Q-1: What is Alzheimer's Disease?

A: Alzheimer's (AHLZ-high-merz) disease is a progressive brain disorder that gradually destroys a person's memory and ability to learn, reason, make judgments, communicate and carry out daily activities. As Alzheimer's progresses, individuals may also experience changes in personality and behavior, such as anxiety, suspiciousness or agitation, as well as delusions or hallucinations. Although there is currently no cure for Alzheimer's, new treatments are on the horizon as a result of accelerating insight into the biology of the disease. Research has also shown that effective care and support can improve quality of life for individuals and their caregivers over the course of the disease from diagnosis to the end of life.
Source: Alzheimer's Association

A: Alzheimer's is the most common form of dementia, a group of conditions that all gradually destroy brain cells and lead to progressive decline in mental function. Vascular dementia, another common form, results from reduced blood flow to the brain's nerve cells. In some cases, Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia can occur together in a condition called "mixed dementia." Other causes of dementia include frontotemporal dementia, dementia with Lewy bodies, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease and Parkinson's disease.
Source: Alzheimer's Association.

A: Recently, the primary efforts to cure and/or slow Alzheimer's Disease have been pharmacologically based. There are a few drugs available today that can slow the progression of the disease for a period of time, but their effects are limited. Many studies, however, point to a solution in another direction.
Until a cure is found, which may be decades away, many experts believe that ongoing cognitive stimulation may be the most effective method of combating the debilitating effects of Alzheimer's.

A: Yes! Numerous studies have concluded that mental stimulation is an effective therapeutic intervention for dementia. The Einstein Aging Study (New England Journal of Medicine, June 19, 2003), conducted over a 20-year period, concluded that individuals who participated in highly mentally stimulating leisure activities (e.g., bridge, crosswords, board games, group discussions, etc.) had a 63 percent lower risk of dementia and Alzheimer's than those who did not participate.
Source: Joe Verghese, M.D., et al., Einstein College of Medicine (New England Journal of Medicine, June 19, 2003)

A: Studies have shown that cognitive stimulation in old age can boost intellectual power, help maintain mental functions such as problem solving, and even reverse memory decline. Older adults who never received the benefits of a good education can still do much to keep their brains in shape. The results of a recent multi-centre study suggest that frequent cognitive activity in old age is associated with a reduced risk of Alzheimer's disease, but passive pursuits, like watching television, offer no protection against dementia or the onset of Alzheimer's disease.
Sources: Wilson RS, et al., Journal of the American Medical Association (287:742-8, 13 Feb 2002); Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine 2000 study based upon the Lifestyles Of Those In Various Stages Of Alzheimer's

A: The mini-mental state examination (MMSE) is one of the tests most commonly used to assess mental function. In the MMSE, a health professional asks a person a series of questions designed to test a range of everyday mental skills. The maximum MMSE score is 30 points. A score of 20 - 24 suggests mild dementia, 13 - 20 suggests moderate dementia, and less than 12 indicates severe dementia. On average, the MMSE score of a person with Alzheimer's declines by about 2 - 4 points each year.
Source: Alzheimer's Association

A: Older adults can do many things to keep their brains in shape. Scientists have found that the human brain is capable of 'rewiring' itself, such as in the wake of a stroke or spinal injury, and is not 'hard-wired' as previously thought. At the core of this new knowledge is the 'plasticity factor,' a term used to describe the brain's amazing capacity to reorganize neural pathways based on new experiences over the course of a lifetime, and constantly change its structure and function in response to external stimuli. The brain's plasticity means that new learning and relearning can take place at any age. For the first time, we are gathering biological evidence showing that lack of proper mental stimulation can actually harm the brain. As we learn through instruction or experience, we acquire new knowledge and skills. In order to learn or commit something to memory, there must be persistent functional changes in the brain to store, access and retrieve that new information. Just as the muscles in your body grow and become stronger when they are exercised, your brain, like a muscle, will physically change to accommodate new information.
Source: Ronald Kotulak, Inside the Brain: Revolutionary Discoveries of How the Mind Works (based on his Pulitzer Prize-winning series for the Chicago Tribune), in his address to the 45th Annual Meeting of the American Society on Aging.

A: In this context, ecological validity refers to the degree to which the cognitive exercises reflect what actually occurs in natural settings, i.e., the 'real world.' We created our brain exercises with ecological validity firmly in mind, so users get relevant, interesting content that is always fun, entertaining and of real benefit!

A: Upon reaching their fifties, about 40% of the population experiences some middle-age memory pauses. About 50% of people in their sixties have episodes of forgetting, and 70% of people age seventy and older have some memory loss. Brain aging begins much earlier than anyone imagined - as early as in our twenties, decades before you would think you were at risk. Only about one-third of the risk for Alzheimer's can be linked to genetics, while two-thirds can involve toxic exposure or our own lifestyle choices. Denial that the brain is aging is perhaps the biggest obstacle to beginning a cognitive fitness/memory improvement program. The sooner all of us begin a program, the sooner we will be on the path to keeping our brains young and healthy!
Source: Dr. Gary Small, M.D. UCLA Center for Aging, The Memory Bible

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