Running throughout middle age keeps 'old' adult-born neurons 'wired'

'Mice on the run:' study reveals how exercise helps maintain memory function during aging

May 25, 2023

Science Daily/Florida Atlantic University

A new study provides novel insight into the benefits of exercise, which should motivate adults to keep moving throughout their lifetime, especially during middle age. Long-term exercise profoundly benefits the aging brain and may prevent aging-related memory function decline by increasing the survival and modifying the network of the adult-born neurons born during early adulthood, and thereby facilitating their participation in cognitive processes.

Aging often is accompanied by cognitive decline. Among the first structures of the brain affected are the hippocampus and adjacent cortices, areas essential for learning and memory. Deficits in cognitive ability are associated with reduced hippocampal volume and degradation of synaptic connectivity between the hippocampus and the (peri)-entorhinal cortex.

Increasing evidence indicates that physical activity can delay or prevent these structural and functional reductions in older adults. A new study by Florida Atlantic University and CINVESTAV, Mexico City, Mexico, provides novel insight into the benefits of exercise, which should motivate adults to keep moving throughout their lifetime, especially during middle age.

For the study, researchers focused on the effects of long-term running on a network of new hippocampal neurons that were generated in young adult mice, at middle age. These "mice on the run" demonstrate that running throughout middle age keeps old adult-born neurons wired, which may prevent or delay aging-related memory loss and neurodegeneration.

Adult-born neurons are thought to contribute to hippocampus-dependent memory function and are believed to be temporarily important, during the so-called 'critical period' at about three to six weeks of cell age, when they can fleetingly display increased synaptic plasticity. However, these new neurons do remain present for many months, but it was unclear whether those born in early adulthood remain integrated into neural networks and whether their circuitry is modifiable by physical activity in middle age.

To address these questions, researchers used a unique rabies virus-based circuit tracing approach with a long-time interval between the initial labeling of new neurons and subsequent analysis of their neural circuitry in rodents. More than six months after tagging of the adult-born neurons with a fluorescent reporter vector, they identified and quantified the direct afferent inputs to these adult-born neurons within the hippocampus and (sub)cortical areas, when the mice were middle-aged.

Results of the study, published in the journal eNeuro, show long-term running wires 'old' new neurons, born during early adulthood, into a network that is relevant to the maintenance of episodic memory encoding during aging.

"Long-term exercise profoundly benefits the aging brain and may prevent aging-related memory function decline by increasing the survival and modifying the network of the adult-born neurons born during early adulthood, and thereby facilitating their participation in cognitive processes," said Henriette van Praag, Ph.D., corresponding author, an associate professor of biomedical science in FAU's Schmidt College of Medicine and a member of the FAU Stiles-Nicholson Brain Institute.

Findings from the study showed long-term running significantly increased the number of adult-born neurons and enhanced the recruitment of presynaptic (sub)-cortical cells to their network.

"Long-term running may enhance pattern separation ability, our ability to distinguish between highly similar events and stimuli, a behavior closely linked to adult neurogenesis, which is among the first to display deficits indicative of age-related memory decline," said Carmen Vivar, Ph.D., corresponding author, Department of Physiology, Biophysics and Neuroscience, Centro de Investigacion y de Estudios Avanzados del IPN in Mexico.

Aging-related memory function decline is associated with the degradation of synaptic inputs from the perirhinal and entorhinal cortex onto the hippocampus, brain areas that are essential for pattern separation, and contextual and spatial memory.

"We show that running also substantially increases the back-projection from the dorsal subiculum onto old adult-born granule cells," said van Praag. "This connectivity may provide navigation-associated information and mediate the long-term running-induced improvement in spatial memory function."

Results from the study show that running not only rescued perirhinal connectivity but also increased and altered the contribution of the entorhinal cortices to the network of old adult-born neurons.

"Our study provides insight as to how chronic exercise, beginning in young adulthood and continuing throughout middle age, helps maintain memory function during aging, emphasizing the relevance of including exercise in our daily lives," said Vivar.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/05/230525140336.htm

Brain connectivity, memory improves in older adults after walking

May 25, 2023

Science Daily/University of Maryland

Regular walks strengthen connections in and between brain networks, according to new research, adding to growing evidence linking exercise with slowing the onset of Alzheimer's disease. The study examined the brains and story recollection abilities of older adults with normal brain function and those diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment, which is a slight decline in mental abilities like memory, reasoning and judgment and a risk factor for Alzheimer's.

A new University of Maryland School of Public Health study reveals how walking strengthens connections within and between three of the brain's networks, including one associated with Alzheimer's disease, adding to the growing evidence that exercise improves brain health.

Published this month in the Journal for Alzheimer's Disease Reports, the study examined the brains and story recollection abilities of older adults with normal brain function and those diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment, which is a slight decline in mental abilities like memory, reasoning and judgment and a risk factor for Alzheimer's.

"Historically, the brain networks we studied in this research show deterioration over time in people with mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease," said J. Carson Smith, a kinesiology professor with the School of Public Health and principal investigator of the study. "They become disconnected, and as a result, people lose their ability to think clearly and remember things. We're demonstrating that exercise training strengthens these connections."

The study builds upon Smith's previous research, which showed how walking may decrease cerebral blood flow and improve brain function in older adults with mild cognitive impairment.

Thirty-three participants, who ranged between 71 and 85 years old, walked while supervised on a treadmill four days a week for 12 weeks. Before and after this exercise regimen, researchers asked participants to read a short story and then repeat it out loud with as many details as possible.

Participants also underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) so researchers could measure changes in communication within and between the three brain networks that control cognitive function:

• Default mode network - Activates when a person isn't doing a specific task (think daydreaming about the grocery list) and is connected to the hippocampus -- one of the first brain regions affected by Alzheimer's disease. It's also where Alzheimer's and amyloid plaques, a prime suspect for Alzheimer's disease found around nerve cells, show up in tests.

• Frontoparietal network -- Regulates decisions made when a person is completing a task. It also involves memory.

• Salience network -- Monitors the external world and stimuli and then decides what deserves attention. It also facilitates switching between networks to optimize performance.

After 12 weeks of exercise, researchers repeated the tests and saw significant improvements in participants' story recall abilities.

"The brain activity was stronger and more synchronized, demonstrating exercise actually can induce the brain's ability to change and adapt," Smith said. "These results provide even more hope that exercise may be useful as a way to prevent or help stabilize people with mild cognitive impairment and maybe, over the long term, delay their conversion to Alzheimer's dementia."

Researchers also observed stronger activity within the default mode network, within the salience network and in the connections between the three networks.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/05/230525135932.htm

Living in an almshouse boosts life expectancy

Living in an almshouse can boost the longevity of its residents by as much as two-and-a-half years compared to their counterparts in the general population

May 25, 2023

Science Daily/City University London

Analysing up to 100 years' worth of residents' records from various almshouses in England, new research suggests that living in these communities can reduce the negative impact on health and social wellbeing which is commonly experienced by the older population in lower socioeconomic groups, particularly those individuals who are living in isolation.

Living in an almshouse can boost the longevity of its residents by as much as two-and-a-half years compared to their counterparts in the general population, according to a new Bayes Business School report.

Almshouses provide affordable community housing for local people in housing need. They are generally designed around a courtyard to provide a 'community spirit', that is synonymous with the almshouse movement. They offer independent living but provide friendship and support when needed.

Analysing up to 100 years' worth of residents' records from various almshouses in England, the research suggests that living in these communities can reduce the negative impact on health and social wellbeing which is commonly experienced by the older population in lower socioeconomic groups, particularly those individuals who are living in isolation.

The results are very encouraging. They show that, for several of the almshouses included in the study, residents can expect to live as long as wealthier members of the general population despite coming from the most deprived quintile. This shows that the disparity in longevity and health outcomes could be mitigated even after reaching retirement age, provided a suitable social infrastructure can be put in place.

The report, authored by Professor Ben Rickayzen, Dr David Smith, Dr Anastasia Vikhanova and Alison Benzimra, concludes that almshouses could help the Government's aims to reduce inequalities in mortality, which are observed between socioeconomic groups, by reducing the social isolation experienced by many in the older population.

