Researchers from Montefiore Medical Center and the Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University will present new findings at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference (AAIC) being held July 12 – July 17 in Copenhagen, Denmark. Data from the four abstracts will focus on triggers that could prompt transition from cognitive normality to mild cognitive impairment and dementia. The research is part of the Einstein Aging Study, established in 1980 to examine healthy brain aging as well as the special challenges of Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia. Every 67 seconds, someone in the United States develops Alzheimer’s disease.
The exponential growth of the world’s elderly population is leading to a rapid increase in the number of individuals with dementia,” said Richard B. Lipton, M.D., director, Division of Cognitive Aging and Dementia, Montefiore and director, Einstein Aging Study, professor and vice chair of neurology and the Edwin S. Lowe Chair in Neurology, Einstein. “Our research should help doctors gauge vulnerability for dementia and reveal potential strategies that may preserve cognitive function later in life. We look forward to discussing these findings with our colleagues from around the world at this important meeting.”
Montefiore and Einstein researchers have been leaders in the field of neurology for more than 30 years and will share new insights on dementia-risk factors at AAIC, including the impact of perceived stress on dementia onset.
“At this year’s meeting, we will focus on our research into the effect of stress on cognitive impairment, particularly in people with certain personality traits, such as neuroticism,” said Mindy Joy Katz, M.P.H., senior associate in the department of Neurology at Einstein. Stress is manageable – in contrast to our lack of effective treatments for cognitive impairment – so this presents a way we may be able to delay or prevent the onset of Alzheimer’s disease.”
The Einstein Aging study (EAS) focuses on the aging brain, examining both normal aging and the special challenges of Alzheimer’s disease and other dementing disorders. The study has been supported by grants from the National Institute of Aging since 1980.Scientists of this study consist of an interdisciplinary team of neurologists, neuropsychologists, neuropathologists, neurochemists, social workers and other health care professionals.
Even in people free of disease, certain mental capacities change as we grow older. For example, most people describe declines in their memory for names and recent events.
Differentiating people whose memory problems are not progressive from people with early Alzheimer’s and other diseases has emerged as an important research challenge.The ability to distinguish these groups would allow us to reassure most people that their memory changes are part of normal aging. For those with early Alzheimer’s disease, treatments are now available and experimental treatments which may arrest disease progression are in development.
To examine these issues, the studies have the following goals, according to EAS:
- To describe the changes in memory and thinking which occur in normal aging.
- To develop tests which help identify early Alzheimer’s disease and individuals at high risk for future disease.
- To study the causes of Alzheimer’s disease.
- To discover the changes in the brain which cause memory loss and other cognitive symptoms.
- To help devise treatment strategies which delay or reverse such brain changes.
- To provide education and information to EAS participants and the community about the aging brain.
Currently, EAS includes the following research projects:
The Risk Factor and Neuroimaging Project identifies risk factors for mental decline using clinical assessments, blood tests, and brain imaging.
The Memory Project investigates age-related changes in learning and memory.
The Gait and Mobility Project investigates walking patterns and mobility changes in normal aging and disease.
The Brain Bank Program correlates clinical behavior with changes in brain tissue.
Follow Us