June 2023 Alzheimer’s News

June 2023 Alzheimer’s News
This One Simple Action Can Help Older People Fight Off Alzheimer’s, Researchers Say;
Researchers have done extensive research when it comes to Alzheimer’s. But one recent finding revealed that one simple action can help fight off the cognitive disease – regular walks.
Researchers from the University of Maryland School of Public Health did a study on older adults and how regular walks helped with Alzheimer’s symptoms.
For the study, a group of participants walked on a treadmill for four days weekly for a total of 12 weeks. The results of the study showed that the participants experienced stronger connections through their brain networks and better recall abilities.
According to the researchers, one of the brain networks that showed improvement is connected to Alzheimer’s disease.
The study concluded that there is growing evidence that exercise improves brain health, slows cognitive impairment and might even slow the onset of the Alzheimer’s form of dementia.
In the study, researchers examined the brains and story recollection capacities of older adults with normal brain function and others who have been diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment, which included a slight decline of memory, reasoning, judgement, 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” J. Carson Smith, a kinesiology professor with the School of Public Health and principal investigator of the study, said in a news release. “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.
Smith previously did research that showed how walking seems to also promote a decrease in cerebral blood flow and improved brain function in the elderly with a mild cognitive impairment.
In the study, 33 people aged 71 to 85 years old participated in the study for 12 weeks. Participants were tasked with reading a short story before repeating the narrative out loud with as many details as possible following a walk.
The participants then underwent an MRI so researchers could check the results. “The brain activity was stronger and more synchronized, demonstrating exercise actually can induce the brain’s ability to change and adapt,” Smith said, according to Study Finds. “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 the conversion to Alzheimer’s dementia.”
You can learn more by going to www. alz.org/help-support/resources or the Alzheimer’s Helpline which is accessible 24/7 via 800-272-3900 and staffed by master’s level clinicians to assist with crisis situations, decision making, and disease information. You can find virtual dementia caregiver resources online at alz.org/covid19help. Tools and support are also available in Spanish.
Want to learn more about the Alzheimer’s Association and what they do here in St. Louis? Visit alz.org and/or contact PUCC’s Faith Outreach Ambassador with the Alzheimer’s Association, Joyce Ruiz at joyceruiz7@gmail.com