Titled 'Almshouse Longevity Study -- Can living in an almshouse lead to a longer life?', the report's key findings are:

• Residents in almshouses in England receive a longevity boost relative to people of the same socioeconomic group from the wider population.

• The best-performing almshouses in the study so far have shown a longevity boost which increases life expectancy to that of a life in the second-highest socioeconomic quintile -- a remarkable outcome.

• As an example, the authors estimate that a 73-year-old male entering an almshouse such as The Charterhouse today would receive a longevity boost of 2.4 years (an extra 15% of future lifetime at the point of joining) compared to his peers from the same socioeconomic group, and 0.7 years when compared to an average 73-year-old from the general population.

• This longevity boost could be due to both the strong sense of community and social belonging within almshouses which lead to better physical and mental health. Enhanced wellbeing helps to mitigate loneliness which is endemic in older age groups.

Professor Ben Rickayzen, Professor of Actuarial Science at Bayes Business School, said:

"It is well known that, on average, the lower a person's socioeconomic status, the lower their life expectancy. However, intriguingly, our research has found that this doesn't have to be the case. We discovered that many almshouse residents receive a longevity boost when compared to their peers of the same socioeconomic status from the wider population.

"More research is needed to ascertain exactly what factors cause almshouse residents to have a longer life; however, we postulate that it is the sense of the community that is the most powerful ingredient. For example, a common theme within the almshouses included in the study is that they encourage residents to undertake social activities and responsibilities on behalf of their fellow residents. This is likely to increase their sense of belonging and give them a greater sense of purpose in their everyday lives while mitigating against social isolation.

"We would encourage the Government to invest in retirement communities, such as almshouses, which would be in keeping with their overarching levelling up agenda. While this agenda is commonly associated with enhancing equality on a regional basis, it is important that levelling up should also aim to combat health inequalities experienced by people from lower socioeconomic groups across the country. There is an opportunity to improve the Government's levelling up agenda by incorporating the best features of communal living into their social housing policy. This should make a significant difference to the quality of life experienced by the older population across the UK.

"The findings from this research are important as they could offer solutions to the social care problems currently being experienced in the UK."

Alison Benzimra, a co-author of the report and Head of Research at United St Saviour's Charity, said:

"Many almshouse trustees and staff members anecdotally believe that almshouse living is beneficial for residents. The results from this study demonstrate that the community spirit provided by almshouses does in fact result in longer life expectancy. These findings are encouraging to those living and working in the almshouse community and provide the motivation to continue to explore what it is about almshouses' physical design and support services that result in positive outcomes for older residents. This study strengthens the case that this historic form of housing is addressing the evolving needs of older people living in our modern-day society."

Nick Phillips, CEO, The Almshouse Association, said:

"We are delighted to read this report. It is further evidence that the almshouse model -- 1,000 years after its inception -- seems to be adding something special to the lives of residents. There is a growing body of research that is suggesting this model of community housing seems to be right for the future. This must now beg the question, where are the philanthropists to lead this robust charity housing model into the next century?"

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/05/230525141438.htm

People who live to be 90+ with superior thinking skills are resilient to Alzheimer's pathology in their brains

These oldest-old are also less susceptible to other types of neurodegenerative changes

May 24, 2023

Science Daily/University of California - Irvine

Researchers have discovered that the oldest-old, those who live to be 90+ and have superior cognitive skills, have similar levels of brain pathology as Alzheimer's patients, however, they also have less brain pathology of other neurodegenerative diseases that cause memory and thinking problems.

A University of California, Irvine-led team of researchers have discovered that the oldest-old, those who live to be 90+ and have superior cognitive skills, have similar levels of brain pathology as Alzheimer's patients, however, they also have less brain pathology of other neurodegenerative diseases that cause memory and thinking problems.

The study, "Superior Global Cognition in Oldest-Old is Associated with Resistance to Neurodegenerative Pathologies: Results from the 90+ Study," was published in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease.

"People who are 90+ and still have good memory and thinking abilities tend to have similar levels of Alzheimer's pathology in their brains," Roshni Biswas, post-doctoral scholar with The 90+ Study. "Our findings indicate that while Alzheimer's Disease neuropathological changes and vascular changes are common in their brains, these individuals are less susceptible to other types of neurodegenerative changes such as Lewy body disease."

Age is the primary risk factor for cognitive issues, such as Alzheimer's, Lewy body disease and other related dementias. Over the past 30 years, the number of people aged 90 and older in the U.S. has nearly tripled, and this number is projected to quadruple in the next four decades.

With this rise in age, many people see increased problems with memory and brain function. However, little data is available on the changes in the brains of 90+ people who maintain superior cognitive abilities, despite their age.

The objective of the study was to examine the brain features of people without cognitive impairment and their relation to superior cognitive skills and reasoning in those that are 90+.

"There are some individuals who can maintain high levels of cognitive function well into advanced ages," said María M. Corrada, ScD, co-principal investigator of the study and professor in the Department of Neurology at UCI School of Medicine. "Further research into the factors that enable these individuals to maintain their cognitive function could provide insights into how to preserve cognitive health despite advanced age."

The study results were derived by analyzing autopsy data from 102 cognitively normal individuals who died at a mean age of 97.6 years. They also used cognitive test scores from people taken between two to twelve months before death. The average age of study participants at the time of their last visit was 97.1 years of age.

"In our future research, we will examine how lifestyle habits and health conditions are associated with superior cognition in individuals who are 90+ and the factors that contribute to maintaining stable cognitive function over time," said Biswas.

The 90+ Study is a longitudinal study on aging and dementia that was initiated in 2003 to study the oldest-old population, which is the fastest growing age group in the United States.

With more than 2000 participants enrolled, it is now one of the largest studies of its kind in the world. The project has produced several significant findings regarding cognitive function, health and lifestyle habits in the oldest-old population information obtained during life.

This work was supported by the National Institutes of Health.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/05/230524182040.htm

Multivitamin improves memory in older adults

May 24, 2023

Science Daily/Columbia University Irving Medical Center

Taking a daily multivitamin supplement can slow age-related memory decline, finds a large study led by researchers at Columbia University and Brigham and Women's Hospital/Harvard.

"Cognitive aging is a top health concern for older adults, and this study suggests that there may be a simple, inexpensive way to help older adults slow down memory decline," says study leader Adam M. Brickman, PhD, professor of neuropsychology at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons.

Many older people take vitamins or dietary supplements under the assumption that they will help maintain general health. But studies that have tested whether they improve memory and brain function have been mixed, and very few large-scale, randomized trials have been done.

Study methods

In the current study, more than 3,500 adults (mostly non-Hispanic white) over age 60 were randomly assigned to take a daily multivitamin supplement or placebo for three years. At the end of each year, participants performed a series of online cognitive assessments at home designed to test memory function of the hippocampus, an area of the brain that is affected by normal aging. The COSMOS-Web study is part of a large clinical trial led by Brigham & Women's Hospital and Harvard called the COcoa Supplement and Multivitamin Outcomes Study (COSMOS).

By the end of the first year, memory improved for people taking a daily multivitamin, compared with those taking a placebo. The researchers estimate the improvement, which was sustained over the three-year study period, was equivalent to about three years of age-related memory decline. The effect was more pronounced in participants with underlying cardiovascular disease.

The results of the new study are consistent with another recent COSMOS study of more than 2,200 older adults that found that taking a daily multivitamin improved overall cognition, memory recall, and attention, effects that were also more pronounced in those with underlying cardiovascular disease.

"There is evidence that people with cardiovascular disease may have lower micronutrient levels that multivitamins may correct, but we don't really know right now why the effect is stronger in this group," says Brickman.

Good nutrition important for aging brain

Though the researchers did not look at whether any specific component of the multivitamin supplement was linked to the improvement in memory, the findings support growing evidence that nutrition is important for optimizing brain health as we age.

"Our study shows that the aging brain may be more sensitive to nutrition than we realized, though it may not be so important to find out which specific nutrient helps slow age-related cognitive decline," says Lok-Kin Yeung, PhD, a postdoctoral researcher in Columbia's Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer's Disease and the Aging Brain and first author of the study.

