Approximately two of each 000 persons older than 65 years have mild cognitive impairment, such as a noticeable change in memory, problem-solving ability, or attention.
This impairment is caused, in part, by the same brain changes that occur in dementia.
While mild cognitive impairment often has little effect on the way of a person’s life, between 5% and 10% of those who suffer from it will develop dementia.
Why some people with mild cognitive impairment develop dementia and others has not been a mystery for a long time.
But a recent study from Columbia University in New York identified or various factors that determine whether a person has more or less probability s of developing mild cognitive impairment .
These findings could give us a clue as to who is more likely to develop dementia.
The researchers observed 2. 903 people from 65 years or more and tracked their brain function for nine years.
To detect cognitive impairment, it was observed whether the participants not diagnosed with dementia had problems with a memory exercise or if they had reported having Difficulties with certain daily tasks (such as using the phone).
At the beginning of the study, all participants had normal brain function. After six years, 1. 805 participants had normal cognitive function, 752 had mild cognitive impairment and 301 had dementia.
The researchers then followed the group with cognitive impairment for another three years.
As some participants were “lost to follow up”, the researchers were only able to observe 480 people from the original group with mild cognitive impairment.
While 142 still had mild cognitive impairment, they found that 62 people in this group now had dementia.
The researchers also found that 276 people no longer met the criteria for cognitive impairment mild, which shows us that mild cognitive impairment does not always lead to dementia and is not necessarily permanent .
Let’s see factors related to a lower risk of developing mild cognitive impairment first.
Lower risk
one. Education
The time dedicated to education is a factor that reduces the risk of suffering from mild cognitive impairment.
People who had studied on average for 11, 5 years had 5% less likely to develop mild cognitive impairment than those who had done so during 10 years.
The study does not differentiate between the type of education (primary school or education
One theory for this link is that longer time in education is related to higher socioeconomic status, which can mean that a person has access to a healthier and better lifestyle at medical attention .
Another theory is that education helps the brain to build more neurons and connections . This can help the brain compensate for any changes that occur from mild cognitive impairment, such as memory loss.
2. Exercise and leisure activities
People who were more physically or socially active had a slightly lower risk of developing mild cognitive impairment.
To measure how social or active the participants were, they completed a questionnaire about the type and frequency of activities they did, such as walking or going to the movies.
The researchers gave the participants a maximum score of 11. The higher the score, the more active the participant.
Those who did not have a cognitive impairment Mild score averaged 7.5, while those with mild cognitive impairment scored slightly lower at 7.4.
People with dementia scored 5.8.
Previous studies have also shown that physical activity of moderate intensity (such as swimming) during middle age or old age can reduce the risk of mild cognitive impairment .
The protective effect of exercise could be explained by beneficial structural changes that occur in our brain as a result of activity. physical ad . There is also growing evidence that participating in social activities can help maintain brain health and reduce the risk of premature death.
3. Income
People with an income greater than US $ 36. 000 per year had a 20% less likely to develop mild cognitive impairment compared to those earning less than US $ 9. 000 per year.
Income is probably related to a lower risk of cognitive impairment for reasons similar to education . People with higher incomes are more likely to pay for better health care and have a healthier diet and lifestyle .
They can also live in areas where environmental factors, such as pollution, have less effect on them.
This is important, as there are more and more evidence that contamination may be related to conditions such as a lzh é imer and the pá rkinson .
Higher risk
Researchers at Columbia University also identified several factors associated with an increased risk of developing mild cognitive impairment.
These factors include:
one. Genetics
Se found that the presence of the AP0E E4 allele (one of two or more versions of a gene) increases the risk of developing mild cognitive impairment by a 18%.
This finding is consistent with previous evidence that also shows that this allele may increase the risk of dementia.
People with AP0E E4 have around three times more likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease than those with a different variant of the AP0E gene.
The reason, scientists believe, is that this variant makes people more likely to accumulate deposits of toxic proteins in the brain , a characteristic of Alzheimer’s disease.
Researchers also believe that this gene only causes damage in old age.
two. Underlying health problems
People with one or more chronic health conditions, such as heart disease, depression or diabetes, have a 9% higher risk of developing mild cognitive impairment, according to researchers from Columbia University.
The increased burden of various health conditions could lead a person to become less involved in their usual daily activities or social life. Both behavioral changes can accelerate the decline in brain health.
Other conditions, such as heart disease, are also known to increase the risk of cognitive decline.
“Our brains are dynamic”
This study reminds us that mild cognitive impairment is not necessarily a prelude to dementia .
In fact , some study participants with mild cognitive impairment returned to normal brain function.
Not entirely sure why, but could be due to lifestyle changes after diagnosis (such as exercising more) that may have improved the results two.
It could also be that some participants were misdiagnosed at the beginning of the study, but this is unlikely given the wide range of tools used to confirm their diagnoses.
Our brains are dynamic and keeping them active throughout our lives is important to maintain a good brain function.
Although there are some risk factors, such as our genes, that we cannot change, stay active and lead a healthy lifestyle may be a way to reduce our risk of mild cognitive impairment and dementia.
This article originally appeared on The Conversation. You can read the original version and see the v links to all mentioned scientific studies here .
Mark Dallas is Associate Professor of Cellular Neuroscience at the University of Reading in the UK.
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