change about 10 years before diagnosis.

“This study has clear implications for the use of plasma GFAP, NEFL and GDF15 as prognostic and/or monitoring biomarkers in the preclinical phase of dementia. The dynamic changes in GFAP, NEFL and GDF15 provide observable evidence of early signs of dementia beginning more than 10 years before the diagnosis,” the study authors wrote.

Dr Yu and colleagues noted their research had not been independently verified.

FOODS AUSSIE LOVE LINKED TO ALZHEIMER’S

Eating burgers, meat pies and sausages has been linked to Alzheimer’s disease in a new Aussie study that is believed to be the first to link processed foods to the condition.

Researchers at Bond University examined the diets of 438 Australians – 108 with Alzheimer’s and 330 in a healthy control group.

The Alzheimer’s patients were more likely to regularly eat foods such as meat pies, sausages, ham, pizza and hamburgers, the study published last month found.

They also consumed fewer fruit and vegetables such as oranges, strawberries, avocado, capsicum, cucumber, carrots, cabbage and spinach.

Eating burgers, meat pies and sausages has been linked to Alzheimer’s disease in a new Australian study has found.

Lead author of the study Tahera Ahmed’s paternal grandmother and an aunt suffered from Alzheimer’s.

She hopes young people learn from the study and adopt healthier diets to protect their brains in later life.

“Alzheimer’s development in the brain begins in middle age and its effects can be attributed to an uncontrolled lifestyle from a younger age,” she said.

“Raising awareness among the youth about the benefits of consuming leafy greens, organic foods, or home-cooked meals is essential, as opposed to regularly indulging in junk or processed foods.

“Such dietary habits impact brain health and contribute to vascular issues and obesity, highlighting the interconnectedness of these health concerns.”

AUSSIES’ GREATEST HEALTH FEARS REVEALED

Dementia has emerged as our most-feared health condition.

More than half of respondents to News Corp’s survey of 3100 Australians ranked the condition ahead of cancer, as something which scared them, and justifiably so — it is now the second leading cause of death, after coronary heart disease.

More than 400,000 Australians are living with dementia and this is expected to double to 800,000 by 2058.

But some simple food and exercise tweaks — like adopting or sticking to the Mediterranean diet and training daily with weights — can help stave off the condition.

A daily serving of kale or spinach and drinking tea has been found to halve the risk of dementia and eating berries will also help.

Meeting up with friends and family as often as possible, being adventurous, and learning new skills are other strategies to keep the brain active.

Learning a new skill or staying socially active in your 70s can help to stave off potential health problems, which is why Peter McDonald, 78, Rosie Johnston, 75, Francis Hung, 78, and Carolyn Coxhead, 76, are embracing music. Picture: Andrew Tauber

ILLNESSES PLAGUING AUSSIES IN LATER YEARS

Australians are living longer than ever before but those extra years of later life are plagued by chronic illnesses like arthritis, dementia, heart disease and cancer.

“We have almost doubled our lifespan in the last 150 years,” University of Sydney longevity expert Professor Luigi Fontana said.

“Not only Australians, but in all the developed countries because of the major advancements in medical treatment and hospitals and public health.

However, “the situation is terrible from a health point of view.”

Eighty per cent of people aged over 65 have at least one chronic health condition — and half have two or more.

Disturbingly, more than 81.4 per cent of men and 69.4 per cent of women aged 65-74 are above a healthy weight, increasing their risk of heart disease, diabetes, cancer, muscle wastage and brittle bones.

They are carrying the extra kilos because only a quarter of them meet the exercise guidelines of 30 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity on most, preferably all, days.

People aged 70 and over continued to be the most likely to drink daily (12.6 per cent).

“Australians will be devastated to know that one drink a week (not a day, a week) starts to shrink your brain,” brain function expert Dr Helena Popovic, who authored the book Can Adventure Prevent Dementia, said.

