Bigger Head - Slow Alzheimer's
(significantly increase brain reserve)
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New research shows that people with Alzheimer’s disease who have large heads have better memory and thinking skills than those with the disease who have smaller heads, even when they have the same amount of brain cell death due to the disease. The research is published in the July 13, 2010, issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. The study authors examined the medical records of 270 patients with Alzheimer's. They looked for links between brain shrinkage, head circumference -- an indicator of brain size -- and the progression of their disease.
“These results add weight to the theory of brain reserve, or the individual capacity to withstand changes in the brain,” said study author Robert Perneczky, MD, of the Technical University of Munich in Germany. “Our findings also underline the importance of optimal brain development early in life, since the brain reaches 93 percent of its final size at age six.”
It's not certain that head size, brain size and the rate of worsening Alzheimer's are linked. But if they are, the research findings could pave the way for individualized treatment for the disease, said study co-author Lindsay Farrer, chief of the genetics program at Boston University School of Medicine.
The ultimate goal is to catch Alzheimer's early and use medications more effectively, Farrer said. "The prevailing view is that most of the drugs that are out there aren't working because they're being given to people when what's happening in the brain is too far along," he said.
A century ago, some scientists believed that the shape of the head held secrets to a person's intelligence and personality -- those views have been since discounted. But today, research suggests that there may be "modest correlations" between brain size and smarts. Still, "there are many other factors that are associated with intelligence," stressed Catherine Roe, a research instructor in neurology at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. Nevertheless, there could be a connection between the size of the brain and how many neurons are available to "pick up the slack" when others go dark because of diseases such as Alzheimer's. Read more: dailymail.co.uk
“These results add weight to the theory of brain reserve, or the individual capacity to withstand changes in the brain,” said study author Robert Perneczky, MD, of the Technical University of Munich in Germany. “Our findings also underline the importance of optimal brain development early in life, since the brain reaches 93 percent of its final size at age six.”
It's not certain that head size, brain size and the rate of worsening Alzheimer's are linked. But if they are, the research findings could pave the way for individualized treatment for the disease, said study co-author Lindsay Farrer, chief of the genetics program at Boston University School of Medicine.
The ultimate goal is to catch Alzheimer's early and use medications more effectively, Farrer said. "The prevailing view is that most of the drugs that are out there aren't working because they're being given to people when what's happening in the brain is too far along," he said.
A century ago, some scientists believed that the shape of the head held secrets to a person's intelligence and personality -- those views have been since discounted. But today, research suggests that there may be "modest correlations" between brain size and smarts. Still, "there are many other factors that are associated with intelligence," stressed Catherine Roe, a research instructor in neurology at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. Nevertheless, there could be a connection between the size of the brain and how many neurons are available to "pick up the slack" when others go dark because of diseases such as Alzheimer's. Read more: dailymail.co.uk
Vitamin B6 may improve arthritis
A daily dose of vitamin B6 at the current upper tolerable levels may reduce levels of inflammatory compounds in people suffering from rheumatoid arthritis, says a new study. Read more: nutraingredients.com
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