Memory Issues in Seniors Linked to More Severe Problems

For some elderly folk, having a “senior moment” is something natural especially over the age of 70. Senior moments are not considered to be the times when you don’t remember the name of somebody you met once a year ago , but rather the episodes when you wake up standing in a room and you don’t know how or why did you get there.

Recent studies showed that when those moments tend to appear very often they might be the warning sign for a far more serious health problem.

Studies vs. Known InformationStudies vs. Known Information

People know that memory decreases over the years. This common knowledge was debated at the Boston Alzheimer conference last week. Over the years several studies were conducted on the people complaining about poor memory over the age of 70.

The studies analyzed the presence of atrophy in certain brain areas combined with cellular anomalies and increased memory loss. The results stated that the senior moments can be the precursors of Alzheimer or other forms of dementia.

The New Study

131 people all over 70 were tested using specialized tests for thinking and memory. They were asked to describe how do they see their memory condition compared to how it was the previous year. They also had blood tests and PET scans. All participants had no other physical illnesses or psychiatric issues apart from a severe memory decrease.

The Alzheimer Protein

Doctors were aware that the presence of an increased level of beta- amyloid protein in a person’s brain is preventing normal brain signaling. The protein peptides tend to build up on elderly folk and this is considered a sure sign of Alzheimer.

The same problem appeared to all the participants from the study who reported during testing an increasing memory loss during previous year.

Other Possible Causes

Over the years several studies were conducted on people with genetic heritage involving Alzheimer. Also a contingent of elderly hospital personnel evaluated as having a predisposition towards Alzheimer proved over six years testing that the bio-marker was very accurate in predicting the illness.

Previous and current studies conducted by Alzheimer specialists concluded that along with genetic predisposition, factors like stress, cardiovascular disease and depression are increasing the chances of getting dementia at an elderly age.

Senior Moments are Real Alarm Signals

The Bonn University in Germany studied a contingent of 3000 people susceptible of Alzheimer. The studied concluded that the chances of getting this disease or any other form of dementia were higher for those with medium memory issues. Also the people presenting memory issues at an early age are more susceptible to develop Alzheimer.