The Federal Highway Administration reports that drivers age 70 and older experience more motor vehicle fatalities than any other driving group, with the exception of drivers under age 20. Aging affects each of us differently and when chronic illnesses are also present; there can be a decline in physical and cognitive abilities. While many seniors learn to compensate successfully for any cognitive or functional limitations, sometimes it does become...
Alzheimer's disease, the most common form of dementia, currently has no cure or effective therapy, in part due to gaps in our understanding of how the progressive neurodegenerative disorder arises in the brain. Now, a Flinders University study has shown how a protein called tau, a critical factor in the development of Alzheimer's disease, turns from normal to a disease state and demonstrates how this discovery could deliver a therapeutic target.
New research has revealed how the tau protein, a critical element in the formation of Alzheimer's disease, is also involved in normal learning processes in the healthy brain potentially providing a focal point for future drug therapies. In the study, published in The EMBO Journal, Flinders University researchers have provided new insights into the tau protein, whose role has long been enigmatic, finding it may help molecular processes of memory...
Among people older than age 65 who were assessed using a short physical function test, having lower physical function was independently associated with a greater risk of developing heart attack, heart failure and stroke, according to new research published today in the Journal of the American Heart Association, an open access, peer-reviewed journal of...
Novel music intervention sparks emotional connection between patients and caregivers
People with dementia often lose their ability to communicate verbally with loved ones in later stages of the disease. But a Northwestern Medicine study, in collaboration with Institute for Therapy through the Arts (ITA), shows how that gap can be bridged with a new music intervention. In the intervention -- developed at ITA and called...
