Greater purpose in life may help stave off
the harmful effects of plaques and tangles associated with Alzheimer's disease,
according to a new study by researchers at Rush University Medical Center. The
study, published in the May issue of the Archives of General Psychiatry, is
available online.
"Our
study showed that people who reported greater purpose in life exhibited better
cognition than those with less purpose in life even as plaques and tangles
accumulated in their brains," said Patricia A. Boyle, PhD.
"These
findings suggest that purpose in life protects against the harmful effects of
plaques and tangles on memory and other thinking abilities. This is encouraging
and suggests that engaging in meaningful and purposeful activities promotes cognitive health in
old age."
Boyle
and her colleagues from the Rush Alzheimer's Disease Center studied 246
participants from the Rush Memory and Aging Project who did not have dementia
and who subsequently died and underwent brain autopsy. Participants received an
annual clinical evaluation for up to approximately 10 years, which included
detailed cognitive testing and neurological exams.
Participants
also answered questions about purpose in life, the degree to which one derives
meaning from life's experiences and is focused and intentional. Brain plaques and
tangles were quantified after death. The authors then examined whether purpose
in life slowed the rate of cognitive decline even
as older persons accumulated plaques and tangles.
While
plaques and tangles are very common among persons who develop Alzheimer's
dementia (characterized by prominent memory loss and
changes in other thinking abilities), recent data suggest that plaques and
tangles accumulate in most older persons, even those without dementia. Plaques
and tangles disrupt memory and other cognitive functions.
Boyle
and colleagues note that much of the Alzheimer's research that is ongoing seeks
to identify ways to prevent or limit the accumulation of plaques and tangles in
the brain, a task that has proven quite difficult.
Studies
such as the current one are needed because, until effective preventive
therapies are discovered, strategies that minimize the impact of plaques and
tangles on cognition are urgently needed.
"These
studies are challenging because many factors influence cognition and research
studies often lack the brain specimen data needed to quantify Alzheimer's
changes in the brain," Boyle said. "Identifying factors that promote
cognitive health even as plaques and tangles accumulate will help combat the
already large and rapidly increasing public health challenge posed by
Alzheimer's disease."
More
information: www.archgenpsychiatry.com
No comments:
Post a Comment