KEEPING BUSY THE ANSWER TO MANY OF LIFE’S PROBLEMS

Being retired doesn’t mean you can’t be busy or learn new things.

In fact, Carolyn Coxhead thinks it could be the answer to many of life’s problems.

“When you’ve got lots of things to do and involvement in the community and meeting people and you keep busy – there’s nothing worse than a day when you just haven’t gotten anything,” she said.

Playing in a ukulele team is helping these Aussies aged over 70 to engage their brain and socialise. Picture Andrew Tauber

Mrs Coxhead has been involved in music her whole life – she once taught piano to children and now teaches ukulele to seniors – and she loves it for the mental health boost.

“As far as music goes, I mean music is just so good to keep the brain working you know, what I love about ukulele is people who have never ever played music before have the opportunity to be involved in music that’s so simple anyone could do it at a level that suits them,” Mrs Coxhead said.

An added bonus was the friends made along the way.

“They can interact with people that they might not otherwise have met.”

Mrs Coxhead met someone at the gym once who was amazed at how busy she was and said to her: “What do you do’? I just couldn’t believe it.”

She encouraged her to try some classes.

“We went for coffee and it’s kind of picking up but you know, she’s retired and she just didn’t know where to start,” she said.

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NOT TOO LATE TO GET HEALTHY

The good news is by changing your lifestyle “at any age you can change the trajectory”, Prof. Fontana said.

Probably 95 per cent of chronic health conditions — including more than 40 per cent of cancers — are preventable with a healthy lifestyle.

TOP FOODS TO EAT FOR LONGER LIFE

Beyond the Mediterranean diet of vegetables, whole grains, fish and nuts, people over 70 should eat fermented foods like yoghurt, kefir (fermented milk), kimichi or kombucha daily.

This will promote good gut bacteria, which UK Professor Tim Spector said for Alzheimer’s patients was less diverse.

People who consumed more than half a tablespoon of olive oil a day had a 19 per cent lower risk of dying from any cause, a Harvard study showed.

And reduce your sitting time by getting up and moving every hour.

“We do have treatments for dementia but they don’t come in the form of pills, or radiation or surgery and therefore the medical profession writes them off,” Dr Popovic said.

“Exercise is the number one thing to do to protect your brain. Just 4400 steps a day starts to provide benefits if you’re over the age of 65. Aim for a walking speed of 360 meters in under six minutes or one kilometre in 16 minutes.”

Every five kilogram drop in grip strength is associated with a drop in mental functioning.

Use a handgrip trainer or stress ball to improve your strength.

Dr Popovic recommends balancing on one leg without holding on to anything as balance is controlled by an area of the brain, which also regulates thoughts and emotions — and can improve your mental health.

Stay on top of your dental health, as mouth bacteria gingivitis can travel to the brain and damage the hippocampus — one of the main learning and memory centres of the brain.

Quit soft drinks and sugary drinks.

“Every soft drink is a bullet to our brain,” said Dr Popovic.

Undertake daily mental challenges, like crosswords and Sudoku, but once you get good they no longer challenging your brain.

Learning a second language, a musical instrument or to dance is better for brain health, Dr Popovic said. Otherwise try quilting or digital photography or join a choir.

OSTEOPOROSIS

Six in 10 of those aged over 50 have osteoporosis or osteopenia — thinning bones — placing them at risk of fractures.

And a quarter of people who sustain a hip fracture will die within twelve months.

Griffith University’s Professor Belinda Beck has devised a revolutionary new strength-based exercise program that is seeing grandmas lifting weights as heavy as 70 kilograms, reducing their risk of fracture by up to 95 per cent.

That outcome is better than the leading bone restoring medications which cut hip fractures by 40 per cent.

If this story prompts any questions or concerns contact the National Dementia Helpline 1800 100 500 or via dementia.org.au’.

Originally published as New study links language-processing issues to early dementia, Alzheimer’s detection