Dementia Bulletin

Mersey Care Evidence and Library Service

In this issue:

  • Functional Implications of Marine Biosurfactants and Their Therapeutic Potential Against Alzheimer’s Disease
  • The proteomic and metabolomic signature of inherited chromosomally integrated HHV‐6 and its role in all‐cause dementia and mortality risk: The UK Biobank study
  • Age of Type 1 Diabetes Onset and Dementia Risk: A Swedish Nationwide, Register‐Based Cohort Study
  • Predictors of Alzheimer’s disease treatment optimism among a nationally representative sample of US older adults
  • Plus much more

Intellectual engagement and cognitive ability in later life (the “use it or lose it” conjecture): longitudinal, prospective study

BMJ 2018;363:k4925
This longitudinal, prospective, observational study aims to examine the association between intellectual engagement and cognitive ability in later life, and determine whether the maintenance of intellectual engagement will offset age related cognitive decline.  The study concludes that self reported engagement is not associated with the trajectory of cognitive decline in late life, but is associated with the acquisition of ability during the life course. Overall, findings suggest that high performing adults engage and those that engage more being protected from relative decline.
Click here to view the full paper.