"The finding that a daily multivitamin improved memory in two separate cognition studies in the COSMOS randomized trial is remarkable, suggesting that multivitamin supplementation holds promise as a safe, accessible, and affordable approach to protecting cognitive health in older adults," says co-author JoAnn Manson, MD, chief of the Division of Preventive Medicine at Brigham and Women's Hospital.

"Supplementation of any kind shouldn't take the place of more holistic ways of getting the same micronutrients," adds Brickman. "Though multivitamins are generally safe, people should always consult a physician before taking them."

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/05/230524181916.htm

Older people have better mental well-being than 30 years ago

May 4, 2023

Science Daily/University of Jyväskylä - Jyväskylän yliopisto

This was observed in a study conducted at the Gerontology Research Center at the Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences, University of Jyväskylä (Finland). The study examined differences in depressive symptoms and life satisfaction between current 75- and 80-year-olds and the same-aged people who lived in the 1990s.

The results showed that 75- and 80-year-old men and women today experience fewer depressive symptoms than those who were 75 and 80 years old in the 1990s. The differences were partly explained by the better perceived health and higher education of those born later.

"In our previous comparisons, we found that older people today have significantly better physical and cognitive functioning at the same age compared to those born earlier," says Professor Taina Rantanen from the Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences. "These new results complement these positive findings in terms of mental well-being."

Today, 75- and 80-year-olds are more satisfied with their lives to date. However, there was no similar difference in satisfaction with their current lives. In fact, 80-year-old men who lived in the 1990s were even more satisfied with their current lives than 80-year-old are men today.

"These men born in 1910 had lived through difficult times, which may explain their satisfaction with their current lives in the 1990s when many things were better than before," says postdoctoral researcher Tiia Kekäläinen.

"Individuals adapt to their situation and living conditions. Both in the 1990s and today, the majority of older adults reported being satisfied with their current lives."

The study was conducted at the Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences and Gerontology Research Center at University of Jyväskylä, Finland. The first cohort consisted of 617 individuals born in 1910 and 1914 who participated in the Evergreen study in 1989-1990. The second cohort consisted of 794 individuals born in 1938-1939 and 1942-1943 who participated in the AGNES study in 2017-2018. In both cohorts, the participants were assessed at the age of 75 or 80 years. The study was funded by the Academy of Finland and the European Research Council.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/05/230504094940.htm

Slowing down in your old age? It may be a dementia warning sign

It's generally accepted we will lose muscle strength and slow down as we age, but new research indicates this could also be a sign on a more sinister health concern of ageing.

May 1, 2023

Science Daily/Edith Cowan University

It's generally accepted we will lose muscle strength and slow down as we age, making it more difficult to perform simple tasks such as getting up, walking and sitting down.

But new Edith Cowan University (ECU) research indicates this could also be a signal for another sinister health concern of ageing: late-life dementia.

To investigate the relationship between muscle function and dementia, the research teams from ECU's Nutrition & Health Innovation Research Institute and Centre for Precision Health used data from the Perth Longitudinal Study of Ageing in Women to examine more than 1000 women with an average age of 75.

In collaboration with the University of Western Australia, the team measured the women's grip strength and the time it took for them to rise from a chair, walk three metres, turn around and sit back down -- known as a timed-up-and-go (TUG), test.

These tests were repeated after five years to monitor any loss of performance.

Over the next 15 years, almost 17 per cent of women involved in the study were found to have had a dementia event, categorised as a dementia-related hospitalisation or death.

The team found lower grip strength and slower TUG were significant risk factors for presenting with dementia, independent of genetic risk and lifestyle factors such as smoking, alcohol intake and physical activity levels.

Relationship established

The women with the weakest grip strength were found to be more than twice as likely to have a late-life dementia event than the strongest individuals.

A similar relationship emerged between TUG performance and dementia, with the slowest in their TUG test more than twice as likely to experience dementia than the quickest.

When researchers looked at the changes in grip strength and TUG test results after five years, a decrease in performance was also linked with greater dementia risk.

Those who had experienced the biggest decline in grip strength and TUG speed were approximately 2 and 2.5 times more likely, respectively, to have had a dementia event, compared to those in the group who recorded the smallest decline in performance.

Women with the biggest drop in TUG performance were found to be over four times more likely to have a dementia-related death than the fastest.

An early warning

Senior researcher Dr Marc Sim said grip strength, which can be easily measured using a handheld device known as a dynamometer, may be a measure of brain health due to the overlapping nature of cognitive and motor decline.

"Possibly due to a range of underlying similarities, grip strength may also present as a

surrogate measure of cardiovascular disease, inflammation and frailty, which are known risk factors for dementia," Dr Sim said.

Dr Sim said the findings from the study could help health professionals to identify dementia risk in patients earlier.

"Both grip strength and TUG tests aren't commonly performed in clinical practice, but both are inexpensive and simple screening tools," he said.

"Incorporating muscle function tests as part of dementia screening could be useful to identify high-risk individuals, who might then benefit from primary prevention programs aimed at preventing the onset of the condition such as a healthy diet and a physically active lifestyle.

"The exciting findings were that decline in these measures was associated with substantially higher risk, suggesting that if we can halt this decline, we may be able to prevent late-life dementias. However, further research is needed in this area."

Centre for Precision Health Director Professor Simon Laws said there has been encouraging progress in identifying early warning signs of dementia.

"We are now starting to see a number of simple yet indicative screening assessments that could be combined with other biological and clinical measures to provide a holistic risk-profile for individuals presenting to their GP with, for example, memory concerns," he said.

'Impaired muscle function, including its decline, is related to greater long-term late-life dementia risk in older women' was published in the Journal of Cachexia, Sarcopenia and Muscle.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/05/230501085855.htm

Study links nutrients, brain structure, cognition in healthy aging

April 25, 2023

Science Daily/University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, News Bureau

In a new study, scientists explored the links between three measures known to independently predict healthy aging: nutrient intake, brain structure and cognitive function. Their analysis adds to the evidence that these factors jointly contribute to brain health in older adults.

Reported in the Journal of Nutrition, the study found that blood markers of two saturated fatty acids, along with certain omega-6, -7 and -9 fatty acids, correlated with better scores on tests of memory and with larger brain structures in the frontal, temporal, parietal and insular cortices. Watch a video about the research.

While other studies have found one-to-one associations between individual nutrients or classes of nutrients and specific brain regions or functions, very little research takes a comprehensive look at brain health, cognition and broad dietary patterns overall, said Aron Barbey, a professor of psychology, bioengineering and neuroscience at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign who led the study with postdoctoral researcher Tanveer Talukdar and psychology research scientist Chris Zwilling. The three co-authors all are affiliated with the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology at the U. of I.

"Our findings reveal that we can use nutrient biomarkers, cognitive tests and MRI measures of brain structure to account for much of the variation in healthy aging," Barbey said. "This allows us to better understand how nutrition contributes to health, aging and disease,"

The researchers collected data from 111 healthy older adults with MRI structural scans, blood-based biomarkers of 52 dietary nutrients and cognitive performance on tests of memory and intelligence. By combining these measures using a data-fusion approach, the team found associations between dozens of features that appear to work in tandem to promote brain and cognitive health in older adults.

Data-fusion allows researchers to look across multiple data sets to map traits or features that have common patterns of variability, said Talukdar, who tailored this method to incorporate the nutrition, cognition and brain volumetric data.

"We're looking at relationships among all of these together," he said. "This allows us to identify certain features that cluster together."

This overcomes some of the limitations of analyzing individual factors, Barbey said.

"If we just look at nutrition as it relates to brain structures and we don't study cognition, or if we look at nutrition as it relates to cognition and we don't study the brain, then we're actually missing really important pieces of information."

The most obvious features that clustered together in the new analysis involved the size of gray-matter volumes in the frontal, temporal and parietal cortices; performance on tests of auditory memory and short- and long-term memory; and blood markers related to consumption of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids. Study participants who scored higher on the memory tests tended to have larger gray-matter volumes and higher levels of markers of omega-6, -7 and -9 fatty acids in their blood. Those who did more poorly on the cognitive tests also had smaller gray-matter volumes in those brain regions and lower levels of those dietary markers, the analysis revealed.

