image: This is the Alzheimer's & Dementia August 2019 issue cover view more
Credit: <i>Alzheimer's & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer's Association</i>
CHICAGO - The August issue of Alzheimer's & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer's Association includes a new perspective from the National Institute on Aging on "paradoxical lucidity," or moments of stunning clarity, in dementia. The commentary is in response to a previously published online paper that is also included in the print issue of the journal and explores the phenomenon of unexpected cognitive lucidity and communication in patients with severe dementias, especially near the time of death.
Paradoxical Lucidity: A Potential Paradigm Shift for the Neurobiology and Treatment of Severe DementiasLucidity in Dementia: A Perspective from the NIA
Other articles in the August issue:
Older adults in Japan who lost their homes and were forced to relocate after the 2011 earthquake and tsunami had an associated significantly higher risk of cognitive disability even several years after the disasters, according to research from the University of Hong Kong.
Excessive napping might be a useful early marker of cognitive impairment in the elderly, according to research from the University of California San Francisco. Older men with longer cumulative daily napping had greater cognitive decline and were more likely to develop cognitive impairment over 12 years.
Objective Napping, Cognitive Decline and Risk of Cognitive Impairment in Older Men
Researchers with the Italian Longitudinal Study on Aging Working Group at the University of Bari Aldo Moro evaluated the effect of frailty - or the elevated risk of catastrophic declines in health in older adults - and the risk of developing dementia. The researchers used a model that includes physical, psychological and social aspects of individuals who were cognitively normal when the study started. The model was a short- and long-term predictor of who would develop dementia over time, particularly vascular dementia, by looking at lifestyle factors, social isolation, loneliness and decision-making ability.
Biopsychosocial Frailty and the Risk of Incident Dementia: The Italian Longitudinal Study on Aging
Special articles on "Super Agers" published by Alzheimer's & Dementia: Diagnosis, Assessment & Disease Monitoring (DADM), an open access peer-reviewed journal from the Alzheimer's Association:
What's the secret to being a super ager? An evaluation of data from 172 super agers by researchers in Australia indicates it may be reaching old age without elevated beta amyloid deposits on the brain. Read the paper and accompanying commentaries here.
About the Alzheimer's Association:
The Alzheimer's Association is the world's leading voluntary health organization in Alzheimer's care, support and research. Our mission is to eliminate Alzheimer's disease through the advancement of research; to provide and enhance care and support for all affected; and to reduce the risk of dementia through the promotion of brain health. Our vision is a world without Alzheimer's. For more information, visit http://www.alz.org.