By Edward J. Thomas –
The risk of developing dementia is all too great and frightening for a growing number of mature adults. It is estimated that seven million Americans 65 and older are living with Alzheimer’s and dementia—and that number is expected to almost double by 2060. However, progress in diagnosing dementia is offering hope, as earlier and more accurate detection can lead to better care, planning and potentially more effective interventions.
While there is no cure for dementia, there are ways to help support cognitive strength and stave off some of its worst aspects. Early identification, however, is critical and science is increasingly making progress at finding warning signs so that remedial therapies can be administered.
One new dementia warning sign is increased sleepiness in women in their 80s. University of California-San Francisco researchers, in fact, report that these women are associated with double the risk of developing dementia over this period.
“Sleep is essential for cognitive health, as it allows the brain to rest and rejuvenate, enhancing our ability to think clearly and remember information,” said study author Yue Leng, Ph.D. “However, little is known about how changes in sleep and cognition are connected over time and how these changes relate to dementia risk in the later decades of life. Our study found that sleep problems may be intertwined with cognitive aging and may serve as an early marker or risk factor for dementia in women in their 80s.”
The university’s research team examined almost 750 participants over a five-year period. None of the participants, who averaged 83 years old, had dementia or any form of mild cognitive impairment at the start of the research. By the end of five years, 22 percent developed mild cognitive impairment, while 13 percent developed dementia.
Those participants who reported deteriorating sleep patterns, 34 percent of the total, were more than twice as likely to develop dementia as those whose sleep patterns were stable or showed small improvements.
“We observed that sleeping, napping and circadian rhythms can change dramatically over only five years for women in their 80s,” Leng said. “This highlights the need for future studies to look at all aspects of daily sleep patterns to better understand how changes in these patterns over time can be linked to dementia risk.”
Scientists in Singapore have identified an even more specific link. They have demonstrated the high accuracy of plasma p-tau217 as a blood-based biomarker for detecting abnormal brain beta-amyloid (Aβ) pathology, a hallmark of Alzheimer’s. More significantly, their work validates its effectiveness even in individuals with cerebrovascular disease, which is highly prevalent in Asian populations.
The results from the National University of Singapore can enhance early Alzheimer’s diagnosis, improve patient risk stratification and facilitate better clinical management of Alzheimer’s in diverse populations, the team reports.
“This study provides strong evidence that plasma p-tau217 could be a game-changer for early detection of AD brain changes in Asian populations with high CeVD burden. A blood-based biomarker like p-tau217 brings us closer to a more accessible approach to diagnosing and managing Alzheimer’s in Singapore and beyond,” reports study co-author Professor Christopher Chen.
The team stressed their work’s greatest value may lie in providing a cost-effective, minimally invasive screening and risk-stratification tool to help reduce the proportion of individuals requiring confirmatory PET scans.
“Our long-term goal is to be able to produce a panel of multi-modal, clinically useful biomarkers which can both suggest novel therapeutic targets as well as help in the diagnosis and prognosis of this debilitating condition,” added the study’s leader, Dr. Mitchell Lai.