While the study only reveals associations between these factors and does not prove that dietary habits directly promote brain health, it adds to the evidence that nutrition is a key player in healthy aging, the researchers said.

"Our work motivates a more comprehensive picture of healthy aging," Zwilling said. This gives insight into the importance of diet and nutrition and the value of data-fusion methods for studying their contributions to adult development and the neuroscience of aging."

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/04/230425205326.htm

Common infections linked to poorer cognitive performance in middle-aged and older adults

Findings, based on an analysis of 575 study participants, support the hypothesis that infections may negatively affect brain health

April 20, 2023

Science Daily/Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

A new study from a team led by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health found that signs of common infections in a sample of middle-aged and older adults were associated with poorer performance on a test of global cognitive function.

The results add to a growing body of evidence suggesting that infections in mid- and late-life can worsen cognitive performance and may increase the risk of Alzheimer's disease and other dementias.

For their analysis, the researchers examined antibody levels to five common pathogens in 575 adults, ages 41 to 97. The adults were recruited from East Baltimore in 1981, as part of the Epidemiologic Catchment Area Study started that year by the National Institute of Mental Health. Baltimore study participants donated blood for testing and took cognitive tests during the same study period. Antibody tests for pathogens were conducted, including four herpes viruses -- herpes simplex virus type 1, cytomegalovirus, varicella zoster virus (chickenpox and shingles viruses), and Epstein-Barr virus -- and the parasite Toxoplasma gondii. The latter often spreads to humans from cat feces or from eating undercooked meat.

The research team compared participants' blood test results to their performance on the Mini-Mental State Examination -- a global cognitive test that assesses things like orientation, attention, verbal comprehension, memory, and visual perception -- and on a word recall task, which tested memory for a list of words after a 20-minute delay. The researchers found that elevated antibodies to either herpes simplex virus type 1 or cytomegalovirus were individually associated with worse performance on the global cognitive test. Further, participants with a higher number of positive antibody tests tended to miss a larger number of items on the global cognition test.

The study was published online April 7 in the journal Alzheimer's & Dementia.

"The idea that common infections could contribute to cognitive decline and perhaps Alzheimer's disease risk was once on the fringe and remains controversial, but due to findings like the ones from this study, it's starting to get more mainstream attention," says senior author Adam Spira, PhD, professor in the Bloomberg School's Department of Mental Health and a core faculty member of the Johns Hopkins Center on Aging and Health. "After accounting for participants' age, sex, race, and the largest genetic risk factor for Alzheimer's disease, the data in our study showed that a greater number of positive antibody tests related to five different infections was associated with poorer cognitive performance. To our knowledge, this kind of additive effect of multiple infections on performance on a cognitive test has not been shown before."

The cause of Alzheimer's disease remains unclear. Prior research has made the connection with infections, including studies linking herpes simplex virus type 1 and cytomegalovirus to greater Alzheimer's risk. There is also evidence that the protein fragment amyloid beta, which forms insoluble plaques in the brains of people with Alzheimer's, functions as an antimicrobial peptide, and is secreted at higher levels by brain cells in response to infections.

Since the 2003-2004 wave, ECA study researchers at Johns Hopkins have conducted periodic follow-up interviews in Baltimore, including standard cognitive tests and taking blood samples. The two most recent waves of the study, funded by the National Institute on Aging, have focused on Alzheimer's disease and related outcomes.

The pathogens assessed in the study are often encountered in childhood and are either cleared or turned into suppressed, latent infections. As such, the researchers considered significant levels of antibodies against them in the middle-aged and older study participants as likely indicators of their reactivation due to immune system weakening with age.

The study's first author, Alexandra Wennberg, PhD, who completed her doctoral training in Spira's research group, is currently a postdoctoral research associate at Sweden's Karolinska Institutet. The co-authors include faculty in the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and collaborating scientists at the National Institute on Aging Intramural Research Program.

Co-author Brion Maher, PhD, a geneticist and professor in the Bloomberg School's Department of Mental Health, also analyzed the results for participants who had a common Alzheimer's risk factor, the Ɛ4 variant of the apolipoprotein-E (ApoE) gene. The link between positive antibody count and cognitive status was present in both the Ɛ4 and non-Ɛ4 groups, but was stronger in the non-Ɛ4 group.

"That was a surprise, finding a weaker link in the Ɛ4 group," says Maher. "It's something that should be followed up with larger studies."

Spira, Maher, and their team, with funding from the National Institute on Aging, are following up with analyses of the Baltimore ECA data from the 2016 to 2022 wave. The researchers will also be collecting another round of data from this cohort.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/04/230420110130.htm

Older adults may achieve same cognition as undergrads

Learning multiple tasks led to cognition improvements in older adults; improvements that got better as more time passed

April 19, 2023

Science Daily/University of California - Riverside

A set of recent studies demonstrates for the first time that learning multiple new tasks carries benefits for cognition long after the learning has been completed.

The finding affirms a long-held assertion of the lead researcher, Rachel Wu, who is an associate professor of psychology at UC Riverside. That is, older adults can learn new tasks and improve their cognition in the process, if they approach learning as a child does.

"Our findings provide evidence that simultaneously learning real-world skills can lead to long-term improvements in cognition during older adulthood," Wu and her colleagues wrote in a recently published paper in the journal Aging and Mental Health. "Overall, our findings promote the benefits of lifelong learning, namely, to improve cognitive abilities in older adulthood."

One year after they learned new skills, the older research subjects tested higher for certain cognitive tasks than prior to the learning. Consistently, the scores for cognitive functions increased on average by at least two to three times, sometimes more.

The first study had six participants, the second study, 27. The median age of the study subjects was 66 and 69 years old, respectively. To qualify for the study, participants had to be at least 55 years old, fluent in English, have normal or corrected-to-normal vision, and have no prior diagnosis of a cognitive impairment. Participants in this study completed classwork and homework for approximately 15 hours a week for three months, time constraints Wu said limited the number of eligible participants.

For both studies, the participants learned at least three new skills, such as Spanish, using an iPad, photography, painting, and music composition over three months in a UC Riverside classroom for older adults. Cognitive tests were administered in a research lab before the start of the classes, halfway through the classes, and after three months of classes. There were then follow-up tests at three months, six months, and one year after the end of the classes.

"The primary goal of the follow-up assessments was to determine if gains in cognitive abilities… would continue up to one year after the intervention," the authors wrote.

The cognitive measures included attention, inhibition, and short-term memory, which requires remembering small amounts of information needed to perform tasks, such as recalling a phone number or words from a list.

The overall cognitive scores at three months, six months, and one year after the intervention were significantly higher than before the intervention, more than three times higher by many measures. In fact, the more time that passed after the learning had ceased, the higher the scores grew.

"Remarkably, the cognitive scores increased to levels similar to undergraduates taking the same cognitive tests for the first time," Wu said. "Our finding of continuous cognitive growth in older adulthood is unique because most studies show only maintenance of cognitive abilities or cognitive decline over time."

The key to the difference, Wu surmises, is learning multiple tasks simultaneously in an encouraging environment, similar to what children experience.

"The time and energy commitment to do so was similar to a full undergraduate course load," Wu and her colleagues wrote in the paper, titled "One-year cognitive outcomes from a multiple real-world skill learning intervention with older adults."

For Wu, it is further affirmation of her past research, which demonstrated that older adults can learn by emulating the learning behaviors of children. Among other things, it means older adults must approach learning with an open mind, unafraid of criticism and failure, receptive to instruction, willing to learn multiple tasks at once, and with a belief they can improve with effort.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/04/230419162821.htm

People who think positively about aging are more likely to recover memory

April 12, 2023

Science Daily/Yale School of Public Health

A Yale School of Public Health study has found that older persons with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), a common type of memory loss, were 30% more likely to regain normal cognition if they had taken in positive beliefs about aging from their culture, compared to those who had taken in negative beliefs.

