Memory loss can start as early as 45
Source: Agencies |
January 7, 2012, Saturday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
LOSS of memory and other brain function can start as early as age 45, posing a big challenge to scientists looking for new ways to stave off dementia, according to researchers.
The finding from a 10-year study of more than 7,000 British government workers contradicts previous notions that cognitive decline does not begin before the age of 60, and could have new implications for dementia research.
Pinpointing the age at which memory, reasoning and comprehension skills start to deteriorate is important because drugs are most likely to work if given when people first start to experience mental impairment.
A handful of novel medicines for Alzheimer's disease, the most common form of dementia, are currently in clinical trials, but expectations are low and some experts fear the new drugs are being tested in patients who may be too old to benefit.
The research team led by Archana Singh-Manoux from the Center for Research in Epidemiology and Population Health in France and University College London found a modest decline in mental reasoning in men and women aged 45-49 years.
"We were expecting to see no decline, based on past research," Singh-Manoux said.
Among older subjects in the study, the average decline in cognitive function was greater, but there was a wide variation at all ages, with a third of individuals aged 45-70 showing no deterioration over the period.
"The next step is going to be to tease that apart and look for links to risk factors," Singh-Manoux said.
The finding from a 10-year study of more than 7,000 British government workers contradicts previous notions that cognitive decline does not begin before the age of 60, and could have new implications for dementia research.
Pinpointing the age at which memory, reasoning and comprehension skills start to deteriorate is important because drugs are most likely to work if given when people first start to experience mental impairment.
A handful of novel medicines for Alzheimer's disease, the most common form of dementia, are currently in clinical trials, but expectations are low and some experts fear the new drugs are being tested in patients who may be too old to benefit.
The research team led by Archana Singh-Manoux from the Center for Research in Epidemiology and Population Health in France and University College London found a modest decline in mental reasoning in men and women aged 45-49 years.
"We were expecting to see no decline, based on past research," Singh-Manoux said.
Among older subjects in the study, the average decline in cognitive function was greater, but there was a wide variation at all ages, with a third of individuals aged 45-70 showing no deterioration over the period.
"The next step is going to be to tease that apart and look for links to risk factors," Singh-Manoux said.
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