A redefinition of Alzheimer's was published in the journal Alzheimer's and Dementia. The 1984 definition defined it in one stage and assumed those without symptoms didn't have the disease. In 2011 Alzheimer's is defined as a "spectrum disease" in 3 stages. The first and second stages - "Preclinical" and "Mild Cognitive Impairment" - are basically for research. The third stage is "Dementia Because of Alzheimer's". The purpose of defining Alzheimer's in 3 stages is to detect and treat the disease sooner. However, it couldn't be soon enough for the 5.4 million Americans already diagnosed.
Brain size is linked to Alzheimer's. In a study published in the journal Neurology, researchers tracked 52 people in their 70's who had mild cognitive impairment - a condition believed to precede Alzheimer's and other types of dementia. Brain scans were given over a 6-year period. The participants who experienced brain shrinkage were likelier to develop Alzheimer's. Those with the most shrinkage were 3 times likelier to develop the disease. Although 5.4 million Americans have Alzheimer's in 2011, that number could be 16 million by 2050. Brain scans can't stop Alzheimer's, but they can start treatment sooner.
Not being able to recognize sarcasm or lies is also linked to dementia. In a study presented to the American Academy of Neurology, 175 older volunteers - more than half of whom had neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's or Lou Gehrig's disease - watched videos of 2 people talking. The healthy volunteers could recognize verbal and non-verbal cues of insincerity. Those with neurodegenerative disease couldn't - which makes them easy prey for scams. It seems the neurodegenerative process responsible for dementia also causes deterioration in brain areas responsible for detecting insincere speech. Thus not detecting it is a predictor of dementia - or of being "very blond".
However, preventing dementia starts way before symptoms appear. Being overweight in middle age is linked to dementia later in life. Research also published in the journal Neurology analyzed data from about 9,000 Swedish twins. At an average age of 43 they provided their weight and height. Thirty years later they were tested for signs of decreasing thinking and memory skills. The approximately 33% who were overweight or obese in middle age had about an 80% greater risk of Alzheimer's and other types of dementia. In fact, the more participants weighed in mid-life, the greater their risk of dementia. It seems what we do today "weighs heavily" on later life.
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