Researchers also found that these positive beliefs also enabled participants to recover their cognition up to two years earlier than those with negative age beliefs.This cognitive recovery advantage was found regardless of baseline MCI severity.

"Most people assume there is no recovery from MCI, but in fact half of those who have it do recover. Little is known about why some recover while others don't. That's why we looked at positive age beliefs, to see if they would help provide an answer," said Becca Levy, professor of public health and of psychology and lead author of the study.

Levy predicted that positive age beliefs could play an important role in cognitive recovery because her previous experimental studies with older persons found that positive age beliefs reduced the stress caused by cognitive challenges, increased self-confidence about cognition, and improved cognitive performance.

The new study is the first to find evidence that a culture-based factor -- positive age beliefs -- contributes to MCI recovery. The study appeared in JAMA Network Open. Martin Slade, a biostatistician and lecturer in internal medicine at Yale, is co-author of the study.

Older persons in the positive age-belief group who started the study with normal cognition were less likely to develop MCI over the next 12 years than those in the negative age-belief group, regardless of their baseline age and physical health.

The National Institute on Aging funded this study. It had 1,716 participants aged 65 and above who were drawn from the Health and Retirement Study, a national longitudinal study.

"Our previous research has demonstrated that age beliefs can be modified; therefore, age-belief interventions at the individual and societal levels could increase the number of people who experience cognitive recovery," Levy said.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/04/230412131116.htm

High blood pressure in your 30s is associated with worse brain health in your 70s

April 7, 2023

Science Daily/University of California - Davis Health

Having high blood pressure in your 30s is associated with worse brain health around age 75, especially for men, according to a new UC Davis study.

The research, published this week in JAMA Network Open, compared magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) brain scans of older adults who had high blood pressure between the ages of 30 to 40 with older adults who had normal blood pressure.

The researchers found that the high blood pressure group had significantly lower regional brain volumes and worse white matter integrity. Both factors are associated with dementia.

The research also showed that the negative brain changes in some regions -- such as decreased grey matter volume and frontal cortex volume -- were stronger in men. They note the differences may be related to the protective benefits of estrogen before menopause.

"Treatment for dementia is extremely limited, so identifying modifiable risk and protective factors over the life course is key to reducing disease burden," said first author Kristen M. George, an assistant professor in the Department of Public Health Sciences.

"High blood pressure is an incredibly common and treatable risk factor associated with dementia. This study indicates hypertension status in early adulthood is important for brain health decades later," George said.

High blood pressure prevalent in U.S.

High blood pressure, also known as hypertension, is blood pressure that is higher than normal. A normal blood pressure level is less than 130/80 mmHg. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 47% of adults in the United States have hypertension.

The rate of high blood pressure varies by sex and race. About 50% of men have high blood pressure compared to 44% of women. The rate of hypertension is about 56% in Black adults, 48% in white adults, 46% in Asian adults and 39% in Hispanic adults. African Americans ages 35 to 64 years are 50% more likely to have high blood pressure than whites.

Data from healthy aging studies

The researchers looked at data from 427 participants from the Kaiser Healthy Aging and Diverse Life Experiences (KHANDLE) study and the Study of Healthy Aging in African Americans (STAR). This provided them with health data from 1964 to 1985 for a diverse cohort of older Asian, Black, Latino and white adults.

They obtained two blood pressure readings from when the participants were between the ages of 30 to 40. This allowed them to determine if they had been hypertensive, transitioning to hypertensive or had normal blood pressure in young adulthood.

MRI scans of the participants conducted between 2017 and 2022 allowed them to look for late-life neuroimaging biomarkers of neurodegeneration and white matter integrity.

A significant reduction in cerebral gray matter volume is seen in both men and women with hypertension but is stronger in men.

Brain scans reveal differences

Compared to participants with normal blood pressure, the brain scans of those transitioning to high blood pressure or with high blood pressure showed lower cerebral gray matter volume, frontal cortex volume and fractional anisotropy (a measure of brain connectivity). The scores for men with high blood pressure were lower than those for women.

The study joins a growing body of evidence that cardiovascular risk factors in young adulthood are detrimental to late-life brain health.

The researchers note that due to the sample size, they could not examine racial and ethnic differences and recommended interpreting results regarding sex differences with caution. They also note that the MRI data was only available from one time-point late in life. This can only determine physical properties like volumetric differences, not specific evidence of neurodegeneration over time.

"This study truly demonstrates the importance of early life risk factors, and that to age well, you need to take care of yourself throughout life -- heart health is brain health," said Rachel Whitmer, senior author of the study. Whitmer is a professor in the departments of Public Health Sciences and Neurology and chief of the Division of Epidemiology. She's also the associate director of the UC Davis Alzheimer's Disease Center.

"We are excited to be able to continue following these participants and to uncover more about what one can do in early life to set yourself up for healthy brain aging in late life," Whitmer said.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/04/230407110728.htm

High blood pressure during pregnancy linked to thinking problems later

Study finds even greater risk in those with preeclampsia, eclampsia

March 1, 2023

Science Daily/American Academy of Neurology

High blood pressure disorders during pregnancy are associated with an increased risk of thinking problems later in life, according to a study published in the March 1, 2023, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. Researchers found that those with these disorders had a higher risk of cognitive problems in later life than those who did not have high blood pressure during pregnancy. They also found that those with preeclampsia, which is high blood pressure that develops halfway through pregnancy and usually involves the kidneys and other organs, may have an even greater risk of cognitive decline later in life, compared to those with gestational high blood pressure, a condition with high blood pressure in pregnancy but without affecting the kidneys or other organs.

"While high blood pressure during pregnancy, including preeclampsia, is recognized as a risk factor for heart disease and stroke, our study suggests that it may also be a risk factor for cognitive decline in later life," said study author Michelle M. Mielke, PhD, of Wake Forest University School of Medicine in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and a member of the American Academy of Neurology.

The study involved 2,239 female participants with an average age of 73. Researchers looked at medical records for information about previous pregnancies.

Of the participants, 1,854 people or 83% had at least one pregnancy, and 385 people or 17% never had a pregnancy or had a pregnancy of less than 20 weeks. Of those with pregnancies longer than 20 weeks, 100 had gestational high blood pressure, 147 had preeclampsia or eclampsia and 1,607 had normal blood pressure. Preeclampsia is when there is excess protein in the urine during pregnancy. Eclampsia is when high blood pressure during pregnancy causes one or more seizures, sometimes followed by a coma.

For the study, participants took nine memory and thinking tests every 15 months over an average of five years. The tests measured thinking and memory skills including global cognition, processing speed, executive function, language and visual perception.

Overall, researchers found that those with high blood pressure during pregnancy had a greater decline than those without high blood pressure during pregnancy and those who had not given birth on tests of global cognition, attention, executive function and language.

After adjusting for age and education, the average composite score of all memory and thinking tests of participants with any type of high blood pressure disorder had a decline of 0.3 points compared to those who did not have high blood pressure during pregnancy with a decline of 0.05 points. When looking at different types of high blood pressure disorders, those with preeclampsia had a decline of 0.04 points compared to those with other blood pressure disorders and those with no blood pressure disorders, which both had a decline of 0.05.

After adjusting for age and education, those with high blood pressure in pregnancy declined 0.4 standard deviation over five years on tests of executive function and attention, compared to those who had normal blood pressure for all pregnancies and declined only 0.1 standard deviation. These results were more pronounced for those who had preeclampsia, with a 0.5 standard deviation decrease on tests of executive function and attention compared to a 0.1 decrease for those who had normal blood pressure for all pregnancies.

"More research is needed to confirm our findings. However, these results suggest that managing and monitoring blood pressure during and after pregnancy is an important factor for brain health later in life," Mielke said.

A limitation of the study is that most of the participants were white, so results may not be generalizable to more diverse populations that have higher rates of high blood pressure in pregnancy.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/03/230301162703.htm

Daily 11 minute brisk walk enough to reduce risk of early death

February 28, 2023

Science Daily/University of Cambridge

One in ten early deaths could be prevented if everyone managed at least half the recommended level of physical activity, say a team led by researchers at the University of Cambridge.

