Viruses, Infections & Disease, features and articles | Educational Science

May 25, 2017

Deaths from Alzheimer's Increase 50 Percent

Deaths from Alzheimer's disease are on the rise in the United States, according to a new study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Researchers at the CDC found that, in recent years, the rate of death from Alzheimer's disease increased by more than 50 percent, from about...

Jul 5, 2017

Adults with ADHD May Face Higher Risk of Dementia

Adults with ADHD may have an increased risk of developing dementia later in life, a new study from Taiwan finds. In the study, adults who had been diagnosed with ADHD were more than three times more likely to later be diagnosed with dementia, compared with adults who did not have...

Jul 18, 2017

People with Alzheimer's May Have More Bacteria in Their Brains

People with Alzheimer's disease may have higher levels of bacteria in their brains compared to people without the condition, a small new study suggests. Although more research is needed to confirm the findings, the study may provide evidence to support the hypothesis that inflammation — including inflammation from bacterial infections...

Jul 20, 2017

1 in 3 Cases of Dementia Could Be Prevented by Healthier Lifestyles

One-third of dementia cases could be prevented if more people could be helped to behave in ways that would improve their brain health, according to a new report. Some public health strategies aimed at helping people to be healthy — for example, by staying in school past age 15, protecting...

Aug 8, 2017

Glen Campbell's Death: How Does Alzheimer's Kill?

Country music legend Glen Campbell has died at age 81 following a long battle with Alzheimer's disease, his family announced today. Campbell was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease in 2011, at the age of 75, according to Rolling Stone. Later that year, he announced he was retiring because of his illness,...

Aug 23, 2017

People Who Get Less REM Sleep May Be at Greater Risk of Dementia

Consider it another strike against not getting enough sleep: A new study finds that getting too little REM sleep may be linked to a higher risk of dementia later in life. REM, or rapid eye movement, sleep is one of four sleep stages, which also include two stages of light...

Aug 29, 2017

AI Could Predict Alzheimer's Disease Two Years in Advance

An artificial-intelligence-driven algorithm can recognize the early signs of dementia in brain scans, and may accurately predict who will develop Alzheimer’s disease up to two years in advance, a new study finds. The algorithm — which accurately predicted probable Alzheimer's disease 84 percent of the time — could be particularly...

Sep 20, 2017

Blood Levels of Magnesium May Predict Dementia Risk

The levels of magnesium in your blood may be linked to your risk of developing dementia later in life, a new study from the Netherlands finds. Compared with people in the study who had high or low levels of the mineral in their blood, those with levels in the middle...

Nov 8, 2017

Glimmers of Link Found Between Heart Problems and Alzheimer's

Decreased blood flow from the hearts of older adults may lead to decreased blood flow in areas of the brain responsible for memory — a finding that may reveal a possible link between heart problems and Alzheimer's disease, a new study finds. The researchers found that people in the study...

Nov 15, 2017

Can Young Blood Really Help Treat Alzheimer's?

Injecting the blood plasma of healthy young people into people with Alzheimer's disease appears to be safe, and the practice may even lead to small improvements in daily functioning in Alzheimer's patients, a new small trial suggests. But not all experts are lining up behind this technique, and instead argue...

Mar 11, 2018

9 Surprising Risk Factors for Dementia

Risk Factors (Image credit: Shutterstock)The statistics surrounding dementia are staggering: Worldwide, an estimated 47 million people live with this disease, and nearly a trillion dollars is spent annually to care for these individuals, according to Alzheimer's Disease International. In the U.S. specifically, an estimated 4.5 million people have dementia, and...

Mar 14, 2018

Exercise Could Ward Off Dementia for Women — If They Start At the Right Age

For women, physical fitness in midlife may do more than give the heart a boost; it may also benefit the brain, a new study from Sweden suggests. Researchers found that middle-age women in Sweden with a high degree of cardiovascular fitness were nearly 90 percent less likely to develop dementia...

Jun 21, 2018

Could Herpes Viruses Play a Role in Alzheimer's? New Study Backs Theory

Alzheimer's disease affects millions of people around the world, but what ultimately causes the debilitating dementia remains unknown. One controversial theory, however, holds that the disease might be the result of a virus, or multiple viruses, infecting the brain. Now, a new study offers more evidence to bolster this theory....

Jul 2, 2018

Could Aspirin Help Prevent Alzheimer's Disease? Mouse Study Says Maybe.

Could an aspirin a day keep the Alzheimer's away? If only it were that simple. And yet, new research suggests that there does seem to be some hope that aspirin, one of the most widely used medications in the world, may help to treat some aspects of this devastating brain...

Sep 18, 2018

Is That 'Midlife Crisis' Really Alzheimer's Disease?

Imagine you tell your 55-year-old mom you're going to get married and she's too disorganized to help you with the wedding preparations. Or you put your kids on the bus to elementary school and the 57-year-old driver forgets the route. These are real scenarios, drawn from my clinical work with...