There is a growing body of recent research on cognitive decline in middle-aged adults.
There is no doubt that cognitive decline hits older people hard, but patients are not without weapons to combat early cognitive decline, according to new research.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC):
- The prevalence of subjective (self-reported) cognitive decline is 11.7% in adults aged 65 years and older
- 41% reported difficulty performing normal daily activities
- 35% needed help with household chores
- Less than half have discussed cognitive issues with a healthcare provider1
None of these facts are surprising for DC treating elderly patients. However, even middle-aged people can show signs of cognitive decline. As part of the same CDC study, he had a 10.8% prevalence of cognitive decline in adults between the ages of 45 and 65.1
There is a growing body of recent research on cognitive decline in middle-aged adults. There is also an interesting study looking at ways to protect the middle-aged brain from cognitive decline. Let’s take a closer look at how common this phenomenon is and how to protect the cognitive abilities of middle-aged patients.
When does dementia start?
It is well established that symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia most commonly appear later in life. However, identifying the pathologies that ultimately lead to dementia can be more difficult.
For many years, the conventional wisdom was that such decline begins at about age 65. However, in his 2021 study in the journal, Alzheimer’s disease and dementia We propose that midlife cognitive decline should be viewed as the starting point for Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias, and may begin 20 years before actual symptoms.2
To demonstrate this, the authors of this article examined a series of data from adults aged 50 to 64. This included self-reported cognitive scores. Looking at the scores over time (an average of 8 years), the researchers found that nearly 9% of the population sample exhibited rapid cognitive decline over time.2
Protecting cognitive function in middle-aged patients
Another recent study from the journal neurology We reported the results of a large study of over 2,000 middle-aged participants (mean age 46 years) to determine the effects of omega-3 levels on cognitive markers of aging.3 In addition, researchers identified participants with APOE4 gene variants that put them at increased risk for Alzheimer’s disease.
Higher omega-3 levels lead to greater hippocampal volume and improved abstract reasoning. Additionally, study participants with APOE4 gene variants and higher omega-3 levels had fewer cases of small-vessel heart disease, which often leads to both cognitive impairment and heart disease.3
Papers published in neurology It is particularly compelling because it uses magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technology rather than self-reports, which can be subjective. Hopefully, future research will combine the strengths of both self-reported surveys and MRI to get a more complete picture of when and how cognitive impairment affects middle-aged people. .
References
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Subjective cognitive decline in adults over 45 years of age. Accessed 23 December 2022.
- Zhu Y, Dissimopoulos JM, Crimmins EM. Cognitive decline in middle age. Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. 2021;17:e056007.
- Satizabal CL, Himari JJ, Visor AS, et al. Association of middle-aged erythrocyte omega-3 fatty acids with MRI markers and cognitive function: The Framingham Heart Study [published online ahead of print, 2022 Oct 5]. neurology2022;99(23):e2572-e2582.