In a study published today in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, the researchers say that 11 minutes a day (75 minutes a week) of moderate-intensity physical activity -- such as a brisk walk -- would be sufficient to lower the risk of diseases such as heart disease, stroke and a number of cancers.

Cardiovascular diseases -- such as heart disease and stroke -- are the leading cause of death globally, responsible for 17.9 million deaths per year in 2019, while cancers were responsible for 9.6 million deaths in 2017. Physical activity -- particularly when it is moderate-intensity -- is known to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and cancer, and the NHS recommends that adults do at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activity or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity activity a week.

To explore the amount of physical activity necessary to have a beneficial impact on several chronic diseases and premature death, researchers from the Medical Research Council (MRC) Epidemiology Unit at the University of Cambridge carried out a systematic review and meta-analysis, pooling and analysing cohort data from all of the published evidence. This approach allowed them to bring together studies that on their own did not provide sufficient evidence and sometimes disagreed with each other to provide more robust conclusions.

In total, they looked at results reported in 196 peer-reviewed articles, covering more than 30 million participants from 94 large study cohorts, to produce the largest analysis to date of the association between physical activity levels and risk of heart disease, cancer, and early death.

The researchers found that, outside of work-related physical activity, two out of three people reported activity levels below 150 min per week of moderate-intensity activity and fewer than one in ten managed more than 300 min per week.

Broadly speaking, they found that beyond 150 min per week of moderate-intensity activity, the additional benefits in terms of reduced risk of disease or early death were marginal. But even half this amount came with significant benefits: accumulating 75 min per week of moderate-intensity activity brought with it a 23% lower risk of early death.

Dr Soren Brage from the MRC Epidemiology Unit said: "If you are someone who finds the idea of 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity a week a bit daunting, then our findings should be good news. Doing some physical activity is better than doing none. This is also a good starting position -- if you find that 75 minutes a week is manageable, then you could try stepping it up gradually to the full recommended amount."

Seventy-five minutes per week of moderate activity was also enough to reduce the risk of developing cardiovascular disease by 17% and cancer by 7%. For some specific cancers, the reduction in risk was greater -- head and neck, myeloid leukaemia, myeloma, and gastric cardia cancers were between 14-26% lower risk. For other cancers, such as lung, liver, endometrial, colon, and breast cancer, a 3-11% lower risk was observed.

Professor James Woodcock from the MRC Epidemiology Unit said: "We know that physical activity, such as walking or cycling, is good for you, especially if you feel it raises your heart rate. But what we've found is there are substantial benefits to heart health and reducing your risk of cancer even if you can only manage 10 minutes every day."

The researchers calculated that if everyone in the studies had done the equivalent of at least 150 min per week of moderate-intensity activity, around one in six (16%) early deaths would be prevented. One in nine (11%) cases of cardiovascular disease and one in 20 (5%) cases of cancer would be prevented.

However, even if everyone managed at least 75 min per week of moderate-intensity physical activity, around one in ten (10%) early deaths would be prevented. One in twenty (5%) cases of cardiovascular disease and nearly one in thirty (3%) cases of cancer would be prevented.

Dr Leandro Garcia from Queen's University Belfast said: "Moderate activity doesn't have to involve what we normally think of exercise, such as sports or running. Sometimes, replacing some habits is all that is needed. For example, try to walk or cycle to your work or study place instead of using a car, or engage in active play with your kids or grand kids. Doing activities that you enjoy and that are easy to include in your weekly routine is an excellent way to become more active."

The research was funded by the Medical Research Council and the European Research Council.

What counts as moderate-intensity physical activity?

Moderate-intensity physical activity raises your heart rate and makes you breathe faster, but you would still be able to speak during the activity. Examples include:

• Brisk walking

• Dancing

• Riding a bike

• Playing tennis

• Hiking

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/02/230228205249.htm

Time in nature may help older adults with improved health, purpose in life

February 24, 2023

Science Daily/Penn State

Over time, research has demonstrated that spending time in nature confers psychological, emotional and physical benefits. To maximize benefits of spending time in nature for people over the age of 65, researchers from Penn State; National Open University, Taiwan; and Lunghwa University of Science and Technology, Taiwan, studied the attitudes, beliefs and actions of a group of elders -- people over the age of 65 -- who regularly spent time in a natural area. The researchers found that fostering social connections around nature-based activities may be connected to improved health and quality of life for elders.

In Japan, the term shinrin-yoku, or "forest bathing," was developed to refer to spending time in nature while engaging all of one's senses: tasting the air, smelling a forest, listening to a stream, and being present with whatever you experience.

For elders who encounter challenges when attempting to hike quickly over difficult trails, forest bathing may present an enjoyable and safe way to spend time in nature. According to the researchers, forest bathing is popular among older adults in Japan, China and Taiwan, where the practice originated, and it is becoming increasingly popular in the United States.

The researchers studied older visitors to the Xitou Education Area, a natural preserve in Taiwan. Between April and June of 2022, the researchers surveyed 292 visitors to the preserve who were at least 65 years old and who visited the park at least once a week. Participants were asked a range of questions, from whether they felt supported by others, to how much they thought about their futures, to how much purpose they felt that their lives had.

The results of the study were published in the journal Leisure Sciences. The researchers found that people who discussed their experiences in nature with others tended to have a greater sense of attachment to forest bathing and a stronger sense of purpose in life.

Prior research supports the conclusion that these factors are related to better physical and mental health and higher quality of life. This finding can guide leisure-service providers working in various settings including community recreation departments and retirement villages on how to facilitate leisure for elders, according to John Dattilo, professor of recreation, park and tourism management at Penn State and co-author of this research.

"Elders can access community and state parks where it is safe for them to spend time in nature: places with walkable paths and convenient, accessible parking, are helpful," Dattilo explained." Agencies can publicize these opportunities and help identify the value they offer to elders and others.

"Better yet, leisure-service providers could arrange transportation and then afterwards facilitate social interactions among participants," Dattilo continued. "Enabling people to get out into nature to experience their surroundings is one aspect of forest bathing. Part of what we found is the linkage between positive social relationships and spending time in nature. So, if leisure-service providers create opportunities for elders to return from an experience, meet over a warm beverage and talk about their experiences, there will be value in these connections for people's sense of purpose."

An improved sense of purpose is related to better physical functioning, higher quality of life, and lower fear of death, according to Liang-Chih Chang, professor of living sciences at National Open University in New Taipei City, Taiwan. Forest bathing matters, he continued, because it might be able to help people foster that sense of purpose.

"Forest bathing seems to connect people to the moment and the world," Chang said. "When elders use that same experience to develop social connections and support, they may experience a broad range of benefits associated with physiological functioning as well as cognitive health. These are associations, not cause and effect, but the potential consequences are exciting to consider."

The study continues Dattilo's research on the value of the leisure experience for elders that he has explored with his collaborators in Taiwan as well as locally with colleagues from Penn State's Center for Healthy Aging.

"We have conducted research on square dancing and karaoke, both of which are common activities for elders in Asia," Dattilo said. "Forest bathing, is unique in that it is closely tied to hiking, strolling or sitting in nature in which many elders engage across the globe. If leisure-service providers facilitate exposure to nature and help participants build a sense of community around those experiences, then elders could live, not only healthier, but richer and more meaningful lives."

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/02/230224135027.htm

Getting good sleep could add years to your life

Having five low-risk sleep habits may have long-term benefits

February 24, 2023

Science Daily/American College of Cardiology

Getting good sleep can play a role in supporting your heart and overall health -- and maybe even how long you live -- according to new research being presented at the American College of Cardiology's Annual Scientific Session Together With the World Congress of Cardiology. The study found that young people who have more beneficial sleep habits are incrementally less likely to die early. Moreover, the data suggest that about 8% of deaths from any cause could be attributed to poor sleep patterns.

"We saw a clear dose-response relationship, so the more beneficial factors someone has in terms of having higher quality of sleep, they also have a stepwise lowering of all cause and cardiovascular mortality," said Frank Qian, MD, an internal medicine resident physician at Beth Israel Deaconess

Medical Center, clinical fellow in medicine at Harvard Medical School and co-author of the study. "I think these findings emphasize that just getting enough hours of sleep isn't sufficient. You really have to have restful sleep and not have much trouble falling and staying asleep."

