APA's Science and Public Interest Directorates, and Committee on Aging jointly sponsored a Capitol Hill briefing on July 11 titled "Can Dementia Be Prevented? Cutting-edge Research and Interventions."
The briefing was organized to give policymakers information about behavioral and social risks and protective factors that show promise as targets for preventing Alzheimer's disease.
About 20 percent of people die with Alzheimer's-associated changes in their brains — amyloid plaque and neuronal tangles — without having shown signs of dementia during their lifetimes, said psychologist Glenn Smith, PhD, of the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine. He noted it is possible to have cognitive or functional resilience or reserve in the presence of brain disease. Interventions that could delay the onset of functional impairments would enhance quality of life and save money. Physical exercise, nutrition, social engagement and cognitive training are each subjects of this research. These activities are thought to enhance cognitive reserve.
Psychologist Margaret Gatz, PhD, of the University of Southern California, discussed the role of vascular factors in the development of dementia. Data show that untreated hypertension, diabetes or overweight at midlife are associated with two- to three-and-a-half-times greater chances of developing Alzheimer's or dementia in later life, Gatz said. Interventions that help protect vascular health, such as aerobic exercise, may also protect against dementia. She pointed to data indicating that people who are physically active in midlife have about half the chance of developing Alzheimer's or dementia as those who are inactive.
Robert Wilson, PhD, of the Rush University Medical Center, discussed data showing that early life experiences, higher educational attainment and enrichment, as well as engagement in physical, mental, and social activities during mid- and late-life reduce the risk of developing dementia. A recent study found that a combined 25 percent reduction in the prevalence of midlife diabetes, obesity, hypertension, and physical and cognitive inactivity could prevent nearly 500,000 cases of dementia in the United States. However, to succeed in developing and implementing evidence-based dementia prevention programs, the nation must commit to directing sufficient resources to research on aging, and to behavioral research and interventions in particular.
The briefing drew congressional staff and representatives of federal research and health agencies and advocacy organizations.
— Pat Kobor