For their analysis, Qian and team included data from 172,321 people (average age 50 and 54% women) who participated in the National Health Interview Survey between 2013 and 2018. This survey is fielded each year by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the National Center for Health Statistics to help gauge the health of the U.S. population and includes questions about sleep and sleep habits. Qian said this is the first study to his knowledge to use a nationally representative population to look at how several sleep behaviors, and not just sleep duration, might influence life expectancy.

About two-thirds of study participants self-reported as being White, 14.5% Hispanic, 12.6% Black and 5.5% Asian. Because researchers were able to link participants to the National Death Index records (through December 31, 2019), they could examine the association between individual and combined sleep factors and all-cause and cause-specific mortality. Participants were followed for a median of 4.3 years during which time 8,681 individuals died. Of these deaths, 2,610 deaths (30%) were from cardiovascular disease, 2,052 (24%) were from cancer and 4,019 (46%) were due to other causes.

Researchers assessed ?ve different factors of quality sleep using a low-risk sleep score they created based on answers collected as part of the survey. Factors included: 1) ideal sleep duration of seven to eight hours a night; 2) difficulty falling asleep no more than two times a week; 3) trouble staying asleep no more than two times a week; 4) not using any sleep medication; and 5) feeling well rested after waking up at least five days a week. Each factor was assigned zero or one point for each, for a maximum of five points, which indicated the highest quality sleep.

"If people have all these ideal sleep behaviors, they are more likely to live longer," Qian said. "So, if we can improve sleep overall, and identifying sleep disorders is especially important, we may be able to prevent some of this premature mortality."

For the analysis, researchers controlled for other factors that may have heightened the risk of dying, including lower socioeconomic status, smoking and alcohol consumption and other medical conditions. Compared to individuals who had zero to one favorable sleep factors, those who had all five were 30% less likely to die for any reason, 21% less likely to die from cardiovascular disease, 19% less likely to die from cancer, and 40% less likely to die of causes other than heart disease or cancer. Qian said these other deaths are likely due to accidents, infections or neurodegenerative diseases, such as dementia and Parkinson's disease, but more research is needed.

Among men and women who reported having all five quality sleep measures (a score of five), life expectancy was 4.7 years greater for men and 2.4 years greater for women compared with those who had none or only one of the five favorable elements of low-risk sleep. More research is needed to determine why men with all five low-risk sleep factors had double the increase in life expectancy compared with women who had the same quality sleep.

"Even from a young age, if people can develop these good sleep habits of getting enough sleep, making sure they are sleeping without too many distractions and have good sleep hygiene overall, it can greatly benefit their overall long-term health," Qian said, adding that for the present analysis they estimated gains in life expectancy starting at age 30, but the model can be used to predict gains at older ages too. "It's important for younger people to understand that a lot of health behaviors are cumulative over time. Just like we like to say, 'it's never too late to exercise or stop smoking,' it's also never too early. And we should be talking about and assessing sleep more often."

These sleep habits can be easily asked about during clinical encounters, and the researchers hope patients and clinicians will start talking about sleep as part of their overall health assessment and disease management planning.

One limitation of the study is that sleep habits were self-reported and not objectively measured or verified. In addition, no information was available about the types of sleep aid or medicine used or how often or long participants used them. Future research is needed to understand how these gains in life expectancy might continue as people age, as well as further explore the sex differences that were observed.

Previous studies have shown that getting too little or too much sleep can negatively affect the heart. It's also been widely reported that sleep apnea, a sleep disorder that causes someone to pause or stop breathing while asleep, can lead to a number of heart conditions, including high blood pressure, atrial fibrillation and heart attacks.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/02/230224135111.htm

Air pollution speeds bone loss from osteoporosis

February 21, 2023

Science Daily/Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health

Elevated levels of air pollutants are associated with bone damage among postmenopausal women, according to new research led by scientists at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health. The effects were most evident on the lumbar spine, with nitrous oxides twice as damaging to the area than seen with normal aging.

The research findings appear in the peer-reviewed journal eClinicalMedicine, part of The Lancet Discovery Science suite of open-access journals.

Previous studies on individual pollutants have suggested adverse effects on bone mineral density, osteoporosis risk, and fractures in older individuals. The new study is the first to explore the connection between air pollution and bone mineral density specifically in postmenopausal women, and the first to explore the effects of air pollution mixtures on bone outcomes.

The researchers analyzed data collected through the Women's Health Initiative study, an ethnically diverse cohort of 161,808 postmenopausal women. They estimated air pollution (PM10, NO, NO2, and SO2) exposures based on participants' home addresses. They measured bone mineral density (BMD; whole-body, total hip, femoral neck, and lumbar spine) at enrollment at follow-up at year one, year three, and year six using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry.

The magnitude of the effects of nitrogen oxides on lumbar spine BMD would amount to 1.22 percent annual reductions -- nearly double the annual effects of age on any of the anatomical sites evaluated. These effects are believed to happen through bone cell death by way of oxidative damage and other mechanisms.

"Our findings confirm that poor air quality may be a risk factor for bone loss, independent of socioeconomic or demographic factors. For the first time, we have evidence that nitrogen oxides, in particular, are a major contributor to bone damage and that the lumbar spine is one of the most susceptible sites of this damage," says study first author Diddier Prada, MD, PhD, associate research scientist in the Department of Environmental Health Sciences at Columbia Mailman School of Public Health.

"Improvements in air pollution exposure, particularly nitrogen oxides, will reduce bone damage in postmenopausal women, prevent bone fractures, and reduce the health cost burden associated with osteoporosis among postmenopausal women. Further efforts should focus on detecting those at higher risk of air pollution-related bone damage," says lead author Andrea Baccarelli, MD, PhD, chair of the Department of Environmental Health Sciences at Columbia Mailman School of Public Health.

Car and truck exhaust is a major source of nitrous oxides, as are the emissions from electrical power generation plants.

Approximately 2.1 million osteoporosis-related bone fractures occur annually, resulting in up to $20.3 billion in annual direct health costs. Osteoporosis impacts women more than men, with 80 percent of the estimated 10 million Americans with osteoporosis being women. Postmenopausal women are at higher risk, with one in two women over 50 experiencing a bone fracture because of osteoporosis.

Previously, Columbia researchers showed that long-term air pollution exposure reduces BMD and increases bone fracture risk in later life. Subsequently, these findings have been confirmed in multiple human studies.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/02/230221132129.htm

How age and sex influence our body clocks

February 7, 2023

Science Daily/Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne

The human body runs on a finely tuned clock synchronized to the 24-hour cycle of Earth's rotation, known as the circadian clock, which controls various physiological processes such as the sleep-wake cycle, hormone production, and metabolism.

In a new study, researchers led by Felix Naef at EPFL were able to uncover the organization of tissue-specific gene expression rhythms in humans, and shed light on how our body clocks depend on sex and age.

In model organisms, analyzing molecular rhythms is usually done using time-stamped measurements -- but such data are not readily available in humans. To work around this, the researchers used existing measurements from a large cohort of post-mortem donors, combined with a novel computer algorithm that was designed to assign internal clock times to nearly one thousand donors.

"Interestingly, the data-science algorithm we developed turned out to resemble models from magnetic systems, which are well studied in statistical physics," says Felix Naef. Using this innovative approach, the researchers obtained the first comprehensive and accurate whole-organism view of 24-hour gene expression rhythms in 46 human tissues.

The study found that the core clock machinery properties are conserved across the body and do not change significantly with sex and age. On the other hand, the analysis revealed extensive programs of gene expression rhythms across major compartments of metabolism, stress response pathways and immune function, and these programs peaked twice a day.

In fact, the emerging whole-body organization of circadian timing shows that rhythmic gene expression occurs as morning and evening waves, with the timing in the adrenal gland peaking first, while brain regions displayed much lower rhythmicity compared to metabolic tissues.

Dividing the donors by sex and age revealed a previously unknown richness of sex- and age- specific gene expression rhythms spread across biological functions. Strikingly, gene expression rhythms were sex-dimorphic (different in males and females) and more sustained in females, while rhythmic programs were generally reduced with age across the body.

Sex-dimorphic rhythms -- referring to the differences between males and females -- were particularly noticeable in the liver's "xenobiotic detoxification," the process by which liver breaks down harmful substances. Additionally, the study found that as people grow older, the rhythm of gene expression decreases in the heart's arteries, which may explain why older people are more susceptible to heart disease. This information could be useful in the field of "chronopharmacology," which is the study of how a person's internal clock affects the effectiveness and side effects of medication.

This study provides new insights into the complex interplay between our body clock, sex, and age. By understanding these rhythms, we might find new ways of diagnosing and treating pathologies such as sleep disorders and metabolic diseases.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/02/230203105329.htm

Three or more concussions linked with worse brain function in later life

Experiencing three or more concussions is linked with worsened brain function in later life, according to major new research

January 30, 2023

Science Daily/University of Exeter

Experiencing three or more concussions is linked with worsened brain function in later life, according to major new research.

The study -- the largest of its kind -- also found having just one moderate-to-severe concussion, or traumatic brain injury (TBI), can have a long-term impact on brain function, including memory.

Led by teams at the University of Oxford and the University of Exeter, the research included data from more than 15,000 participants of the online PROTECT study, who were aged between 50 and 90 and based in the UK. They reported the severity and frequency of concussions they had experienced throughout their lives, and completed annual, computerised tests for brain function.

Published in the Journal of Neurotrauma, the paper found that people who reported three or more concussions had significantly worse cognitive function, which got successively worse with each subsequent concussion after that. Attention and completion of complex tasks were particularly affected.

Researchers say people who have had concussions should be warned of the dangers of continuing high-risk sport or work.

Lead investigator Dr Vanessa Raymont, from the University of Oxford, said: "We know that head injuries are a major risk factor for dementia, and this large-scale study gives the greatest detail to date on a stark finding -- the more times you injure your brain in life, the worse your brain function could be as you age.

"Our research indicates that people who have experienced three or more even mild episodes of concussion should be counselled on whether to continue high-risk activities. We should also encourage organisations operating in areas where head impact is more likely to consider how they can protect their athletes or employees."

The team found that participants who reported three episodes of even mild concussion throughout their lives had significantly worse attention and ability to complete complex tasks. Those who had four or more mild concussion episodes also showed worsened processing speed and working memory. Each additional reported concussion was linked to progressively worse cognitive function.

Furthermore, the researchers found that reporting even one moderate-to-severe concussion was associated with worsened attention, completion of complex tasks and processing speed capacity.

In the online PROTECT study, participants share detailed lifestyle information, and complete a suite of cognitive tests every year, for up to 25 years. This rich mine of data helps researchers understand how the brain ages, and the factors involved in maintaining a healthier brain in later life.

Dr Helen Brooker, a study co-author from the University of Exeter, said: "As our population ages, we urgently need new ways to empower people to live healthier lives in later life. This paper highlights the importance of detailed long-term studies like PROTECT in better understating head injuries and the impact to long term cognitive function, particularly as concussion has also been linked to dementia. We're learning that life events that might seem insignificant, life experiencing a mild concussion, can have an impact on the brain. Our findings indicate that cognitive rehabilitation should focus on key functions such as attention and completion of complex tasks, which we found to be susceptible to long-term damage."

Dr Susan Kohlhaas, Director of Research at Alzheimer's Research UK, said: "Studies like this are so important in unravelling the long-term risks of traumatic brain injury, including their effect on dementia risk. These findings should send a clear message to policy makers and sporting bodies, who need to put robust guidelines in place that reduce risk of head injury as much as possible."

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/01/230130213948.htm

Managing emotions better could prevent pathological aging

January 13, 2023

Science Daily/Université de Genève

Negative emotions, anxiety and depression are thought to promote the onset of neurodegenerative diseases and dementia. But what is their impact on the brain and can their deleterious effects be limited? Neuroscientists at the University of Geneva (UNIGE) observed the activation of the brains of young and older adults when confronted with the psychological suffering of others. The neuronal connections of the older adults show significant emotional inertia: negative emotions modify them excessively and over a long period of time, particularly in the posterior cingulate cortex and the amygdala, two brain regions strongly involved in the management of emotions and autobiographical memory. These results, to be published in Nature Aging, indicate that a better management of these emotions -- through meditation for example -- could help limit neurodegeneration.

For the past 20 years, neuroscientists have been looking at how the brain reacts to emotions. ''We are beginning to understand what happens at the moment of perception of an emotional stimulus,'' explains Dr Olga Klimecki, a researcher at the UNIGE's Swiss Centre for Affective Sciences and at the Deutsches Zentrum für Neurodegenerative Erkrankungen, who is last author of this study carried out as part of a European research project co-directed by the UNIGE. ''However, what happens afterwards remains a mystery. How does the brain switch from one emotion to another? How does it return to its initial state? Does emotional variability change with age? What are the consequences for the brain of mismanagement of emotions?''

Previous studies in psychology have shown that an ability to change emotions quickly is beneficial for mental health. Conversely, people who are unable to regulate their emotions and remain in the same emotional state for a long time are at higher risks of depression. ''Our aim was to determine what cerebral trace remains after the viewing of emotional scenes, in order to evaluate the brain's reaction, and, above all, its recovery mechanisms. We focused on the older adults, in order to identify possible differences between normal and pathological ageing,'' says Patrik Vuilleumier, professor in the Department of Basic Neurosciences at the Faculty of Medicine and at the Swiss Centre for Affective Sciences at the UNIGE, who co-directed this work.

Not all brains are created equal

The scientists showed volunteers short television clips showing people in a state of emotional suffering -- during a natural disaster or distress situation for example -- as well as videos with neutral emotional content, in order to observe their brain activity using functional MRI. First, the team compared a group of 27 people over 65 years of age with a group of 29 people aged around 25 years. The same experiment was then repeated with 127 older adults.

''Older people generally show a different pattern of brain activity and connectivity from younger people,'' says Sebastian Baez Lugo, a researcher in Patrik Vuilleumier's laboratory and the first author of this work. ''This is particularly noticeable in the level of activation of the default mode network, a brain network that is highly activated in resting state. Its activity is frequently disrupted by depression or anxiety, suggesting that it is involved in the regulation of emotions. In the older adults, part of this network, the posterior cingulate cortex, which processes autobiographical memory, shows an increase in its connections with the amygdala, which processes important emotional stimuli. These connections are stronger in subjects with high anxiety scores, with rumination, or with negative thoughts.''

Empathy and ageing

However, older people tend to regulate their emotions better than younger people, and focus more easily on positive details, even during a negative event. But changes in connectivity between the posterior cingulate cortex and the amygdala could indicate a deviation from the normal ageing phenomenon, accentuated in people who show more anxiety, rumination and negative emotions. The posterior cingulate cortex is one of the regions most affected by dementia, suggesting that the presence of these symptoms could increase the risk of neurodegenerative disease.

''Is it poor emotional regulation and anxiety that increases the risk of dementia or the other way around? We still don't know,'' says Sebastian Baez Lugo. ''Our hypothesis is that more anxious people would have no or less capacity for emotional distancing. The mechanism of emotional inertia in the context of ageing would then be explained by the fact that the brain of these people remains 'frozen' in a negative state by relating the suffering of others to their own emotional memories."

Could meditation be a solution?

Could it be possible to prevent dementia by acting on the mechanism of emotional inertia? The research team is currently conducting an 18-month interventional study to evaluate the effects of foreign language learning on the one hand, and meditation practice on the other. ''In order to further refine our results, we will also compare the effects of two types of meditation: mindfulness, which consists of anchoring oneself in the present in order to concentrate on one's own feelings, and what is known as 'compassionate' meditation, which aims to actively increase positive emotions towards others,'' the authors add.

This research is part of a large European study, MEDIT-AGEING, which aims to evaluate the impact of non-pharmacological interventions for better ageing.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/01/230113112746.htm